Amile The Queen

Chapter Eight

***Mandlenkosi Zulu***

“I met a girl mommy, she’s not just any girl, she’s the love of my life. I know it sounds absurd that only two weeks ago I was here, I was still heartbroken over Jabulile only to come back claiming to be in love but it’s how I feel. I love Amile. More than anything, I think it’s because she reminds me so much of you. Your soft gaze, those beautiful eyes and those soft hands that took care of me. I still remember what you smell like mom, like flowers and sweets, she smells sweet like you. I see you in her. I haven’t been this happy in a long-time mom. Jama says I’m smiling more, Dumisani thinks I’ve been bewitched. I don’t care. I’ll bring her here one day, and I promise you, I will do right by her. I will be the man my father never was to you. I love you mommy.” He got up from the grave and dusted his pants.
This is what he needed, he needed to talk to the first lady of his life, to collect strength to face the day ahead. He was not at all prepared to listen to his brother take all sides except for his. It’s his reality, he’s been subjected to it for fourteen years of his life.
He walked back to the car where Jama was and he felt much lighter. Even speaking about Amile brightens up his day. What more could a man ever ask for.
“Can we go now?” Jama asked when he got in the car.
“Yes, let’s go. We will start in town and have breakfast.” He instructed. Jama frowned.
“MaMzobe said we must come back for breakfast.”
“I can’t share a table with Jabulile. We are going to town. After we finish, we’ll go back, have this meeting they want and go back to Durban. I miss my woman.” He really doesn’t need anything to ruin his morning.
Jama started the car and they went to town to get some breakfast.
“Did you get a hold of Amile?” he asked when they sat eating in the car like starving bachelors.
“Yes, she’s disappointed that you might not come back today.” He shook his head.
“No, we are leaving today. You have to fetch her from school remember.”
“Yes, I know. Did you see that Jabulile is pregnant.” Jama brought up the topic, much to Nkosi’s annoyance.
“It’s not mine.” Jama shook his head.
“I know it’s not yours. I’m just shocked, she also cheated on you.” Nkosi dragged her through his teeth.
“She left me for him, and now, there is water in the house, she can’t get out. That’s why she’s here, she wants to pin the pregnancy on me. she doesn’t know what awaits her.” Jama chuckled.
“Girls think they are smart.”
“That’s why you always have to be a step ahead of them. Singaphenduka izilima. I know Banzi will want to force me to marry her. That will not happen. She was able to turn down my proposal, she’s not getting another one.” He said with repugnance dressing his voice.
“She doesn’t deserve it. Futhi ke manje, sekukhona uSmall.” Jama said laughing.
“Amile is here to stay, no one stands a chance.”
“If you hurt her, I’ll kill you Zulu.” Jama warned.
“So all of a sudden you like her now?” he laughed.
“She’s a case, but she’s grown on me. reminds me of Sbongile.” Sbongile is his little sister, just a little over Amile’s age.
“Ngiyethembisa bafo, ngeke ngimenzakalisa. Ngiyamuthanda.” Jama patted his shoulder in approval.
“Don’t make promises, act on them.” He nodded.
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He hardly enjoys being in Zululand, but this morning has been nothing like the typical ones he’s used to having here, the ones he runs away from. All of that was only for a moment though, quite short lived. He’s back at the palace and the first person he sees is Jabulile standing by the rose bushes, pretending to look happy smelling them. Her stone-cold heart can’t even take in the smell of fresh nature and sweet-smelling roses in the morning dew. Instead, she wants to follow him around and bombard him.
“Mandlenkosi.” For once, Jama followed his job description and held Jabulile as she tried to charge towards Nkosi, letting him enter the palace without being attacked.
“Jama let me go, I just want to talk to him.” she was still trying to fake tears, but it wasn’t working.
“He doesn’t want to talk to you. Maybe he’ll let you once you cry real tears.” He let her go and walked inside the palace behind Nkosi. So much for respecting the pregnant.
Nkosi walked right into MaMzobe. She exclaimed.
“Hawu, we woke up and you guys weren’t here. What happened?” they saw each other last night, just before he retired to bed, he ran into her in the passage. The only person he hasn’t see is the king.
“I went to visit mom’s grave.” They know him now, he goes there almost every two weeks, it doesn’t shock them anymore.
“And what about breakfast, must I fix you something to eat?”
“No, you don’t have to MaMzobe, thank you.”
“I see you’ve seen Jabulile.” She said pulling him away from where they were standing.
He gets along with MaMzobe, she’s the one who actually treats him like the baby of the family. She’s the one who understands that he also needs love, the love of a mother.
“I don’t want anything to do with her.” She shook her head.
“What happened between the two of you? She said you cheated on her.” He rubbed his head.
“I did, but it was a moment of weakness. What she did to me was ten times worse. She left me for him, even after I proposed. Now she’s here claiming to be pregnant with my child. I know it’s not mine.”
“How do you know?”
“I can’t have children. I had a vasectomy when I turned 20.” Shock covered her whole face.
“So she’s been here lying about you this whole time.” She’s in a state of disbelief.
“uMageba is dead set on getting you two married now.” She said in panic.
“That will not happen Ma, over my dead body.”
In the back of his head, he was wondering where his brother is in this present moment.
“Let’s go to the lounge and wait for Banzi to come.” She said and led him to the lounge. It’s just over 10 o’clock in the morning, if they want to cover 2 o’clock, right on time to fetch Amile from school, they have to leave by 12. Jama is a fast driver, they normally take an hour and a few minutes to get to Durban, instead of two.
Banzi walked in with his cane in his hand, exuding so much power in his posture. Nkosi never understood what the cane was for. He still doesn’t understand today, but if it makes him look powerful, than that’s what he will use.
The both rose from their seats and greeted him. He kissed his wife’s cheek and shook his brothers hand. Formal as usual.
“You arrived late last night.” He said as he sat down.
“We left Durban late.” He answered.
“You don’t visit us anymore Mandlenkosi, when was the last time you came home?” that’s his daily song, deep down, he’s broken that his brother is never home, his wife knows this. He doesn’t need to tell her, he can see it all over his face.
“I’m a working man Ndabezitha. I’m not just chilling in Durban. I’m doing something.”
“Coming home and actually spending time with your family wouldn’t hurt, just once in a while.”
“I’ll do better.” He promises.
He know that will not happen. Especially now that Amile is in the picture.
“Now why did you just up and leave Jabulile? She’s expecting your child and she said you promised to marry her. I have faith in the man that you are Ndabezitha and I know that you aren’t the type to up and leave a woman you love just like that. What happened?” he didn’t think that he was here to be asked his side of the story. He thought he was here to be attacked.
“She’s the one who broke up with me. She was the one who turned down my proposal and yes, I was unfaithful, but I apologized, it was a moment of weakness that got the better of me but I wanted to prove to her that I loved her and wanted her only. But she left me for another. I wasn’t going to stop her, its what she wanted and I’m not one to stand in the way of somebodys happiness. I loved her enough to grant her that, what her heart desired. She can’t come back here and claim I didn’t love her or didn’t care for her, I did. Her being pregnant is also a sign that she was also not faithful. I don’t know how to feel about that.”
“The child was conceived while the two of you were together, that means its your child. Ingane kaZulu which means you have to marry her to keep the child here.”
“See Mageba what you are not understanding here is that exactly. She wasn’t faithful. The child is proof of that.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not my child.”
“How do you know? How sure are you of that?”
“I had a vasectomy done when I was 20, even before I met her. I can’t conceive children. I don’t want them.” He gave the same reaction his wife gave when he came clean.
“And she doesn’t know that?” Banzi asked.
“She doesn’t. I don’t want anything to do with Jabulile and her betrayal, and whatever you decide to do with her, that please should not involve me. She knew what she was doing when she broke things off with me. I’m over her. Now can I be excused, Jama and I still have a long drive ahead of us.” He declared as he stood up.
Banzi was more annoyed by the fact that the girl had the audacity to even step into the royal house and lie to him like this, try make his little brother the bad guy in all of this. Nkosi could care less about this whole thing, he wanted nothing but to have Amile in his arms in this current moment. The thought of waiting another 4 hours before he sees her paralyzes him.
“Ngasho kodwa Zulu.” MaMzobe said looking down. Banzi clicked his tongue and stood up.
Like the good wife she is, she got up and followed him wherever he was going.