“Koena! Tlisa ngwana!” My mom says from wherever she is in the house. My parents have been here for weeks now. The plan was for them to help me out with Thingo, but they honestly just frustrate me. They should have come by after Mthunzi went back to work.

“You are so beautiful, my love”, Mthunzi says to me as I breastfeed our son. 

I look at him and smile. 

“We must make more kids. Look at how handsome Thingo is”, he says. 

I chuckle. I will give him more children. But Thingo needs to grow a bit first. 

We hear my mom tell Mfundo to get Thingo from us. Mfundo is talking about homework and how he thinks we are still sleeping. My mom then mentions that Mfundo is going with her to the mall and Mfundo changes his tune. He is now willing to come bother us. I don’t blame him. Even I cannot do a day at the mall with my mom. Mthunzi and I laugh. 

We hear a knock on our door. We know it’s Mfundo. Mthunzi throws a light blanket over my exposed boob that Thingo is drinking breast milk from. Mthunzi wears a t-shirt and some pants because he was walking around here in just underwear. He opens the door and we let Mfundo in. 

“Mah, gogo wants Thingo”, Mfundo says. 

We all laugh then Mthunzi closes the door, letting Mfundo into our bedroom.

“Ushup boy?” I ask him. 

“Gogo is a lot. Yho. But I love her, she’s a cool chick.” Mfundo says.

“She drives me equally crazy, don’t feel bad. Sit down. We are all getting a bit of a break. This is your dad’s fault. He agreed to them coming here.” I say.

“Yho Timer, you killing us”, Mfundo. 

We all laugh. 

“And she wants me to go to the mall with her. Not even mkhulu is trying to go to the mall with her.” Mfundo says. 

“I’ll drive you guys.” Mthunzi says.

“I’m staying with mah and Thingo.” Mfundo says. 

“Ngeke!” Mthunzi. 

We laugh. 

“We have to pack though, babe. We leave for KZN tonight for Thingo’s welcome ceremony and for your family to meet him. We can’t be gallivanting all day. We should be resting, packing and getting ready.” I say. 

“I agree with mom.” Mfundo. 

“I have to go fetch the car that we will be using. I got a V250.” Mthunzi says. 

“Okay babe. I’ll get an uber for Mama.” I say. 

Our day has started. My mom and dad have ubered to Mall of Africa to get whatever it is they wanted to get. They are coming with us to KZN. Mfundo has taken out all the clothes that he will need, so I have packed for him. I am also done packing for Mthunzi, Thingo and I. I come across some clothes that used to belong to Mohavi. I kept his things. I miss him so much. The last time I went to his grave was when Mthunzi paid lobola for me. I was in Mafikeng and when I am there, I make sure that I go to my son’s grave. 

I take the bags downstairs. Now I change for the trip. I get Thingo ready for the trip as well. 

Mfundo is the one who actually named Thingo. I remember that day when I gave birth to his baby brother. He came into the ward and held the baby in his arms. 

“Thingolwethu”, he said as he rocked the baby in his arms. 

“What does Thingolwethu mean?” I asked. 

“Our rainbow after a storm”, Mthunzi told me. 

We all just looked at each other and we just knew… we were finally seeing our rainbow. The storm was long and painful. But finally, we are here and our rainbow is before us. It was perfect. When it was time to tell the nurses what our baby’s name is, I boldly said “Thingolwethu Msomi.” 

Mfundo loves his baby brother and for that, my love for him has grown. I love Mfundo. He is my son. Blood couldn’t make us any closer and no one can tell me anything. This is my son. 

I see Mfundo walking into the nursery. 

“Mah, ubaba is packing the bags. Gogo and mkhulu are also back. We should be leaving soon.” 

“Okay. I’m thinking we should eat before we leave. I have cooked. What do you think?” 

“I agree.” 

“Okay. Let me just dish up.” 

“I’ll take Thingo. Is this his carry-on luggage?” Mfundo asks, looking at the packed baby bag, nappy bag, bottle bag and blanket. 

We both laugh. 

Mfundo takes Thingo and his “carry-on luggage”. 

We are eating at the dining table. There is chatter and laughter. Thingo is in his brother’s arms. Mfundo is so obsessed that he has even learned how to eat with Thingo in his arms. 

“Sanibonani“, we hear a voice. 

Our attention moves to the door. It is Sindi. I am the first to stand up. What is she doing here? This is my house. Mthunzi stands up as well. He stands next to me. 

“I come in peace, I promise.” Sindi says. 

“What do you want, Sindiswa?” Mthunzi asks her. 

My mom is now next to us as well. 

“Who is this?” My mom enquires. 

“I’m his ex-wife, mama. Your daughter used to be my maid and now she is married to my husband. I’m sure you can do the maths.” Sindi. 

“I thought you came here in peace”, I say. 

Sindi looks at me for a long time. Her look is intense. Then she looks at Mthunzi and says, “Can we talk? Please. It’s important.” 

Mthunzi looks at me. I look at him.

“We are having dinner, mosetsana. You can’t just enter the house of another woman, remove her husband from the head of the table then demand to just talk to him. That’s not how it’s done”, my mom. 

“With all due respect, mama, your daughter did so much more than what I am doing right now. I am the last person you should be judging”, Sindi. 

“What do you want?” I ask. 

“To talk to Mthunzi in private, please.” Sindi says. 

“He’s a married man. He has a plus one now. You talk to both of us.” I say. 

She gives me heavy attitude. 

“Mthunzi, please.” Sindi. Her tone is very sad all of a sudden.

“Baby – ” Mthunzi says, looking at me. 

He doesn’t finish his sentence and I already know that he is going to allow this lunatic to disrespect me yet again. 

Mthunzi

When Koena walks away, I just know that the trip to KZN is going to be long. I lead Sindi to the outside of the house so that she can say what she needs to say then leave. 

“What do you want?” I ask her. 

“I just… Mthunzi, I miss you.” Sindi says.

This woman. Yerrrrr! I swear she enjoys making my life hell. 

“So?” I ask her aggressively. 

“So?” She seems to be hurt by my response. 

“You came into my wife’s house to tell me that shit? Have you lost your mind?” I am shouting at her now. 

She is silent. She releases a tear from her eye. 

She looks up to me then says, “I’m leaving Gauteng. I figure that Siya and I could do with a fresh start. I’m taking my mom and brother with me.” 

“Okay”, am I supposed to be moved? Perhaps beg her to stay? 

“I just wanted to say goodbye”, she says.

“Goodbye, Sindiswa.” Me. 

“Mthunzi, I know the end of us was really bad. I acknowledge the part that I played in it and I really am sorry. But, we also had a good part of our marriage and that’s where Mbali came from. I will always love you because of her and what we shared. It has ended, yes. But I will never forget it.” She says.

“Goodbye Sindiswa”, I say. 

“Mthunzi – 

I look at her. 

“I’m so sorry. I know that the role that I played in ending our marriage hurt you tremendously. I can never take it back, but it is important that you understand that it was never about you. It was all me. It was my doing. I took for granted the best love that could ever happen to me because I got greedy. Greed is a part of who I am and it will never change. It cost me a good life and a good man. I will deal with it. But I just want you to know that despite my actions, I loved you from my soul. You saw a young girl that you wanted to start a family with when I was just a township girl trying to get out of a bad place. You loved me and stayed with me even when you shouldn’t have. I am not the easiest person to be with, Mthunzi. I’m not. But you stayed. You loved me. You comforted me. You took care of me – not just financially, but emotionally and mentally as well. I will always love you from my soul, Mthunzi Msomi.” 

This is very awkward for me. It is nice to hear all of this and it is very grown of Sindi to take accountability and own who she is. The timing and the place is just wrong. This conversation is taking longer than it should and the longer that I am here, the more shit I am dipping myself into with my wife. 

“Please say something”, Sindi says to me. 

“Thank you, Sindi. Thank you for coming here and telling me all of this. And you weren’t always so bad. We didn’t make it to nineteen years of marriage by you being irresponsible with what we shared and compromising what we had built. We had our challenges, yes, but we also had the times that kept us together and the times that kept us going even when it seemed impossible to carry on. But we are done now. And you cannot keep on popping up at my house and disrespecting where I am right now with the family that I am living with and building with. You have to respect Koena. She is my wife now and she is the mother of my children. I love her. I respect her. While you and I have memories and a life together – it is in the past. She is my present and my future.” I tell her. 

“Are you happy though? Like really happy?” She asks me. 

What kind of a question is that? 

“I am, Sindi. I am happy. I am alive again. I am a man that I am most proud of being and Koena brings all of this out of me.” I tell her. 

She nods her head in sadness. 

“When did the two of you start – 

“This conversation is beginning to be unnecessary now. If you’ve said everything that you need to say, please leave my house.” 

“Can I at least get a hug? Please? I need it, Mthunzi.” She says. 

“Sindiswa, goodbye.” 

“Are you scared that Zelda will be reminded of how she came into your life in the first place? Was it through a hug? A smile? A kiss?” She is yelling now as I make my way back into the house and shut the door.

The house is SILENT – as if they were listening to what Sindi and I were talking about.

Mfundo and Koena are done washing the dishes. My mother-in-law is giving me one hell of a look! My father-in-law is scared for what’s about to happen to me. 

“Mfundo, please strap Thingo’s car seat to the car at the back seat. I will sit with him there.” Koena tells Mfundo. 

I was hoping she would sit with me in the front. 

“Okay mah”, Mfundo says then leaves to do just that. 

Koena walks right past me and heads upstairs. This is a good time for us to talk. I follow her upstairs. She is grabbing a handbag and putting power banks, her phone and her iPad in her bag. 

I close the door. 

“Baby”, I call to her. 

She ignores me. 

“Koena”, I try again. 

“How did she get into our house? How did she get past security and make it into our house? Through our gate even? Have you had her here before? Even security knows her now? Or what, you registered her biometrics and she can just come in now? You teaching Sindi to disrespect me now? She comes to my house ngikhona and you left her to disrespect me like that? You are full of shit, Mthunzi.” 

Koena has not even looked at me once since she started talking. She is also not shouting. I can see how this looks suspicious because I’m also wondering how she got in. I didn’t ask her because I just wanted her to say what she needed to say then leave. I’m confused at how Koena concluded that I bring Sindi here when she’s not around and have given her access to our home. 

Before I can even defend myself, Koena has left the bedroom. She is making her way downstairs. I feel so…

“Timer, we need to go.” Mfundo says to me. 

He can see how disturbed I am.

“You can’t do that, Timer. You can’t let Mbali’s mom just come in here and do that to mah. Mah is not her maid anymore. You need to teach Mbali’s mom to respect mah as your wife.” Mfundo tells me. 

I don’t even say anything. I just walk out and make my way downstairs. 

We lock up, set the alarm and leave.