Simbongile Princess Ntabeni: The Called (S2)

Chapter Twenty

-Simbongile Princess Ntabeni-

I joined in and sat with Siya, as expected.

Mom: Uhm... so Aunt Thembeka is here because she wants us to talk about your grandfather's house.
Siya: What about it?
Mom: Uthi akanandawo yohlala, and so she wants me to give her indlu ahlale kuyo nabantwana bakhe. I would like to believe that she understands what the Will stated, because she insisted on being there when it was read, so I called you two here because I want you to be aware of what is happening. As the house is yours, ninobabini.
Me: Uhm... Okay, I want to understand this. Bahlalaphi kanti ngoku?

Mom looked at her aunt...

Thembi: Sihlala e Site C.
Siya: Kwalapha e Cape Town? Wow!
Thembi: I recently came back, oko ndandimnke after Sive's passing. But ke ndibuyile ngoku and I have to fend for my children because andithandi ucela nto mntwini mna. I am not here ukunixutha ilifa lenu, kodwa ndicela ku mama wenu ukuba andiboleke indlu for a short while, up until I can stand on my own two feet, well, until I find umsebenzi to be exact.
Siya: Did she tell you that we have decided to invest in the house?
Thembi: Invest?
Siya: Yes, we have turned it into Airbnb, we make money ngayo so we cannot have you on the property. It's no longer a home, but a business ngoku.

I quickly jumped in...

Me: What Siya is saying Aunty is that maybe umama can talk to bhut'Masi bakuncede financially for about six months since ungazokwazi ukuhlala kwa Tamkhulu. We wouldn't let you out on the streets, but we really cannot have you in the house. I'm sorry.

She laughed, Siya rolled his eyes and sighed.
We all knew she was about to be dramatic... and that sucked you know? Our lives were just filled with non-ending drama.

Thembi: Okay... uhm, andihleki kuba ndihleka kanti I am just shocked you know? I mean, ndixelelwa nini ukuba I cannot enter my own brother's house because niyisebenzisa for business, nina? Wow!
Siya: Technically, it's our house now.
Thembi: Ndiyayiqonda lonto mntanam... okay, I think Sim's suggestion will work out better ke. Uthini wena Sibongile?
Me: I will talk to my husband, if we agree on anything we will draw up a contract that we will all sign so that after six months uzazi ukuba awuyo liability yethu.
Thembi: iKhontrakti kengoku? Yintoni Sibongile? Huh? Why are you treating me like I'm not family?
Mom: This is not personal yazi mama ka Sive, I have been burnt a lot by family I know now to never make the mistake of approaching anything with money ngentliziyo. I am not saying you will pay us back, I just want you to understand that if we agree to this, then after six months we will not be liable for anything relating to you, financially. You will have to sign a document, to acknowledge that.
Me: And wena Aunt Thembi if you look at this with a positive-eyes, you will see that kule six months umama cannot say she doesn't have money. She will have to come through for you, with the amount they will discuss no bhuti of course. So wena you will have an income for six months, non-negotiable.
Siya: Don't look at it as an income torho, ingathi siyakuthenga ngoku. Yi grant qha. It will help you put food on the table, while you're searching for umsebenzi.

She nodded, I figured she was fond of Siya.
Like, she lapped up every word from his lips.

Mom: Okay, I guess that settles it. Ndizothetha no Masixole and get back to you. Should we fix you a room or uzojika kwanamhlanje?
Thembi: Hay mntanam ubuthe niyapakisha, ungandibizela itaxi ndijike. Andifuni ukunisokolisa.
Mom: Okay then, Siya please request Uber for her.
Me: Can I go back to my room?
Mom: Uhm yes... but wait, umamakho called. Uthi you ought to go back to the initiation nton-nton next weekend.
Me: What? But I have school. I thought she understood ba I can only stay there during school holidays.
Mom: Uya from Saturday to Sunday Simbongile, ubuye. Uthe kukho umcimbi owenziwayo that needs all initiates to be present, eyakho yona into uzoyigqibezela kakade when the schools close. Nothing has changed apho.
Me: Ooh okay.
Mom: Should I confirm your availability?
Me: Sure, enkosi. Now good night yho, uhambe kakuhle sis Thembi.

She smiled as I walked past her.
I got to my room, with missed calls from Kamva. I hesitated a bit, but decided to do the most decent thing I would do even if she wasn't the caller: return calls.

I called her back...

Kamva: Hey, Sim.
Me: Hi.
Kamva: Listen, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind exchanging your meditation room with me. I feel like iroom yam ikude kunezenu and dad has been on my case about how unsociable I am. Maybe if we had rooms that are closer to each other things would be better?
Me: Things?
Kamva: Yeah, between us. I think our parents have noticed how pretentious we are. I mean...
Me: But asizo tshomi KG, did you tell ubhuti that? Living under the same roof doesn't mean we should be buddies, unless I missed the change of memo babe.
Kamva: About that...
Me: I'm sorry I can't exchange my room with you, I had already asked Junior to give me his. Ibiyeyakhe lena uyifunayo, I actually had to bribe him, so I'm sorry babe. Can't.
Kamva: Well I tried...
Me: Next time just be honest pha ku bhuti, he's very understanding when you are honest. I'm pretty sure he already knows what is going on qha ulinde wena ube honest nge feelings zakho ngayo yonke lento yenzekayo.

She didn't respond.

Me: Ewe asina tata, but trust me, our father was the best dad in the whole world. If only you could get it into your head that we are not looking for a father ku tatakho, we had one and he played a major role in our lives. We only love your dad because he loved us as abantwana bakhe and because he loves our mother, regardless of everything she's been through. Your dad is a good man, if only wena you could just open up to him uyeke ukuzi compare'isha nathi... asidingi thando luka tata thina. We experienced that and more, especially from our grandad. So relax mntase, asizokuxuthela utatakho and I pray that Undi grows up to understand that ubhut'Masi is not his dad. Regardless of how much they love each other, you are your dad's only child, and that will never change... unless umama no bhuti decide to have umntwana.

"I hope they don't"

Siya barged in.
He walked into my room, joined me on the bed and joined the conversations as a whole.

Kamva: Siya, hi.
Siya: Hi... I pray they don't have umntwana. I wouldn't want my mother's child to fight for his or her dad's affection njengawo or alwisane nawe ngo tatakho. Sibay'five kutata and we have never fought for his affection. He loved us equally yet uniquely different, andikho sure ba ithini eyakho into at this point... I am not even sure sizohlala njani endlini enye futhi ke.

She sniffed...

Me: Uhm, good night KG. We will see you ngomso, right?
Kamva: Yeah uhm, see you at our new home.

I was about to answer when Siya grabbed the phone and hung up.

Me: That was rude.
Siya: She is rude, and uzakukhwela entloko ba awukwazi ukumbeka in her place.

I sighed... I did try to show her indlela, kancinci and in my most subtle way.
I wouldn't want Siya to do that... he had no problems with her until I told him about what she said to me. I knew he'd take my side, that's the kind of twins we were, but sometime I wished he trusted me to fight my own battles. Ngendlela yam... as much as I was hurt, I knew that Kamva just wanted her father's love qha naye akayazi ba njani because he was there for her, he was available to her any time... things that she was not used to for a very long time.

"Maybe she should attend therapy yazi..." I spoke to myself as I locked my room after Junior walked out because I knew two rascals that were going to barge in and wake me up in the morning befuna ipapa.