Amile The Queen

Chapter Ninety-One

***Amile Gumede***

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” I hate breaking the rules, but I have to do this, for my sanity, and for the well being of all of us, especially my family, including Vukani.
“Lerato, please.” I reprimand.
I don’t like weak people, how many times did we go over this plan.
“If Thula or Bayede hear that we are doing this, we are good as dead.” she says in a whisper.
I’m this close to kicking her!
“The only way this could go wrong is if you go running your mouth, which you won’t do. Please, relax.” I’m paying Khabazela a shitload of money for this, it’s not going to flop.
The ceremony is fast approaching, Vukani still doesn’t know a thing. I’ve been sleeping alone in my old room, because I still feel betrayed by baba. That has resulted in a very tense atmosphere between us. For the past three days there has been limited conversation between us, he just makes sure to come to my room every morning to greet his daughter, and he does the same every night before kissing my stomach goodnight. I don’t like it, the tension, but I can’t bring myself to just let this situation pass, not until Nontuthuzelo is brought to justice.
And that is where we are headed, Lerato and I. she’s the only one on my side on this. She understands the reasoning for my frustration, how am I going to being mothering a person my age, who has made it clear on not one, but many occasions that he hates me.
Baba still doesn’t want to tell him, and I think that is what grates my tits more. I’m mad at Nontuthuzelo more than anyone, and that is why we need to find her, and bring her back to that palace.
I have to protect isidima somyeni wami. He can’t be kneeling apologizing to another man for a woman’s sin; blood or not.
“This is the place.” I tell Khabazela.
I remember Vukani telling me she’s back at home, and that is where we are going to find her.
“Do you need me to escort you, my queen?” he asked as he turned off the car.
“No need, just stay here.” it’s bad enough that we are forced to travel in the royal cars, now everyone on this street will know people of the royal family were here.
I climb out, Lerato is still sitting there like a rained on chicken, she must not annoy me, not today.
“Please get out of the car. The sooner we do this the better.” I say, trying not to sound as annoyed as I feel.
“I still feel like this isn’t a good idea.” I don’t have time to be begging her.
I closed the door and waddled to the gate. Just when I was about to enter because it wasn’t closed, I heard the car door banging and she climbed out.
“You are the most stubborn pregnant person I have ever met.” she said standing next to me.
She adjusts the scarf around her neck. She thinks this is a movie, trying to cover herself up with a scarf. The only thing missing from her cloak is shades.
“Stop being a chicken.” I say as we walk towards the run down house.
As soon as we stand in front of the door, I knock twice and stand waiting for a response. I really don’t want to be here, I’m pregnant, swollen in every place imaginable, I’m tired both emotionally and physically, I really just want to get this over and done with.
“It’s the queen. Ndlunkulu.” she got on her knees.
“Please stand up ma’am.” I begged. I can’t be having people older than me praising me like they do.
“Please come in, what do I owe the pleasure of being visited by royalty.” she asks making a way for us to enter.
“Asihleli, we are here to look for Nontuthuzelo, we got word that she is here.” at least she knows who we are.
“Oh yes, she is. But I’m sad to inform you that she is not well my queen, upstairs I mean.” she says gesturing to her head.
She herself looks like she could be a little off the grid upstairs, but we aren’t here for that.
“She needs to go back to the palace.” Lerato cuts in before I could speak.
I turn to look at her, this was not part of the plan.
“Really? Is she going to get an inheritance?” she asks in excitement.
We share a look before we both turn to the lady.
“Yes, if she just comes with us, the king needs to talk to her.”
“She will definitely come with you. Come this way my queen and I will show you where she is.” she leads us to one of the rooms that are situated outside.
They look like they are in a better condition than the actual house itself, which I think is very sad.
There she is. She’s counting something on the wall, or she’s drawing? I don’t know, but she looks very fascinated by it, so much that she didn’t hear us coming in.
“Nontuthu, the queen is here to fetch you.” she doesn’t turn around.
“What queen, I am the queen.” she says.
“Aibo wena! Queen MaGumede.” she jerks up and as soon as he turns around, our eyes meet.
She doesn’t look crazy to me, she looks very much sane, it’s just something is off about her. I can see it in her eyes.
“What are you doing here?” she asks as she scans the both of us.
Her eyes widen as she slowly moves her eyes down to my stomach.
“You are needed at the palace.” Lerato again.
“For what? Amadlozi enu angixosha nje.” see, this person is sane.
“Ngoba waxova waxova umndeni, wajika washiya kanjalo.” I say walking closer to where she is sitting.
I’m spitting mad. Lerato pulls me back, giving the witch a chance to laugh at my anger. She has no idea the pain she is causing my family.
“Now I have to fix you mess!” I spit.
“Calm down.” Lerato whispers to me.
“You need to come back. The ancestors want you back.” she cackled.
“What’s in it for me?” she asked with a conniving smile as she made her way towards us.
“Your sanity.” I say with the same cheek.
She goes quiet. I’ve got her.
“Are you going to tell Mhlabawesizwe to leave me alone?” she bargains.
He haunts her huh? That’s my fighter, at least I know that I can trust in him to make someone’s life difficult. He excels in that.
“Depends on your co operation. Right Mhlaba?” she turns around hastily.
“You can see him too?” she asks in panic.
Is it too late to take back my statement.
“Let’s go.” Lerato says.
I was still enjoying the moment.
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“What is she doing here?” he doesn’t look happy with me at all.
He doesn’t look happy with the both of us. It’s worse because his mother is also here, giving me the same exact look that he’s wearing. Now that I’m seeing them next to each other, they are one and the same person.
“She’s here to appease the ancestors. You are not going to go apologize to the ancestors for something you didn’t do.” I defend.
“Once again you are defying the rules Amile? You went out in public when you are supposed to be home, and now you are bringing the person I banned from the palace back here!? What for?” he raised his voice.
I startled. He never calls me by my name. Is he really that angry?
“I did this for a good cause!” I retort.
His face is turning red, he’s really mad, all that needs to happen now is for him to start fuming at the ears and nose.
“Come with me. Now!” it’s not negotiable.
I leave his mother and Lerato and I follow him to our bedroom. I haven’t slept here for three days, maybe that’s why I feel like shit! He slammed the door behind me and I almost jumped out of my skin. I’ve just been reminded why I was afraid of him so much.
“Don’t you forget that this was my problem to deal with, that the ancestors have spoken to me about this, not you!”
“Baba, don’t be irrational…” I bargain. He cuts me off.
“I’m being irrational!? Are you not the one who left our bedroom because you found out I have a son that also didn’t know about until like four days ago? I’m just as overwhelmed as you are, the boy hates me, I don’t even know where to start with him. The last thing I need is you adding on to my problems by bringing Nontuthuzelo here and gallivanting the whole town with my child in your stomach!” so it’s his child when he’s angry!
“It’s easy for you to come here and shout at me but you don’t know what it’s like being tormented by your father. He continuously haunts my dreams and demands the impossible from me! What am I supposed to do then? I’m trying to bring peace to this family, because that’s what he wants me to do.”
“It’s not your battle to fight mkami. Will you just sit down and support me? Will you? That’s all I’m asking of you.” I shook my head and sobbed.
I dumped myself on the ottoman.
“I feel like all the things that I have sacrificed, my life, my youth, have gone in vain. I’m here, still being tormented by Mhlabawesizwe every single night, even after all the things I have done for him, and his bloody family. I’m just trying to make him happy, so that I can be happy and have peace. Is that too much to ask for, Peace! Is It too much?” he doesn’t answer me.
“I was passed from Zwelibanzi down to you, I felt like a possession. My feelings haven’t been considered once anywhere, I’m always supposed to just take anything that is given to me. Don’t I have feelings? Do they even matter?”
“That’s why I said I need you to advise me on this, and now that you did, I need you to hold my hand, as my wife, because I promised to do this with you, right. Now why aren’t you trusting in me? Trusting my abilities to handle this situation like the man of the house.”
I can see that we aren’t hearing each other.
“You matter Amile. Your feelings matter and your opinion too. You have a higher power and influence on these ancestors, more than I do, more than anyone in this family does. You are not a possession, you are a strong woman, and that is why this has been removed from your shoulders, and been made mine to deal with. You didn’t need to go all the way to find Nontuthuzelo, this doesn’t include her. I need to do whatever that I need to do to please the ancestors, and make sure Vukani, my son, is okay with the life that he is living, so that the peace that you want so much can reign. Let me do this mkami, just give it to me.”
I just want Mhlabawesizwe to leave me alone, is that too much to ask for?
“Nontuthuzelo must go back to where she came from, otherwise I will lock her up in jail with Nkululeko and she will regret ever crossing me.” he says as he stands up.
I just saw a different side of him altogether. I can’t believe we just had a fight. A real one.
“She needs to apologize.” I’m still standing on that one, and I’m not going to budge.
“To who? To you?” I frown and cross my arms across my chest.
“The people she wronged have forgiven her, she didn’t wrong you, get over it.” he says as if he wasn’t just telling me my feelings matter a few seconds ago.
“I really don’t appreciate what you did MaGumede, I don’t like blowing a fuse like that, and I don’t get angry easily. Stop being stubborn and disobeying me. When I tell you to do something, you do it, not the opposite of what I told you to do. No matter what the situation is like between us.” is he reprimanding me?
“Do you understand me?” I let down my arms.
“Yes baba.”
“You are coming back to our bedroom tonight, sengibekezele kwanele. You are not allowed out this house anymore because you can’t be trusted.” I nodded.
“Sit here and take a nap.” he commands me.
I thought he had calmed down, he’s still angry. As he is making his way to the door, I call him.
“KaMhlaba.” he turned around.
“I’m sorry.” I apologized.
His face softened he walked back to me and planted a kiss on my forehead.
I don’t apologize to just anyone, he must be very glad that I did.

***Langalethu Zulu***

“Why are you so frustrated?” Thulisile asks him as he walks into the office.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me that having a wife is stressful.” Thuli laughs.
“What did you expect, that they will always be smiling in your face? Usenzeni uMaGumede?” this is a joke to her.
“Will you believe me if I tell you she went all the way to kwaMzobe and brought her all the way here because she wants her to be the one to apologize instead of me.” she laughs even more.
“Are you laughing because you know it’s not serious?” he asked concern covering his face.
“It sounds like something Mhlabawesizwe would do.” she says picking up her bag.
He totally agrees, that man was crazy, but what does that have to do with his wife, his sweet MaGumede.
“And here I was thinking she was a re-incarnation of MaNdlela.” she says to herself then sits down, catching her breath.
A lot is not making sense to him.
“What so you think he’s living in her.”
“Maybe not her but the child in her stomach.” he widens his eyes.
“Things like these happen you know. Maybe that’s why they will be king.”
“It’s a girl child.” she looks at him and scoffs.
“Congratulations, you are going to be a great father!” she said to him.
He smiled. His smile quickly faded when the reality of him already being a father hitting him.
“Are you going to tell him?” she asks.
“I don’t know if I should. Should I?” he asks her.
She knows everything, she should be the one telling him.
“It’s going to ruin him, it’s going to ruin his life, and it will cause feuds among them when they grow up if he knows that he is your son.”
“What, fighting for the throne?” Thuli keeps quiet.
“Shlobo?”
“This ceremony should be done, but I don’t think you should tell him.” she replies after a long time.
This changes everything. The last thing he wants are his sons fighting over the throne when he’s not alive to intervene and mediate the situation. He knows how badly throne wars can get. Sibling can even kill each other for that chair, and it’s not even that Godly.
He’ll just continue loving Vukani from a distance like he has been doing the whole time, he knows he won’t change the way he feels about him. He already hates him, it’s a bit late to try and change him now. He’s not going to push him further away by telling him this.
“After all of this dies down I want to sit down and have my mother and MaGumede in one room, there seems to be a beef between them.”
“Don’t bother.” Thuli says.
“She’s my mother.” she shakes her head.
“The same reason she left the first time will the be exact same reason why she will leave again. Don’t give her the time of day.” he sighs.
It’s problem on top of problem.
“Forget about your mother and get MaMzobe out of this house before Mhlabawesizwe kills her.”
His heart almost stops beating. It still shocks him how she knows these things.
He doesn’t have a choice, he has to clean up his wife’s mess.