Amile The Queen

Chapter Thirty-Three

***Amile Gumede***

My phone is ringing. I have a phone!?
Who has my number? I haven’t called any numbers with this phone. I sit up and take it out of the drawer. The mam next to me also wakes up.
“Who’s calling.” He asks in a sleepy voice.
It’s saved as husband. Oh hell no.
“It’s the king.” He rolled his eyes and slammed his head back on the pillow. I answered.
“Bayede.”
“How are you wakwami?” when he left, we were okay, but after last night, I can’t help but feel like I hate him.
“I’m okay, how are you my King?” Nkosi sits up and gets put of bed.
“I’m okay. We got home safely. Sorry for not calling earlier.”
“It’s okay. I’m glad you are safe.” This man is getting dressed and leaving
“Have you started studying?”
“No not yet. Bhuti said he was going to get me notes.” Nkosi is looking at me like he’s ready to murder me.
“Okay, no that’s fine. I’ll try come down and see you next week.”
“Yebo Bayede.”
“Usalekahle MaGumede.”
I said goodbye and waited for him to hang up.
I suddenly feel guilty. I am a married woman and I am waking up next to a man that is not my husband. He looks like him, but he’s not him.
“Nkosi.”
“I’m going to take a shower.” He’s pissed and I don’t know if I should apologize or not.
He must not dare try and ruin the peace we made, although it escalated.
“I’m sorry.” I say for the sake of peace.
“Don’t apologize for talking to your husband.” He’s having a jealous fit.
Is it not enough that I woke up in his arms and not the husband’s. The evidence is in me, I can still feel the warmth between my legs. We didn’t use protection.
“Nkosi…” I call out but the words get stuck I’m my throat.
“Did you pull out?” he looks displeased with my question.
“Yes, you don’t have to worry about falling pregnant for the wrong person.” A million daggers into my soul
We are back to square one again, all because of a lousy phone call. What was I expecting though, he is a man, he has an ego. I was a hypocrite for screaming his name in pleasure earlier only for me to remind him a few hours later that it was a mistake that should never happen again.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Well it’s too late now.
I got out of bed and put my robe on. I removed the sheets, totally ignoring him. He walked out the room and left me to dwell in my own thoughts. Now it’s going to be awkward between us, the passion and love made in this bed is not something that can be forgotten easily. If the husband comes down to see me, I won’t be able to look him in the eyes.
The sun is already setting, we’ve been in bed the whole day. I’ll throw these in the washing machine because there is no way I’m going to start washing linens at this hour. Before I went to take a shower, I sat down to look at all my contacts saved on the phone. MaMzobe’s number is on here, so is Nkosi’s, and obviously the husband. Jon’s number is also on here. I don’t know why because he went back to Zululand. But I’m assuming he’s my guard.
I went to take a shower and when I was done, I put on my pyjamas. I wanted to go start on dinner. I don’t even know if Jama is home.
When I get downstairs, Sis’ Melo has already started cooking. Now it looks like I just woke up now.
“Good evening my queen.”
“Hello Sisi. What are you making, I’m so hungry.” Only now when I smell food I realize that I’m actually starving.
“I’ve made dumpling and insides.” Oh delicious.
“Where did you get the insides?”
“Bhut’ Nkululeko went to buy them for me. Must I dish up for you?”
“Yes please. Where has Bhuti gone?” I have to call him that, it’s hard but I have to.
“He left, he didn’t say where he was going.” I nodded.
I finally put my phone to use and downloaded all my social media apps. The first one I opened was Instagram. First of all, my following had sky rocketed, I was tagged by many people, people that know me asking if everything is true. I don’t have the energy to answer all of these things. I started by deleting everything on the page and made it private.
All the pictures on there reminded me of all the times I spent with Nkosi, they were taken with his phone and I was with him. I don’t want to see them.
Sis’ Melo gave me my food and I devoured it. It was so delicious, I had to ask for seconds. I don’t know if it’s because I’m hungry, but I never eat such heavy foods and ask for seconds. My appetite has opened up.
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I don’t have any books on me to use to study so I’m sitting in the lounge watching TV. Sis’ Melo went to bed, I’m all alone in the house. I’m worried about Nkosi, and what if he went out to drink again. I know he promised not to drink to solve problems but he left here in a state and I can’t guarantee that he will come back in one piece.
Jama struts in like he owns the world.
“MaGumede, uhleli wedwa?” he asks standing in the dining room.
“Ufuna ngihlale nobani ningishiye ngedwa?” he laughs.
“You must just have a baby so the can keep you busy.” I laughed.
“I can do all of it, just not that!”
“Where is Mandlenkosi?”
“I don’t know.”
“That means he left last night.” I know where he was last night.
“Maybe.” He went to the kitchen.
“Wena uphumaphi?”
“I went to visit my girlfriend, and I took her to the beach for a young stroll.” He sounds very jolly.
“Which girlfriend Jama, you have so many!”
“Me, no never. I’m a straight man. Only one girl owns my heart.” I’m assuming he’s making himself food because the microwave is on.
“Ujola nobani?”
“Ngijola noMaXulu.” Oh wow.
He came to join me in the lounge. He handed me a beer and I looked at it.
“Oh yes, you are underage. Sorry.” He thinks I’m one of his boys I see.
I laugh and shake my head.
“Please don’t play with my friend’s feelings.”
“Girls tell each other everything.”
“As if boys don’t. I’m being serious Jama, this is her first relationship.”
“I can’t promise to not hurt her because if it happens, I would have a failure and a promise breaker. I prefer to say I won’t hurt her intentionally.” I love his honesty.
“A young one hey. Uwe lo?” he laughed.
“I know I judged but love is love. Sbongile will have to forgive me.”
“And your babies?” I asked
“What about them?”
“What did she say about them.”
“We didn’t talk about them. But she gave me a chance, which means she’s willing to also be in their lives, but I’m not going to force her to have a relationship with them if she’s not ready.” I applaud him.
“That is very manly of you to admit. I admire you for that.”
“Thank you my queen.” I rolled my eyes.
As long as my people are happy, I’m happy. Jama has grown on me, he’s the big brother I never had.


***Nontuthuzelo Zulu***

She has a special visit she needs to make. She has been delaying this the whole time, it’s time for her to sort it out. Her husband isn’t taking it as seriously as he should. He’s always busy, occupied with the council and now the new wife. His life is busy.
She vowed to be the helping hand that is why she is going to do the things he can’t. She’s driving herself for the first time in a while. Banzi doesn’t want her to drive herself.
They come here regularly so it doesn’t look suspicious that she’s walking across the yard to his hut. She takes off her shoes at the door and bows to fit through the little door. He grunts when she walks in.
“Ndlunkulu.” He grunts.
“Makhosi.” The smells of the different potions and herbs welcome her. 
“Please sit my queen.” She finds her seat on the straw mat on the floor.
“I’m sorry for showing up unannounced but I’ve been asking you to do this for me, it’s been three years now and we still don’t know what happened to Langalethu.”
“But you know what you did.” He grunts.
“I never did anything. Don’t you dare point fingers at me.”
“You can deny it but you can’t run away from it.”
“Fine. Tell me then, who is Langalethu’s wife.”
He grunts. And starts throwing his bones. He looks promising, like he’s going to give a proper verdict.
“She’s not far.”
“I want names Celemba, I want names!”
“You are disturbing the process. I’m connecting to the ancestors.”
“I pay you a lot of money not to know Celemba, find me that woman, otherwise the whole palace will be in ruins.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“Then find her, bring her to me, otherwise Banzi will lose the throne and all my work will be in vain.”
“You are upsetting my ancestors. Leave my hut at once!”
She has said what she wanted to say so she doesn’t mind leaving. She’s mad now. Everything is on the brink of ruins, even after finding the second wife to try and hold the fort.