Simbongile Princess Ntabeni: The Called (S2)

Chapter Twelve

-Siyambonga Ntabeni-

When the lawyer was done, he packed his bags and left us.
uMelikhaya walked him out leaving his elders behind. Two of the elders bacela indlela bemaya-mayaza, phofu bebezolinda u Dophakathi emotweni because he wasn't moving from his seat. Sim eyed mom...

Mama: Ibikhona enye into Dophakathi?
Dophakathi: Enjengantoni?
Mama: Ndicingba xa ingekho nawe uthi chu aph'emva koo tamnci. Lingamnka igqwetha sigqibile.
Dophakathi: Must be nice, inheriting all of his wealth huh?
Mama: I am not sure which lawyer you were listening to, but I didn't get a cent from Bonga.
Dophakathi: You think ndimuncu?
Mama: You sound like umuncu right now Dophakathi because uBonga ushiye ebohlulele bonke abantwana bakhe ezimalini zakhe. Ude washiyela nalona wakho benimenze umntwana ka Tat'uNgconde kuba ninyolukele iimali eningazange niyisebenzele.

He huffed...

Mama: Ndiyivile nale yokuba uthe wena ndizotshata unyanakho ukuze ndixhamle kwi mali zika Bonga.

Melikhaya came back in just as mom said that, he looked shameful, somber, humbled.
Mom was still seated, just looking at the elderly man across from her who was beyond pissed.

Melikhaya: Uhm, sisi, besizocela indlela.
Mama: Vula igate Siyambonga.
Melikhaya: Before we go, bendicela uthetha nawe ecaleni.
Mama: Whatever you want to say, I am sure you can say it in front of my kids.

He looked at Sim, and then at me.

Melikhaya: Uhm... I just wanted to apolo-
Dophakathi: Apologize for what? Hey wena, futsek sukusenza weak apha!
Melikhaya: Tata khawume. We cannot leave the kids bene bad impression ngathi kodwa siyi family ka tata wabo. Think ahead.
Me: Aniyokwa family ka tata nina, ningamagqirha qha.
Dophakathi: Uthetha nabani Siyambonga?
Me: Ndithetha namagqirhwa afuna ukutya imali ka tata sikhona.

Mom shot me a death stare and I looked at the floor as silence crept into the room. Sim cleared her throat and looked at Melikhaya.

Sim: To think you wanted to kill me for imali ka tata wam. I am with Siya on this one, ningamagqwirha pha kokwenu.
Melikhaya: Sim, there was a misunderstanding. I didn't want to ki-
Sim: You didn't want to kill me? So it was just a coincidence that benifuna ungena nge festile kwindlu ka tata endilele kuyo in the middle of the night?

He didn't respond...

Sim: If you didn't want to kill me then it's clear you wanted to rape me. Akekho umntu ongena bad intentions who would use a window instead of a door ukungena endlini elele umntwana oyintombi. Yedwa.
Melikhaya: It wasn't even my idea. I am so sor-
Me: Save it for someone who cares Melikhaya, we don't care. I don't care.
Sim: The only reason you will ever see me kokwenu mna kuxa ndiyokwenza iznto zam zokugula, and I pray that uThixo andigcinele u Mam'Khulu because uDophakathi and the rest of the elders in the family have shown me a side to them I wish I hadn't seen.
Me: Asikwazi ke wena, siyaqala nokubona njengamntu obezingomba isifuba as my dad's brother.

He swallowed hard and breathed.

Melikhaya: I'm sorry guys, for everything.
Dophakathi: u Sorry? Heh Melikhaya, uphambene? Awuboni ba lomntana ulithengile eligqwetha? Kutheni umuncu nje? Kutheni undihlaza kude kangaka?
Melikhaya: Tata... uzolithengela ntoni igqwetha u Sibongile? Bonga knew the truth all those years, awuboni? He outsmarted you, us. He was ahead of us all this time.

His father jolted up from his seat and stormed off.

Mom got up and opened the gate for them not taking her eyes off Melikhaya.

Mama: Remind your dad that you are permitted to contest the Will, as the lawyer said.
Melikhaya: There won't be a need for that.
Mama: I hope I won't have to see any of you anytime soon. Such a bad aura around you, unelifu elimnyama too much and trust me when I say everything that Bonga left for you, you will not enjoy. Believe me on that one.

With that, she opened the gate and watched them drive away in shame.
We looked at each other in dismay and unbelief.

Sim: Well, seems like we are property owners ke bethuna!

We laughed.

Me: I hate the fact that Imi will also get a piece off dad's wealth, well, through their child of course.
Mama: It doesn't really matter who gets what, as long as all of you got your share. I'm just grateful that he covered all your fees.
Me: You're not upset that he didn't even leave you a yacht ke?

Mom laughed, Sim frowned.

Mama: I am married to another man Siya, surely that would be greedy of me. I know that if I wasn't married, at all, he would have left me something. But, he knows too that I am in good hands that are capable of taking care of me.
Me: Mh... speaking of the capable hands, are they not joining us for dinner tonight? I haven't seen KG today.
Mama: KG texted after school wathi she's going out for lunch with a friend and later on she will be having dinner with her mother and stepdad. They are in town for business.
Me: Mmmh.

I got up from my seat..

Sim: I miss him... dad.
Me: We miss him too.
Sim: Uyathanda uzenza iman of the house kanene.
Me: Oh haike we don't miss him. Happy? Miss Property Owner?

I left as she got up from her seat.
I locked the bedroom door and flopped on my bed taking my phone out to call Thina.

Thina: Ntabeni?
Me: Noba uthe "baby" ubungazophuma nix. Unjani?
Thina: I'm sick bro, unjani wena?
Me: I'm cool, u sick yintoni? I didn't see you at school futhi.
Thina: My feet are sore, ankles are swollen... but bendiye kwa izolo so I am on bedrest.
Me: Haibo, send me your address I'll come by ngomso.

She didn't respond.

Me: Dude, come on.

Thina: I don't want to send the wrong impression. My friends are already on my cas-
Me: I don't care about your friend right now sisi, you are sick and as your boyfriend I want to come and see you.
Thina: You're not my boyfriend yet.
Me: Yaziwa nguwe lonto, and don't tell me about Lisa. I told you to leave that to me.

She didn't respond, again.

Me: Do you want me to go and ask this address from your friends? Basole bethetha into ene weight ke?
Thina: Yho uyi bully wena, I will text you the address. Please don't come after 4pm. My parents will be home by then.
Me: Mmh, good night.

She whispered her "night" as he hung up.
Why would he bother himself ngomntu who didn't even offer condolences after his father passed away? Okay, she didn't even come to the wedding kodwa she was apparently in Cape Town at the time. It was clear that they wanted different things, and he wasn't going to chase after her. He had his own life to live too.