LANGELIHLE #39
What Ataru said left a bitter taste in my buds. I don’t like it, at all. That our lives can just be decided like this. No no.
I told Sondela that I will see him soon, I need to go back Elangeni. I will be back to see him tomorrow.
I drove back and it was already dark when I arrived.
Mlando and Nongcebo were sitting outside and laughing like old lovers. These two are in love, they aren’t fooling anyone. I smiled and pass through them waving.
My phone rang in my hands. It was Nono, I quickly declined her call. I have far more important things to do, than to listen to her try to “apologize”.
I went to my room and called out Ataru. I need to see her.
Ataru:I’m starting to feel like your spiritual guardian.
Langelihle:*Smiling*Well you are.
Ataru:Your soul is troubled.
Langelihle:It is. What did you mean when you said I wasn’t supposed to bring him back?
Ataru:His fate was already decided, but you brought him back.
Langelihle:It was decided by who?
Ataru:This is bigger than you. He is a distraction to your mission.
Wait… wait a minute. I tilted my head and looked at her.
Langelihle:You were the ones who put him on that accident. You wanted to kill him.
Ataru:He is a distraction.
Langelihle:You wanted to commit murder, to kill my husband. The only man who made me happy.
Ataru:He is a commoner. Your union wasn’t blessed by us and you were never his. Your paths accidentally crossed.
Langelihle:Were you royalty Ataru? Weren’t you also a commoner when the King wanted to marry you? The two of you fought for your love, went against the customs and ancestors, and you lived happily ever after. Why is my life suddenly decided by you all?
Ataru:You’re crossing the line Langelihle.
Langelihle:No I want you to bring all those people who had the audacity to decide on my life like this.
I was mad angry and breathing fire.
Ataru:Calm down or you will burn this entire room. You need to learn to control your anger. You can’t be bursting every time.
Langelihle:*shouting* I SAID I WANT YOU TO BRING ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAD THE AUDACITY TO DECIDE ON MY LIFE!!!!
Ataru:You’re a child Langelihle, know your place. Do not try to defy the ancestors, you will suffer dire consequences.
Langelihle:That’s why nicabanga ukuthi ningenza inoma yini ngami!? (That’s why you think you can do as you please with me!?)because you will threaten to punish me? First you put the whole weight of destroying Mdabuli on my shoulders, then you tell me that I should marry my cousin, now you want to kill my husband!!!??? This is all your fault Ataru don’t forget! It started with you, if you weren’t such a forward child, Ngozi wouldn’t have seen you using your powers. He wouldn’t have waged war upon you and your entire generation. You failed, all of you, you failed to destroy him and now you put the whole thing on me. Telling me that I’m the one who can destroy Mdabuli, what stopped you and those who came after you to do so? You watched me suffering for years and did nothing. You keep on saying you have been protecting me but I don’t see it. You saw the pain I was in but didn’t say or do anything. And now y’all pop out of nowhere and try to dictate my life!!
Ataru:Your stubbornness will get you nowhere.
Langelihle:If y’all were great as you claim, you would be destroying Mdabuli on your own but no Langelihle this, Langelihle that! You dare touch even a hair on Sondela, I swear by the powers of Hoshiko I will come to wherever you are and you will see what I’m made of!!!
I went out of the room and banged the door on my way out!!!
I went outside, Mlando and Nongcebo were still there.
Lightning, out of nowhere, flashed and struck me down. My whole body fizzled, I literally felt the electricity bolting through my body.
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SONDELA
I wince as she run the washcloth on my body.
“I’m sorry, we are almost done.”, she finishes off and help me wear the hospital gown. She helps me get back on the bed.
“I will have them bring you food so you can drink your pills.”
I nodded and she went out. A minute later, one of the staff came with my food. I ate with so much struggle..
I drank the pills and relaxed on the bed. The pain was a bit better today.
My doctor came to check on me.
Sondela:Can I ask you something Doc?
“Sure go ahead.”
Sondela:How does love feel like?
He looked at me confused.
“Love is the most beautiful thing ever. It’s when you want to be with the other person 24 hours of the day, you miss them the minute they are away from you. You love them to the fullest, every time you see them your heart gets filled with butterflies and you find yourself smiling unknowingly. You steal glances at them every now and then, you run out of words to say. When they touch you, you feel your body vibrating with love. You stare at them for so long and accept them with every flaw they have.”
Sondela:Okay I get you… I think I am in love.
Doc:With who?
Sondela:My wife, the one who always visits me. But I hurt her in my past life.
Doc:What about the other one?
Sondela:I don’t feel anything when I’m with her, there is no connection between us. I don’t know how we were in a relationship.
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Mlamuli:Shouldn’t Langelihle be also here?
Mthembu:It’s late now. I don’t think she can drive here. We can update her tomorrow. I think we all know what this meeting is about.
Simunye:It’s about Sondela.
All of them sighed and waited to hear what Mthembu has to say.
Mthembu:You have all seen him, and heard what the doctor said. He’s not going to get better. He is in a lot of pain. Pain he’ll have to live with everyday.
Lusanda:Eish and I saw him yesterday, he didn’t look good at all.
Nokuthula:For real, I thought he would have healed by now.
Mthembu:Which is why I think we only have one choice to make now.
Mlamuli:What are you talking about now dad?
Mthembu sighed, this wasn’t easy for him too.
Mthembu:Sondela is my son, I love him so much. But I can’t bare to see him in this kind of pain.
Lusanda:What are you saying baba?
Mthembu:We need to let him go.
Lusanda:Let him go where?
Mthembu:Let him rest. We need to free him from the pain.
He dropped one tear and quickly wiped it off.
Mlamuli was the first one to argue.
Mlamuli:So you mean we must kill him!? This is your son. Mom say something.
Mom:Your father is right Mlamuli. That is no longer our son. He is different, he doesn’t remember any of us.
Mlamuli:So what!? Why are you giving up on him so quickly!? It’s like you wanted him to die vele!
Simunye:I agree with Mlamuli. The fact that God brought him back to us, means he was given a second chance. We should stand by him as his family. With our support, he will be okay.
Mthembu:You’re only fooling yourself because you know that will never happen. Stop being selfish and think about him.
Nokuthula:I hate to say this but I think dad is right Mlamuli.
Lusanda:Wow you too Nokuthula!?
Mlamuli:Zimthele what do you say?
Zimthele cleared her throat and bit her inner mouth.
Zimthele:I agree with your father. Sondela is a proud man, he won’t stand the fact that he has to depend on people. He will need to be guarded 24/7 because of his condition. It’s best to let him go. He’s my husband and I love him, but I’m thinking for him here.
Mlamuli:Wow, all of you have lost your minds! Seniyahlanya angfuni nje ukngasho!
Mthembu:Watch your mouth Mlamuli! Do not insult me in my house!
Mlamuli:Sorry.
Mthembu:I’m the head of this house and I have made a decision. No one will go against it. I have already spoken with the doctor, tomorrow we will go and say our goodbyes and get it over and done with.
Mlamuli folded his hands in anger. He couldn’t believe that everyone wanted to kill Sondela.
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At Elangeni.
“Badakiwe, uba oktshele leyonto ? Awulethe la ngbathuke”, Nongcebo laughs watching a funny video from TikTok. She had a much better phone now with an upgraded mobile data.
She was still sitting with Mlando.
She browsed through another video and she saw Langelihle coming out of the house with an angry face. She was about to ask her what’s wrong when she was struck down by lightning that came out of nowhere. She screamed and both her and Mlando rushed to her. She tried to touch Langelihle but was shocked.
Her skin had the Lichtenberg figure, a pattern that traced around her body like the limbs of a tree.
Gobi came to them after she heard the sound of lightning.
Gobi:What happened?
Mlando:She got struck by lightning.
Gobi sighed and crouched down to feel if she was breathing.
Nongcebo:Is she alive?
Gobi:She is. Take her to my hut.
Nongcebo touched her and she didn’t shocked this time. They carried her to Gobi’s hut and placed her on the open mat.
Gobi:The elders are angry with her. She is so stubborn. Doesn’t listen to anyone, want to bend the rules so that they can suit her.
Nongcebo:But will she be okay?
Gobi:She will. You may leave us.
They got out. Gobi sighed and looked at Langelihle who was whispering gibberish that she couldn’t understand.
Gobi:I hope they are talking to you, so you can start to take things serious. You remind me so much of Langa. She was also stubborn like you, her stubbornness led her to losing everything. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen to you too.
She saw Langelihle lifting up her hands and she was still whispering.
Gobi shook her head, impressed in a way. She knows she’s probably arguing with them.
To her, she thinks that people view the ancestors part as scary and as people who don’t care and as monsters who only want to ruin your life. But not Langelihle, if it was up to her, she would bring all of them back to life and debate with them until they agree with what she is saying.
She has never seen such stubbornness!
She fixes a concoction for her to rub on her skin where lightning struck her.
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To be continued….
