Maid For Marriage

28

I drifted in and out of consciousness. I heard crying and shouting and even incantations. I was sure a traditional healer came to help.

Cold water was thrown on my face, and I woke up. I jerked up a little and screamed in pain. "Here. Drink." I was made to drink a disgusting beverage. Whatever was being out on my back had me screaming in pain. The healer assured me it would help, and it was for my own good, but I couldn't bear it.

"Hold my hand, baby. Hold it as tight as you need. Break it if you have to." I laid there drifting in and out of consciousness. The room was finally silent.

"She's awake." I heard my aunt say. We were in dim light. I could hear and smell a fire. "Ma." I managed to say. My whole body of shaking. I could hardly speak. "Yes, baby, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." I squeezed her hand. "Ma." I managed to get out again. The slightest movement was extremely agonizing. "Home." She rubbed my hand.

"Baby, the healer has just managed to stop your bleeding. We can't move you. I'm sorry, baby." Even talking was too much effort. I wanted to ask about Senzo, but my eyes closed again. "Let me in!" It was my father. "Get her up! Get her up now! Her husband has paid her lobola in full. Get her up!"

I heard tussling. "Why don't you call her husband in here so he can see what you've done, you piece shit!" I heard a slap and things falling. My aunt was screaming at my father as I went back into my daze.

I felt a big hand holding mine. I knew that hand. "Baba." I got out. "Yes, it's me, my love. I'm here." Senzo said and dozed off again.

"They'll be here in thirty minutes. I do not care about that son of a bitch getting arrested. We're going to the hospital. All twenty of his son's can try and stop me. I don't care." I heard Senzo saying to somebody.

Majority of my wounds were on my back but it felt like my whole body was on fire. I just needed to scream but I had no energy to scream anymore. I guess the adrenaline was wearing off because the pain just kept on getting worse. 

I blacked out again. But when I regained consciousness this time I woke up on a flat surface. I could hear singing but it sounded far away. Someone was holding my hand tightly. I opened my eyes to a bright room. "Thandi?" It was my aunt. She sounded scared. I tried opening my eyes again. This time slowly.

"Hi, Princess." It was like my ears opened up. I heard her clearly and the singing sounded like it was right next to me. "She's awake." There were loads of sighs of relief and then the praying started. People were shouting praise and thanks to Jesus. What was going on?

As if my aunt could hear my thoughts. "MaRadebe brought the church ladies to pray for you." She whispered. "Home." My throat felt raw when I tried to speak. "Baby, we're in the city. You're in hospital." My vision blurred with tears. I wanted to go home. I needed to be alone. "Home." I said again and she also had tears in her eyes.

Senzo and Ma came to sit with me and the doctor eventually came in to talk to us. I didn't listen to most of it. Luckily it wasn't long until I was sent home. The car trip was horrible but when I was finally in my room alone I was relieved. I knew I was safe here.  It was my happy place. I was okay. I climbed under my bed and slept.

"Thandi!" My aunt screamed frantically. "Thandi!" I groaned as I hit my head on my way out. She let out a sob when she saw me. "She's safe. She's safe. She's right here. She's safe." She recited to herself. I sat on my bed waiting for her to calm down. She took a deep breath and wiped her tears.

"I made some soup. Get back into bed." She tucked me in and checked to see if I broke any stitches climbing under the bed. I was still in an enormous pain, but the medication helped. She fed me and I took my medicine. My aunt was terrified. She wouldn't leave me alone for a second. She even slept in my room.

Senzo and Ma visited me as much as they could. Senzo still had to deal with his wives, and they seemed to be fighting all the time. Their fights became my only source of entertainment because everyone else walked on eggshells around me. 

I was trying to forget everything that happened and everything that I remembered from my childhood, but it was difficult. Every now and then, the memories would arise, and I would push them as far away as possible.

"Thandi come. We're going for a walk." I groaned. She did this every single day. We walked outside, and I would refuse to go out of the gate. I don't know why she tried every single day and like every other day I stayed in my room acting like I couldn't hear her.

"Thandi, come on. You can't be locked up in your room all day." I kept quiet and heard her sigh. "Well, Senzo is here, and I told him I wouldn't allow him inside. You're going to have to go out to him." Oh, she was clever. I hadn't seen him in a few days so I almost got up but it didn't help much. I stayed there fighting the urge to go out. "Thandi!" Senzo banged on my door.

"Ma, fell! The ambulance is on its way, but she's asking for you." I didn't even have time to question it. I ran as fast as I could (which wasn't very fast) to go see Ma. She was sitting on the couch watching her programs. "Ma, are you okay?" She smiled. "Thandi." She said happily. "Ma, they said you fell. Are you okay?" She narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Fell? Who said that?"

"Ma, did you hit your head?" Mbali came out of the room. "What do you mean? I've been here the whole time. Ma has been fine." Mbali said, confused, then it clicked. He lied.

Senzo walked in, and I just glared at him. "What's going on now?" Ma asked, breaking the awkward silence. "Thandi, you had to come out of that room. You can't stay in there forever." I didn't say anything and tried to walk past him.

"Thandi. Come on." I just glared at him and walked off. My aunt tried to apologize, but I just slammed my door in her face. I crawled under my bed again and tried slowing down my breathing. I needed to be left alone. My ears were ringing, and my mind was racing. I didn't know what to do with myself.