Bhekokwakhe

Chapter 36

BHEKOKWAKHE

‘Last roll of the dice’

THE RISE OF SUNSHINE.

My eyes got a salutations from a board I had been longing to see, since we touched on the N3.

‘Welcome to Kwazulu-Natal’
‘Siyakwemukela’

My heart has been arching to read those words. Now that I am finally in the land of my ancestors. The land that groomed my forefathers. The land that patiently melded them and made me the man I’m today. I’m finally home, the land that witnessed bones of my bones.

“Welcome baby” I lean in kissing her forehead. She just gives me a weak smile, she is distant. “What is going on?” Concern forms wrinkles on my forehead. “Nothing” she is now gazing into Langalibalele.

I squeeze out a crackle, “Don’t tell me you are getting a cold feet” I nudge her shoulder. She shrugs her shoulders brushing me off, focusing on Langalibalele. I choose to read between the lines, she is still overwhelmed.

She is now having a staring content with my princess. Their eyes transform into another form of emotions, that I can barely study. Only them know the meaning of this look, I don’t know what it means but it happens more often. A tear escape from Kenosi’s eyes.

Langalibalele’s little hand moves where her tear is gushing from, sweeps off her trailing tear and stays there. After a while, a smile reveals Langa’s teeth that are still developing, making her look like a little rat. Her pair of upper and lower teeth now occupy what used to be her gums, she is so cute.

“Ma-ma” she released those ballad words. She normally doesn’t say this. Kenosi looks taken, her tears of joy are streaming harshly as she brings Langa into a hug and this dramatic human being returns the gesture by wrapping her little chubby hands on her neck. Cooing my favourite sounds. Now I’m not sure whether Kenosi crying because of what is happening because now she has gained hiccups.

I decided to turn a blind eye and not crowd her. We will address the elephant in the room when she is in a calmer state of mind. I just glance outside the window. Watching objects gets smaller and smaller.

-

When the taxi touches the road that leads to Maphumulo my heart start strumming a harmony. I can’t believe we are final here. I send a gape at Kenosi and she is slightly sleeping, so is baby Langa her head resting on her shoulder. I take out my phone to snap a capture.

My cell phone pixels are poor, but the picture carries wealth. She is so perfect; her dark choc skin gives me a throb from my boy every time I think about slithering my tongue on her. Trailing the richness of melanin.

Within a twinkling of an eye, my yard comes to view. It almost looks vacant, my rondavel is a matchbox. Sibongiseni rotates to glance at me; his face is wearing a smile. “This is it” he says, briskly.

“Ngiyabonga” I laminate, shaking Kenosi from a fridge of sleep. “Hey wake up!” I howl a little louder, she twists out of her sleep. She opens her eyes, yawning. The little rascal in her head also snaps awake without getting enough, she starts hauling. Kenosi’s steps out hashing her.

I offload our baggage and close the door, the car navigates leaving us in the pit of dust. I opened my gate, which I built myself using children from trees. Brunches real came a long way for me. I can see grass starting to scarf the area, and seeking for ownership without title deed.

What fills my bubble and leave me awestruck, is that I’m not even ashamed to bring her here. For a man my age, this is something that most men avail from, at my age men are inquired with bunch of questions. Their manhood scaled by assets they own. Your manhood is lengthier with the model of a car you drive, measured by the amount of money that is weighing your bank account. It’s all about possession, there lesser you have all these materials that makes you a man, the more you aren’t classified as a man.