LANGELIHLE #35
TWO MONTHS LATER…
LANGELIHLE
“He’s fading out”, the machine stopped beeping and he laid straight as dead. That scared the shit out of me. Doctors say it was just a reaction. It looked so real, I thought he was dying. But he didn’t. They were able to revive him. Even though he’s still comatose but it’s better, maybe he will wake up who knows?
But it’s been two months and a few weeks! I don’t like this.
“Mrs Mthembu, you have completed your community service. Please sign here”, she gives me the papers and I sign them.
I was given community work as a punishment for attempting to kidnap an infant.
I still want to talk to Zimthele and apologize to her, but she is shutting everyone out. She is not doing well. We are not friends but I want there to be peace between us.
Langelihle:Thank you. Is my sentence over?
She laughs.
“Girl please, this was not a sentence. You’re lucky you got community service. Others spend 10 months in jail”
Langelihle:*Terrified*Well then I’m glad I got this work.
I said goodbye to her and left her office. Now that’s out of the way, I shall make my way to Zimthele.
I arrive at her house and it’s as quiet as ever. I knock on the front door and Zenande opened for me. She hugged me tightly.
Zenande:Aunt Langelihle.
Langelihle:Hey Zenande.
I came in.
Langelihle:Where is your mother?
Zenande:She’s in her bedroom.
She said sadly.
Langelihle:Please call her for me.
She left. A while later I heard footsteps dragging and it was her. Wearing a gown and her hair looking like a mess. She yawned and sat down. The smell! Does she not bath?
I forced a smile.
Langelihle:Hi Zimthele.
Zimthele:Hi. What brings you here?
Langelihle:We haven’t heard from you in weeks. So I was just checking up on you to see if you are okay, and also to… I wanted to apologize for wanting to steal your baby. It was selfish of me and I’m sorry.
Zimthele:Mhh okay.
Seriously that’s it?
Langelihle:That’s it?
Zimthele:Yes I forgive you. You’re sorry, right?
I nodded.
Zimthele:Then I forgive you. I understand where you were coming from.
Uhh this was strange. She’s not a person to let things go so easily.
Langelihle:Thank you. When was the last time you visited Sondela?
Zimthele:It’s been a while. I will go.
Langelihle:Okay, he will wake up. I believe he’s a fighter.
Zimthele:Yeah..
She looked so bored when I bought up Sondela.
I decided to leave since I have siad everything I needed to say.
Langelihle:See you some other time. Bye.
I got into my car and drove to Elangeni. Next month it’s my coronation day and yeeey! I couldn’t be more excited. I’m about to be Queen Langelihle – Indlovukazi yaseMalangeni. It has a nice ring to it yes.
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VIRGIN
Phil and I were doing great and I’m not complaining at all about anything. Very soon we will be able to move out and rent ourselves our own space. It’s been nice staying with my mother but I need my own space now.
Speaking of mother, she was feeling better and the dreams were gone. So I guess everything is A-Okay.
His confidence and mood was better than before now and he believed in himself a lot.
I was washing his clothes, and I always check the pockets of his trousers and pants, to make sure that I don’t wash them along some things important.
I felt a piece of paper on one of his pants and I took it out. It was a number written and a name next to it.
My instincts shot up. It’s a number of a girl! So he’s busy taking numbers of girls! Wow! I cannot believe him. How can he do this to me? So he’s cheating? After everything we have been through together!? Ungjwayela amasimba.
I took the scissor and cut all his clothes into pieces, while crying. I feel betrayed.
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MLANDO
I am watching her as she is pointing at things that need to be done. She looks so fierce and in charge. She turns to my direction and I look away. She comes to me.
“What are you doing here?”, she asks me..
Mlando:Just checking in. How are things going here?
“Well turns out they have to build the clinic from scratch. They say the foundation is not strong.”
Mlando:Won’t that cost more though?
“Hay wena the Queen is paying.”
She laughs. I stare at her in admiration.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I clear my throat.
Mlando:Uhh nothing.
She looks at me suspiciously. If only she knew how cute she looked right now. I laugh softly and we go back to the sight to oversee everything.
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At the hospital.
Sondela is alone on his ward.
A man comes in and closes the door. He looks at him and shake his head.
“Such weakness”, he says.
He walks around him, looking at him..
He touch him on his hands. His bones were now healing, and his appearance looked better than the day of the accident.
“You’re the only thing standing in her way. She loves you. Losing you will break her.”, he talks to the unresponsive Sondela.
He takes out a syringe that had clear substance on it. He injects it on the drip and it slowly dilutes.
“It will all be over soon.”, he says one more time and walks out, after checking that nobody saw him.
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ZIMTHELE
I appreciate Langelihle coming here and apologizing. Many may think I was patronizing her when I said I forgive her but I do forgive her. I understand where she was coming from, I’m not saying what she did was right or whatever but she didn’t go ahead with the plan. So there’s no need to dwell to the past.
I am going through the most, Sondela is literally a vegetable. He has not woken up even now. It’s been two months already, how much more can a person stay in a coma? Even if he wakes up, they said he MIGHT not walks again. So it’s like a 50/50 chance if he’ll walk again. Bayanda comes rushing to give me my ringing phone.
I take it and answer it.
Zimthele:Hello.
“Mrs Mthembu, this is Sondela’s doctor. I am going to need you to come at the hospital.”
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LANGELIHLE
After coming back from the clinic site, I just want to rest my feet. I am tired. And today drained me a lot. Apparently they have to build the clinic from scratch because the foundation what what is not strong. Thank God it wasn’t the same case with the school. It would have taken us years to rebuild this place.
Gobi comes to me and I sigh bored.
Langelihle:Not today Gobi, please.
Gobi:I’m not here for that.
Langelihle:How can I help you?
Gobi:It’s about your coronation day. I have to tell you about everything that will take place so that you will be prepared.
Langelihle:Okay, I’m listening.
She was about to talk when my phone rang.
Langelihle:Let me just answer this.
I answered the call.
Langelihle:Hello?
“Mrs Mthembu I am going to need you to come to the hospital.”
I stopped breathing for a second there.
Langelihle:Why? Is my husband okay?
“Please come to the hospital mem.”
He hung up. I stood up in a speed.
Langelihle:Gobi I have to be somewhere. We will talk later.
I hurried to my car, the keys were already with me. I drove like a mad man rushing to the hospital.
Within two hours I was already there. I ran inside and everyone was here, including Zimthele. I greeted them and apologized for being late.
“Now that you are all here, I will state why I called you. Your son has been in a coma for two months. He is not showing any signs of waking up. His mobility is something that he will NEVER regain… we should switch off the machine. It is the only thing keeping him alive and he can’t stay connected to a machine forever”
What no!!
Langelihle:No we are not switching off the machine. He will wake up.
“Mrs Mthembu we have been waiting for two months for him to wake up, but nothing. We need to switch them off. I will give you time to think about it.”
He left.
I felt my lungs pumping air to the wrong places. I can’t.. We can’t..
Mthembu:I think the doctor is right makoti. We should switch off the machine. He needs to rest. He looks like he’s in a lot of pain.
Mlamuli:Not you too dad.
Langelihle:*Crying* No. We can’t.. He’s still there I know… Sondela is still in there….
I moved to him and held his hands and locked them with mine. They were so cold.
Langelihle:*Crying* Please wake up Sondela. I can’t do this life without you. They want to kill you, they want to switch off the machine. Please prove them wrong and wake up sthandwa sami.
I begged and begged him. My tears were all over him. I couldn’t help it. My stomach was rumbling. It was hard digesting that we have to switch off the machine and kill the only man I have ever loved.
Mthembu:It’s for his own good makoti.
He tried to remove me from him but my hand was holding Sondela so tightly.
Langelihle:I’m not switching off any machine. I am Sondela’s first wife and I have the upper hand. If you want to kill your own son, do not include me on that. But I’m not doing it. I’m not giving up.
Mthembu:Even if he wakes up, he’ll be a vegetable and will always be bound to a wheelchair. You heard what the doctor said. He won’t be able to walk again.
Langelihle:I don’t care. I will nurse him back to health. “In sickness and in health”, I still remember my vows like yesterday. I’m not giving up on him.
I turned back to him and kissed his hand.
I felt him touching me back but I ignored it. He has been touching me back for the last months. Doctors said it was normal..
But this time, I felt him move.
I gasped..
Langelihle:Baby it’s me.. Wake up…
He shifted again. Now everyone was all over him,seeing what I’m seeing.
I saw his eyes moving, like he wants to open them. I was still holding his hand.
Langelihle:Open your eyes Sondela. That’s it.. Open your eyes for me….
He slowly opened them. I jumped out, this was a miracle. After they said he won’t wake up. And here he was.
Oh God!
Langelihle:Ohh thank you thank you..
I would be squeezing him into a hug but he was in a lot of pain.
He looked at us frowning.
Sondela:Who are you people?
He scanned his eyes to all of us confused.. We all looked at each other.
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To be continued….
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