KHUMBULANI

#21

KHUMBULANI
# 21

GLORIA
I know my children must hate me, because I have been lying to them. I don't have an excuse for what is happening, Qinisela is justified for acting like this. I have lied to him for 28 years. Even now, I still continued to lie, and withheld the truth from him.
In all honesty, he is my sister's child.
What happened was, Theresa is my little sister. She married a Nkosi. Her and her husband had children, and when I got pregnant with my second child, it was a coincidence that she fell pregnant too. But she, she was pregnant with twins. The family Theresa married into was culturally strict and they pride themselves in their traditions. In all their family history, there have never been twins, those that gave birth to twins, one twin was given away and the other lived with the family. So when Theresa found out that she was pregnant with twins, she came to me for advice. She was not prepared to throw away her child, no matter the tradition. I told her to hold on and wait until we give birth, because I didn't know what to tell her. We gave birth the same day, I gave birth to a boy and she gave birth to twin boys too. She forbid her husband from coming into her room because she didn't want him to see the twins. But then, my baby didn't make it, he only breathed for five minutes and died. When he was born, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and the doctors couldn't do anything to save him. I was shattered because I thought I was carrying a healthy baby. So I went to check on my sister, and I told her what has happened. We came up with a plan, it was better for me to take her one twin and raise him as my own. I agreed because I was desperate for another son. So we swore that day that we would never tell anyone, and we would cut all ties with each other. That's why my sons don't know her. We have never kept in contact with each other since then. Shongwe found out, I still don't know how he found out. But he did and he was angry at me, that I could do something like that.
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KHUMBULANI
I am holding the chip in my hands, I knock. He tells me to come in.
Mandla:Bro hey. Come in.
I follow him, shaking.
Mandla:So yesterday I went back to the Queen, to ask her what she saw because she didn't tell us anything that day.
Khumbulani:You did what!?
Mandla:Chill! Anyway, she opened the door for me and I got in. I saw the typing woman too, but I couldn't see her face. I'm assuming she is the one on the picture, she was wearing the same clothes. She didn't tell me anything though because she chased me out. Then I asked the Queen to take me back inside but she refused. I have a feeling that she didn't tell me everything, I saw it in her eyes that she was lying. Anyway, we are so close to getting our answers. So close.
Khumbulani:Wow, that's a whole new revelation. How did she have a closed-door?
Mandla:Apparently, it's at every house..
Khumbulani:Mhhh... I came to give you this...
Mandla:What is it??
Khumbulani:I don't know, I was hoping that you would be able to access the contents. It's related to our search.
Mandla:Okay, let me get to work..
He walked away, he seemed to be in a good mood today.
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NAKIA
I am with Chege on the phone, I miss him. Maybe I should go to Kenya and visit him.
Chege:I am fine Nakia, everything is going really well. I got a waitressing job at one of the restaurants. Very soon, I will be able to get my own place.
Nakia:I am so happy to hear that, but don't forget that you are going back to school next year.
Chege:I won't forget, thank you for everything you are doing for me Sis. I am also sorry for saying you neglected me the other day.
Nakia:ni sawa(Its okay). You were right, I did neglect you when I came here. But I won't do it again. I got your back.
Chege:Thank you, so how is everything going on with your husband?
Nakia:Not so good. I don't know if we will make it past this.
Chege:I'm sure it can be fixed.
Nakia:I don't know Chege. I don't think he loves me anymore.
Chege:What makes you say that?
Nakia:He doesn't touch me these days, he is always with Mandla. And yesterday he said he doesn't have to talk to me about something that I had confronted him with.
Chege:I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding dada, talk to him.
Nakia:He doesn't want to talk Chege. Even now he left to be with Mandla. I don't think our marriage is surviving this phase.

My phone vibrated, I was receiving another call.
Nakia:I will call you back, someone else is calling me.
I hung up on him and answered the incoming call, it was Kayise. I haven't talked to her since that day at the coffee place.
Nakia:Kayise, how are you?
Kayise:I am fabulous darling, how are you?
Well someone is happy.
Nakia:I am also fine.
Kayise:That's good, listen I called to let you know that me and Mphathi are now okay. We talked and fixed things.
Nakia:Thank God, you two love each other. So what about the pregnancy?
Kayise:We are keeping it, and raising him/her as our own.
Nakia:So the father? He deserves to know.
Kayise:Not in this case Nakia. He has his wife and they have their own children. He knew the agreement when he agreed to do this.
Nakia:What about that child? What of him or her when they grow up and find out that Mphathi is not the father?
Kayise:We will deal with it when it gets to that.
Nakia:Secrets have a way of coming out. Trust me. I should know..
She laughed, in a mocking way.
Kayise:I didn't call for your advice Nana, bye now..
She hung up on me. I shook my head and called back Chege. I am staying out of this.
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MPHATHI
Nancy takes me to the room Qinisela is at.
I thank her and walk towards him. He didn't look good at all. I sat next to him, and pat his shoulder.
Mphathi:Hey.
He nodded.
Mphathi:Have you talked to mom?
Qinisela:No, I don't see the point. She just sent me a long message telling me that Theresa is my mother.
Mphathi:I'm sorry you had to find out this way.
Qinisela:I just don't get it. If Theresa is my mother, then why did she chase me out like that!? She threw me out of the yard like I was some beggar stealing her things. She hates me.
He bowed his head and I heard him sniffing.
Qinisela:I wonder when will people learn that their lies do not benefit us, lies only create chaos and heartbreak.
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KAYISE
Tania was still around, but she doesn't stay with us. No matter how much I trust you, but bringing female relatives to your house is never a good idea. Mphathi left to check up on his brother, Qinisela. That is giving me time to cook for him.
I just got off the phone call with Nakia, if only she knew that it's her husband who's the father of this baby; she wouldn't be pushing me like this to be honest with him.
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Theresa steps out of her car and sighs before she walks inside. She has missed her, although they haven't seen each other for long, but she was still her sister. And she needed to talk to her. She knocks on the door.
Gloria drags her feet and goes to open. She is shocked when she sees Theresa.
Gloria:Theresa...
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# Narrated
A week later....
Mandla and Khumbulani are starring at the computer screen, waiting for the download to finish. It hits 100% and they clap hands.
Khumbulani:Finally.
Mandla:Now to see what's inside here...
He clicked the keyboard and opened the files that were contained on the chip.
Mandla:It's a video.
Khumbulani:Play it.
He clicked play and they watched. A woman's face popped on the screen.
The woman, on the video, was holding the camera and looked like she was running.
"This is Agent Martins, I have been successful in our search. The woman behind the door, I have found her... Her name is...."

To be continued....