I literally run to him and jump on him! He manages to catch me and all of my big bums and wide hips… spins me around and we kiss. I’m so excited to see this guy! Wow! 

He came here in a bus because their assets are still with the government, so he kinda doesn’t have a car. I offered to buy him a plane ticket so he could fly here, but apparently his father convinced him to teach himself and familiarise himself with how less fortunate people live. So he took a bus – though his father suggested that he takes a taxi – lol! He looks very tired and he smells a bit. But I don’t care. I just really missed him and I’m so happy to see him. The way he holds onto me as we hug… the way he hugs me even… this tells me that he is happy to see me too.

“You look so beautiful”, he says to me. 

“Thank you. Yoh, I missed you so much, babe.” I say.

He smiles at me. 

We kiss. 

I take one of his bags – the carryon luggage bag that’s the only thing he’s allowing me to take – and we walk to the car. 

“Is Isaac Hayes going to kill me while I’m here? I told my parents that if they don’t hear from me within two days, Isaac Hayes has me.” He says as we drive out of Park Station. 

I actually laugh. I’m the one that’s driving. It’s 8:45pm. He left the kingdom last night and has been on the road all day. He just arrived now. 

“He knows you are around and he’s fine. We actually spoke about you.” 

He gives me a WTF look. 

“Relax. He’s supportive. It’s just uWandile…” I don’t finish my sentence.

“I seriously hate that boy. If it wasn’t for you, I’d have pumped bullets in his head.”

“Yeah well… I don’t think I’ll be speaking to Wandile any time soon”. 

“Did you guys do lunch or something while you’ve been here?”

“No”, I say.

He looks at me as if he sees that something happened and he’s waiting for me to say something.

“I don’t want to admit that you were right.”

He starts smiling… ready to laugh his lungs out.

“Uyazibona angisho!!” Me.

“What was I right about?” He asks me, very pleased with himself.

“He told me that he has deep and undeniable feelings for me.”

Now he’s angry. 

“Babe –

“I’ve always known that he’s into you as so much more than just a friend… but the fact that he told you knowing very well that you are with me… he’s disrespecting me phela manje.”

“My dad said the same thing.”

“Your dad knows about this?” 

“My dad and I are close. He knows everything. And he wants to meet Sasi.”

Now he doesn’t know whether to be mad, happy or what…

“Athi Sasi is more than welcome to visit us naye azizwise ukuba umkhulu. Kodwa wena you cannot come to the house. You owe him buffalos first.”

He bursts into laughter.

I laugh too. 

I’m just so happy that he’s here. Gosh man!

…

Last night was nice. My man and I made sure that our bodies remember each other. 

But we then had the church conversation. 

I’m awake now, dressed in a silk and lace white gown. I don’t have a wig on… my cornrows are out to play. I’m sitting on the patio of our hotel room and I’m just thinking. He’s still sleeping. 

Okay… the kiss that I just got tells me that he’s actually wide awake. 

“Sawubona”, he says as sits on the vacant chair next to me. Room service brought a fresh pot of tea. I pour a cup of tea for him and myself. I don’t take any sugar in mine. He’s busy asking me if he looks like he drinks tea. 

Hai ke. 

“Ukahle ?” He asks me. 

“I’m just thinking about our conversation from last night.” 

He’s quiet. He’s not even looking at me. He’s looking at the Pretoria views. 

“I don’t know how to be… and ngapha you’ve included uSasi. USasi is a child, Mnqobi.”

“I know. But she’s been around and on the run and… I just want to have a good and honest relationship with her. I’m not a perfect man, kodwa I want with my daughter… what you have with your father.”

I look at him.

That’s so deep. 

“You should see yourself when you talk about your dad. Everything about you lights up. He’s your everything. And you love him with all his pros and cons. I know she’s young… but there’s no one on this earth who knows and understands me the way that my daughter does.”

Wow. 

Oksalayo he’s choice of work!!!!

“Ngiyakuzwa Mnqobi… ukuthi nje inzima le nto. And it’s a bit much to put on a child.”

“I always need to be able to reach my daughter. Always. Hence the phone.”

Silence. 

“Did Lindiwe know? Does she know?”

He shakes his head. 

Ja neh. 

I decide to change the subject. 

“Zaza has invited us to Hazyview for New Year’s Eve. I agreed thinking it won’t be a bad idea to just party and let go nje. I hope you don’t mind.” 

“I’d love to… but we will be doing umsebenzi for Banathi.”

“Umsebenzi?”

“Yeah. When Nothando passed, her funeral was very rushed because of the circumstances at the time. Azange ahambe ngesilwane. So we need to slaughter. Then we will unveil her tombstone and have a memorial service for her. It will happen on the 30th. So we can probably fly down on the 31st.”

I hold his hand. 

He’s a bit emotional. 

“I’d like Sasi to be there. But Lindiwe and I are not on speaking terms.” He says. 

“You’d like me to talk to her?”

“Please.”

“Okay. And I’ll drive down with you for Nothando’s msebenzi.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to. Ngicela ungivumele.” 

He looks at me. 

“Ngiyakuthanda Wehweh. And I’m going to marry you.”

I smile at him.

We quickly shower then Patrick arrives to see him. I use this opportunity to head home and pack a bag that I’ll be travelling with. I also phone Lindiwe and she does give me a bit of a hard time, but she eventually agrees that we can fetch Sasi. Her condition is that I have to be around at all times. When I come back to SA, I drop Sasi off with her again. I wonder what she and Mnqobi fought about this time. 

I head back to the hotel to get Mnqobi. 

In no time, we hit the road. He’s driving. The weather is a bit weird and it will probably rain soon, so I’m wearing leggings and a baggy t-shirt. I have sneakers on – white All Stars. Mnqobi is in shorts and a t-shirt and sneakers… plus diamond stud earrings… plus cap. He’s exactly like his dad shame.

The drive is nice. We are chatting and being touchy with each other. But he drives to Steyn City. Who does this guy know that lives in Steyn City?! I mean… it’s Steyn City! 

He even has biometrics to just drive in. Heh! 

“Who lives here?” I ask him.

“Ntuthuko. I just need to talk to him quick quick. We will not be long.” 

I don’t even know who that Ntuthuko is. 

We drive to some… this is not even a house. Like what in the actual fuck?! How do you afford a mansion like this in fricken Steyn City?! I wonder if a lifestyle audit is done on whoever lives here. Also, the cars that are parked out here! 

I stay put because I’m not yet told if I can climb out of the car or what. 

Mnqobi comes around to open the door for me. 

We walk to the door and Mnqobi just opens the door. No knocking?! 

I follow him in. 

He’s attacked by a little one hugging him. He picks up the little boy and gives him attention. As I admire this sight before me, I feel little hands around my leg. I look down. A little girl is smiling at me. I’m not sure how to react because I find it extremely rude to pick up babies when you don’t know their parents. It’s just rude! 

“Hello”, I greet the little girl.

“Hi.” She says.

“What’s your name?” I ask her.

“Sthandiwe.” She says. 

“Nice to meet you, Stha.” Me. 

“Ey! Sanibonani”, a dude says. A stunner of a woman is right behind him…. And a bunch of other kids. There are six kids in this house. Six! Half a dozen! And if this lady is their mother, I’m jealous! How are you this hot after six kids?! Some people don’t bounce back after one child.

After introductions, I’ve learned that the dude is Ntuthuko and the stunner is his wife, Tamia. Ntuthuko and Mnqobi disappear. Tamia ushers me to the kitchen. The kids are loud around the house!

“Wine?” Tamia offers me a glass of dry red wine. It is accompanied by a cheeseboard. We are chilling in the kitchen. This house is stunning. I’ve never been this gobsmacked by a house before. 

“Ngiyabonga”, I say, accepting the glass. 

“The chaos in this house is something I’ve become numb too. I know it’s overwhelming for someone new to it.” She says. 

I laugh then say, “girl… six yonke? How did you do it?”

“Ey, I don’t know. It’s just done. I started with four when I met Ntuthuko. He already had the four and I just took over from their mothers… to eliminate those women taking advantage of my man. Then he and I couldn’t keep our hands off each other and made two together.” 

I clap my hands then say, “I have respect for you! Big time.”

“I like you. A lot. And you wear quality wigs. RESPECT!”

We laugh then high-five each other. 

“Let’s do lunch sometime.” She says.

“If it’s in your house, I’m game. I love your home!” I say, no longer able to keep it to myself. 

“Thank you so much”, she says as she laughs. 

“I asked hubby to build me a house that is exactly like the one we lived in when we were in when we lived in Tholoana Kingdom. I loved that house. That was my condition for moving. He told me I could have whatever I wanted. So I got it.” She explains. 

“So what did you do with the house you had in the kingdom?”

“We still have it.”

“Do you plan to sell it at some time?”

“We will at some point. I think it’s sentimental to him because it’s a house his father built for one of his late stepmothers. He sold it to us.”

“If it’s anything like this one, please think of me when you decide to sell.”

“Oh?”

“And then teach me whatever backflip you performed in bed to get your man to agree to all this so I can perform it on Mnqobi.”

She bursts into laughter, expressing how much she likes me. 

We chat about for a few hours – because that’s how long we are here – then Mnqobi walks out with his dad, the king’s twin and Khabane – Ruri’s brother. 

“Ready to go?” Mnqobi asks me. 

I get up, saying bye to Tamia, then we head out… with his dad… so I end up falling asleep in the backseat as they drive and chat away in the front. 

It’s 6am when we walk into my place – the one in Tholoana Kingdom. We dropped off Mnqobi’s dad first at their house. They got their property back, but not their cars and businesses yet. 

We literally lock up and sleep. We have zero energy for anything else. 

…

Mnqobi and I woke up quite late. I think we were really tired. We showered as fast as we could then left for his parents’ house. 

I did bring enough dresses to be respectful… trust me. Right now, I’m in a baby pink shirt-sleeved and round-neck midi bodycon dress. I’m wearing it with Vans sneakers. I’m not married to the guy, so I’m not within a doek. But just to be respectful to the occasion, I have put a doek in the form of a headband over my 32inch Malaysian curl wig. I’ve kept the the makeup minimal. 

We start at Lindi’s house to fetch Sasi. As Mnqobi parks my car outside of the gate, I look at him… understanding who must go inside to fetch Sasi. 

“I’m not going in there”, he says. 

So who must go in there? I wonder. 

I just get out of the car and walk into the yard. I get to the door. Sasi attacks me with a hug before I can even search for her in the house as the door is already open. 

“Mommy! Mommy! Auntie Wehweh is here!” She yells. 

Now her other siblings are here too. She introduces me to them. These ones are Banks’ children with Lindi. They definitely look like Banks. 

Lindi comes to where I am with Sasi’s bag. She doesn’t look too good. 

“Hey”, she says as she smiles at me. But it’s not a happy smile. She’s putting on a face. 

“Hey girl. You good?” Me. 

She nods her head then gives me Sasi’s bag. 

“I know you guys are here for something different, but when you get a minute, I need to speak to both of you guys.” She says. 

“Okay”, I say. “I’ll let you know when we can meet.”

She nods her head. She says goodbye to Sasi then Sasi hold onto my hand and we head to the car together. 

–

We arrive at the house just after 9am. It’s already full here. 

“Where have you been?” Banathi says to Mnqobi. 

“We overslept. Askies.” Mnqobi responds. 

“Cool. Can we go to the farm now? The man is waiting for us”, Nathi. 

Mnqobi nods his head. 

I wonder if this means there will be an animal in my car. Heh! 

“Baby siyabuya manje neh… Ruri is here”, Mnqobi says to me. 

We kiss then Sasi and I get out of the car. Banathi climbs in the front passenger seat where I was sitting. 

The car takes off before I’ve even stepped in the yard. 

Ruri finds me then she pulls me into the house. Sasi has also found her cousins so it’s peace out to me. I feel so awkward. Yoh! I don’t know how to be. 

“Sawubona mah”, I bump into Mnqobi’s mother and greet her. She takes one loooooong look at me as she fixes her doek then she says, “Wehweh, are you alright?”

“I am, mah… thank you.” 

“That’s good. Where’s Mnqobi?”

“He left with Banathi. They said something about a farm.”

She nods her head. 

Now there’s an awkward silence and stare between us. 

“Ngicela ukusiza mah… with anything… the dishes, cleaning up… anything.” I say, praying deeply that she doesn’t ask me to cook. I cannot cook. I know how to follow instructions around the stove, but I cannot cook. 

“You want to help?” Her. 

“Yebo mah… as a friend.” I mean, I’m not the makoti. 

“Okay. Ruri and Wandi are in the kitchen patio making gemere and baking. You can join them.”

I nod my head then head there. I’m here to learn today. I even cut my nails for this, okay!