Lulu let me move into her duplex. Thankfully, she hadn’t sold it when she married Khotso and moved in at the royal house. I called her to the side the day that Kea told me to go back home, and explained to Lulu why I cannot go home. She understood shame. She really did. So, she let me stay at her place – upon Ona’s permission of course because that girl has no independence whatsoever – and now I am here.
I actually like this place.
It’s big enough and fitting for me.
I get so much work done and I have this entire space to myself.
Apparently, when mofomahadi was consulted on me moving here, she stated that I shouldn’t have a domestic worker, gardener or house manager. This house had all of those things when no one lived here. I live here and they take them away?
They’ve also cut me off the royal house payrolls, so I literally live off my salary. Thankfully, I don’t pay for the house or my car.
My priority is to make nice with Ona. When Ona is cold, he’s too cold. I don’t like it at all. I think I love him a lot and it hurts me when he’s not okay with me. I just hate that I need to go beg his mother just to make things right with him.

I’ve just fixed myself a quick meal – yes, I don’t have a chef too. Trash, I tell you.
When I’m done, I pour myself a glass of dry white wine and enjoy myself some stir-fry and fish. I am dining alone while replying to emails and checking things that need my attention that I couldn’t get through today because work really was extremely hectic.
My phone rings. It’s my brother, Mothusi.
I’m already annoyed.
“Hi Mothusi”, I answer my phone.
“Rethabile, dumela. We have received a call from your marital family about your behaviour.” He says.
What in the actual fuck?!
“Do you not know how to behave, Rethabile? We are being told that we didn’t prepare you for what would be expected of you and now we have to pay back three cows to the Mohale family.” He says.
I’m actually really annoyed. I’m pissed. I’m irritated. And I do believe that Kearabetsoe Mohale is a petty-ass bitch!
“What do you have to say for yourself?” He says.
“I had a misunderstanding with mme-mofomahadi. I was taken out of context and I will apologise accordingly.” I say.
“Rethabile, is there something I should know?”
“What do you mean?”
“Were you genuinely wrong or do you need us to step in as your family and try to negotiate that you don’t receive such a high sanction? They want to suspend you from your government role and have you out of Taung and living in Merementse for six months.”
“WHAAAT?!”
He takes a deep breath.
“What’s going on, ngwana wa-ntate?” He asks me.
“Can I call you back? Please.”
“Okay.”
We hang up.
I dial Ona.
“Thabi, I’m busy.” He says as he answers his phone.
“Ona, why are you doing this? You want me out of Taung now? And you want to suspend me from my job? I’ve moved out, haven’t I?”
“I didn’t make those suggestions. It was decided at a royal meeting.” He says.
“Ona, come on.”
“Rethabile, you are a queen. If you carry yourself the way that you do, what do you think would happen? Do you think the Mohale leaders would actually allow you to lead with me in this country? They are already talking about how they’ve found a second wife for me who they’ll make the queen and you a principal wife.”
“Onaleruna!”
“Thabi –
“Don’t let them do this. I’m begging you.” I say.
He is quiet.
“Can I at least see you tonight? Can you come over? Please, let’s talk about this. Give me my voice in all of this. Please.” I say.
“Okay. I’m working until 11pm. Will you wait up for me?”
“I will. Thank you, baby. Thank you.”

At 23H30, I hear a car pull up in my garage. I know Ona is here. I quickly change into lingerie. I have been working all this time, I even lost track of time.
I hear him walk in and I meet him downstairs. He looks so exhausted.
“Hey”, I say as I go and kiss him.
“Hey”, he says.
He actually traps me in a hug and I just know that he really needs some care tonight.
“Let me run you a bubble bath”, I say to him, still in his arms.
“Only if you join me”, he says.
I giggle.
“Okay.” I say.
“I’m a bit hungry. Do you have food around here?” He says.
“Yeah, let me fix you a plate and I’ll let you eat while I prepare the bubble bath.”
He nods his head and settles in front of the TV, not even at the dining table.
He turns on the news and gets onto his phone.
He’s going to age too quickly at this point.
I dish up the fish and stir-fry for him. Fortunately, I have beer in here, so I serve the food with the beer to him.
He smiles at me.
He’s so tired. His eyes are even smaller than usual.

He’s eating downstairs while I run us a nice bubble bath with oils. That’s one nice thing about Lulu, she invested in her space. Her bathtub is a dream. I’ve never preferred bathing over showering until I started living in this house.
I feel hands rubbing my ass and thighs.
I undress myself then Ona and I get into the bathtub.
“You need to stop pissing off my mother, baby. I don’t even understand what your problem is with her. Why do you go out of your way to piss her off like this? To the extent where she even kicks you out of the royal house?” Ona says.
“Your mother doesn’t like me, Ona. There’s nothing that I’ll ever do that will be good enough for her.” I say.
“If you know this, why do you insist on pissing her off?”
Is he being serious right now?
“Rethabile, do you understand what it means for you to be a queen?”
“I grew up in a royal family, too, Ona. I get it.”
“You grew up under a chief, not a king. There is a difference.”
Why must Ona be such a bastard?
“Rethabile, mom is important. If you cannot respect her, then you and I might as well be done.” He says.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’ll make this right.”
“You have to. Plus, Tebza is stepping down. She is going to be working with us as a consultant. She will be working with Lulu and giving her a handover to take on full-time then Tebza will work under her. She’s going to be more hands-on with Maboko’s businesses.” He tells me.
“Why is she leaving?” I ask him.
“Maboko and the kids need her. But at least she’s not leaving completely… and with her and Lulu, I’m sure we are still in good hands.” He says.
I nod my head.
“So, I need you, baby. A lot. Make this right.” He says.
“And tell me, the sanctions?”
“If you can bring your family to come and plead for you, I’ll speak to the elders and my mother to let all the other things go.” He says.
“Okay… I’ll phone Mothusi and speak to him.” I say.

We conclude the night with passionate sex. This morning, he goes to attend to his duties and I’m driving down to Merementse. I kiss him goodbye as he gets into his car – he is chauffeur-driven now. I’m chauffeur-driven too, but because my rights got revoked, I drive myself now. So I get into the Porsche and start my drive to Merementse.

I arrive in Merementse at about 6pm. I find Mothusi waiting for me at the gate.
“Hey”, I greet him.
“Hey. Can I hop in and we take a drive?” He says
“Only if you drive. I’m bushed.” I tell him.
He laughs.
I jump into the passenger seat and he comes into the driver’s seat. He starts driving.
“How are you?” He asks me.
“Why are you so nice to me, Mothusi?”
He is quiet.
“Well?” Me.
“Or what? You still need my help with becoming chief?” I say.
“I do need your help, yes. But, I want more than that. I want to actually have a relationship with you. We never gave you a chance as a family and personally, I don’t want to be part of that drama anymore.” He says.
“Hai, Mothusi. I can’t do this with you, right now. Can we please sort out this mess with the Mohale family first… then maybe we will talk? I just don’t trust anything at all that this family ever brings to me as a suggestion for nice things. Forgive me for not jumping up and down for joy.”
He seems hurt, but he just drives. He will live.

…

I decided to start at the Nthatisi Home for children with special needs. I’m here to see a beautiful fourteen-year-old girl, Pelo. Pelo is Thabi’s daughter. I found out about her and had her moved to a private facility. I try to visit her often. Even Khotso comes with me. But I haven’t told Thabi about this. I don’t know how to.
“Sorry, I got held up. Have you seen her yet?” Khotso says, running in.
“I was still signing in. She’s not feeling well. She didn’t go to school today. I’ll take her to a doctor.” I say.
“What are the facilitators saying?” He asks me.
“I’m still to get a full report.” I say.
“Okay cool. Let’s go in. Mama and Lulu are going into the homelands for the “debate under the tree” conference.” He says.
“Okay. We should also be quick today. The Sebatas are going to come by this afternoon.” I say.
He nods his head.

“Papa and papa!” Pelo says as we walk into her room.
She’s bubbly as always, but she does look a bit sick.
“How are you, baby girl?” I ask her as I hug her.
“My bones are sore today.” She says.
“Did you eat wrong things?” Khotso asks her as he hugs her as well.
She laughs and says, “I ate good things only, papa.”
“Are you sure?” I ask her.
She laughs again then says, “Very sure.”
“Okay… we are going to get you to a doctor and hopefully we will try and make sure that you are in less pain today, Okay?” I say.
She nods her head and laughs.
Khotso pushes her wheelchair – even though it basically controls itself – and I take her bag and hold it for her. She wants to carry her bag everywhere. She has such strong qualities of her mother. I wish they could meet.

The drive to the doctor is not filled with her laughter and high-pitched voice. She looks tired. She doesn’t look well. Khotso and I look at each other and we can see the concern in each other’s eyes.
Thabi phones me.
We look at each other again.
I don’t answer my phone.
Pelo suffers from muscular dystrophy. She’s so smart. She’s full of life. I wish there was a way that I could take all of this away from her.

We spend about an hour with the doctor and she is feeling a lot better when we are done. When we drop her off at the facility, she’s met by her facilitators.
“Papa, when are you coming back to see me?” She asks us.
“Tomorrow baby girl.” Khotso says.
“I love you”, I tell her.
“I love you too, papa.” She says.
Khotso and I hug her then leave.

We get home and my mom and Lulu are also arriving from the homelands.
We all greet each other.
We head into the house and fruit is served as our snack before dinner.
“How’s Pelo?” Lulu asks us.
“She wasn’t feeling well today. She was even teary when we had to leave.” Khotso says.
“I think we should tell Thabi that you found her.” Lulu suggests.
“No. Please.” My mom says.
We all look at her.
“Thabi will not be happy with us being in her business like this. You know she will find a way to make it seem like we are not doing right by her with this. We look after Pelo. Thabi is happy. Let’s just let sleeping dogs lie.” My mom says.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have her come live with us?” I ask.
“And who will look after when she’s here? She is a child with special needs and we all know that Rethabile wants nothing to do with children. Lulu’s plate is already full. She’s a mother and she’s doing Rethabile’s duties of being a queen when she’s actually a chief advisor’s wife.” My mom says.
“That’s why we must tell her, mama. We must ease her into the idea of her actually having a child and see how she takes it.” I say.
“Onaleruna, have you ever taken a minute out of your day and asked yourself why Thabi had this child and decided to take out her womb? Have you ever thought about the kind of trauma you’ll be pushing her back into?” My mom says.
Khotso and I look at each other.
“Okay fine… let’s tell her. Then we take it from there. We will tell her together. As a family.” I say.
My mom shakes her head. Lulu seems worried. Khotso is just drinking a glass of whiskey.

…

Thabi is finally back in the house. Her family brought her back with three cows and an apology. We were told that Thabi was retaught on how to behave and they hope that things will be better. Now that her family has left, we are all sitting at the dining table. Thabi has a blanket over her dress and has a headscarf around her head. I actually don’t like this look on her. But my mom said she must look like this…

“Baby, we wanted to talk to you about Pelo.” I say.
“Pelo? Who’s Pelo?” She asks me.
“It’s okay, baby. You don’t have to block it out with us. We are not upset.” I say.
“Ona, who is Pelo? What are you talking about?”
Is she really going to sit there and act as if she doesn’t know who her daughter is?
“Rethabile, Pelo is your daughter.” My mom says, but very gently because I think she’s also confused about her reaction.
Thabi is genuinely confused.
What’s happening here?
“Thabi?” Lulu tries.
“I don’t have a daughter though”, she says.
Then something seems to come over her. She becomes teary. She seems a bit… traumatized.
“But she died.” She whispers to herself.
Ai… nna, I don’t know what’s going on anymore. We are all confused.
“Onaleruna, what have you done?” She asks me with so much pain and anger.
“Love… information came to me and told me about a daughter you have that was given up at birth and –
She puts her hand up and walks away from the table balling in tears. She coughs out a painful cry as she walks out of the room. Lulu follows her.
My mom is shaking her head at us.

Lulu and Thabi come back to where we are after about thirty minutes. They sit together.
“My eldest brother raped me. He started raping me when I was twelve years old. When I turned fourteen and he was still doing this to me, I murdered him.”
Yoh!
Even my mom is shocked.
“My family hated me from that day and I’ve been shunned and blamed for killing the heir to my dad’s throne. I found out that I was pregnant and I was sent away because of how embarrassing this would be for the family. I went to Lesotho. When I gave birth, I was told that my child was killed because she would have no chance at being normal. She is a daughter of siblings. I could never birth another child after that and when I was old enough to make decisions about my own body – seeing that my family made decisions about my body my whole life – I tool out my womb.”
This is bad. It’s worse than I thought.
“She’s alive. She’s fourteen. She suffers from a condition called muscular dystrophy. She was at a government facility all this time. When we find out about her, we had her moved to a private facility – the Nthatisi Mohale centre. We put her in a private school for children with special needs. She’s a happy and lovely girl. We visit her every day.” Khotso adds.
She just shakes her head then leaves the table, making her way to the bedroom.

…

I have a few things to do today now that I’ve dropped the kids off at school, but I’m worried about Thabi. So, I decided to go back home and go check up on her… maybe talk to her. She didn’t make it to breakfast this morning and Ona looked down. His energy was at rock bottom.
Khotso has gone into one of the communities to go listen to some issue of people in that area. The justice system in the homelands and townships is in the hands of Khotso and Ona… imagine. There is a court that people have where they bring their issues to Ona and/or Khotso. They listen and actually make a decision on what should happen. I bought them basic law books just so they don’t suck solutions from their thumbs… their decisions must be informed by something outside of relying heavily on elders. They actually study those books so it motivates me. So I’ve appointed myself as their unofficial PA and I follow what’s going on in courts. I print out case law and highlight key principles applied then I give it to them. They actually appreciate it so much.

I make my way to Ona’s outside space. The door is slightly open, so I walk in.
“Thabi!” I yell.
She’s quiet.
“Thabi, it’s Oluremi. I’m coming up”, I say.
I make my way up the stairs.
“Thabi?” I keep calling for her and there is no response.
I start searching the rooms. I deliberately search the master bedroom last because it is such a private space. But I need to find her.
I open the door to the master bedroom.
“RETHABILE!” I scream.
I sprint down the stairs and get a knife.
Mme-mofomahadi runs in with some helpers. She looks at me for answers. There’s no time. I just say, “Mama, come alone. Everyone else must give us space.”
Then I sprint upstairs.
I find a chair and stand on it.
I’m still not high enough.
Mme-mofomahadi is on a side pedestal and she cuts the rope. Thabi falls to the ground.
“Bathung! Rethabile, please… don’t do this. Don’t do this, please.” I keep saying.
Mme-mofomahadi is on the phone now, speaking to someone to come and help.
I’m sitting on the floor and Thabi is lying on top of me.
I’m shaking. I feel for her pulse. She still has a pulse – feint, but it’s there.
“Thabi, please wake up. Please. Don’t do this. I’m so sorry about what we did. I’m sorry we found Pelo. I’m so sorry. Thabi, please.”
Why isn’t she moving? Why isn’t she waking up?

A team of doctors runs in and they ask me for space.
Mme-mofomahadi helps me up from the floor and pulls me out of the bedroom. As soon as we reach the kitchen area, she hugs me.
“Askies nana, she’s going to be okay. Askies hle”, she says as she comforts me.
“Mama, were we really wrong?” I ask her.
“Nna I don’t understand Thabi and I probably never will. But we should never expect normal reactions out of her for anything. That’s why I advised against this.” Mme-mofomahadi says.
“Mama, Ona is not going to survive this. Surely he’s had enough from losing Regodise. How are we expecting him to recover from this?” I say.
“Ho tlo loka, nana. Please, stop crying. Re tlo ba shup, hle.” She says then hugs me again.

The doctors are finally done and they tell us that she’s sleeping. Her throat has been affected so she’s voiceless for now, but she will live and that’s the important thing. We haven’t phoned Ona or Khotso because honestly, I don’t know how to manage Ona on this. He is going to be hurt. But it’s better to say “This is what Thabi did, but she’s fine” than to say “This is what Thabi did. The doctors are working on her. We will call you later with an update.”
I decide to sit with Thabi until Ona gets back. Mme-mofomahadi says she’s going to fetch the kids from school. She doesn’t know how to be with and around Thabi right now and I don’t blame her. Also, they are not exactly close.

I decide to read while Thabi is asleep. The book that I’m reading is titled Last Wife Standing and I’m absolutely loving it. I got it from the Sip & Read today and it just grabbed my eye. The story is about a man with three wives and it’s honestly a battle of who the main is because the number one spot is not exactly reserved for wife number one – as it should be. This sounds like Ona’s life a couple of years from now. I love him to bits, but he is attracted to women that are pure agents of chaos. It’s as if he doesn’t strive for peace in any of this relationships and marriages. And when he and his person finally reach a place of peace, he goes to do the one action he knows for a fact will set his person off then the chaos overwhelms all of us. I actually laugh as I read through the book, because as much as the main character is clearly the one we are all supposed to love, she makes me angry because she chooses the toxic element of staying in a marriage like that… just like Ona. Dise and I were on and off, but the fact remains that she’s the most peaceful wife that Ona has ever married. She brought order into his life. He got bored with the peace and waltzed Thandeka into our lives. Bombs went off from all angles nje because Ona chose chaos… and today, I sit next to his wife that attempted to commit suicide and tends to go off the rails from time to time. Who needs a movie?

Thabi wakes up after two hours of me engulfing myself into this read. She looks at me and I look at her. I smile at her. She seems disappointed to be alive.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her.
She shrugs her shoulders.
She is very disappointed to be alive.
“Should I get you something to eat?” I ask her.
She shakes her head.
“Should I get you a book?” I ask her.
She shakes her head, but she sits up and grabs a book off her side pedestal. Oh wow, she’s reading one of my books and she’s actually quite far into the read. Nice.
Well, we both just focus on our books for the next hour.

…

Ona and Khotso are not back yet and it’s 8pm. I need to go bath my children and put them in bed. But I feel like I can’t leave Thabi alone.
“Would you like to come with me to go bath the kids?” I ask her.
She rolls her eyes.
“I have to –
“Go, Oluremi. I’ll be okay.” She says in a whispering tone. Her voice is still –
“Okay. But I’ll phone –
“Oluremi, just go.” She says.

I climb out of the bed and wear my slippers. I head into the main house to get my babies. I find them already bathed and in their pyjamas, taking over Mme-mofomahadi’s bed. She seems to be enjoying them.
“Hello…” I say.
They run to me and hug me.
I hug and kiss them…
“I hope you’ve been good”, I say.
“Very good, mommy. Ask mama”, Mohale says.
“They’ve been very good”, Mme-mofomahadi says.
“Thank you so much, mama.” I say.
“How’s Thabi?” She asks me.
“She’s quiet. She’s not saying anything. She just –
We look at each other.
“Let me phone Khotso and check where they are”, I say as I dial Khotso.
“Nana”, he answers his phone.
I step outside the bedroom.
“Baby, where are you?” I ask him.
“We are working tonight, love. What’s wrong? Do you need me for something?”
“Khotso, what time will you guys be back?”
“What’s wrong, Lulu?”
“Am I on speaker?” I ask.
“Yes, you are. And we are not taking you off.” Ona is the one who replies.
“Is it just the two of you?” I ask.
“Yeah. It’s just us. What’s going on?” Ona.
“Thabi… she… “
“She did what?”
“She tried to kill herself. Mama and I found her right on time. She’s doing better now, but we are scared to leave her alone.” I say.
There’s silence over the phone.
“Guys, you need to come home”, I say.
“Can mama sleep with the kids tonight and you stay with Thabi? Please? We really can’t come back right now.” Khotso says.
“I’ll speak to mama. Whatever you are doing… Wherever you are… please be safe and come back home. Please.” I say.
“We will”, Ona says.
“I love you, baby”, Khotso says.
“I love you, nana.” I say.

…

We’ve just landed in Kabila’s country. We used our private plane.
“Le shup?” Pope asks us.
We are armed and ready to avenge our father’s death.
“Re shup, pope”, Ona says.
“In and out, gentlemen. In and out. Okay? We are flying out of here in thirty minutes.” He says.
We all nod our heads.
All our church members are on the ground and in place. Qwabe… Maboko… you find Kabila. Ona… Khotso… find your grandmother and aunt. You’ll decide what you want to do with them. But if they ever become problems to me, I’ll be the one who decides what happens to them.” Pope says.

We climb off the plane. Maboko is on the phone. Ona and I walk together and Zithulele is walking with pope.
“Are you okay?” I ask Ona.
He nods his head then says, “I trust, Lulu. I know she will make sure that I find Thabi alive when we land.”
I nod my head.
We hug each other.
“Yo”, Maboko comes back to us.
“Ey.”
“I was just talking to Tebza.”
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah… apparently they are having a girls’ night at the royal house. Mme-mofomahadi and Fifi are chilling with the kids.” Maboko says.
Ona and I look at each other and smile. My baby… turning lemons into lemonade.
“I don’t want to be fly on that wall”, Ona says and we all laugh.
“I’d actually be interested. The shit they say when we are not around…” Maboko says.
“Thabi tried to kill herself”, Ona says.
Now Pope and Zithulele are also here and they heard.
“Ushup?” Pope asks Ona.
“I am now knowing that all your wives are there. Thank you.” Ona says.
We all nod our heads.
“Let’s do right by Mohato tonight, gentlemen.” Pope says.

…

We land back in Tholoana Kingdom at 01H00am. There were casualties and three of our men died, but Kabila is dead. His head was served to his first-born child. His hands were served to his other two children. His legs were served to his other two children. His balls were served to his wife. The remainder of his body was served to his side-bitch. All parts were nicely wrapped in bows and delivered in gifts.
Ona and I killed Maphodile, her two daughters and her beloved son. We are just tired of them exhausting our mother. May their souls descend to hell and they twerk for the devil when they arrive.

We are all driven to the royal house as Kabila’s country is on fire while in mourning for their leader. We are all very tired. People want to pick up their wives and children then fuck off.
But no…
We arrive and our wives are making a noise, are drunk and are all in lingerie.
We actually just stay outside because we don’t need to see other people’s wives with half their asses out. We just go chill in Ona’s room – the women are in the main house.
Ona and I bring the men some good whiskey.
We are now talking nonsense and talking about how naked these women are and are free about it when they are so drunk.
“Yoh, even –
Zithulele stops and we all face the direction of his eyes. It’s Thabi. In lingerie. And drunk. I don’t understand what’s happening right now.
Ona sprints off his seat and covers her with a jacket.
“Baby? And then?” Ona says.
“Love, I was missing you. When I heard you are back, I wanted to say –
Ona pulls her out of the room.
“Khotso, keys!” Ona says.
I throw my keys at him. I guess they are going to finish this in my room.
As soon as they leave.
We all burst into laughter.
“She’s hot though”, Maboko says.
“Now we know how Ona puts up with her shit”, Zithulele says and laughter fills the room.
Pope is passed out. Imagine! Old age.
But shame, he has a child. A small one at that. Of course he is always tired. Those people are horrible when they confuse day and night.

We passed out in here and now we are all waking up unsure if it’s safe to go see the women we married. I’m not even sure if it’s safe to go into my own bedroom.
“I’ve got an erection. Where’s Letlali?” Zithulele says.
He wakes up and that’s the first thing on his mind is sex?
“We all need to tap.” Maboko says.
“Plus with small kids in our houses, we tap by chance”, Zithulele says.
We all laugh.
“I’m going into the main house. I need to hold my wife”, I say.
I leave and they follow me.

These devils!
They are all suddenly dressed and have prepared breakfast as if they were not what they were last night. They are dressed up appropriately and are even recognizing us in sober minds. I don’t believe this.
“Hey papi” , Lulu says to me as she kisses me and brushes my dick.
“What’s wrong with this woman?” I find myself thinking out loud and she hears me.
She laughs.
“Come here”, I say as I pull her in towards me.
She holds me and nibbles on my neck.
“You must wear that tight number for me.” I whisper in her ear.
“I will. I even bought nice sex toys that we can use. I want to tie you up, and –
I pull her to the bedroom immediately. She’s laughing aloud.
“Daddy!” I hear Lefatselabarena call me.
Oh hell!
Lulu is still laughing.
“Where are you going?” My mom asks me, giving me a sly look.
“I just need five minutes with my wife”, I say.
“Tholoana! Mohale! Come say hi to your dad.” My mom says.
Wow!
I’m so done. I’m so so done!
Lulu and my mom laugh at me.
I need a cold shower. Honestly.

Breakfast is a full table. I don’t even know when Ona and Thabi joined us. But Thabi does look a lot better.
We are all talking about nonsense when Khabane says, “Banathi, do you think that ugly girl is going to call her mother because we pushed her in the swimming pool?”
We all stop talking and focus on this conversation.
“At least we didn’t hit her. And we did her a favour. We gave her a free bath. She was smelly and she wouldn’t stop bleeding in her pants.” Banathi says.
Hai!
“The teachers said she was growing up and she must stop playing with us.” Mohale says.
What the hell?!
“Mama, if teacher phones you at school, you must tell her Lindiwe teased us first. And because we are not allowed to hit girls, we just pushed her into the swimming pool.” Banathi tells Letlali.
“Ey wena, Banathi… do you want me to klap you?” Letlali is not here for the games.
“Mama?”
“What did you do to that girl?” Letlali.
“All three of you! What did you do?” Lulu.
Okay, they are in shit.
“And why was she bleeding?” Tebza.
Ayeye!
“We didn’t do nothing to her! She was bullying us!” Khabane.
“And she was smelly. We pushed her into the swimming pool so she could bath.” Mohale.
“And when we saw the blood, we ran away.” Banathi.
“Wabona lona! You three –
The mothers stand up and the kids sprint to Mme-mofomahadi.
“Come here!” Letlali says.
Banathi is in shit.
“Mohale, you are already ready for your first hiding?” Lulu says.
When did she become this strict? Now Mohale is in shit too?
I don’t know when where or how… but Tebza ripped a belt off Maboko and now she’s chasing Khabane with it. Yeses Tebza can run. And this child is RUNNING! Now Tebza is even climbing tables.
Now Maboko is also on his feet – over the shock of his belt being ripped off him – and he holds Tebza.
“Khabane!” She shouts.
“Teboho, nana… calm down. Please. Let me talk to these boys. Please.” My mom says, calming the situation.
What did these kids do?
The mothers are PISSED!!!
The kids happily leave with my mom and run away from their moms.
“I’m going to kill this child! Khuzwayo, I’m going to murder your son. Bayiyenzeni le ntombazane?” Letlali says with her broken Zulu.
“Sthandwa sami, please sit down. Banathi won’t say anything if we don’t even give him a chance to speak. You won’t hear anything if you are this upset”, Zithulele says.
“Then why don’t you all call your sons and talk to them? Why?” Tebza.
I hope Oluremi doesn’t join this madness.
“We will talk to them, babe”, Maboko.
“All of you! All four of you! Ona! Khotso! Maboko! Zithulele! You are all going to that school and you are going to speak to those teachers.” Lulu.
Amen!

Ona, Zithulele, Maboko and I walk into my mom’s room. She’s talking to the boys.
“Mohale, what happened?” Ona asks.
“I told mama”, Mohale says.
“Well, I’m asking you.” Ona aggressively says.
“Mama –
Mohale looks at my mom and says. But Ona says, “Mohale!”
Now he’s scared.
“Banathi! If you don’t open your mouth right now –
“Lindiwe was teasing us. She always bullies us.” Banathi starts.
“And then?” I ask.
“We told her to stop bullying us because if she doesn’t stop, we would do something nasty to her because we are not allowed to hit girls.” Mohale.
“So, when she came to us at break and teased us again, we pushed her into the water. But we didn’t know she had a period.” Khabane.
“A what?!” Maboko.
These kids know about periods now.
“Mama told us that when girls bleed, they are having periods. And we must be kind to them and get a teacher to give her a sansory towel.” Mohale says, stumbling on the pronunciation of sanitary towel.
This is getting worse by the minute.
“But, we will say sorry to Lindiwe and buy her flowers.” Khabane says.
Ona, Maboko, Zithulele and I look at each other. My mom is laughing at us and I can see her from the corner of my eye.