ONYIYE THAT GIRL

ONYIYE THAT GIRL
CHAPTER 14

ONYIYE MAZIBUKO

She's getting in the hand of town and she enjoys being around with the help of Sbahle of course.
Sbahle took her to the library this morning and she will fetch her later on. She needs much research as she could get. She does the final touches and feels satisfied. Doing this makes her remember the days she had in high school and what she promised herself. She’s here doing what she loves most.  It's now time to go back home to her kids. She just wanted time away so she could rewind and feed her mind. She closes her books and shoves them in her bag pack. She stands up smiling within herself. She never imagined herself this focused.
She steps out of the library and awaits for Sbahle but luckily she spots her across the road. She waits patiently to cross over to the other side but the streets are a  busy bee. Onyiye notices Sbahle kissing a man and Onyiye giggles. The man steps into a brand new car and drives off in full speed. Finally she crosses the road and she cannot wait to talk about it all.
"Who was that?" Nosy as much.
"Someone, I thought I'll come fetch you from the inside." Sbahle changes the subject.
"You think I would get lost?" She's not offended. Durban is too big for a girl like her.
"Yes," they laugh getting in the car.
"Whatever. I'm waiting - who was that mister?" She asks buckling up.
"No one, you love news Wena ngane."
"I'll tell mum." Onyiye folds her hands dramatically. Sbahle looks at her and her heart sinks a bit. She lost a sister who was very much noisy - that girl loved news like no bodies business. No wonder she is so drawn to her. She reminds her of the late sister who drowned. She was only 15 years.
She hides the tears threatening to come out.
She chucks shaking her head. "You crazy." She starts the car and drives off taking Onyiye home.

After being dropped off by Sbahle she decided to cook. Just couple pf days or weeks before month end and she just wants to change her wardrobe. Without Onyiye noticing Ndimu sits on Ngimu's tiny face. His tiny cries gets Onyiye's attention.
"Jesus!" She drops the knife on the floor and hurries removing the laughing Ndimu. "Ndimuphiwe!" She shouts removing him.
He grins and crawls so fast to get hold of the knife on the floor. He grabs the knife - sits down and begins to bang it against the cardboard. Onyiye picks up the crying Ngimu trying to calm him down.
"Kodwa Nkosi. What the hell is wrong with you!" She hisses marching towards Ngimu who was laughing his lungs out. She grabs the knife out of his hands and sighs feeling exhausted. She places it on top of the table and looks at him playing with the vegetables scattered all over the floor. She sinks down on the floor with Ngimu against her chest and burst into tears.
If only her mother was her she would have told her what to do.
"What’s with all the noise?" Mam Philisiwe says stepping inside the room. She finds Onyiye on the floor crying her lungs out. "Yini Sisi?" She asks.
"It's hard being a mother."
"Parenting is hard my child. It changes to mental health." She looks at her for a second. "It's okay - I will take the kids with me. I know it's hard and you are still hang up on the past but you need to let go. You need to go water your garden." Mentioning the word garden makes her smile through those tears. She stands up smiling a bit. She wipes the tears falling from her face and sighs collecting herself. "I'm sorry for being a burden."
"What, a burden? No dear you are not. I take you like my own daughter. You look so much like her." The pain in Mam Philisiwe's eyes is very much visible.
"Who? Sbahle?"
"No, she's late." She responds with a heavy heart.
"What happened?" Onyiye asks. She makes her sit in a chair with her sitting on the sponge.
"I remember it like it was yesterday. As a family, we decided to go out to the beach and have some fun, since their father was around. He agreed to it and then the following day on a Saturday we went to the beach. It was me Sbahle, my husband and my late daughter.
She loved nature that it annoyed me at times but I understand that she takes it from her father. She played in the sand planting flowers - only God knows where she got them from.
I remember clearly when she asked me to go swim in the pool and I agreed because I know it's no danger and I can see them. I don't know what happened but we started hearing noise. My heart knew and told me that my daughter is in danger. I saw a crowd gathered by the sea and I ran into the water and started shouting my child's name, but heard no reply. I just closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. I said 'Lord, if it's your will, then I understand, just release my child's body to me'. I then felt a sense of calmness over my body, and I just knew she's gone.
When I opened my eyes, I heard people shouting, "…. there she is", as a man came carrying her lifeless body to shore.
Despite their best efforts, rescuers could not save my daughter.
A heartbeat was restored by paramedics and my child was transported to hospital in a critical condition where hospital staff, doctors and nurses continued resuscitation efforts.” She takes a deep breath preventing the tears from falling.
"Wow, I don't know what to say."
"Yea, it's life babe girl. And we have to move on from it. Bring these two to me. They make me forget."