Mnqobi is just so angry. I don’t even know if we are going to get married tomorrow. I’ve been seeing him everyday because they’ve been staying at the Meadowlands house to accommodate the time they must arrive for the lobola negotiations. I keep asking Palesa if the wedding is still on. She keeps saying that the wedding is on. He’s just replaying what could have happened if Sasi was actually raped. 

The fact that Lindiwe exposed Sasi to that and left – not wanting to witness what could have happened or what was planned to happen – therefore not even protecting Sasi is what is driving him the most insane. But Sasi is fine now. 

She’s safe now. 

And I want to get married tomorrow. 

I know Phakathwayo is marrying Mfundo next month, so I’m not holding off my wedding. But I can’t say such things else I’ll be accused of being selfish. 

My dad made Mnqobi’s and Sasi’s cases disappear. And Lindiwe seems to slipping away each day. She’s not getting better. At all. You’d swear someone is finishing her off in that hospital bed slowly but surely. Her mom was found dead in her prison cell a day after being arrested. I don’t want to assume what happened because I don’t like where my brain will lead me. 

My dad and Sli broke up. I don’t know why, but I’m grateful. My boyfriend promised me that they’d be over and my dad wouldn’t get hurt. That’s exactly what has happened. Sli has relocated to the UK with her kids and I hope we never see her again. 

But, plot-twist, my dad is paying lobola for someone else in the next three months. She even lives here now. At least she doesn’t have kids. But I need to understand when their situation happened. Every time I try to do the maths, Mnqobi laughs. It’s the only thing that makes him laugh, actually. But shame, I actually call her Sis’Thandi. She’s so nice and she actually gets along with my mom. Sasi loves her too. Sis’Thandi calls my dad “Baba kaWethu”, which is so weird. My dad calls her “baby”, but you’d swear she’s straight out of emakhaya. I have bumped into some of her underwear. She does backflips in bed this one. You can just tell from that underwear. 

She works as a Chief of Finance at some giant bank. I’ve asked her why she doesn’t have kids – yes, our conversations are on that level – she told me that God has just never seen it fit for her to have her own. So she’s raised her nieces and nephews. She told me that she took the first born child of each of her siblings’ children, and put them through school. She would then give them two years to make a decision about their lives, then if they don’t have direction, she sends them back to the homelands. 

What makes me happier is her relationship with my brother. My brother has lived with my father and I because his mother just moved on without him. This has always affected him terribly. But now, he seems to be Sis’Thandi’s mommy’s boy. 

Let me phone Mnqobi. 

I dial his number. His phone is off.

I dial Palesa.

“Hey babe”, she answers her phone.

“Hey darl. You good?” Me.

“I am. And yaz I was about to phone you. Mnqobi is outside your house and his phone battery died. He just sent Nathi a text from his laptop to tell me to call you”, she says.

“Thanks so much. I was calling looking for him. Let me go see him”, I say.

I indeed sneak out and go see my boyfriend. My ass is bigger. My tummy is rounder. My movement is limited. 

I finally make it to outside. This guy is parked up the road. I’m not walking up there. I decide to stroll up so he can see that i can’t move any faster. 

He drives towards me.

“Mam’Thandi is looking for you. Something about sitting in a room”, my brother tells me. He’s even taller than me.

“Please buy me time. I just want to see Mnqobi”, I say.

“What am I supposed to tell them? She and your mom are on my case to find you”, he says. 

Mnqobi’s car parks next to us. 

“Baby, this is my brother, Zonke. Zonke, this is my fiance, Mnqobi”, I introduce them. 

Mnqobi steps out of the car and gives him a handshake. Zonke is actually nice.

“Zonke, please buy me time?” I plead. 

“Let me drive your car to go see my girlfriend”, Zonke says. 

“What’s wrong with your car?” I ask him. 

“I’m parked all the way in and dad says I’m not allowed to go anywhere”, he says.

“Be back in 30 minutes. If they find me before you are back, I’m not covering for you”, I say.

“Thanks sis”, he says as he heads out. He already has my keys. This little twit was planning to actually steal my car.

When Mnqobi sees the realisation on my face, he starts laughing at me. 

Mxm! 

He looks a lot better. 

“How’s my baby?” I ask him. 

“She’s forgotten all about me. She’s causing chaos with Ziwe and Kari there at Meadowlands. We all have headaches. Palesa is beginning to sound like a crèche teacher shouting at them every ten minutes”, he says.

We all laugh. 

“My dad asked if Sasi could sleep here tomorrow after umsebenzi… ukuthi nje ajwayele ukuthi this is her home”, I say.

He looks so moved.

He holds my hand. 

“Can I tell my dad that it’s okay?” I ask him.

“It’s more than okay”, he says.

We hug.

The baby kicks me and he feels it.

He smiles at my belly.

“Ey wena, this is my wife.” He says, speaking to my tummy.

We don’t know if it’s a boy or girl. I’m hoping for a girl. His mom is convinced it’s a boy. He says he’s fine with anything. 

“Nina ninjani?” He asks me, asking about the baby and I. 

“Tired. Yoh! I don’t have energy for anything. And when the baby is sitting on the side, my hip becomes so painful”, I say.

He smiles at me and says, “we are almost there. Then, you are sleeping until the baby is born”. 

I smile at him. 

“NOMAWETHU!” My mom spots me in Mnqobi’s car and is about to lose it. Sis’Thandile is right there with her.

“Hai hai hai mkhwenyana! We don’t do this. Nomawethu must go and sit in the bedroom and wait for tomorrow now. Lezi zona you’ll see them after everything. Where is Sasi?” Sis’Thandi.

“I’ll bring her tomorrow, mah”, Mnqobi says.

“Good. Please. We are not being funny. But we can’t let this happen. Please. We want everything to go well tomorrow”, my mom says.

“We understand. We didn’t mean to disrespect you, mah. We are sorry”, Mnqobi says. 

I open the door and climb out of his car. At least I got to see him. 

“Where’s Zonke?” My mom asks me.

“I don’t know”, I say.

My mom looks like she’s going to slap me.

Zonke drives back with my car.

Oh shit. 

“ZONKE!” Yoh, these women.

Mnqobi laughs. We mime goodbye to each other then he leaves. 

…

This day has gone by so quickly. We were done with the lobola celebrations by 9am. The white wedding started at 11am, and we’ve had quite the wedding. We are tired. I need to sleep. And we hit the road at 2am headed to Tholoana Kingdom. 

Sasi is sleeping with me here. 

I’m so obsessed with nothing happening to her that when she’s out of my sight for more than ten minutes, I go looking for her. And Sasi is very comfortable here. She knows her way around every corner of this house. But the trauma for me is still there. 

She says the cell was dark and scary. I still think the state must be sued for keeping these kids in such conditions without even seeing a social worker. But apparently suing them will force a reopening of the case. So we walk away as they walk away. 

Sasi and I bath together, get into pyjamas and we sleep after talking to her dad over the phone. 

I wonder how her mother is doing. 

–

My welcoming ceremony is so beautiful. Mam’Tlali and Palesa really did great. I love the Zulu outfit that they bought for me as well. I am welcomed so perfectly in this family, and I couldn’t be happier. 

But I feel sick around 4pm. Mam’Tlali lets me sleep as the party happens out there. She’s worried though, and you can see it. She makes me some porridge and tells me to eat for strength. But I keep throwing up. She finally calls Mnqobi and tells him that I need to go to the hospital. 

Ending up at a hospital on my wedding day is not cute. But the drip helped me a lot. I’m only six months pregnant. The doctor considered delivering the baby, but he’s going to keep me here for observations. I was told that I was experiencing contractions as well, which is what was scaring Mnqobi’s mom. 

Palesa stays with me at the hospital so that Mnqobi can go and sort out some legal stuff with Sasi’s custody. 

Palesa is really looking after me shame. She’s also so scared. The minute I move nje on the bed, she’s up and trying to help me somehow. 

I’m going to be in hospital for about three weeks. The doctor promised to discharge me after three weeks on condition of bed rest. I don’t know if I want to do this again, hey. And Uhm… I’m having a boy. I’m excited. But I still want my girl. Mnqobi is very excited. I think he lowkey wanted a boy, but he didn’t want to say it in case it was a girl. 

The rain starts pouring – true Tholoana Kingdom style. Palesa is passing out on the couch. I’m staring at my wedding ring – smiling at it actually – because this rain is honestly the heavens celebrating with me that I am Mrs Khuzwayo. 

Finally!