Simbongile Princess Ntabeni: The Called (S2)

Chapter One

-Bonga's Funeral Arrangements-


One of the most exhausting things about being "the chosen one" or "the called" was the ability of seeing beyond the natural eye and feeling beyond the tangible body. Yes, I could still hear the words that my fathers uttered saying: "𝑈𝑘𝑢𝑘𝑢𝑘ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑎.... 𝐾ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑎 𝑘𝑒! 𝐴𝑘𝑢𝑘ℎ𝑜 𝑘𝑤𝑎𝑚𝑛𝑡𝑢 𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑘𝑢𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑙𝑎 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎, 𝑎𝑘𝑢𝑘ℎ𝑜 𝑘𝑤𝑎𝑚𝑛𝑡𝑢 𝑢𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑢 𝑤𝑜𝑘𝑢𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑙𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑙𝑎 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑘ℎ𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎. 𝑆𝑖𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑒𝑗𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑜, 𝑖ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑜 𝑦𝑎𝑘ℎ𝑜 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑎 𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑞𝑎𝑙𝑎 𝑘𝑒 𝑛𝑔𝑜𝑘𝑢 𝐾ℎ𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑜. 𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑑𝑒 𝑢𝑏𝑢𝑚𝑛𝑦𝑎𝑚𝑎, 𝑘𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒 𝑢𝑘𝑢𝑘ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑎! 𝐾𝑢𝑏𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑖, 𝑘𝑢𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑒! 𝑁𝑔𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒, 𝑇𝑜𝑔𝑢, 𝑈𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑖, 𝑁𝑔𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑'𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑏𝑎"

For a moment I wished I could question them, how do you "Khanya" when your light or rather the source of it has been taken away from you? How do you continue breathing, when your first love gets killed saving you from a bullet? For once I felt like there was nothing special about the calling. They could have at least warned me through dreams, visions and maybe ngomnye umntu but they didn't. We walked into granddad's yard feeling like the worst was over. That we were finally going to breathe... live. Why didn't they warn me?

The police came to take our statements...
Do you know what's worse than the midnight mares? The police. They are worse than Cupcake misplacing his iPad, worse than Minister Fear Fokol demoted from his position and having multiple titles in the space of four months.

Mom: They're just doing their jobs mntanam, just try to remember something.
Bhuti: I think it's enough for today, you can see that she's still traumatized. Can we rather come down to the station when she feels better and maybe remembers something?

The policeman nodded, giving bhut'Masi his card then he walked them out. All this time I was sitting with a withdrawn Siya. Ever since that day, he had become withdrawn, it wasn't even funny. He got up and went to the kitchen, then mom came to sit with me. She didn't say anything... she just pulled me close and hugged me.

Mom: I'm so sorry you had to witness that.
Me: Can't we just bury dad ngoku? I've told these people who shot dad but it's clear that they don't want to arrest her, can we just bury utatam in peace ke?
Mom: Sssh...

I was crying, obviously.
I kept on having flashbacks of that day, hearing Imi screaming at me as she pointed the gun my way:
"Today is your day! Kudala ndakuxelela ukuba one day I will get you, you thought ungandohlukanisa no Bonga and live to tell the tale? Huh? Who do you think you are? DO you even know me?"
I guess I was in denial this whole time, I mean, it didn't hit me that dad was dead until we had to go and see him at the mortuary. I remember I froze when his face was revealed, I suddenly couldn't breathe. Mom wanted us to see dad before the funeral, I guess she thought it would be best for us to cry and make peace with it. I don't know.

Kamva walked into the lounge as I was still crying on mom's shoulder...

Mom: Baby ndcela ubize utatakho and the rest of your siblings.
Kamva: Okay sisi.

She walked out, I cleaned myself up.
Mom's phone rang and she walked out, the others came in and we sat in silence. Musa was sitting with Siya, with her head on his lap while Undi was playing with Kamva's afro. Mom came back, she and her husband exchanged looks and I frowned. It felt like something huge was about to be dropped on us.

Bhuti: Uhm guys, today your mother and I met with your dad's lawyer. The reading of the Will will be conducted after the funeral as you were all informed.
Siya: Then why did you have to meet him today? What's going on?
Bhuti: He called us, saying that he needed us to be aware of your father's wishes BEFORE we planned the funeral. So uhm... your dad wanted to be buried in East London. We're transporting his body tomorrow morning, you guys should be flying down in the afternoon an-
Siya: Wait, we're going to East London and you guys are only telling us now? Mama?

Mom breathed before answering Junior because that's what engaging with him needed. A clear mind.

Mom: We only heard yesterday when oo Tamnci benu got here, apparently they expected that. Abantu bakokwenu have their own burial site, where your grandparents were buried so Bonga wasn't going to be an exception. In fact bona bebezomthatha anyway, before we even heard that those were his wishes.
Siya: oo Tamnci? Sinoo tamnci from where?
Mom: Your dad's cousins.

The room went dead silent... I cleared my throat.

Me: I uhm... I'll travel with umzimba mna. The others can fly.
Mom: Kuzobakho amadoda wodwa Sim phaya and you don't know those peo-
Siya: I'll go with her.
Mom: Wow.

Again, silence filled the room.

Me: I thought you guys would know that I need to travel with dad... I mean...
Bhuti: I uhm, we thought of that... we just didn't know if you would be keen. And your mother doesn't think it's safe.
Me: Then let's all drive down ke bethuna... but mna no Siya will ride with the coffin.
Mom: Kodwa Simb-
Bhuti: We could arrange that.
Me: Thanks.

Mom swallowed, I could see akayiva lento siyithethayo xasisonke. Bhuti eyed her, again.

Mom: Apparently your father has a brother... biological brother.
ALL: WHAT?!
Mom: He's in East London, you'll meet him there.
Me: Where was he all this time?
Mom: Apparently bebehlala bonke when you father skipped the country, they share a father.
Siya: I don't believe that, dad would have told us about him.
Me: Especially since he told us about all his other kids... why did he skip this part?
Mom: Nibuza umntu orongo ke guys... can you go and pack? I'll dish up so long.

That was the end of the meeting... with that bomb.
We got to our room and obviously started discussing what mom said...

Siya: Why do I feel like these people just want dad's money? Bebephi all this while? They knew umama uhlalaphi nathi but they never showed face nakanye, now all of a sudden dad has family? An entire sibling?
Me: I don't mind the sibling, my problem is the cousins. They are greedy Siya abantu bakokwenu and I don't trust them.
Siya: I feel like mom is just dancing to their tune.
Me: What do you expect her to do? She broke up with dad years ago, she's not entitled to anything yakhe especially now that she's married to someone else. We are, we can stand our ground.
Siya: I don't mind standing my ground, but I'm going to need your back up. In tons!

We fist-bumped to that, and started packing.
We had an early trip back to "emaXhoseni" kusasa.