Zekhethelo: Love redefined.

chapter 12 : blast from the past

It's been a week since my mysterious date which had a heavy turn of events, Mthoko and I are still in contact, he still sends good morning and goodnight messages daily without fail, I've also learned that he has zero social media presence, I mean this guy doesn't even have WhatsApp, he thinks social media defeats the purpose of actual interactions like phone calls and meeting up.

Anyway, it's Saturday today, I just finished cleaning, and as usual this is watching her favorite cartoons while uOkuhle is minding his own business playing with his toys on the carpet.

I decide to just cook up a storm, mum isn't around she went to attend a meeting with her society friends but she'll be back around 2 pm.

I decide to make grilled chicken, basmati rice, and roasted veggies. As I'm cooking there's a knock, "ko ko" well I know only one person who knocks like that. She walks in, "mzala..." she greets with a smile, "Nelly, kunjani?" She and I have become so close again, and I'm grateful to have someone genuine in my corner. "Ngiright mzala, uyapheka kushisa kanje" she says while she continues walking off to the sitting room, I'm trying, by all means, by all means to wrap up the cooking so I can spend time with her.

As I remove the chicken from the oven, "sanbona ekhaya kwaBhengu" my brother walks in carrying 2 plastic bags from toys r us, "hawu bhuti, I didn't know were coming" he chuckles, "I didn't know I had to make an appointment to visit my family, uphekeni ngilambile" he then walks off to the sitting room, only then does it click that Nelly is also in the sitting room and I can imagine the awkwardness.

I rush to the sitting room and I find my brother standing in one position looking at Nelly, I clear my throat and finally earth to the both of them.

"Nelly, sawubona..." he greets, while his eyes are still fully locked on hers, "Hi Njabulo", "what do you have here?" I take the bags he has in an attempt to distract the situation, I open and it's a doll house that requires assembling and a toy truck, "Aww bhuti, thank you" He's now sitting on the one-seater couch, glued to the screen. "Athi, Kuhle, bona umalume uniphathele" that's the only time their eyes leave the TV screen, Athi runs to Njabulo while Okuhle just focuses on the truck that I am trying to unbox.

After a while, uMa returns, "Sanbona, Njabulo ufike nini wena? Futhi uzofunani?" She side-eyes Nelly, my mum has always been against my brother and Nelly mainly because of the age differences so I'm assuming she thought that there was something going on between the two of them. I clear my throat.

"I'm done cooking, nginiphakele?" My mum just ignores me and walks off to her room. "Let me go and buy iDrink, Asambe Nelz," my brother says, without even waiting for the response he's already walking towards the door, Neli stands and follows after him and I'm left dumbstruck because what just happened?

I dish up for everyone including my mother. I then put her food on a serving tray and walk towards her bedroom, after knocking a few times she tells me to come in. "Ngikulethele ukudla..." she places her Bible on her side table then takes off her reading glasses, "ngempela wenzani Zekhethelo?", okay what is she talking about? "Have you forgotten that your brother is married?" I sigh, so she thinks I set them up?

"Ma this is certainly not what you think it is, uNelly came to visit me as usual, ubhuti arrived unannounced and coincidentally they both found me cooking, I wouldn't do that to your daughter-in-law, I'm a woman too" she sighs, "ngiyaxolisa, I just got overwhelmed by what I walked in to" I just nod and hand her the food. "And wena? what's going on in your love life?"

Parents can be so nosy sometimes, "there's no love life here mama, and even if there was, I don't feel comfortable discussing this with you" she laughs, "waze wapheka kahle for umuntu ongena muntu, hamba ke" I walk out while she's still laughing.

I get back and find the two "love birds" sitting at the kitchen table, I guess my brother decided to serve himself, they're both eating and laughing. "Hmmm, kumnandi neh?" I tease while standing leaning on the fridge, "musa ukusiphaphela wena" my brother says this without even looking at me.

I just take my kid's food, I serve them then I also sit down to eat, now I can finally get a chance to have a look at my phone. I have a message from Mthokozisi, "I hope you're having a better day than I am" did I mention how random this man is? And also I thought I only get to hear from him in the morning and at night.

"My day is okay, what's the matter?" I respond, and within seconds my phone is ringing, I excuse myself and go to my bedroom, "hello" I pick up, "Ntokazi, usuku lwam lavele lalunga ngokuzwa iphimbo lwakho" men are such smooth talkers, I'm not falling for this, I just keep quiet, "I just wanted to talk to you that's all, I'm sorry if this is making you uncomfortable" I just sigh, "it's okay, look I have to go and check on the kids, have a good day" I hang up before he can even respond.

*Mthokozisi's POV*
So today I found out that my brother relapsed, he's back on drugs again and I feel so helpless, I just needed to talk to Zekhethelo, she somehow has this calming effect and it usually rubs off on me but also I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable in anyway by trying too hard.

I've decided to shut everyone out today, I just need to be alone and think about this situation, I've spent so much money trying to get him clean again only for him to relapse just like that. I feel so helpless, I honestly feel like Zekhethelo would be the only one to calm me down from how I'm currently feeling.