KEPT

23. WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT LIES?

KHANYISA

We end up sleeping over instead of leaving. It's a very long night with Nkosi's tossing and turning, his restlessness is making me restless too. I don't push him to speak, Something I'm quickly learning to master when it comes to Nkosi is that I should know when to take a step back, because if I don't then I'll only hurt myself when he doesn't respond in a way that I wish he would.

In the morning when I wake up he's not there, I figure that he must have left already because he needs to pass by the house and get clean clothes, I'll only be leaving a little later. I get up and make myself presentable then I walk out of the bedroom, I don't know what the situation is like today but it will obviously still be tense with everything that happened last night, I, myself am a bit unsettled with Mam'Nozizwe.

I get to the living room and find her checking her bags, Something about what she said last night doesn't sit well with me and I'm hoping to address it now before she leaves.

When she sees me, as usual she comes for a hug but her smile isn't the same as other day, she must have gotten an earful from bab'Mandla last night when they were alone because even her eyes are puffy.

"You're all done, " I look at her bags.

"I am, He wants to leave very early and I do not want to give him reasons to leave me behind, " She says and I nod, there's no one else in the room except us.

"Uyazi [You know] it pains me to have to leave my son here, especially after everyone now knows the truth, "

"Your son is a thirty-four year old man. I'm sure he will be fine,"

"It's the treatment that I'm worried about, Ngikhathazekile ukuthi bazomphatha kanjani abantu bakulo muzi [I'm worried about how the people in this house will treat him], kodwa ke, one thing that gives me comfort is that he has you,  you will remember what I said to you last nighr, right? "

"Actually, Ma...that's what I wanted us to talk about before you left, "

"What about it?" She asks with a smile.

"Last night, it felt like you were completely disregarding the fact that I'm married to Nkosi, "

"Me? No I never did that. All I did was to ask that you take care of Mduduzi. Nkosi already has enough people in his corner, my son is all alone, " there goes that dramatic pity voice.

"Ma, there are no corners here but even then, I need you to know that if I  was in a position where I had to choose sides, I'd choose my husband's side. Instead of trying to make corners you should be encouraging peace, this thing of trying to push me towards Mduduzi will not help this situation at all and quite frankly it makes me uncomfortable, "I tell her honestly.

Last night after she walked away I had some time to think and reflect back to everything that I have been brushing off, not wanting to start unnecessary family fights. I have this feeling that if I don't voice it out right now it will escalate and become a huge issue and that's the last thing I want.

"Kodwa [but] Khanyisa, I'm not trying to cause any division here. I'm just looking out for my son. Nkosi has his parents and siblings. Mdu has no one this side, absolutely no one and you know how he's so fond of you. He likes you and I love you, you're kind, soft spoken, welcoming and not judgemental. That's the kind of person I need by Mdu's side when I'm away. If you could just do me that favor sisi, be there for him and check on him, be close with him, he needs it,"

"Yinto angeke ayenze leyo" [That's something she will not be doing]

Nkosi walks in and he doesn't look pleased at all, I thought he had left already but clearly not and now I'm wondering just how much of this conversation he caught.