Umfelokazi

chapter 1

Chapter 1
SINK IN

I hang the wet bedding on the washing line and I finish and dip my hands into the rinsing water just to wash them off. I get done and I wipe my hands against my clothes and I take the basin and go away from the line to discard it away.
“Ausi Mvelo!”,I turn around and it is Rethabile.
She runs up to me followed by her little duo behind her. The next door neighbour's twins that she loves so dearly. She is always fascinated by them especially that they look alike and dress alike. She was confused at first how can there be two of the same person and did not understand why she was not double but I too could not explain it well to her so I just stuck with the “God Knows”.
They reach me and she looks proper so as her friends. Not dirty but much more clean just like she looks every Sunday when she wants to tag along to go to church with me. 
“Hello”,I greet them.
Rethabile gives me a frown and folds her arms.
“Mama told me that you don't want to go to church today, why?”,She asks.
I haven't been to church for 3 weeks now and I am scared. Scared of the looks that the congregation will give me. They would say a demon attacked my marriage when in all fact God took him and it was my husband's time to depart from this earth. Do not get me wrong I still do pray and my mother reminds me of that. I cannot shutter and shy away from the eyes of God not but I cannot seem to be able to face his people at the congregation.
“I am not well”,I say.
“But you are washing, you seem okay”,This smart mouth.
I cannot dodge this one can I? She is even wearing the dress she urged her mother to buy just so she could flaunt at church.
“Come I will get some juice for you”,She seems to ease up and calls her duo to follow after her. 
For a 9 year old sometimes I really cannot comprehend Rethabile but she is a sweetheart in her way too as much as she is bossy at times but she is a wonderful child. 
We get into my room and I go and place the basin behind the door. She jumps on to sitting on the bed and her friends follow. I sigh and I go look through the cupboards for the juice that I have. I take out the jug and go and collect water from my little water drum.
“Ausi Mvelo Mama told me you are leaving. Is it true?”,I stop that moment and stare at the jug that is in my hands.
I have my back against her.
“Yes, I am leaving”
“Why?”
“Because Malume Jabu is no more”,There is silence between us.
I hear her speaking to her friends meaningless things and I realise that she has let the thing go.
I cannot keep up with her asking me questions that I sometimes couldn't answer but the real reason why I am leaving Johannesburg it is because I have no job and that means I have no life here. When my husband found a job in this city. We were part of the newly wedded couple. He wanted us to move. Oh he believed that our lives would change drastically and we would live a very comfortable life that consist of a bit of luxury in it. I believed it and I knew that the life was coming our way once I saw the tall buildings of this place. I had always heard of if, the beauty of its fruits but never have I been told that your life can be normal even when you reach here. 
Do not get me wrong. I love the life that I lived with my husband. It consisted of its peace and overrall the fact that we had each other in our lives made things easy for us. 
I love Jabu, still do. I do not think that I would love any other man the way I loved my husband. He brought joy into my life until the last day here on earth.
I get done with mixing and diluting the concerntrated juice and I pour it for them in the cups and they thank me.  They gulp it down feeling the satisfaction of having something go well down their throats. I smile when Rethabile their spokesman brings the cup down and says:
“Thank you Mvelo”,She licks her lips and goes back to drinking their juice.
She makes sure not to mess her beloved church dress. 
They finish up and jump off the bed and they bring the cups to me and I place them in the dish basin.
“Bye”,The three of them wave and leave the room.
I wave to them and shake my head in thoughts while smiling.
My husband was very fond of Rethabile despite him not liking Mimi but he liked Rethabile and Rethabile enjoyed his company too. 
I take the jug full of juice and I place it in the fridge and I turn to turn on the kettle so that I can take a bath and then get on finding ways to seek the bed and all these big things that I cannot go back to Kzn with.  So far I have only one person who has been interested in buying the bed but beside that I have not found anyone who is interested in anything else.
This is quiet tough and I have only a week left before I have to move out. I cannot use the money my husband has left in his bank account because I have to use it to get back home.
The kettle starts to heat the water up and I clean away in the room and I get done in no time. I take out my clothes and lay them on the bed before I go and grab the bathing basin to pour the water inside. 
.
I run my fingers through the bible page and turn it over to the next as I am seated at the edge of the bed. I have bathed and already cooked food for the day and I thought I should take in the food of the thought. 
“Makhi!!”,Mimi's voice calls out for me on the other side of the door.
I hear her knocking loudly on the door and I place my Bible next to me and I stand up and go to the door and open it. She leans against it.
“Why did you lock yourself in here? You will be depressed.”,She asks making her way inside.
“I was reading a Bible verse”,She looks on the bed.
“Vele why don't you go to church anymore?”
“I am scared”,I bite my bottom lip. 
“Why?”
“I do not know how to face the congregation”
“I know church has judges that is why I do not go there but you love it so you shouldn't care.”,She mentions.
“I don't know”
“Akere wa morata modimo?(Isn't it you love God?)”,I nod.
“Then try to go only for him. I need your prayers in my life my friend”,She says and kicks off her heels. 
“Thank you”,She smiles.
“Anyway I am not here for that.”,I give her my attention.
She lays down on my bed and I join her and sit next to her. 
“I found a job for you at a pub”,I frown.
“What is a pub?”,She giggles.
“Oh I forgot about your innocence.  It is like a chesanyama club thing, I don't know how to explain it”
“I do not drink Mimi”
“I know, but it serves as a restaurant during the day. They need a cleaner and I thought maybe you might need it”,I frown.
“Thank you for considering me but I cannot do it.”,I am scared.
“It has a really good pay. You won't touch any alcohol except when moving it to clean I promise and it is during the day. It's more calm”,She says.
“I-”
“The pay is R 3500”,I pop my eyes at her while playing my hands to cover my mouth.
“Mimi you are lying”
“I promise you. My friend pulled some strings for you and we can go tomorrow to town to get your CV done and get you to meet the manager for a little interview but the job is yours”
“Is that not corruption?”,I ask.
“No baby it is connections. You can start your own life Mvelo think of that. What are you going to do in KZN?”,I shrug my shoulders.
“Just think about it”,She mentions.
I have never worked in a place like that before. Will they take me? I have never had a proper job so I do not know what is done. 
“Let me go, I am tired”,She gets off the bed and picks up her shoes.
“Bye Makhi”,She waves her hand that has her usually long fake nails.
I stand up and go after her to walk her out. She goes out and I close the door. I do not know what to do but I feel like praying about this. I get my Bible and I close it before I get on my knees before my bed and pray about this situation.
After praying I get up and I go and dish up some food. If I move I might not gain this opportunity in my life once again.  I am 27 years and I have never worked a proper job in those years, this could be my chance but with God in it he should direct me on what to really do. 
“Oh Myeni wami ngaze ngakukhumbula(Oh my husband I miss you so much)”,He would know what to say now about this situation. 
_____
It is the following day and the sun is out. Mimi and I are in town and she is walking a little bit faster than I though she is in those high shoes of her’s.She is in the shortest short that you can find and a white vest. She carries her bag with caution and so as I. We get to an internet cafe and she goes further inside and I follow her.
“Mimi my baby!”,One of the guys there greets her.
He has a weird accent and I notice that he is not from this country by origin.  I am standing behind her feeling a bit hot in these black clothes of mine and my doek covering my hair but I love my doek very much. Mimi complained about my outfit when we left but I had to remind her that I am in mourning and that I should wear black in respecting and honouring my husband's last memory. 
She takes out some paper with the information that we drafted for my CV this morning. It was quiet quick too.
“Please type this fast”,She says rather in a bored tone.
She is not entertaining the man infront of her but he takes the paper and gets on with going to the computer and getting whatever needs to be done fast.
I look at her and she turns to me and smiles.
“We will be out of here in no time. I asked Kabelo to come and fetch us and take us to your new work place. It is in the suburban area too so we need to know the taxi route too”,I swallow.
“Okay”,she takes out her phone and types away.
My phone rings in my bag and I take it out. I press the answer button and answer.
“Hello Mah”
“Unjani Mntanami?( How are you my child?)”,She worries too much.
She has been calling much more frequently than she has ever done before just to check up if I am still okay and alive.
“Yes I am well, I am going job hunting”,I mention and there is a pin drop of silence.
“I thought you were coming back”,She says.
“Yes but I got a job here and I am going to be interviewed. I have never worked a good job before Mah”
“You can find a job here in Mooi river or even Pietermaritzburg if you want to be a bit further from us”,Worry cannot be hidden in her voice.
“If all fails I will come down”,She sighs.
“I guess there is nothing I can do now”
I keep my silence and swallow.
“I will call you in the afternoon. ”
“Okay Mama”,She hangs up and I shove my phone back in my bag.
“You don't look good”,Mimi says.
I just give her a faint smile.
“That was my mother. She is not happy that I might stay here”
“Ohw”,I look at her.
I sigh and close my eyes before I open them again. The guy who Mimi gave a task comes back and hands over the new printed paper and Mimi takes it.
“I knew I can count on you. I will call you Neh?”,She says and pulls me out of the internet cafe without paying.
“Why did you not pay?”,I ask.
“He owes me”,I wonder what he owes her.
We get a taxi and now it takes us to the other side of town where Mimi said we will meet Kabelo, her friend. We get out of the taxi soon and we see Kabelo parked on the other side of the road smoking as he is outside his car. Mimi pulls my hand and we get to him. This man is always untidy or maybe I do not know the real definition of people being clean.  Mimi hugs him and he hugs her back.
“Belo you remember my friend Mvelo”
“Yah, fede”,I just nod.
Mimi tells me to get inside the car and I do so. She goes around and gets in the front and the guy finishes his cigarette and gets inside and starts the car before driving off. 
“Rethabile o Kae?”( where is Rethabile?)”,The man speaks to Mimi.
“ At her friends”
“I want to see her”,Mimi starts getting a bit irritated.
“You will see her”,She turns to face me.
“How are you feeling?”
“Nervous”
“Don’t be. You will do great”,I just nod my head. 
After a while of driving around places that I have never been to in Johannesburg we arrive at a place. Mimi hops out of the car and I follow. We leave her friend behind and we enter the place. This place looks beautiful and has a what seems like a bar area. Workers can be identified from their black outfits and little white and red aprons. Mimi pulls me and she locates a man who is talking to someone else. He is in a red shirt and black pants.
“Hello”,Mimi greets and the man turns to us.
“Oh, you must be the ones for the job”,Mimi nods.
“Yes this is my friend for the job”,He looks at me.
“I see she has dressed the part already”,He mocks and they both laugh.
“Okay follow me”,He says and we follow after him. I am getting nervous of being here. 
____
We are at Kfc and I am having the coke while Mimi is murdering her burger. I sometimes wonder if she forgets that she has a daughter that she left home alone or with other people she hardly interacts with and she seems fine with it. I sometimes wondered and asked myself does she not have a relative that she can leave with Rethabile so she can carry on with her life and do as she pleases until she is satisfied and ready to mother her daughter properly as she is growing and soon will need guidance in this world but Mimi is not prepared for that.
She wipes her hands and mouth and takes her cup and sips her drink. 
“Yoh it has been an exhauted day. Ke lapile nou ( I am tired now)”,She mentions. 
“We should go, Rethabile is alone”
“Ah don't worry about her.  She is a big girl”,That is what worries me. She is not so big.
I just nod and she looks at me.
“Aren’t you hungry?”,she asks.
“No, I will eat at home”,She nods.
“Don't worry you will get the job”
“I hope so”,Well now I am hopeful.
I was put onto perspective of what I will be doing and it is not bad and for the pay it is really good.
Could this be God opening doors for me. As little they may seem to someone else but they are a big achievement to me. We pack up our food and we then leave the place. I feel the urge to call my mother once I am home. I know that she is unhappy with the sudden changes that have occured but I would love to give this a shot on its own. 
“You seem to wonder off alot Nomvelo”,Mimi mentions.
“I am just thinking about home”
“You miss everyone?”,I just lie and nod my head.
“Well you will see them soon”,She smiles.
I return the smile to her. I really hope that happens soon. I need to go and also check on the Gwala’s and see how they are doing. They must be in a distraught situation like I am after the passing of Jabulani. I know my mother in law never liked me ever and she has never for once tried to hide it but I do worry about her at times. She is the mother that Jabulani gave to me.  She is my mother too. 
“I want to buy something from the shops quickly”,Mimi mentions.
“It is fine. We can go”,she smiles.
“Let’s go then”,We hurry off.
We should really be getting back home. I am worried about Rethabile the most in all of this.