AYANDA: Another Chance At Love

Chapter 51

Waking up, I look around to realize that I'm in my bedroom at my parents place, as I sit up, everything surfaces again, dad is no more, at the moment I don't even know what happened to him, it feels like a really bad dream.

I stand up from the bad and notice and walk out, it's around 6pm now and the house is really packed with my extended family, I greet a few of my elders at the sitting room then walk into my parents room, mum asks everyone else to excuse us. Wami is sleeping next to mum. "mama, what happened?" I ask. She sighs and takes my hands into hers.

"I'd be lying if I said I knew, he fixed the gate then said he is going to lay down a bit, and that was it, umyeni wam ungishiyile" and she sobbs, my heartaches, how can dad just leave us like that? How does God even let this happen? No warning, no sign, just like that dad left.

She then goes on to tell me that Thembi has gone to fetch my 2 younger sisters whom she told about this over the phone, she says they couldn't tell me over the phone because I was closest to my dad they didn't know how I'd take the news.

After some time with my mother I walk out to my car, mainly because I need to drive back to my place to pack for both myself and Wami. I decide to play the o'jays during my drive, my dad's favourite album.

As I drive I can't help but think about all that I've lost in this decade, since I got married, I lost myself, I lost my first child, I lost someone whom I loved dearly, found love then lost that too, I lost my third baby, and now, I lost my hero. How does one drag themselves out of that, it's hard, it hurts so much I don't understand why I deserve to be punished like this.

Instead of driving to my estate I drive straight to Nathi's place. I have the access card so the guards let me in. I drive in and park not far from his place. The lights are on so surely he's around. I get to the door and only then does it dawn on me, why am I here? I promised myself to give this man his space to deal with the divorce.

Since I'm here I knock lightly, I knock a few more times before he opens, he's wearing pj pants, shirtless and has a robe on, "MaGumede" he greets then let's me in. It smells great, looks like he's been cooking. "ukahle?" he asks while leading the way to the sitting room, I just nod, he then turns and pulls me into a hug "I missed you..." that on its own is enough to open a flood load of tears. I break down and he's a bit shaken.

He doesn't say anything, instead he holds me tightly until I come down. He takes my hand and leads me to a 2 seater couch. He then pulls me to lay on his chest, "maGumede, ingabe konke kuhamba kahle mama?" I sigh, "my dad, he's no more" he shifts uncomfortably, I guess he's as shocked as I am. "Ngiyaxolisa mama, what happened?" I narrate the story that mum told me, he holds me for sometime. I realize that it's late so I need to drive to my place then back home.

"I'll drive you, you're in no state to be driving around on your own at night" he says, "no Nathi it's fine, I'll manage" I don't want to bother him any further. "it's not up for discussion Ayanda." he walks upstairs and I'm assuming he's going to change. He walks back dressed in grey sweatpants, a black hoodie and black
Adidas adilette. We walk back to my car and he drives. We're in complete silence, we get to my place and I quickly pack all that we'll need before we drive off.

"did you make sure you took everything that wami will need?" I nod, we arrive in Soweto and as soon as we walk into the yard, my aunt shouts telling someone in the kitchen that I've finally arrived, my cousin Aphile walks out holding crying wami, my baby has apparently been restless, Nathi is walking with me holding our bags so I take Wami and hush her.

We walk on and Nathi greets before we make our way to my room to leave my bags, my room is already occupied with so many bags which I assume belong to my cousins and aunts. We place the bags then walk to my parents room so he can speak to uMa then back to my room.

He takes wami who doesnt even protest, one thing about my baby, she never forgets her father. Shes suddenly a happy chappy, smiling and playing. "I'll drive back with your car, will send someone to bring you a car in the morning tomorrow, call me when you or the baby need anything, I'll come and check up on you guys ksasa yezwa?" he says while rubbing my hand, this here just reminded me how much this many loves me.

" ithi ngihambe ke mama, ngiyakthanda Uze ungakukhohlwa lokho uyezwa" then he plants a kiss on my lips, we both stand and I walk him out to his car. Wami didn't want to let Nathi go but then I had to bribe her a bit.

This is going to be a long couple of days, I'm still trying to process everything and I make a mental note to send in a leave application at work.

I'm sitting in my room trying to distract myself from everything by looking for a proper gift for Nathi's birthday, I'll just order something customized on netflorist and nice flowers for his office, then we'll plan something to properly celebration, after the funeral. It feels so weird having to plan for my dad's funeral, the meanest police head of department, I'm shocked that he is really no more....