“You are not going to let me inside my house? Seriously?!” My mom yells at the cops keeping us out of our house. 

“Kahle nje, sgebengu ndini! Even that car of yours is officially repossessed! Your assets and accounts are all frozen! Nigcinile ukuphila ngezimpilo zabantu!” The cop. 

“You can’t do this!” My mom yells. 

This is bad! 

“Lalela bafo… can I at least take stuff for my child? Please?” Me. 

“Wahlanya oe! Frozen assets or not, I have a right to at least get my clothes.”

“Why should I care about your rights? Do you care about the rights of people.” 

“You will let my clients go in and get their stuff! I’ve checked your warrants. You take cars, cash and property – this specific property to be exact. Everything else they get back. Move!” Our attorney says. I don’t even know where he came from. 

“I have to phone my boss to verify.” The cop. 

“Make it a quick call because if we are still standing in a minute, I’m opening a case against you and your office. Imagine how that will hurt your case.”

The cop thinks about this. 

“45 seconds”, the lawyer. 

“Fine! But I’m watching you.” The cop tries to negotiate.

“You stay in the kitchen”, our attorney. 

As we walk into the house, “prioritise your safes.” My mom whispers.

“We have safes?” Banathi and I both ask in shock. 

My mom rolls her eyes at us. 

How do we have safes and not know about it?

“I’ll stay with the cop downstairs”, our attorney. 

We do pay him a lot of money. I’m glad he hasn’t forgot that. 

I’m in my room. 

I pull out a bag and pack as many clothes and sneakers that I can put in. I also put in my earrings. They are diamond earrings. The cuts and carats different, but they are mine. 

My mom walks into my room. She has a key. 

She goes in deep into my cupboard. I follow her. She opens a mirror. I thought this was a mirror, not a door! 

She unlocks the door behind it. There are four massive travel bags that you would only find in Chinese shops. 

“Take these and bring them to my bedroom”, she says. 

This woman!

I do as she says. 

I find Banathi here. 

We both look at each other and shrug our shoulders. He’s sad about his wife, but he’s cooperating. 

We follow my mom into her cupboard. She also has a mirror that opens up. This door leads to a passage. We follow her. The passage leads to a door that leads to outside a gate we never knew existed in our yard. This street is where people park their cars outside because this neighbourhood has no such thing as hijackers or car theft criminals. 

My mom opens a Hyundai Starrea… the one that looks like a router. 

“Load the bags that were in the safes in here. The ones with random things, those we leave through the kitchen with. They’ll be searched. Hurry up”. My mom says. 

My mom is actually the most dangerous of all of us! She’s too smart. 

Banathi and I load the car. There are already two other cars in here. 

We spot Khanyisa loading another Hyundai as well. Her one is an H1. 

Eh eh eh!

Rea is loading another one. His one is an Audi Q7. 

I wonder whose idea this was. 

Rea gives us clothes to wear and says we must keep it in the cars. 

Now, we head back inside. We lock everything then we leave with bags vele through the kitchen. We do indeed get searched. They find nothing. We leave. 

Our lawyer gives us a lift because we don’t have a car now neither.

“That offer… of Wehweh taking my kids… is it still available?” Banathi says to me. 

Wehweh is actually the one who offered to take the kids. I know this means we are about to become animals fighting for survival. 

I nod my head. 

“I’d like it if she kept them for now”, he says. 

My mom looks at us. She’s sitting in the front with the attorney. 

She tells us that she will organise for the kids to get to Wehweh. 

The attorney took the long route to get to the next street where the Hyundai we are using is. It seems we were being followed. But he lost the people following us. 

“You guys will stay at the royal house just for two weeks. After that, you must all split.” The attorney says. 

“Yeah. I need to get my husband out.”

“He could be transferred to a federal prison in the states”, he says. 

“What?!”

Silence. 

Banathi and I look at each other. 

“I’m going to break him out”, my mom mara. I wish Wehweh loves me like this. 

“Mrs Khuzwayo –

“Please, Gustavo! Please! Find a way! Money is not a problem.” 

“If this is a success, you have to leave the kingdom. You know this right? He will have to escape from custody but then he will have to leave this country until the Mohales regain power again, then make this go away. You know his sister has turned state witness, right? So you cannot trust her.” The lawyer.

“Nothile?”

“Yeah.”

“That ungrateful bitch!” My mom mumbles.

“Thanks for telling me”, my mom says.

“Where are you going to go, Tlali?” The attorney enquires. 

I’m also wondering the same thing.

“The less you know, the better. I don’t want to compromise you. You’ve already done a lot for us and we are very grateful.” My mom.

“You know that I can help, right? I want to help. Please let me help.” 

My mom looks at him.

“We are going to the one country that is nothing like the kingdom when it comes to wanted people or foreign nationals. South Africa. But no one will suspect us. We will have our own money. We will live comfortably in a nice suburb. We won’t put pressure on the government systems.” 

“That’s a good place to hide. Trust me.” 

“Yeah. But I really need my husband to come with us.”

“Let me see what I can do, okay?”

My mom nods her head. 

He stops in front of the car that we are to move in. 

“Get my husband out, Gustavo. Whatever it takes!” My mom. 

We get out of Gustavo’s car and jump into the car assigned to us. We are officially on the move. My mom is driving. 

I get a text message from Wehweh. 

“Zozo, Gugu and Ziwe are here.”

Those are Banathi’s kids: Zokhothama (Zozo), Gugulezwe (Gugu) and Makaziwe-Omuhle (Ziwe). Two girls, one boy. 

“Okay. Thanks for letting me know, babe.”

“Are you okay? I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine. I’ll see you soon.”

…

Royal palace

This place is big and weird, feeling nothing like a home. We’ve all been assigned rooms. I honestly feel like climbing out of the window everyday and making my way to Wehweh. 

But tomorrow, I’m going to see my father in prison. I know that they are in a c-max prison, under extreme tight conditions and have no way of seeing or speaking to each other. 

Some Mohale people also arrived here claiming to have come to save the throne, and it’s war between them and Thabi. It’s really bad. They’ve told Thabi that she no longer has privileges around here. They essentially want her out, but Thabi is not the type to go down without a fight. She sabotages them every chance she gets. I wouldn’t be shocked if she poisoned them. 

There’s only one lady who’s still prepared to work for Thabi. If you ask me, she’s buying loyalty or something. She’s too committed to a failing system. Her name is Phumelele. I remember because she’s Zulu like me. And she’s nice. She even serves us – Thabi’s guests. I’ve seen the staff – wena security guard, wena gardener – bonke nje… they look at her whenever she appears nje. 

I get to breakfast and I already don’t feel like sitting and eating here. I haven’t seen Phuthi in a while. I wonder where she is. But seeing that Wandi, Senzi, Melo and Moloko are still here… I know that she hasn’t made a run for it. It’s also good to know that she’s out of her funk. Rena’s death hit her too hard – it hit her harder than it hit Bab’Khotso and Moloko combined. 

Breakfast is silent and uncomfortable. 

“Thabi –

“It’s kgosikgadi to you!” Thabi snaps at the self-appointed regent. 

“Ey wena!”

“When you say Ey wena, are you referring to me?”

“Yes! You are nothing wena mahn!”

“I’m the queen! I’m actually your queen. And with your persistence in pissing me off and taking me on like this, I’ll start putting you in your place in the name of treason!”

He’s silent. He even looks scared. 

“Bona mo wena lerete tuwe! I’m up to here with your shit! You have no idea who you are messing with! You have no idea what you are even doing in that position! It’s not just breakfast, lunch, supper, living in a big house, being driven around and wearing cheap suits. In fact, your suits insult our very eyes! You are nothing like Ona! You’ll never be him. And if I have anything to do with it, you’ll never be the fucken king! This kingdom has a king! His name is Onaleruna Mohale! Wena tsikitsiki-nyana, o tlo bona sebhunu the next time I so much as hate the smell of your mouth! You, your wife and your fucken rugrats are not welcome here! I can’t do anything about you being here because it’s in the Mohale trust, and every dick with that surname has rights to this place. But that doesn’t mean I cannot kill you. And I will kill you! Keep pushing me! I dare you!”

How is anyone supposed to eat after that?!

“Ey wena!” Phuthi comes charging into the room and SLAPS THE SHIT OUT OF THE SELF-APPOINTED CHIEF!

I did say that I wasn’t in the mood for this breakfast. 

“YOU THINK I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU DID?!” Phuthi yells. 

All the women at the table are now standing and keen to hear what this man has done. 

“HEH EH WENA! WHOSE HUSBAND ARE YOU SLAPPING?!” The wife.

Phuthi SLAPS THE SHIT OUT OF THE WIFE TOO then says, “SEEING THAT WHAT’S YOURS IS HIS, THATHA NAYI EYAKHO IMPAMA!”

Ja neh! 

“LEZIDWEDWE LEZI ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE POLICE TO PUT OUR HUSBANDS BEHIND BARS!” Phuthi yells.

“And in exchange for what? Huh?! The throne?” Phuthi says as if out of energy. 

“For everything that Mathabo owes the Mohales. That domestic worker of a slut slept with Mohale om’holo just to put an illegitimate king on that throne! Everything has tried to show this family that the throne is cursed because of those people, but no one listened. Even Ona and Khotso are not of Mohato’s semen! That should’ve been sign enough! But no… then you let them both live! As twins! Where the hell have you seen that happen?! And now Mohato used this throne to build a legacy of crime! He spat on this throne, and those boys – Ona and Khotso – they continue to spit on it. Hand it back to the right people once and for all!” The self-appointed regent. 

So we are all in shit because of internal conflict regarding the throne. 

“You don’t know the first thing about Mohato and his leadership! This country is what it is because of him! Yes, he didn’t go to school. But the people he hired – who did go to school – came with plans and ideas out of a textbook that he funded! He funded that! Yena! You can call him whatever you want, but we have less poor people today. There’s no foreigner out there that even dreams to come and be a burden on this country because of the measures that he paid for to be put in place. People live! People feast on this throne because Mohato made it possible! Our systems work and they put our citizens in better positions internationally because he paid to make that happen. He didn’t open a textbook, put a business plan and just shoved the responsibility of execution on the next person. And that shit wasn’t easy. Some of us did time for it. Uyafika wena la ngama-suit waseSHEIN, uncibilika kwisihlalo sakho that you don’t deserve, and you spit on the memory of the man that made this country that you want to lead! You have no idea what it takes to lead this country! You’ll cripple it before you even know it! And these citizens themselves will burn you alive because of how useless you will be!” Phuthi is so passionate. 

This guy wants to respond, but he’s just… 

Also, what’s wrong with his suit?  Every woman here keeps taking shots at his suit! 

“Lalela la… Ona is prepared to step down for you to take over”, Phuthi.

“WHAT?!” Thabi.

Mr suit smiles.

“On conditions that he leaves with everything that he and Mohato built. The money. The houses. The policies. The government. The service. You can start your kingdom from scratch then pass on whatever shit you come up with to your off-springs.” Phuthi.

Now we all laugh under our breaths because Mr Suits is upset. This is not exactly what he expected. 

“So?! Nithini?! Or is the SHEIN cart depending on your decision?” Phuthi. 

They get up from the table then leave the room. 

After they’ve left the room, Phuthi looks at us and says, “I have a plan.”

We all look at her. 

“But we cannot discuss it here. We need a safe place.” Phuthi. 

“Wehweh’s place.” My mom.

“Mah!” Me.

“Keng wena?! I want my husband back home.”

“That’s not your house! You ask for permission before you just volunteer it for things.”

“O buwa le nna jwang, wena?!” She says in a threatening voice.

“Ungathukuthela ufike lapho ufuna khona! Asiyi kaWehweh! You are not involving her in this! We could go to jail! How dare you want to implicate my girlfriend when she knows nothing about this.”

Now she slaps me! And I don’t care! 

“Mah! You are not the only one who has a person you love in a difficult position! Stop acting like a selfish child!” 

Now we have a staring match!

Fok mahn!

–

He is brought out to me. There is a thick window between us. We have to communicate with a phone thingy. 

He’s so sad to see me. Why?! I guess I wouldn’t want Sasi to see me like this. 

He sits down. They unchain one of his hands. Both hands and feet were chained. I actually feel like crying. 

He takes the phone. I take mine. 

“Baba”, I say. I force a smile just to be a friendly face. 

“Ndodana. Uyaphila?”

“Ngiyaphila. Inkosikazi yakho iyasangana kodwa. She wants you out as in yesterday. She doesn’t care who she hurts or puts in the line of fire to make it happen.”

This breaks his heart a bit. 

“She’s not coping?” He asks me. 

“Not at all. She even slapped me today.”

“Hai bo! Wenzeni?”

I tell him what happened from the minute I walked up to that breakfast table right up to the slap. We laughed about the suit part, but he’s upset that this is all because of ubukhosi.

“Do you guys see each other at all?” I ask him. 

“No. We are isolated. We are locked in for 23 hours and only see sunlight for one hour… and at different times. Asihlangani nokuhlangana nezinye iziboshwa.”

I’m really sad. 

“Tlali has tried to come see me. Three times. But they wouldn’t let her in. Phuthi somehow came in, nami angazi kanjani. She told me she has a plan and I shouldn’t worry.”

“But you are worried?”

“It’s just… years ago, we were in a similar position. The Mohales looked out for themselves, got themselves out and left myself and Nothile inside to do three life sentences.”

“What?!”

“Your mother was heavily pregnant with you, and Banathi was a child himself… she’s the one who came and got us out. They didn’t even take care of her while I was in here. She figured it out on her own… pregnant and with a toddler. She begged me to turn my back on the church. She promised me we’d be okay without them. I was too loyal. I should’ve listened to her.”

I cannot believe what I’m hearing! 

“Tell her I’m ready. Tell her that this time, I’m taking the lead from her. Whatever she wants, this time she’ll get it. And I’m sorry that I never listened in the first place.”

I put my fist against the window. He puts his fist against the window too. He gets emotional. I’m already crying. 

“How’s your brother?” He asks me.

“He’s hurting. He lost his wife. He doesn’t say much. I’m trying to be there for him. His kids and Sasi are with Wehweh.”

“Wehweh? Are you serious with her? You want to marry her?”

“I actually do.”

“She’s beautiful. What is she saying about all of this?”

“Nothing yet. Wehweh is the type that will give me an opportunity to sort all of it out. But once it’s all said and done, I know I’m in shit and I’ll have to answer questions upon questions.” 

He laughs. That’s good. He needed to laugh. I smile too. 

“We are going to get you out of here. I promise.” Me. 

He nods his head. 

“Is there any guard that is actually looking after you?”

He shakes his head and says, “none of them are even allowed to talk to us. I guess they are afraid that we will bribe them. They always have to be a meter away from us. Hence we are so chained.”

“Well, you have court tomorrow. Something tells me that Phuthi’s plan has something to do with that.”

He nods his head. 

“I love you dad. I’ll come back until you get released. Okay?”

“I love you, son. And tell your mom and brother that I love them.”

I nod my head.