Maid For Marriage

37

"Mamakhe. Wake up. Baby wake up. You're bleeding." Bleeding? My eyes opened immediately and I jumped up. "Calm down. Calm down it's just a little blood on one of your scars but we should probably clean it up. We don't want you to get any infections?"

I nodded and freshened up while he went to get a first aid kit. I tried to see it in the mirror but I couldn't. I didn't know how much blood it was but I felt it trickle down my back and started panicking. "Senzo, she's at her in-laws house! She can't be couped up in there all day with you! The kitchen is waiting!" I heard shouting from outside. "Gogo!"

Oh shit! I did not have time for drama and they did not need to see me in this state. I grabbed a skirt quickly while they were arguing with Senzo about coming in the house. I couldn't put on a top because I was bleeding but I covered my front with a towel. I didn't know what to do because I didn't know how bad my back was.

"Fine! Fine! Will you leave us alone if I let Gogo in!?" I heard and felt defeated. I heard muffled voices. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I heard the front door open and I shut the room door instantly.

"Mamakhe." Senzo knocked on the door. "I have Gogo with me. Will you please come out. I got the first aid kit." There was nothing I could do. Our room was a complete mess so they couldn't come in here. I had to go out.

I took a deep breath and stepped out. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked in her rough voice. I looked at Senzo and he nodded. "It's okay." I knew it looked bad. I can't just come out in a skirt and a towel in front of my husband's grandmother. I turned around and heard a small gasp.

"Come sit." I sat on a small stool so he could clean the blood off my back. "What happened?" His grandmother asked. "Can I clean up her back then we'll explain." I assumed she nodded because he carried on. At least it wasn't painful. Just a little sting and it was over. It seemed to just be a little tear.

"Okay, I'm listening. What happened? Did you do this?" My eyes went wide as she accused Senzo. "No. He didn't." I answered quickly. "Then what happened?" I didn't want to speak. I would rather let Senzo do the talking. I didn't want to talk about the situation anyway but if we had to I'd rather let him explain.

"Talk!" I flinched at the sound of her voice. "Gogo, remember how I explained that lobola negotiations happened abruptly because we had no choice?" She nodded. "Well, MaBhengu was a virgin and she did regular testing. Her father insisted uppon it. We... Um... Her aunt found out she wasn't a virgin anymore and knowing how her father was we rushed to go and disclose it and pay a fine."

"You paid a fine? So where does lobola come in?" She asked folding her arms. "When we got to her village we were split up so things didn't go as planned. He father, who is the chief told us to go to his royal hut and she went elsewhere. We waited and when he eventually came back we agreed appon a fine and he was talking about marrying her off to someone else if I didn't show him that I was serious about her. So to show him I was serious we agreed on a lobola amount and I paid it right then and there."

"Senzo, don't play with me. You did what? You know that's not how things are done in our culture. Why would you do this?" He just cleared his throat awkwardly. "I was afraid I was going to loose her." His grandmother looked angry. "None of this explains the marks on her back." Baba looked at me and I immediately looked away. "Senzo!" She was getting impatient.

"While we were waiting in the hut for her father to join us..." He cleared his throat as if he had the same knot in his throat that I did. "Her father found out that she wasn't a virgin anymore. He's a very strict disciplinarian and he..."

The events if that day were replaying in my mind and the more I fought it the more I remembered.

"Her father did that?" She asked in disbelief. I could feel I was busy zoning out and now was not the time for me to go crawling under a bed and staying there for a week.

"Okay, I... Thank you for telling me. Senzo I spoke to your mother about letting MaBhengu stay here for the week. We want to work with her and teach her our ways so that what happened with your other wives don't happen with her. MaRadebe is very unhappy about it but she says she'll let MaBhengu stay but she'll be making her way here. MaKhumalo will be driving her since she's home early from her trip."

"Why didn't you check with me first Gogo? Who says I have a week to spare?" She just glared at him. "I don't care about your schedule. Make a plan. MaBhengu are you okay to join the others in the kitchen?" I nodded. "Yebo, Gogo." I helped her up and we walked to the kitchen together. "You've been through a lot. Are you sure you are ready for this marriage. Being a wife is a full-time job. On top of that you're living with your mother-in-law. Not many women would want that." She said as we were walking up the short hill to the kitchen.

"I love my mother-in-law and I love my husband. Nothing is too much when it comes to them." She nodded. "Okay, I've seen you around. You're good at chores. I hope you're going to stay that way and run your home the way your aunt taught you. She raised you well." I smiled to myself.

"Another thing before we join the others. You remind me a lot of the first MaCele. She was perfect and Senzo was extremely in love with her. The women in the family see that. They weren't expecting you to be that way you are. They thought you were another MaKhumalo. Now that you're not that they don't know how to act and they way I've heard them speak, I can say for sure jealousy is creeping in. I'm not saying anything I'm just warning you. These women are not to be messed with. Play your part silently and move on."