Bhekokwakhe

Chapter 30

BHEKOKWAKHE

“What is this?” Mr Mokwena asks, throwing his cell phone on the bed.

Kenosi and Mr Mokwena; they are now having a staring battle. “What is that?” He half shouts again.

She slowly takes the cell phone and looks at him. “An invoice, I think” her voice is calm; way too calm for my liking. “Why did the company make such a payment to the University of Kwazulu-Natal?” His brows furrow. A wrinkle plugs on his face, his hands form a ball of fist. That could land on anyone, at any moment.

“But what is this?” She is waving an empty pill container in her hand, ignoring his question but I would also like to know that one. ‘Why?’ such a great question.  Within a split second she throws the container that was weighing her fingers at him and he catches it.

The container has ‘LITHIUM’ embedded on it.

Lithium stands out for its preventative effects in bipolar disorder, but it also has important benefits outside of the manic-depressive symptom lists. It is the only mood stabilizer that significantly reduces the risk of suicide, and it reduces mortality in other ways as well. This is the pill that some people with bipolar are placed on. Wait! Does that mean Mr Mokwena is… “Well I decided to make down payment for Bhekokwakhe” Kenosi’s voice swirls me back to reality.

“Who is Bhekokwakhe again?” Frown is swimming on his face. His eyes focus on the container in his hands swallowed by his shape making it invisible, his eyes expand in size each passing second.

She coaxes, “Wow typically Mr Mokwena, someone has been preparing food for you for a month, not to mention days you barely even know his name” his head rises slowly to bore a daggers gaze on me. “Anyway since Bhekokwakhe saved me during difficult times so I thought I should stretch his back besides those are just few thousands don’t be rude” She says,  lunging towards him slowly. Her sleepers, kissing the floor, producing a cacophony since it was the only thing that produced sound. She stands right in front of him. One word to describe her right now is ‘BOLD’

I have picked my daughter up from the floor. Scrutinizing my eyes on the scene before me.

-

“That is like 50k+, Kenosi. Are you insane?” He taunts, his voice keeps on increasing in sound. The amplification is screeching.

“It doesn’t look like it, you are the one who is insane. Le ditlhare tsa gago, di opela go feta mmino wa setso” (Even your medication sings louder than cultural songs) – She spews.

However, those words got greeted by five fingers locking her throat. I place my daughter down, at the far end. Rushing towards them. I roughly got Mr M from groping her neck. Out of nowhere my fist embraced his chubby cheeks, followed by another one. I don’t know how I got unleashed, but the first punch is the begetter of others.

“Bhekokwakhe, stop, okay it’s not worth it!” Her voice sounded afar – placing a hand on him felt like justice for all those women who couldn’t fight back. A mere thing I know is that perpetrators like him don’t go to jail. “Stop, stop, stop! Okay?” Kenosi kept on shouting.

Until, a cry starts to pierce the cages of my heart. I knew I had to stop. When I unchained Mr M from my punches, he felt the need to fight back. Blood is oozing from his nose. “Just stop okay!” Kenosi begs. Mr M who is inhaling fire. I rush to pick up my daughter. Who is unsettled, cradling her on my body – protecting her with all I got, my love.

“Please don’t do this, you are safe now. We would do everything in our power to ensure that the psychiatric facility accepts you. Everything would be okay” Kenosi says, cooing at him.