Mphakamseni The Arranged Man

Mphakamseni The Arranged Man
#26

NTOMBIZODWA

You know when it's the first time visiting your relatives, you just become a lost tortoise that has no direction. You know when you have a feeling that your family has turned against you. You know when you are belittle in their precense and you have no power over anything. This is how I'm feeling right now, the shame that I'm feelin is putting me on the spot light. The daggers and stares were too much making me so uncomfortable and ashamed of my mother's deeds. I've been up and down not knowing what to do or what to say to everyone else. As for my mother, well she disappeared after the confrontation and no one cares about her whereabouts. I may be still mad t her but she is still my mother that gave birth to me. I need answers, but she decided to be a coward and vanish into thin air. This is total humiliation and the revelation was too much for me. So all along I have been living a lie? My mind sending back to Mphakamseni. Is this how Phaka felt when we humiliated him infront of everyone? How did he cope and survive all those obstacles? How did he stay so strong? I'm even hurt to know that I was part of the gang that made someone uncomfortable in their own home and as for me….I don't even know where I belong.
Everyone is disgusted by my precense, come to think of it I look nothing like the Ngcobo's but somuch like Zulu the drunkard. A whole me didn't know her true identity. I've been living a lie for 45 year's. My Whole life has been a lie!
I need answers, I don't even know if I have any questions for my mother. What hurts me the most is that the same thing that my mother did I'm also doing it to my own children. Mdlalose is not the father of my kids but our neighbour is. If this comes out I will be doomed and I will loose my marriage. How did I get here? Why did I follow in my mother's footsteps?

BONGEKILE

She looks fragile and very scared. How can a person do this to another human being. Having a different colour skin doesn't mean you're different, being unique doesn't define you as a different person. She's clinging on her plastic bag with her eye's wondering around and it shows that she's not comfortable. As a mother I'll have to step up and play a motherly role towards her, make her days memorable while she's still in this house. Now my main concern is will she ever be comfortable around the boy's. We arrived at the house minutes ago. I give her a side look without her noticing. Her facial expression is unreadable. I see her opening her mouth wider and wider but quickly closes it when she notices that I'm looking at her.
"Welcome home," I give her the warmest smile ever.
"T….thank you," She's still holding on tight on to her plastic bag. I don't like this one bit.
This girl is beyond broken and I can tell by looking at her eye's that she has given up in life and lost all hope. I just need to find a way to talk to her, make her trust me, us. I want he to let the pain all out and live her life like the child that she is.
"Come let me show you to you're room." I say already leading the way. She nods her head lightly and quickly follows me behind looking down still. "You will be using this room for tonight. Tomorrow we are going to a funeral, but you will stay behind. After the funeral they will fetch you. If any of my boy's give you trouble please don't be afraid to tell me, if you're scared of me tell my daughter in-law. She's only a year older than you." She nods in agreement. I hope this is the start to everything, with her agreeing to my statements. "You can freshen up so we could have have dinner later on." I sigh looking at he one more time before I walked out leaving her admiring the room with a little bit of excitement, but then again remembered she was never bound to be happy. She opened her plastic bag and took out her clothes and looked at her torn panties and shed a tear. This is her first night without any sexual encounter! If this is the life she is destined for, may the Lord please be with her and protect her every step of the way.

MUZIKAYISE

"But," he squeals in excitement. He wasn't ready to meet his father so soon.
"Ndodana we meet again." Simon tells Muzi who was overwhelming with joy.
"I tried going to the ward but they told me that you were moved to another hospital. Are you oky?" He is very concerned and very hurt hurt that he hasn't seen his father in a very long time.
Simon laughs looking at his clueless son, "in this world I'm very much alive son."
"You can now walk, you look much more younger," he walked towards his father happily.
"Yes son I can walk. I don't have much time I have to go back. Look after your siblings since you're the oldest and accept Zubby in your life as your own father. I came here to take away the pain that you feeling. I need you well and kicking for my goodbye ceremony." Simon places his hands on Muzi's chest and sucked all the pain out". Wake up now it's the new day, don't give them a hard time they were only protecting you from heartache. I maybe no more but will always be with you in spirit. Tell you're mother I will always love her and I'm happy that she's happy. I know this girl maybe way too young for you but you were meant to be, treat her good and you shall forever be blessed."
"What girl?, who's Zubby? What do you mean by all this? Who was protecting me from what?"
"In due time you will know son. Till we meet again." Muzi watched his father as he disappeared into the heavily mist without giving him a proper goodbye like the good old days. This place looks cold and everything is just white. He hear a voice calling him and being roughly shaked. He opened my eye's and found his mother looking at him with worry and concerned written all over her face.
"God you gave me a fright! I thought you were…." She hold her breath sitting down felling defeated. She just lost her ex husband she can't loose her son too in one week.
"I'm good ma. I had a weirdest dream ever about dad telling me things I don't even understand and some of them didn't make sense. Wait a minute what did he mean he said he will forever be with us in spirit." He keeps quite and remembers something, he touched his chest and chuck not believing, "the pain is gone he took it but how is any of this possible!" This is incredibly unbelievable.
"I'm sorry but you're father is no more. His funeral is today. I'm sorry."
He laughs out loud and stops looking at his seriousness on his mother's face, why wasn't I told about this?"
"You were still weak so the doctor said you wouldn't handle the pain. But he left you a letter. I'm sure in that letter he explained everything."
"I don't even know what to say or feel it's just shocking. Wow." How does one take these kind of news.
"I'll be outside. You can go change." She tells him as she walked out with a heavy heart.
Muzi is left shattered, "wow I don't even know what to say. I hope his in a better place. Guess I'll have to read the letter later on to find closure." He says to himself trying so hard not to cry. No wonder his siblings were acting wierd, and they spoke about funeral arrangements. He should have put two together!

MPHAKAMSENI

My father was layed to rest and we gave him a befeating burial even though it was hard. Looking at the coffin going down hit hard realising that his no more. I may not know him but the fact remains, he was my father.
"Thank you for everything man you wiped away the shame." She says looking at his brother Phaks.
"He was also my father you know." He chulks.
"Yah neh. I'm still finding it hard to believe that his no more and I wasn't told. It hurts that I didn't get to say my goodbye alone. It hurts that I didn't see him the the day after he lost his life.
"Trust me it was for the best that you didn't know plus we didn't want to take any risks. You are still recovering plus your wounds were still fresh."
"Who ever donated their heart to me I will forever be gratefull. I want to thank the family personally for giving me a second chance in life or maybe a little bit of compensation will do." Music suggest looking at the cars passing by.
"I need a bathroom," Sphesihle left them without waiting for any response. Hhe knew where this conversation was going. He decided to find a quite place and read his letter.
"Hmmmm I heard about the dream, mum told me about it. He looks at him trying to change the topic. There's only one way for him to find out, is through the letter his father left him.
"It felt so real and it left me more confused, with so much unanswered questions."
They saw Zelo approaching them with two plates neatly placed on a tray. Phaka noticed her small swollen feet and that didn't sit well with him. This means she has been slaving around for these people!
"MaNgcobo can you go to my shack and sleep. Don't even try it." He says with a serious tone.
"I wasn't even going to argue with you I'm dead tired." She hands the their plates leaving the tray with Phaka and ran to the shack as the boy's dug in their food in so much hunger. She threw herself in the bed and immediately dozed off.
"She's been working ever since we got here." Muzi says, and indeed she has been slaving around making sure that everything is going smoothly.
"Yust waiting for the cleansing to take place later this afternoon so we could go and rest."
"Baba is not oky. Its seems as if something is bothering him."
Phaka narrates the dejavu that happened and it left him shock. "So Zodwa is not a Ngcobo wow, yes, yes." He is beyond shocked.
There was a commotion outside, a noise that was very destracting. Words been thrown all over the place causing so much havoc.
The boys decided to go attend to it luckily they have finished eating.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Phaka says looking at the devil herself
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS MONSTER DOING IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE! Music roars in angry voice that made everyone become silence. Trouble is about to start!