I’ve dropped Risuna off at school and am now at the Maphumulo house. I’m Mrs Maphumulo’s assistant and the workload is a lot. I thought work at Keith’s office was hectic. Yoh, here?! It’s a lot! But the payment has helped me a lot. 
I’ve been asking my mom to quit her job for some time now. She’s old. And this thing of hers cleaning at government hospitals for R4500 a month is not okay. There was a time when I couldn’t help her. But that changed. When Keith got his CEO job, I know he started paying my mom R8000 a month. He refused to send money to his mother though because according to Keith, his mother would starve then send money to his father. And Keith would rather die than support that man. But, Keith’s mother doesn’t work. And this is not okay. It’s just not. She lives on the money that Keith and his brothers give her. And Keith has the highest paying job. 
So, I give her money from my salary. 
Keith and I are responsible for her groceries. So I buy her groceries online every two weeks and have them delivered to her. Michael and his girlfriend are responsible for rates, taxes, the garden person and the domestic worker. Samuel and his wife are responsible for DSTV, TV license and clothing accounts. 
According to Keith, what else does she need money for? That’s why she can afford to give money to the dad. Now that the dad moved back into the house, it’s worse. Keith even wants us to reduce the groceries. Honestly, he must just take one for the team at this point. He cannot NOT look after his mother because of his hatred for that man. Hai bo. 
So I’ll generally send her R2500. When she needs money for stuff, she phones me. And I’m happy that she does. Her sons are not prepared to send her money because of the father. And the wives and girlfriends… well, they don’t like her enough to do what I do. And I don’t understand why. Maybe I just understand her better because I grew up just next door her house and she’s always seen a daughter in me. 
Now with my significant increase in salary, I give her R5000 every month. Then I’ve added onto my mom’s allowance. So she gets R10 000 from Keith and I collectively. She finally confirmed that she doesn’t work anymore. I’m happy. She also tells me that she takes Keith’s mom out from time to time, which I appreciate. But ja, I don’t know how we are going to work around this situation. 

“Moghel!!!!” Wandi comes into my office and says. 
We are both super excited to see each other. We jump on each other, hugging and actually making a noise.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you”, she says.
“I’m so excited to see you!!! I feel like we all just don’t see each other unless it’s a funeral or a wedding or something. That’s so wrong guys. We can’t be missing Thebe’s back rooms because of such”, I say.
“I hear you. I definitely agree. We just all have a lot going on. But you are right, we need to make time and just catch up.” 
“Yeah. How are you finding being a new mommy?” 
“It’s beautiful. I’m very blessed. And I have the best support system seeing me through. Plus, Melo is not a fussy child. So she really favours me in that regard”, she says.
“Well, being a mommy is a stunning look on you. I’m loving it for you!” 
“Thank you, gorgeous. And wena? How’s Risuna and Keith?” 
“They are good, watsiba. Keith wants another baby even.” 
She almost pops her eyes out. 
I laugh.
“I kinda want one too. But I think I’ll come off the pill after the wedding. I’m giving Risuna a little more time to be an only child. But even he’s asking me why people around him have siblings and he doesn’t.” I say.
Wandi actually laughs. 
I laugh too. 
“I’m really happy for you and Keith, Bassie. You know we’ve always held pom-poms for the two of you, but seriously, I’m so happy you guys found each other and knew what to do with this opportunity.” She says.
“Thank you so much, friend. There was honestly a time where I would have never believed anyone who would have told me that Keith and I would be married one day and building a whole family together. When he married that lunatic of his, I genuinely believed that any chance of him and I being together was over. Hell, I was even thinking about giving Sipho a chance.”
“BASETSANA!”
We burst into laughter. 
“That guy unofficially adopted my child when his father wanted nothing to do with him – or so I thought at the time. He bought the baby a stroller, a cot and all these other things that I couldn’t afford. Not even he could afford it… he worked extra shifts at the mine just so my baby and I could be okay. Why wouldn’t I give him a chance.”
“Chomi, vele you didn’t find that to be creepy? I mean who does that? And with no guarantee ukuthi that’s your woman vele vele vele? I mean, now, you are with Keith and you haven’t spoken to him in forever. Lapho akhona, how’s he taking the fact that you and Risuna are not in his life and are not his family as he thought would be the case when he was being extra? Phela he surely didn’t do that just nje… there must have been some expectation.” 
“I’ve never thought about it like that, watsiba. I just always thought of him as this thoughtful person who really cared enough to pick me up when I was at my lowest.” I say and I’m actually being honest. 
“Anyway… he got arrested. Uzwile?” She says.
“Hai wena! For what?” 
“Aren’t you still in the WhatsApp group kaThebe for that place?” 
“No. I changed phones and lost everything.” 
“Yoh! Apparently, police came to fetch him at the rooms. The charges include murder, rape, robbery and assault.” 
“WHAT?!” I’m so shocked.
“Ja. Maybe that money he made to buy all of things was not 100% legal.”
My spine honestly has a hectic chill.
“You dodged a bullet, babe. He’s not who we all thought he was. I just found him to be very creepy for being your unofficial husband nje. It was too weird to me.” She says.
“Ja neh. Keith did say that there was something off about him. I just thought that Keith was being jealous.” I say.
“He was being jealous. He could tell that Sipho was off but couldn’t tell that his wife was a dangerous nutcase and a half?”
We look at each other.
We burst into laughter.
“Anyway, let me love and leave you. Melo is with her mkhulu and I don’t want her exhausting him. I’m somewhere around this massive house if you need me or just want to take a quick break nyana.” 
“Thanks babe. Enjoy.” 
She leaves my office.
Ja neh! 

I’m busy for the next few hours in my office. Fifi, my boss, is in and out of my office. She even had a site visit today with the queen. This is really a big project. I feel honoured to be part of it. 
It is now 6pm. I decide to call it a day. Fifi is not back from the site visit. She texted me telling me that I can leave. We will catch up telephonically. Vele I miss my child and my husband. I have missed calls from my mother as well. I’ll call her back on my drive back home. 

I walk past Wandi, Melo and Mr Maphumulo. Wandi has just made Mr Maphumulo food. So he’s eating. I say goodbye. They all say goodbye. Wandi even says that we will chat. I agree and give her space. She’s being a makoti. I understand. 

I’m driving home now. Let me phone Keith first. He is actually away on business. He’s in South Africa, Cape Town. 
“Hey my love”, he answers his phone.
“Hey baby. How are you doing?” 
“I just miss you. A lot. You should take me with you on your trips.”
“I’d love that. Plus, I’m very horny right now. And only you can solve this problem.” 
I actually laugh. 
“How’s my boy?” He asks me. 
“I’m headed home now, so it will be me and him when I get home. We can video call you after dinner.”
“I have a meeting just after 7pm. As soon as I’m done, I’ll phone you guys.”
“Okay baby. Sure. When are you coming back again?”
“Tomorrow my baby. I honestly cannot wait.”
“We miss you, love.”
“I miss you too, baby.”
“And I love you, baby.”
“I love you too, baby.” 

–

My kid is running around the house, driving mzala crazy. What I don’t understand is why mzala is running after him. Upset as she is and yelling at him the way that she is, he’s completely entertained. He’s laughing so hard that he even stops running to catch his breath from laughing and running. My chaos part 2 has started. 
“Risuna!” I’m the one who makes him stop this nonsense.
“Mzala! Hai your child!” Mzala is so tired. She’s even sweating. What were they doing?
“Why are you being naughty, Risuna?” I ask. 
“I’m not. I’m playing. And mzala is very funny”, he says as he laughs. 
“Are you saying your elder is funny?” Mzala.
“Mama, mzala wants me to go bath. I tell her that if she can catch me, I’ll bath. She told me she was an athlete at school so I want to see if she can beat me. When I run, she runs like this” then he imitates her… tongue out… he even splashes water on his face to imitate the sweating. I’m not even joking. It’s the exact sight I saw when I walked in here. I really want to burst into laughter. But mzala is so mad! 
Then Risuna bursts into laughter. 
“Mzala, you can knock off. I’ll take over from here”. I say. 
“Mzala, you must discipline your child! This is no way to treat an elder!” 
Okay, now she’s judging me.
“Hawu mzala, I’ll talk to him.” 
“Talk to him?! This child needs a hiding! And a serious one! This is not a child! It’s a brat. And I told sesi! She said she’d talk to you.” 
That explains the multiple missed calls. 
“Mzala, I’ll talk to my son.”
“Wabona wena neh… you are raising a criminal! This one will be in prison before the age of 25. O tlare I didn’t tell you. He doesn’t listen! He doesn’t have respect! His teachers complain about him. I complain about him. All you do is talk to him?! You’ll regret this. You’ll see.” 
“Mzala, I don’t appreciate your tone and your uncalled-for prophecy! Keith and I are raising our child as best as we see fit.”
“Keith? Ukai yena? He sees that you are an unfit mother who doesn’t know how to discipline her brat and he’s not here to watch the ship sink right before his eyes. He’s out there with a girlfriend to release his stress.” 
“Keith is away on business, mzala.” I say.
“Weh! Watsiba I feel sorry for you. You all go to school to become more and more stupid. Your house is falling apart right before your eyes and you are blinded by what you choose will make you cope. That man doesn’t like you working. He wants you at home, disciplining your little brat and creating a decent human being out of him. He wants you making this child a sibling so that he learns some kind of responsibility, and not see everything to be about him. But wena o rotehile akiri? You want to work and hang out with your friends. You want to hire people to take care of and raise your unruly son. Keith is gone! Yena he will love you and marry you and hide manyala ahaye because he loves you. It’s just your actions that are driving him away. O hopole that you are his second marriage. He’s more seasoned at this than what you are. Even his ability to lie and hide things from you has improved. But nna… I know a well-taken-care-of man when I see one. Kgale ke phila.” 
I just look at her.
I choose to not believe her. 
I trust my husband. 
I trust that my child is not a criminal in the making. 
“Goodnight!” And just like that, mzala knocks off. 

…

I needed these three days. And Phindi didn’t disappoint at all. She made sure that I’m all the way happy and that no part of my body remains untouched. 
I like her. A lot. She explores me. She takes risks with her body alongside mine. 
The best part about her is that she’s married too. So she has as much to lose as I do. So I know that she won’t be a lunatic. And this arrangement between us is as good as we want it to be and will last as long as we want it to last. Her husband lives in the UK. She’s here in the kingdom with her three children. She’s a CEO of her business that is also here in the kingdom. We met at a conference that I attended a while back. And honestly, I’ve been captivated ever since. Apparently, so has she. 

“We need to get back to the running again, baby. Your wife is over feeding you and your body is aging faster than your actual age. Look at these love handles”, she says to me, running her hands around my waist… removing my towel that I had on since I did just take a shower. 
“It’s work stress, baby. You know I barely have time to run or gym.” I say.
“We need to change that. Get a treadmill or something in your house. I don’t want you having a heart attack while we are deep within our shit in bed.”
We both laugh.
“Well, you look really nice.” I tell her. She is looking good. For a mother of three, she looks nothing older than 28. Her long weave is making her look expensive. She has a small body frame. She’s a runner. A committed one at that. She has a personal gym trainer. She has a physiotherapist that she goes to weekly. And she’s a “Saturday mornings are for the spa” kind of woman. I even know that her Saturday mornings are off limits. 
“Are we in our love pod this weekend?” I ask her.
She shakes her head, lets go of my body, then gets back to getting dressed. Then she says, “the kids and I are going to see their dad in Manchester. I’ll be there for the next two weeks.”
I nod my head. 
“So no contact?” Me.
She shakes her head and says, “None at all. You know he will catch on as soon as you even text me and he will make life difficult for us. Unengane encane, Keith. Uyakudinga. My husband will honestly end it for you. I don’t want your son to suffer because you and I chose to be reckless. I’m even going to leave this phone in SA and use my main line only while I’m away.”
“I understand. I’m going to miss you.” I say.
“I know. But you and I agreed that we wouldn’t be reckless with this. You still need to love and honour your wife. If your marriage changes, it gets better – not worse. If she starts feeling like she’s losing you, we are done, Keith. You and I – it’s just sex. There’s no reason why our kids and partners need to suffer at any point because of this.” 
I nod my head. 

We finish getting dressed. She’s packed her bag. She double-checks my bag to make sure that there is no evidence of her at all in my stuff. As she does this, I get dressed as well. 
I feel her hands on my ass now. 
I look at her. 
She has her bag in hand… travel bag being pulled with one hand, her handbag is over the shoulder of her other hand. 
“Keep well, lover.” She says as she kisses me.
“You too, beautiful.” I say. 
She leaves.

…

I arrive at my house just after 4pm. I find a few cars here. So I park my car just outside of my gate. 
I take my bag, some flowers and the gifts that I bought for my wife and kid: a new Chanel bag and Dior perfume for my wife, then a new electronic vehicle for my son. The number plates are “RISUNA GP”. It’s a black Range Rover Sport – just like his father’s car. 

“Ladies”, I say as I step into my living room. 
I see the whole gang is here… Tamia, Bassie, Morafe and Wandi. Their kids are also here, going crazy in Risuna’s playroom. Risuna’s playroom has nice stuff, that I will admit. Then it has a sliding door leading to the garden where he has his jungle gyms, trampolines and other outdoor activity stuff. I really wish he had a sibling to share all of this with.
“Hi Keith”, these ladies greet me. 
“How are you doing?” Me. 
Bassie walks up to me, smiling from ear to ear. I’m also very happy to see her.
We greet each other with a kiss. I give her flowers and her gift. She thanks me and brushes my dick. 
What’s happening?! 
“Let me help him get settled. I’ll be right back.” Bassie tells the ladies.
“Take your time.” Tamia slyly says. I just laugh. I wonder what they’ve been talking about.

We get into the bedroom and Bassie is all over me. I’m not sure what’s happening, but she’s never this keen for sex.
But I take advantage.
I undress her.
I put her on the bed.
As I’m about to put my penis in there, she says, “are you cheating on me?”
What the fuck?!
She can’t possibly know. I’ve been careful. Phindi has been extra careful on behalf of both of us. 
I just get up. 
I sit on the bed. 
I try to wrap my head around this question.
“What are you asking me, Basetsana?” I actually even pretend to be offended by the question.
“Mzala says that you are cheating on me.” She says.
Mzala?! 
Wow! 
“What am I not doing right, Basetsana? What don’t I do for you and Risuna?” I say. I’m even getting angry.
“I’m sorry. It’s just been eating away at me all night. I couldn’t even eat or sleep.”
“Is that why your friends are all over our house? You are discussing our marriage with them and accusing me of shit I don’t even have time to do because I’m so busy working my ass off for you and our son.”
She’s quiet. 
I’m quiet. 
She then says, “Look Keith, I’m choosing to trust you. I’m choosing to believe that if there’s something wrong that I’m doing or there’s something that you are not happy with when it comes to me, you’ll talk to me and you’ll give us an opportunity to fix it… you won’t run to ejaculate inside another woman. I won’t even go looking for evidence of whether you are cheating on me or not. If you are doing something, it will come to light on its own. And if it does, Keith… I want you to know that I’ll take my son and leave you. I won’t even sit here and listen to your explanations. I won’t even try to fix it or forgive you. We will be done. You are a grown and consenting adult. You know what is acceptable and what isn’t. If you are cheating, I will not accept it as a mistake… and just know that God will deal with you accordingly.” 
Then she leaves the room. 
I don’t know why I feel so shitty. 

I’m in my room now, unpacking my travel bag. I’m mostly putting my stuff in the laundry basket. Bassie is still with her friends and Risuna is still having the time of his life out there. 
When I am done, I turn on the TV, lay on my bed and go online to purchase some gym equipment for myself. I think I also need to get into shape again. I’m not a buff guy with a six pack and firm glutes or whatever. The only thing I have going for me is that I’m tall and dark. Noria loved that about me. Bassie seems to love it about me. Oh… and I’m a gifted Tsonga man. 
But being with Phindi and watching how she looks after herself… I suppose it won’t hurt to also fix myself up. We actually have a gym in this house that neither Bassie nor myself use. It’s just there. We don’t even have equipment in there. 
I order two treadmills, two cycling machines, the rowing machines, a punching bag, boxing gloves for myself and Bassie in case she decides to join me, medicine balls, dumbbells and weights. I notice that there’s a special. Basically this special says because I’ve shopped for more than R10 000, I get someone who will deliver these and set them up for me for free. I just accept the special. Whatever, honestly. 

Now, I take my nap. I’ll only see Bassie when the girls remember that they all have husbands to go back home to. I’ll see Risuna later on when he’s done being a host as well. 

…

“Hai ngeke mah, kuyabanda la. How does dad live here?” My daughter, Kayla, says. She’s my eldest. And yes, Manchester is cold. Tholoana Kingdom just rains a lot, but compared to Manchester, it’s not that cold.
“You get used to it, Kayla.” My husband says. His name is Harry Wright. Yes, I married a white man and I have three caramelo babies. I’m just proud that they can speak Zulu – it must be because they live with me and are very familiar with my parents’ kraal in Eshowe. They picked up seSotho in Tholoana Kingdom. I’d say that they are very multilingual kids. I’m proud of them.
Kayla – whom I also named Nkanyezi – is my eldest. My second child is my second daughter, Charlotte – whom I also named Nomcobo. My last born is my son, Michael Bhuza Wright. The Zulu names all came from my dad, I swear. I would have gone for something less out of the Shaka Zulu movie. 

“Dad, this place is cold. No one can get used to this. We’ve been coming here for two weeks every school holiday and every midterm break, but I’m still not used to this”. Kayla says. 
I serve Harry his coffee. 
He kisses me as he accepts it, rubbing my lower back. 
“I was actually hoping that I’d convince you guys to actually move up here and live with me.” Harry says. 
“There’s no way”, Charlotte says. 
“That could never be me”, Kayla. 
“Dad, why don’t you just move to the kingdom and just come live with us? You and mom are probably the only two married people I know that don’t live together. Don’t married people have needs?” I actually choke on my tea as Charlotte says this. 
Harry finds it funny.
“I’ll come live with you, dad. I’m tired of being the only boy anyway”, Mikey says. 
“Thanks my boy. But seriously guys… your mom has a business and in my view she can pretty much run it from anywhere. I have a job that I can’t just leave.” Harry says.
“But you can find a job anywhere. Why do you specifically want to work here?” Kayla. 
“My family is here.” Harry.
“Mom’s family lives in a different country from us.” Charlotte.
“But it’s a drive away”, Harry.
“Moving to Manchester would make it a flight away.” Kayla.
Harry is quiet. 
“Dad, this place is not nice to settle in. It’s always cold. It’s not nice being black here – and here, we are black, not mixed-race. We’d be miserable here”, Kayla. 
“How do you know that? You guys haven’t even tried”, Harry. 
“Dad – 
I intervene and say, “How about we test all these theories before we make a decision? We move up here with dad for a year. We try this out for one year. If we love it, we will move up here permanently. But if we hate it… then babe, you need to come back to the kingdom with us.” 
“What about school? And our friends? I actually have a life, you know.” Charlotte.
“You’ll go to a new school here and make new friends. Our schools are great too”, Harry.
“What about my boyfriend?!” Says Kayla, my fourteen year old.
“Lord, help me.” Harry says.
I actually burst into laughter.
“What about mom’s business?” Mikey asks us. 
“I’ll have to run it from here then make occasional trips to the kingdom from time to time.” I say.
“Can we actually go with you? Like to actually check on our lives and make sure that we are still relevant? Because I for one know for a fact that I’m not staying here forever”, Charlotte… my twelve year old. 
I look at Harry.
He’s not impressed hey.
“I need you guys to give this a chance. It’s important to me. Is that a lot to ask?” Harry.
The kids understand the seriousness of this.
“Dad, we understand that this is important to you. But we also need to be comfortable and you need to also understand what’s important to us too. You are asking us to just uproot our lives and move to a country that doesn’t even like the colour of our skin. Have you thought about what this means for us? We are allowed to have reservations and actually cling on something familiar that makes us happy”, Kayla.
“To be clear… I’m not asking. I’m telling you! And I’m your parent. In fact, I’m the head of this house and family. My word is final.” He’s suddenly scary now.
“What about how we feel?” Charlotte.
“You’ll have to get over it and do as we say”, Harry.
“What if we said no?” Kayla.
He looks at me as if blaming me for this. Did he not hear me suggest we try this out for a year at least?
He walks out of the kitchen as if saying “speak to your kids!” 

“Mom, you cannot agree to this! You just cannot!” Kayla.
“And dad is being unfair. He’s being a dictator”, Charlotte.
“I can stay with dad by myself”, Mikey.
“There we go! Problem solved.” Charlotte.
“All my kids stay with me. Mikey goes where I go.” I say.
“It’s the four of us and one of him. If he moves, it’s less of a change than if four people move”, Charlotte.
“Have you guys considered his point of view in this?” I ask.
“We have. Then we realised that he doesn’t care for ours, so why should we care for his? It’s bad enough dealing with this cold for two weeks at a time. Now we must come here forever? Mom, do something”, Kayla.
“You are all moving here! And it’s final!” Harry says. I didn’t even realise that he was back in the kitchen. 
The girls are not happy at all. 
…

It’s evening. The day was pretty sour after the conversation earlier on. 
I’m in bed. I just took a shower. Now I’ve just lotioned myself and am ensuring that I’m warm as I slip into bed. He’s in here, on the phone with his parents and telling them that the kids and I are moving here. The parents sound excited. I’m not excited about moving here. It’s not even about Keith. I don’t love Keith… he’s just black dick after I’ve been having wife dick for thirteen years of marriage. That’s why I encourage him to be a good husband. I don’t want him having ideas of us leaving our partners and families for each other. I love Harry. I just don’t like Manchester. I’m with my kids on this 100%. 
Yes, I was living and studying in the UK when I met Harry, married him and had kids with him. I moved from here to the kingdom when I just couldn’t get my business off the ground and the best thing that I could be was Harry’s PA. I am Phindile Wright. I am the daughter of Khombisile and Mlungisi Zwide. I’ve never been destined for the bare minimum. My mother opened her first supermarket when I was four years old. My father started his own farm when I was two. I come from two business geniuses who created their own wealth and self-built their ‘royalty’ status in our community. When people talk about the Zwide family, it’s always with a dose of respect. When Harry came to pay lobola and we had our traditional wedding in Eshowe, people said “of course she married a white man. What black man would be good enough for her?” 
Now for all of that to just be Harry’s PA? Who only got the job because I’m his wife? No thanks! 
So I packed up my things and my three kids – at the time when I left, they were ages 3, 8 and 10 – and I went to start my empire. And it’s growing! 
So moving here, I feel like I’m headed towards a set back. My business will not thrive here. It won’t. I tried. I failed. But you know what… my marriage is worth the shot. 

“You okay?” He asks me as he gets into bed.
“Yeah.” I say with a feint smile.
“Thank you for supporting me out there with the three rebels.” I don’t appreciate him calling my kids rebels.
“It’s change. When have you ever known kids to adjust well to change?” 
“But still… I wouldn’t have won out there without you. Thanks.” He says.
“So… how will you juggle yourself between us and your other family?” I ask him. 
He looks at me. 
“I mean… Julie is the one that even your family loves. Her and her kids are the preferred ones. I thought life was easier for you with us being away. Are you ready for the chaos that’s about to come with the kids knowing that you have two kids with your high school sweetheart and your family treats her like your wife and me like your dirty secret?” I say.
“Julie won’t come near my children… or my wife. You guys always come first.” He says.
“I’m sure she was fine with that when we were far away. But if we are here full time… look Harry, I just don’t want issues or drama. You can sleep with her all you want, but I want my dignity and my children’s sanity to be protected and respected at all times.” 
He nods his head. 

I doubt that this is going to work. But let’s see what happens.