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ketso · 2 years ago

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Episode 52

This week, Michael and Samuel (Keith's brothers) are coming to visit us. Coming to our place is a road trip, so hey... they are coming with their wives and children. Michael's girlfriend - whom I haven't yet met - gave birth to a baby girl four months ago. So now, the two of them are coming with their son and daughter - both who have driven Masingita up the wall of all walls. Samuel is coming with his wife who's always angry at the world. She hates me so much, so I don't understand how she will be in my house. They have older-ish kids compared to Michael and Keith.

Risuna is on midterm break and he's very happy that his cousins are coming over. We let mzala go home to be with her kids for the week. Keith and I took leave. But obviously we have to be on standby.

I've fixed the bedrooms that they'll be staying in. We put up Risuna’s baby cot in the room that Michael and his girlfriend will be staying in to accommodate their baby girl. Risuna’s bedroom has a bunk bed themed and shaped in a formula 1 car... it has a top bunk and a bottom bunk. I've been trying to get rid of that bed and give him a proper bed, but he wants his bed. His dad said he will tell us when he is ready to let it go. The third guest bedroom is fixed for Samuel's kids. They are older and they are girls. They'll need their space. I had to go shopping for some more linen because I know I'll be judged. So I might as well make this a near-hotel experience.

"Baby", I hear Keith call for me.

"Baby!" Risuna.

I actually just laugh.

"Ey, she's mommy to you. She's my wife." I hear Keith say through his light giggles.

Risuna just laughs.

They find me fixing the last bedroom.

"The rooms look really nice. Thank you for this." He says.

"No problem. I hope we have fun. Samuel's wife is never in a good mood around us. I hope that she doesn't ruin the week for us." I say.

"Michael and I told Samuel to control his wife this weekend otherwise we are kicking them out. Apparently she slapped Zama."

"Ke mang Zama?"

"The girlfriend... Michael's girlfriend."

Oh. I didn't know her name. I just referred to her as the girlfriend that drove Masingita crazy.

"Why did she slap Zama?"

"It was at the welcome ceremony for Nsuku - Michael's daughter - the one we couldn't attend. No one knows how or why their fight started. But Carol slapped Zama and Zama had her arrested."

I cannot believe what I'm hearing.

"Jwale if they start hitting each other here?" I ask.

He looks at me, trying very hard to not laugh.

"There'll be kids here. They mustn't do that crap here. But apparently the issue here is that she's still team Noria and Masingita. That's why she doesn't get along with you and Zama."

"She better not do that or come here with that energy. In my house? Le nna ke tla mo tlapa", I say.

"Baby, we want a peaceful visit. Please."

"Ja, and she must stay within her limits. A re dlali le yena!"

Keith shakes his head at me.

"Can I go swim?" Risuna asks his dad.

"Risuna, it's cold. It's about to rain. You are going to get sick", I say.

"But it's not raining yet. I'll swim for five seconds." Risuna.

"Risuna, no." Me.

"Okay, I'll heat the pool."

"RISUNA!" Now I snap. I don't know why this child chances so much.

His dad looks at me like I'm being too strict. He always gives me this look when I say no to stuff then Risuna sulks for ten minutes straight until he forgets what he's sulking about.

The gate buzzer goes off and security calls on Keith's phone.

"Is it my cousins?" Risuna.

I just pick him up and not answer him.

Keith instructs the gate to "open for them" then hangs up.

"Is it my cousins?" Risuna asks his dad.

"Yes. And your uncles and aunts." Keith.

"YES!!!!"

"Do we bore you? Don't you like hanging out with us?" I ask Risuna.

"I just get bored playing by myself. And everyone has brothers and sisters. How come I don't have one?"

Keith bursts into laughter. I'm just shocked.

"Let's go meet the rest outside", Keith says, distracting this child with big questions.

"COUSIN!" MJ says to Risuna.

"COUSIN! LONG TIME NO SEE!" Risuna mara!

We all actually laugh.

He climbs out of my arms and runs to his cousin. They are so happy to see each other.

"Absheni", Samuel's daughters greet us.

We greet them back. I greet back with a simple hi and hug. Keith goes all deep in Xitsonga with them.

Zama and I greet each other. She has her baby girl with her.

"She's so cute. She's making my ovaries super excited", I say.

"Really?" Keith.

"Hai Keith. Hai!" Me.

Everyone laughs.

We all now greet each other then make our way into the house. I have baby Nsuku in my arms. Samuel's wife doesn’t really mingle with us.

We settle in the TV room. The TV is off, we just have background music playing... a nice African rnb Playlist. Obviously, I put it together. Keith takes Nsuku from me.

"I'm going to prepare us some cheeseboards while the gentlemen take your bags to your respective rooms upstairs. Babe, will you show them where they are staying?" Me.

"Sure, my love." Keith.

"I can help with the cheeseboards", Zama offers.

"Sure. Let's go." I say.

The guys head upstairs, then Zama and I head to the kitchen. I don't know where Carol goes.

"And then? Madam?" Zama starts. Lol!

I shrug my shoulders then say, "She's always been like this since I met her. I've never seen her not be like this. She has her own demons this one - demons that have got nothing to do with us." I say.

"Yoh, she's very rude."

"She's just used to the original wives - Noria and Masingita. You know how that's like... we see it all the time on these reality shows. The OGs never mingle with the newbies. They never like us." I say.

We are now cutting and setting up the boards.

"But is it our fault that these men chose us?"

Zama mustn't think we are sisters in ho-ism. Because we are not.

"Look, Zama. I'm not proud of how I got Keith. Yes, I love him. A lot. I loved him before he even met Noria or before he even married her. But I lost him to her and I had to move on with my life. Which I did do. I never intended to come between them."

"So what happened?" She asks me.

"Noria couldn't have kids. Keith really wanted kids. So they asked me to be their surrogate. I had no issues with that. It was for Keith. There isn't a thing that I wouldn't do for him. When we got to the fertility clinic, they found that Noria's body wasn't producing eggs. So, I was further asked to donate an egg. My egg would be fused with Keith's sperm, then I'd carry the baby."

"Ibhadi elingaka?! That girl... Hai khona! Kuyasho nje ukuthi idlozi belimujikele", I actually don't like Zama.

"Manje ntombo, wangena ke wena intombi yom'suthu, wathatha indoda kanjalo nje?" She continues.

"Cha. When I was six months pregnant, Noria decided ukuthi yena she doesn't want the child anymore."

"Shembe! Manje wena wenzeni ke ngengane?! Eyacelwa uyena nokwenza?!"

"I struggled. She cut all communication between Keith and I. She gave me a lot of money to kill my baby. I took the money because I needed it. But I didn't kill my child. Little did I know that Keith still wanted his child. I guess when Noria found out that I didn't kill the child and that Keith still wanted the child, she got angry. She started stalking me, then one day she attacked. She hurt me so badly that I went into labour and gave birth to a premature baby. Keith was still in hiding about him wanting this child, so he was helping me behind Noria's back. When my son was strong enough to come home, we went to stay with my mother a bit. That's where Keith and I reconnected, he connected with his son, then the downfall of his marriage began."

"Yoh! Kodwa naye lebantinti lakhe uhlanyo! It's as if she just makes decisions without thinking, then does away with them if the consequences of her decisions aren't something that she likes. Besides, Michael told me that Keith never loved her. He loved what she did for him and how she changed his life, but not her. Michael says that you've always been the love of Keith's life."

I'm flattered. This is nice to hear.

"So wena and Michael? How did the two of you happen?" I ask. Keith never tells me the truth about these two. Might as well hear it from the horse's mouth.

"Ay, ntombo... I don't come from much. After my father died, my mom and I got kicked out of amagceke wakwaMkhize - my dad's family. My mom married him then went to live in their homestead. But when he died, she and I got kicked out. We lived with my aunt for a while, my mom's sister. But my mom had an affair with her husband. When my aunt found out, she kicked us out again. The husband felt enough for my mom to actually give her money to carry us until we could find our feet. So we got onto a taxi and came to Gauteng. We've lived in shacks since we got here. I was only nine when we got to Gauteng. But we lived in shacks since. My mom did piece jobs nje so we could get by. Fortunately, I went to no-fee schools that had feeding scheme programs. Those helped us a lot. After I matriculated, my mom found me work where she was working. It was domestic work. The pay would help because hey, two domestic work paychecks are better than one. So I went to work with my mom. We arrived at this company where she worked, and I was assigned to the floor that I had to clean."

She smiles to herself.

"I remember hearing his laughter before seeing his face. It was a laughter that came from such a deep and euphoric place. It was contagious. It was beautiful. I looked up. He walked through the door. His smile matched his laughter perfectly. I had an instant crush on him."

Now I'm enjoying this story. I'm even smiling at her.

"He didn't notice me at first. And I understand. When he saw me, I was either cleaning his working station or cleaning the toilet he'd piss in. But one day, he was working late. My shift was usually 2pm to 11pm, so I was there too. He was making coffee while I was washing the dishes. And we spoke. Yaz, we really spoke. Ngamubona man ukuthi umuntu lo. From that day, we'd greet each other and chat about basic things when we'd bump into each other. Then he started having issues with his wife. And he'd tell me about it. One day, he told me about it close to a water-cooler... then before I knew it, we needed to discuss it in a more private area. So we went to hotels to talk... and we obviously started having sex."

I look at her.

"I know that I'm probably going to hell for coming between him and Masingita. Kodwa angizisoli. I have a beautiful family with him. We are happy. And my mom no longer lives in a shack. I was able to build her a house in KZN and she can be there now without being bullied or feeling ashamed. I wouldn't exchange that for anything."

Hai ke... as long as she's at peace.

We are chilling with the guys now in the TV room. Carol and her daughters are not here. MJ and Risuna are running around and causing havoc.

"Where is Carol?” I enquire.

"She said that she was feeling tired, so she wanted to take a nap." Samuel tells me.

"Okay. Maybe I can take a cheeseboard up to her?" Me.

"That would be nice. Thanks." Samuel says.

I head upstairs to give her a cheeseboard.

After a slight knock and a come in, I open the door and walk in. She's watching some soapie with her daughter.

"I thought I'd bring you guys something to snack on", I say.

"Thank you, Aunt Bassie."

At least her kids have manners.

"Would you like anything to drink?" I offer.

"This should be fine. Thanks." Carol says.

"Okay. Well, we are all downstairs if you need anything." I say.

She just nods her head at me.

I leave.

Ja neh.

We are all just chilling and chatting away! We even debate about what to eat. No one wants to cook or braai. So I decide to order food.

Carol walks in mid-laughter and mid-conversations.

She has a phone in her hand. She looks angry. We all look at her.

"Samuel, your slut is on the line, holding for you."

We all look at Samuel.

"Mama, what's a slut?" Risuna asks me.

"A very bad word. Don't ever say it again." I say.

"It's what your mothers are! It's what your uncle wants to leave me for!" This woman says this to our kids.

"Risuna! MJ! Go upstairs!" I demand.

They quickly get up and move.

"What?! You don't want your kids to know what you are?! You do these things shamelessly, kanti you want to hide it from your kids?!" She's yelling.

"Risuna! You are still here?!" I yell.

He runs off. MJ is right behind him.

"LET RISUNA AND MJ STAY! LET THEM STAY AND LEARN THE NKUNA WAY! THIS IS WHAT NKUNA MEN DO! RISUNA! MJ! COME LEARN YOUR FATHERS' WAYS!"

I slap her!

Now all the men are on their feet. Baby Nsuku is now in Risuna’s playpen.

"O so hlanya?! Are those conversations you really want to have with children?!" Me.

"Why not?! Am I lying?! These kids must know the truth! That Nkuna men toss people to the side and find sluts to replace them with. Keith, where's Noria?! Huh?! Michael, where's Masingita?! Huh?! I'm sitting here with your sluts and your brother is about to leave me too. YOU ALL HAVE YOUR FATHER'S CURSE! ALL OF YOU! AND IT'S A CURSE THAT YOUR SONS WILL INHERIT TOO! YOU LEAVE GOOD WOMEN FOR LOOSE SLUTS! I THOUGHT IT WAS A CHILD THING. BUT SAMUEL, I PUSHED TWO KIDS OUT OF MY VAGINA FOR YOU! TWO! AND I GET TOSSED ASIDE FOR A SLUT TOO?! YOU ARE LEAVING ME FOR A SLUT TOO?! NISAZOSOKOLA NINA BAKWANKUNA! OUR TEARS ARE NOT FALLING ON THE FLOOR! I'M CURSING YOU ALL! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS! IF NOT YOU, MAY YOUR KIDS PAY FOR THE KIND OF MEN THAT YOU ARE!"

She leaves the TV room, leaving us all... speechless.

...

It is 2am.

My brothers and I are chilling in my bar, drinking and talking.

"I didn't even know that shit was real between you and Carol. What happened?" I ask.

"I also knew nothing. I seriously thought that of the three of us, you are the one that got it right." Michael.

"I made a mistake. I swear. I fucked around. I'm not proud of it at all. And I certainly don't want to lose my family over it. My girls - my wife and my daughters - they are my world. I'd never leave them for anything or anyone. She just refuses to forgive me." Samuel explains.

"What exactly happened?" Michael enquires.

Sam is actually crying. He's just not hysterical. But there are tears that he wipes before he tells us that, "I met this girl while I was away on a work trip in the Northwest. She was there with her friends. She came onto me and if I'm being honest, she's hot. As she and I get talking, we realise that we both want to smash... smash and pass. No strings attached. It was that one weekend. Then this bitch just became a lunatic. She started stalking Carol, threatening me and shit, telling me that she's not the kind of woman that a man just smashes and passes."

"But you guys agreed that's all you are doing." Michael.

"That’s what I also thought. But clearly, she wasn't capable of that. Yerrr! That girl then started sending pictures and videos to Carol of me and her fucking." Sam.

"So she actually took pictures and videos of you on that day? Doesn't this sound like a set up to you?" I say.

"Yoh. She's been a fucken nightmare in my life. And now Carol won't even believe me when I tell her what I'm telling you guys. Sure, I fucked up. But, I don't want a divorce." Sam.

"So, now that Carol knows, what's this girl blackmailing you about now?" Michael asks him.

"She's upset that Carol didn't leave me. Now she's threatening to leak the photos and the videos to the public." Sam.

"Why isn't this woman in prison? Why haven't you reported her crazy ass to the officials? She took a video of you without your consent. She took pictures of you without your consent. You have laws that protect you in all of this and can have her ass locked up with many people who are like her. Why is she still walking?" Michael.

"You actually have a good point. I never thought about that." Sam.

I give him my phone.

"Phone a lawyer and have them sort this out right now", I say.

He takes my phone.

He makes the call.

...

Bassie was fast asleep when I got to bed. Now, she's up and has already left the bed, so I'm waking up in an empty bed. Hosting neh.

My bedroom door opens.

I look up.

It's Risuna.

He climbs onto the bed.

"Good morning, boy." I say.

"Hello, papa." He rests his head on my chest.

"Did you sleep okay?" I ask him.

"I did. But cousin is still sleeping. Mommy said it's rude to wake people up from their sleep just to play. So I came to sit with you. Mommy kicked me out of the kitchen and said she'd burn me with food."

My boy... I love this guy.

I feel like he's my best friend - after his mother of course.

"Well, you can sit with me. Who is mommy sitting with in the kitchen?" I ask him.

"Auntie Carol”.

I'm shocked. He lifts his head and look at me. Maybe he felt my sudden movement.

"They are not fighting. They drinking mom-juice". He says.

Mom-juice is wine.

"Do you want to watch TV in here while you wait for cousin to wake up?"

He gets excited and nods his head. He loves watching TV in here because his mother never lets him watch TV for too long.

I put in his favourite show and tell him that I'm coming back.

I get out of bed then wear a t-shirt and pants.

"Papa."

"Yes boy?"

"How come, I must sleep in pyjamas, but you sleep naked with mommy?"

Yoh!

"Because we are old. So when you are old, your body gets hot very easily. So, we keep our bodies cool that way."

He nods his head, I hope he's accepting my answer, then continues watching his show.

I walk downstairs. I see Samuel sitting just outside the kitchen. Ja, he's also here to make sure that these two don't set my house alight. I grab a chair too. I sit at the door. Sam and I nod at each other.

Carol: "He keeps saying that it was a mistake."

Bassie: "you sound like you don't believe him."

Carol: "I don't."

Bassie: "Why not? Because Michael left Masingita for Zama? Because Keith left Noria for me?"

Carol: "Yes! It's like they just do this just because they can."

Bassie: "You know Carol, I don't like you. At all. I think you are rude and unnecessary. So trust me, I'd do anything right now to tell you how much you deserve this and that it's nice to see that your marriage isn't as perfect as you think. But... I have to be honest. I think you are too invested in the issues of marriages around you, that you are now internalising their issues and making them yours. And that's not fair on you, your husband and your family. You need to look at your marriage in its own light and in light of its own experience, then judge the said mistake against that. Now I'm not saying that you should stay with Sam if you want to leave him. What I'm saying is that if you must leave him, leave him because he had a moment of weakness and ended up entertaining a lunatic when he was supposed to be faithful to you. Be mad because he slept with someone while his penis was supposed to be reserved for you. But leave Masingita and Noria out of it. Because the versions of their stories that you know are the versions that are the most suitable for whoever told you their side of their story. It doesn't mean that you know the whole story."

There is silence.

After some silence, Carol says: "I'm sorry for how I've treated you all of this time."

Bassie: "You are loyal to a fault. I respect that, it just was to my detriment in this case."

Carol: "For what it's worth, I like you better than Zama. She's ghetto and lacks class. And she needs to learn when to shut up."

Even Sam and I giggle, because this is very true. But Michael loves her as she is.

After these ladies have laughed about this, Carol says: "How did you forgive him?"

Bassie: "Who?"

Carol: "Keith. How did you forgive him?"

What the hell did I need to be forgiven for?!

Bassie: "For what?"

At least I'm not the only one that's lost.

Carol: "I mean... you guys have been in love with each other since childhood. You lost your virginity to him. He still chose another woman over you. You watched him marry her and give her everything that you had earned based on the relationship that the two of you had. You were prepared to be his surrogate with a woman that he chose over you. And he still treated you like disposable shit."

Why is this woman giving my wife ideas?

Bassie: "I guess I had years to be mad at him. I spent so much time being hurt, crying over the decisions that he made of not choosing me. When the time came for us to be together, I loved him more than I hated him. And my son deserved a chance to grow up in stability, with both parents, and in a loving home... not a blended or a broken family because I wanted to punish Keith, yet I know that my heart has only ever belonged to him."

Carol: "And if he were to cheat on you now? Would you forgive him?"

Bassie: "I don't know. But I hope that I never have to find out. There's a part of me that feels like I'd never allow another woman to kick me out of my marriage. No woman alive deserves that kind of satisfaction from my marriage. But there's also a part of me that feels like if Keith finds another woman worthy to pull our marriage apart, then it's not on me for giving up on this marriage. He's a grown man and I do expect him to control himself. If he can't do that, then he's not who I think he is and that's not the kind of influence I want around my son. I'm raising someone's future husband. That's not what I'm trying to teach my son. And if I have a daughter, that's not the kind of behaviour I want her to believe that is okay to accept."

I felt that. I feel like she wanted me to hear that.

"Girl, let's set up the table and call everyone down for breakfast", Bassie.

...

We've decided to take everyone out to the animal park. It's really a treat for the kids more than anything, but it's also something that Bassie and I haven't done since we got here. We thought it would be nice if we all went together.

We have a game drive car assigned to just us. Well, we are quite a big bunch. The mothers all have jerseys. It's a three hour drive and we are starting fairly late. When we left the house, it was warm, but there were rain threats. So the mothers thought fast.

Sam sits at the back with Carol and one of their daughters. The second daughter sits in the seat in front of them with Zama and Bassie. Right in the front sits Michael and I with the two cousins, Risuna and MJ. Zama has Nsuku in her arms, covered in a blanket. Bassie looks at Nsuku with eyes that tell me that she's ready for number two. I even asked her if she'd like a second one. This time, it wasn't a downright no. I'm making progress.

The game drive starts.

It's actually a very nice drive. The kids are the ones asking the most questions. At some point, I even see Sam and his wife cuddle - which is a very good thing right now. We actually see the entire big five. And the boys were more than excited, even the girls. Then it starts to rain.

Bassie gives me a sweater for me and a sweater for Risuna. Risuna climbs on top of me, becoming a baby nje. I think he's tired. He didn't take a nap at all today. Bassie gives us a fleece blanket. She gives a second one to Michael, who then cuddles MJ with that blanket. A third fleece blanket is whipped out and she gives it to Sam, Carol and their daughter. The three of them cuddle together. The last fleece blanket she uses for herself, Zama and Sam's elder daughter who is sitting next to them.

"Do you sell fleece blankets or something? Where did you get so many from? And they are all just packed and ready for action?" Sam.

We all laugh.

"I'm scared of the cold. And I've been in this kingdom long enough to know that rain and the cold is a thing here. I'm always prepared", Bassie says.

"We must take some for ourselves. Please." Michael.

"Noooooooo", I say.

We all laugh. It's not my fault that my wife is a woman with a plan.

It takes another hour for this game drive to be over. MJ and Risuna are now sleeping. Nsuku is also asleep. The rain is hitting so beautifully against the vehicle we are in. There are some windows here, but they don't cover everything so it's really helping that we have these big fleece blankets here.

After our game drive, we go to the bush restaurant that's on this animal farm, but safe... far away from the animals. There are gas heaters lit everywhere so it's a bit warm.

Nsuku is now in Bassie's arms. This mom thing looks amazing on her. I will not lie.

Our food arrives and we all start eating. The rain is POURING now. We have a live view of it because we are outside, but have good shade over us.

I sit next to Bassie. Risuna is sitting on top of me.

I kiss Bassie's cheek. She's so in love with Nsuku.

"Let's make another one", I whisper to her.

"Okay." She finally says.

We smile at each other.

Now I just want to take her home.

"But you must find a PA quickly, because I can't be the kind of home who's at home with a new baby for five minutes then head back to work before my baby even knows who I am." She says.

"I hear you. I'll definitely make a plan to get HR to expedite this faster."

"Make sure it's a gay man", she says.

I laugh aloud.

"Hello my love", we hear a voice. Its Diana.

And who's her love? Because it's definitely not me.

We all follow the direction of her eyes.

She's looking at Sam.

"Diana?" Sam.

"That’s not what you called me in bed. Come on, babe." Diana says.

There is absolutely no way... no way at all, that this is Sam's lunatic. What?!

"I received your restraining order. You want to get me arrested now, babe? Why?! How am I a danger to you and your little family?" Diana.

"I'm calling the police." Carol.

"Vir wat?!" Diana snaps.

"You are violating your restraining order! In front of my children, you shameless woman!" Carol.

"Whooo! This woman must not try me! Aseblief?! Who is she calling a shameless woman?"

Carol is already on the phone.

We see Diana trying to jump over the table and grab Carol. But Zama is up, pushing her away, restraining her really. Bassie gives Nsuku to me. Even Risuna is a bit protective of her. I'm carrying both of them in my arms now.

Bassie runs to the inside of the restaurant.

In no time, she's back with security guards, pointing at Diana.

The security guards handcuff her... also cuff her feet. She looks like a prisoner and she's shouting her lungs out, bringing attention towards us. Our kids are actually scared. Carol is crying. Sam feels and looks like shit. You can just see that it's hitting him now how much he has really messed up.

Nsuku is back in Zama's arms. Risuna is in Bassie's arms. Bassie is also comforting MJ.

The girls are who I feel the most sorry for. They are crying next to their mother. Us Nkuna brothers stand together, not knowing what to do.

The police finally arrive. Diana is now crying.

"Sam, why would you do this to me?! What did I ever do to you? I could lose my job. Sam, please make this stop! Keith! Do something!" Diana will not stop yelling. She's finally taken away.

The drive back home is super quiet. Yoh!

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