Reahile 

Mapho goes back to school next week. We are back in the kingdom, but she’s been home since we touched down. She has been feeling quite sick. She says it’s just flu. But I’m seriously worried about her. 

We’ve been working on missions with the church, so I haven’t had the time to see her. We just talk over the phone. But today, we are all entering our period of cooling off and laying low, so I’m going to see her. 

She met my kids. It was not exactly the way that I imagined or planned that she’d meet them, but hey. 

I had the kids over a weekend. The plan was for them to go back home (to their mother) on Sunday because I had plans to fly Mapho in so we could spend some time in SunCity before coming back to the kingdom and starting the year. Rofhiwa is unfortunately still upset about a lot of things. 

She and I used to dabble in casual sex with each other. She’s a beautiful woman. She’s the mother of my kids. Nandi and I were no longer touching each other. I had an erection. She was willing. Things happened. When I met Mapho, that stopped. She’s mad about that. I think she thought that we would fix things and try again. But I’ve been done with Rofhiwa. You couldn’t pay me enough money to get back together with her. 

Then, she’s also upset that I bought a house in Gauteng where I stay with my kids when I go see them instead of sleeping over at her parents’ house – where she’d probably seduce me. So she tries to make my life hell every chance she gets. When I fetched the kids, I told her that I have plans on Sunday with Mapho and that we are headed to SunCity before coming back to the kingdom. I guess she wanted to sabotage that too because when it was time to take my kids back, her phone was off. She never pitched to fetch them and the estate security wouldn’t let me into their estate to drop my kids off. So, I went with them to the airport to pick up Mapho. I couldn’t be late. Mapho was still traumatised about the fact that her first flight ever, she got arrested – thanks to Rofhiwa! It’s things like that that always make me realise that I’d never even consider getting back together with Rofhiwa. 

Mapho was first confused because I didn’t brief her that I’d be coming through with my kids. But she embraced them. She hugged them and didn’t even ask me questions. 

Mohau received Mapho well. Mulalo was tough. She interrogated the hell out of Mapho, asking her about things that I’m sure only her mother would’ve told her… including whether or not she was with me because I was bailing her out of poverty. Mapho was fine towards them the whole time, answering questions as best as she could. But when it was just me and her, she cried, questioning me if this is indeed what Rofhiwa tells my kids about her. I mean… Mulalo asked her if she’d be falling pregnant soon to trap me into marrying her because their mother (Rofhiwa) will always have one up on Mapho for giving me my first daughter and first son. Mulalo even told Mapho that no matter how many children she births for me, Rofhiwa gave me my first of both genders. I reprimanded Mulalo. I really did. And Mulalo ended up crying. She didn’t even enjoy SunCity – we had to take them because their mother was nowhere to be found. Mapho was beyond uncomfortable the entire time because everything she did, Mulalo made a poverty remark or compared Mapho to Rofhiwa. I was extremely upset. 

When I took the twins back home – after calling kazi when we got back from SunCity, I had a stern conversation with Rofhiwa in front of her parents and brothers. 

“What are you teaching these kids?!” I asked her.

She tried to be herself – mad disrespectful and unprepared to take accountability- but I told her, in front of her parents, what Mulalo did. Mr R and Kazi were so disappointed. They even gave Rofhiwa a hectic reprimand. She even cried. Then they shat on Mulalo as well. 

Mapho doesn’t want to talk about what happened or all the things that Mulalo said to her, but I know it hurt her. It even hurt me. 

I drive into the plot-like yard that has a bunch of unkept houses in it. Some are shacks. Some are made from stone – literally- and are basically falling apart. Mrembula’s house is the mansion and only decent house in here. It’s actually a house that belongs in the suburbs. But because he fears tax and levies, he came to show off in front of these poor people. Mapho also did a good job with her home. Their house is like a township house – a decent one. Nothing you’d find in the suburbs, but something you’d find in the posh areas of townships. This street has these yards next to each other and opposite each other. Each yard has that ONE decent house then the rest of the houses are just falling apart. 

I drive to Mapho’s home then park my car on the side of the house… out of the way so people can buy snacks on the veranda from Lele as well as cue for food at the main mobile kitchen.

“Dumela mam’holo”, I greet as I bump into her putting freshly washed laundry on the washing line to dry. She has pegs clipped on the dress, in clipping the pegs from there then locating them on the clothes she’s hanging. 

“Dumela kgosana. How are you?”

“Mam’holo, Reahile osiame hle! When I come to your house, I’m a child, not a prince.”

I’m tired of having this conversation with her hey.

“Heh eh wena! You want me to call you by name?”

You know what?! 

“Yes. Please, Mamholo.” 

She looks traumatised.

I don’t understand!

“How’s Mapho doing?” I change the subject. 

She looks at me funny. 

And then?

“Can’t you see that she’s pregnant?” She says.

She’s what?! 

She sees the shock on my face. 

“I know that Mapho is light-skinned, but these days, she’s very light skinned. And that bum of hers… I remember when my sister was pregnant with her. Her bum grew bigger and faster than her stomach.” 

She can see that I’m not jumping for joy here. Mapho is going to hate me! She’s so serious about finishing school and not letting a child come between that. And we’ve always been careful. Yes, we’ve stopped using condoms, but she has been on the pill since before we stopped using condoms. I just know that we are going to fight! Especially after Mulalo’s interrogation about Mapho trapping me with a baby. Yerrrr! 

“When I suggested that she could be pregnant, she bit my head off so hard that we are all scared to talk to her in the house. But she’s in there, sleeping on the couch. She went out yesterday. She went to town. She came back and has been sleeping ever since.” Mamholo tells me. 

I nod my head then head into the house. 

I don’t know where the cousins are. Well, Lele is selling snacks on the patio. I know Tono now lives with Mrembula. That girl! Ai! 

I find Mapho sleeping on the three-seater couch. Some reality show is playing on TV. I guess she was watching it then dozed off. 

I gently shake her shoulder.

She opens her eyes. She looks at me. She looks like she’s been crying.

“Hey”, I greet her. 

“Hey,” she says, getting up from the couch and giving me space to sit next to her. 

“How are you feeling?” I ask her.

She pulls out a pregnancy stick from inside a pillowcase of the cushion she was laying her head on. She gives it to me. The pregnancy stick has a positive sign on it. I know what this means. I went through it with Rofhiwa. 

“I thought we were careful”, she says, deflated. She didn’t even give me a chance to react. 

“We were, babe.” I say.

“How the hell did this happen?!” Now she’s crying again. 

I pull her towards me and comfort her. I know that it’s not because she doesn’t want the child. Mapho is planner. When unplanned things happen, she freaks out a bit. Her plan was to finish school, become a doctor, get married then have kids. Now the kids part is coming first. I get it. I wasn’t ready for this neither, but I’m ready now that it’s happening.

“Baby, it’s going to be okay. We will figure it out, okay? You’ll still finish school. I’ll make sure of it.”

“And your family is going to want us to get married. I don’t want you to marry me just because I got pregnant. I’m not trying to trap you.” 

I knew it! I knew this was at the core of her feeling like shit.

“Mapho –

“No, Reahile! No! Your family and your wife’s family already think that I plan to trap you with a child!”

She’s crying from her core! 

“Maphodile! Rofhiwa is my ex-wife, not my wife! And no one thinks you are trying to trap me! Rofhiwa just -“

She’s just wailing on this couch. It actually breaks my heart.

She eventually falls asleep. 

I sit here and let her head rest on me as she sleeps. I decide to phone my dad – Khotso. 

“Sho, Reahile?” He answers his phone.

“Hi papa. Ushup?” 

“Ke shup. What’s going on?”

“Mapho is pregnant.”

“Oh. Congratulations.” 

“Thanks. The lawyers should bring the final divorce stuff some time this week.”

“It actually arrived this morning at our house.” He says.

“Oh okay.”

“Are you okay? You don’t sound excited.”

“Mapho won’t stop crying. She wanted to finish school first and all that. But also… Mulalo gave her a hard time in SunCity and some of the things that she said was that Mapho wanted to trap me with a baby. It’s obviously stuff she heard from Rofhiwa. That really affected Mapho.” 

“Yoh!”

“I don’t know how to be there for her.” I say. 

“Listen, son. This baby is coming whether Rofhiwa likes it or not… whether you and Mapho will get over what Mulalo said or not… whether this was part of Mapho’s plan or not. Maybe she’s in shock and maybe there is an insecurity in that you are MUCH wealthier than what she is. But she’s family now. She’s one of us. She’s carrying our grandchild. We need to do the right things on our side so that we can all be there for her and she understands that she’s not on her own.” 

“Yeah, I know.”

“I’ll send a messenger to her people to set up a date for her lobola negotiations. You know that you guys have to get married.” 

“Yeah I know. And I love her. I just wish this was being done differently.” 

“I know. But if that’s the case, you guys should’ve stayed away from sex. This is what happens when you have sex. No one can ever be careful enough.” 

I’m quiet. 

“Tell me… you know I have to ask… when you met her –

“Yes, she was a virgin.” I complete his sentence.

“Are you sure?” He asks me.

“I wouldn’t lie about this. Rofhiwa and Nandi were not virgins when I met them and I was honest about that.”

“I don’t know, monna. Maybe you love her and want to protect her dignity.”

“Papa, I found her sealed. I’m the one who broke her virginity.” 

“Okay then. Ey… so we will have to prepare the necessary cow for that. I’ll sort it out. For now, just be there for her. She needs you now more than ever. She will be moody and might hate you… but it’s all the stuff they go through before they bring our heirs into this world. But hey, you’ve been through this already. I don’t need to tell you all of this.” 

We both laugh. 

“I’m proud of you, son. And I’m wishing you all the best… with the child, with Mapho and with your marriage. This time, may it be forever.” 

“Kea leboha, papa.”

We hang up

…

I feel hands shaking me. 

I wake up. 

“Good morning”, she says to me with a beautiful smile on her face. 

I ended up sleeping over here. I slept on the couch because I do have to respect Mamholo. 

I get up, sit up. 

I accept the tray of breakfast she’s holding. She sits next to me. Her eyes are still red and swollen. 

“You good?” I ask her as she rubs my thighs. I’m still dressed in the tracksuit I was wearing yesterday. 

She shrugs her shoulders. 

“We are going to be okay, okay?” I say. 

She nods her head. 

“My papers finalising my divorce with Nandi arrived. It’s official. I’m divorced.” I say. 

She nods her head. 

“You and I need to get married. You know that, right?” 

“Yeah. I know how the royal stuff works. But I’m not even a virgin anymore. What if your family – 

“Baby”, I stop her, kissing her. 

“My family knows that I’m the one who deflowered you. We will pay the necessary cow for that.”

She nods her head then says, “and your children? Do you think they’ll ever accept me?”

I put my tray of food on the coffee table. I pull her into a hug. We chill in this position for a while. 

–

I managed to convince Mapho to go back home with me. We will stay at her apartment. Our intention was to go see a doctor. Our family doctor agreed to accommodate us when we arrived, even though it will be after her office hours. 

“I can’t believe I’m going to be a mother. I judged Lele and Tono so hard for having kids without an education and out of wedlock. Now… ke nna oe.” 

“Don’t be hard on yourself, baby. You’ll continue to study. And I’m going to marry you.” 

“But I’ll be married and unemployed. I’ll literally be what your kids say I am… using you as my ticket to survive… trapping you with a child.” 

Yerrr! 

“Mapho, akere nna le wena know this is not the case?! You and I love each other very much. This child is a blessing – nothing less.”

She looks out of the window. 

I hold her hand. 

“We will fix this with the kids, okay?” 

She nods her head. 

We just drive out in silence.

I’ve dropped Mapho off at home after our doctor’s appointment. She is ten weeks pregnant. I saw her genuinely smile about this for the first time when we saw the foetus and heard the baby’s heartbeat. She held my hand. I kissed her hand. 

We were excited about this baby. She asked how many heartbeats were there, just to make sure that she isn’t carrying twins. The doctor and I laughed. She understood. She delivered my twins. Mapho is carrying one child. I’m very relieved about that. 

My dad – Ona – phoned me and asked me to come home. So I dropped Mapho off at her flat and came home. She said she was just going to sleep. I asked the chef to prepare her a good hearty meal. He promised he’d do that. The cleaner is also there. 

I get home – at the palace. I notice that my other dad is also here – Khotso. 

I walk in and greet whoever I come across, mostly staff. I get to the dining area and see my dads sitting here with their wives. I guess this is about to be a whole talk.

“Dumelang”, I greet them before I sit down. 

Mam’Phuthi ululates… even gets up and starts doing that Zulu dance where the leg goes over the head. I’m laughing because it’s so beautiful to watch. Even Mme Thabi joins her in the dancing. 

My dad, Ona, shakes my hand. I guess it’s a happy day. But after everything that has happened, we need some good news and celebrations around here. 

We finally sit down. 

“How are you feeling?” Mam’Phuthi asks me.

“I’m so happy. She’s my one. I’ve never said that about anyone in my life. I just feel it. She’s mine. Maphodile – my great-grandmother – sent her to me. She was made for me.” 

She ululates again. 

I didn’t realise she could be this loud. 

“I guess that third time is a charm hey”, Mme Thabi. 

“The messenger has delivered the letter to her Mamholo. They agreed that we will meet at the end of this month. She also agreed that the wedding will be concluded on the same weekend as the lobola negotiations. There’s no need for us to delay.” 

I nod my head. 

I wonder who’s going to be part of her delegation. She never speaks about her extended family. I know they are all not on good terms. Ey! 

“Nizokwenza njani ngendlu?” Mom Phuthi asks me. 

“They’ll live here”, my dad – Ona – says. 

“For the period yokukotiza. After that? They can’t live here. Nizoqedela izingane umshado with your nonsense.” Mom’Phuthi. 

Mme Thabi doesn’t take a good liking to that statement. Her face says it all. 

“I’ll look for something, mah.” I say.

“Well, obaba bakho and I bought you a house as a wedding gift. We will hand over the keys on your wedding day. We are very proud of you. We are very happy for you. Konke okuhle kwande emshadweni wakho, Rea.” 

I smile at her.

I can’t help but get up then hug her. Mme Thabi is really not happy… like not at all. Why was she left out of this? 

I shake both my dads’ hands and say thank you. 

We speak at length about the kind of wedding that will happen, but we manage to leave room for any changes that Mapho will want. This is her wedding. I’ve done this twice before, so I want her to genuinely HAVE her day. 

“Another thing, son”, Dad Ona says. 

I look at him. 

“The twins need to come back to the kingdom.” He says.

This is just going to start shit.

“You are going to get married and one of the cows that we are taking to Mapho’s family is for her being an instant mother to kids she didn’t birth. We allowed the kids to leave because there wasn’t stability around them. But now, there’ll be a mother in the house and she needs to raise the Mohale children.” He says.

I take a deep sigh.

It’s almost as if he can see that my mind is just racing.

“Khotso tells me what happened between Mapho and Mulalo. She has to forgive and let go. Those kids are now her kids. Then we need to straighten Mulalo out.” 

“Rofhiwa is going to fight this”, I say. 

“We will speak to Fiks. Don’t worry. We made our terms and conditions clear when we gave those kids to Rofhiwa. I’m sure she even knows that the kids have to come back now. Maybe that’s why she started her smear campaign against Mapho.” Dad Khotso. And Mom’Phuthi is giving him looks! He’s definitely not going to be the one who will speaking to kazi. 

I just breathe. 

We are about to see a shit storm happen. 

“You know… Fifi will do anything to antagonise me. What if she starts causing issues for the church?” Me.

“She is stupid. So she’s very capable.” Mme Thabi. 

“I’ll talk to her… to her and Fiks.” Mom’Phuthi. The way that she says Fiks tells us that Dad Khotso is going to have it when they go home. 

We are all quiet. 

“I need to get going. I’ll see you all tomorrow”, I say, standing up and excusing myself. 

They let me go. 

They can honestly fight amongst themselves while I’m gone.