LANGELIHLE #06
LANGELIHLE
The days were passing by so quickly and we were nowhere with finding my home. Every lead led us nowhere. My husband was working day and night on every clue, I wish he can just stop and take it easy. He barely sleeps and he is always here. Zimthele has called me countless times asking when he will come to him, I’ve told Sondela to go to her but no, he says he doesn’t want to leave my sight. It is weird and suspicious, the other day he blurted that he wishes it was still just the two of us. I wonder what he meant by that. I also took a leave from work, Nono will come see me tomorrow. That’s if she isn’t hungover. That girl can drink for days, but I don’t blame her. Her life, isn’t sweet. She has been through so much, she uses alcohol as a coping mechanism. Her husband left her for her sister imagine! Nono is unable to have children, she is infertile. So her husband marrying her sister completely broke her, and she turned to alcohol.
I try to be there for her but Nono is a person who doesn’t like to talk about her feelings. She’d rather keep it inside her.
I go to the study room and Sondela was buried deep in a lot of papers, it’s still 11h00am.
Langelihle:Babe.
Sondela:Mmm..
Langelihle:We have a doctors appointment, have you forgotten?
Sondela:No I haven’t forgotten. We can leave.
Langelihle:Are you hungry?
Sondela:No, we will grab something by the way.
We walked to the car and he drove us, he looked fatigue and he was going to cause an accident.
I told him to let me drive, he agreed and I drove us to the doctor.
We came across Zimthele just when we were entering. I looked down shyly.
Zimthele:Sanibona(Greetings)
Sondela:Hi. What were you doing in there?
Zimthele:It was my appointment today. I have been reminding you, but it seems like I have been forgotten lately.
Sondela:I forgot, sorry.
I left them and went inside, their problems are theirs alone. I don’t need to hear them fight. Me and Zimthele see the same doctor with regards to pregnancy.
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SONDELA
I completely forgot that today it was Zimthele’s appointment too, I have been so deep in finding Langa’s family that I disregarded everything. She looks furious.
Sondela:How did it go?
I ask scratching my head.
Zimthele:I’d you wanted to know, you would have showed up. But no “Langa needs me”, well newsflash I also need you. Or have you forgotten about us!?
Sondela:I’m sorry, I will come by tonight.
Zimthele:So that you can run to Langelihle tomorrow!?
Sondela:What do you want me to do ke Zimthele!? I am trying. You don’t know the amount of stress I have, and you are just adding on too of it.
Zimthele:What stress other than the fact that your wife is a useless woman who can’t even carry to full term!?
I don’t know what happened, I found myself strangling her but I immediately let go of her.
Sondela:You do not talk about Langelihle like that Zimthele!!!! Not once in your life should you talk about her like that!? What the fuck is wrong with you these days!? You’re changing into a person I won’t like.
Zimthele:Just so you know, they say the baby is breech! The amount of stress in my body isn’t also making things easier for him! Now run to your precious Langelihle.
She clicks her tongue and walks away.
I sigh and go inside. Langa was already laying in bed with the doctor touching her.
Sondela:Sorry for being late.
Langelihle:It’s okay, we just started.
The doctor does his things, he first apply the cold gel on Langa.
He tells us to move our eyes to the screen.
I head a loud heartbeat, like a watch ticking under a pillow.
“That’s the heartbeat.”
Sondela:I don’t understand, last time you said there isn’t a heartbeat.
“It’s a miracle. He is healthy, good thing we didn’t remove him. Of course we will have to monitor her and run tests to find out if there isn’t anything we are missing.”
I felt myself wanting to cry. I looked over at Langelihle and she was crying and smiling. I held her hands.
Langelihle:He’s alive Sondela. He’s alive.
Sondela:He is baby. He really is, I can’t believe this.
I kissed her hands.
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ZIMTHELE
I look at these scans and something isn’t right. I don’t get how my baby can suddenly be in a breech position. I have heard of how babies don’t survive labour when they are breech. But there are certain procedures right to turn the baby? I hope so. Sondela is also acting strange, I haven’t seen him in over two weeks, he always says he is busy trying to find Langa’s family. He has forgotten about us, I thought this was an equal polygamy marriage, but right now it seems to be favouring Langelihle only.
I thought she was fairer than this, clearly she enjoys the attention from Langa. She is the elder wife, she should be chasing him out to come and see us. My children have been wondering where their father is.
Zenande:Mama tomorrow is bring your father to school day.
Problems on top of problems.
Zimthele:Okay, I will let your father know.
Zenande:Thanks mommy.
She runs off and I go to find Bayanda. He is in his room playing video games. Bayanda… he looks so much like his father.
I close his door and retire to my bedroom.
I find a text from Sondela, he’s telling me that he can’t come today..
Mxm. I dial another number.
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LANGELIHLE
Today has been fruitful, seeing the happiness in my husband’s face after finding out that our baby is alive has been amazing. I don’t want to get excited too much though, you should always leave a room for disappointment. Sondela was supposed to go to Zimthele today but he is still here. What he is doing is causing conflict between me and Zimthele, already she has this newly found attitude towards me.
Sondela is outside, I go to him but he was facing the other way talking to someone over the phone. He didn’t see me.
“I don’t know baba, maybe I made a mistake with taking a second wife. I don’t.. Zimthele is a nice person….”
I quickly go back inside with my heart beating against the ribcage.. What was that!?
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