Maid For Marriage

55

"I don't understand why you're giving me the silent treatment because you know your wives. They go out of their way to provoke me and I've had enough." He sighed. "I just don't understand. The dinner was going so well. Couldn't you have just let whatever she said go?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "I could've let anything go but that thing you call a wife was testing my patience."

"Thandi." Ma said shocked. I didn't care though. "I know I didn't get a chance to be a mother but if she speaks about my baby one more time it's not just going to be a glass of wine." I got in the shower and washed the wine she threw on me off.

I got dressed in a cotton short and top pyjamas. "Baby are you coming to bed?" I was sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing lotion on my arms. There wasn't even anymore lotion left. I was just in a daze. "I didn't want to react the way I did. It just happened but I also won't appologize for it."  He opened the covers for me. "I'll talk to MaGumede even though I don't think it's going to work. Even MaMlambo has come around but MaGumede continues with her nonsense. She's been picking fights with everyone."

I got in bed next to him. Just as we got comfortable there was a knock on the door. "I'm not getting it." He chuckled. "Don't laugh. You shouldn't either. It's late." He got up anyway. "Wait!" I ran to the kitchen and got two knives. I gave one to him and he looked at me like I was crazy. "Ma get behind me." She looked at me like I was crazy too. Whoever was at the door was still knocking.

"Open up! I need to pee!" Came a raspy voice. "Gogo?" Senzo asked. "Yes! Open up or I'll pee right where in standing!" He opened the door and she ran past us. "The trip was two hundred and twelve rand from the bus station to here without a tip." The man standing outside our door said. Senzo paid him and he left.

"Gogo, what are you doing here?" I went to put on a gown to cover up. "I came to check on our Makoti. I wasn't happy with how things were when I left so I decided to come back."
"Gogo, but you could've just called."
"Senzo you would've lied. I'll see for myself how things are. I won't even ask but as for now I'm really tired. I need to get to bed."

The next morning like always I was up early preparing breakfast. "Good morning Makoti."
"Morning Gogo. Would you like some tea?" She nodded and took a seat. Senzo and ma also joined.

"MaKhumalo has invited us to lunch so that we can resolve last night's issue." I almost rolled my eyes. I had to stop myself from doing so because I was at a table with my elders. "What happened last night?" Gogo asked and Senzo sighed dramatically. "MaBhengu and MaGumede got in a fight and it got physical."
"Ah!" Gogo exclaimed and started laughing. "What happened?" She was clearly entertained by this.

"Apparently MaGumede said something and MaBhengu threw a glass of wine in her. When I got there they were on the floor." Gogo's laugher roared. The situation wasn't funny at all but her laughter made me want to laugh. "I still want to know what she said." Ma said bringing the seriousness back. Everyone was looking at me so I guess I should say something.

"After dinner when we were just talking she came up to me and said I was quiet. I told her I'm never loud and then she said that the one time I was loud was when I lost the baby. She said I screamed pretty loud then. So I threw my glass of wine at her."

"You should've beat her up! That girl is full of it. You should beat her straight into next week." Gogo was furious and Senzo just sat there looking at her with wide eyes. "We're going to lunch and if she doesn't appologize I'll beat her myself."

The trip to the main house was full of tension but I knew I had to be respectful of MaKhumalo's space. We ate lunch and I kept quiet throughout. I didn't want to rock the boat. After lunch we all went to the sitting room.