The Arrangement

Lolo

Crystal

Yesterday went better than I thought it would. Siya finally met my extended family and they got along well, poor Zulu man was stolen from me and passed around my family. Belle (Zothile, yeah she got introduced to my ancestors and they gave her and Zoe Xhosa names. Zoe's is Sizotha. Beautiful names they have ) and Kelvin eventually woke up and all they wanted was food.

I fed them in the same bowl and they were off as soon as they finished eating. Somehow he, Siya, escaped and found me drinking tea in the kitchen. "Hi" I laughed at his sweaty face. "And then?" I questioned. "Your family. Bayakhuluma futhi bayasebenza kakhulu. (They talk a lot and work a lot.)"

"Meaning?" I pulled his arm and he sat besides me. "Your cousins 'convinced me' to heard the sheep."

"AT NIGHT??!" I couldn't help but laugh when he nodded. I gave him a glass of cold water that he gulped down. "Haaike" Lolo walked in. "Hi guys."

"Hey cuz." I responded. "I'm gonna go check on the kids." He kissed my cheek and walked out. "Unjani mntase? (How are you?)" She asked me as she sat where Siya had previously sat. "I am...good? Yeah. Ndiryt mzala " We sat in silence.

"So you have a child."

"Yeah. Lonwabo."

"How'd that happen zala? Out of all of us, you were the last one that we thought would get pregnant."

"Well, I met a guy "

"Ahhh. There's always a guy." We laughed half-heartedly.

"Aii mzala. Ndakhe ndamthanda umtwana womntu vah. (No cuz. I've once loved another woman's child)"

"What happened?"

"He fell into the wrong crowd. It didn't help that our family is rivals with him."

"Forbidden love."

"Ewe. He was the Romeo to my Juliet." I reached out and held her hand. "He was killed right outside the hospital. We were on our way out. Zala it was the last check up before Lonwabo's birth. I was in shock, which resulted in an emergency c-section. Lonwabo's heart stopped beating and somehow, like he knew, Zolila's heart stopped beating and Lonwabo's started beating again."

"Wow. How'd you do it Zala?"

"The family supported me. Even when Mama disowned me because I got pregnant by a 'man'"

"Can I please see a photo of him." I asked

"Sure." She opened her phone and handed it to me  "Damn Mzala! Akasemhle bethuna. (He's so handsome)". It's true, the photo was of her standing in front of a tall, well built, light skinned man with brown eyes and a beautiful pearly white smile.

He had a beard and small moustache. He held Lorrisa from behind and both their hands were on her growing belly. They both looked ever so happy. They were matching clothes; black tee shirts that wrote "Pending Parents" and they stood behind balloons and a sonogram.

The whole setting was of a baby shower. "You two looked happy."

"We were Zala. We were, *sniffle*." I stood up and gave her a hug. "Did you attend the funeral?" She shook her head. "uMakhulu uthe ndingayi. The rivalry just increased between the two families. Even having Lonwabo visit them, it has to be in a public place. It's not safe for any of us to meet at all."

I just held her tight. A baby's cry is what separated us. She rushed out to a room I assumed to be here. I followed behind her. "Molo sthandwa sakhe." Lonwabo raised his hands and she picked him up. She stay on the bed and cradled him. I left the two and walked out to 'my' hut. I found my little family having an argument. "Daddy can I pleeeeaaaassseeee stay here??" Kelvin begged. "Kelvin-"