Umfelokazi

chapter 3

Chapter 3

It has been two weeks of me being an employed person and in those two weeks I have been paid and I was able to get the things I need and also save some money. Mimi suggested that I go and open a bank account since I do not have one and that it will make my life a bit easier of which when she explained it, I understood what she meant. So this morning I am preparing to go to town and get to the bank and open an account. Mimi was initially going to accompany me but she left last night, so I have heard from Rethabile and she has not came back yet so I will just go with Rethabile to town. I cannot leave her alone and for my own sanity too.
We are in my room as I watch Rethabile wear her shoes and she finishes and looks up to me.
“I am done Mvelo”,She mentions and I pull her to me and I rub her face as it is oily.
“Now you look pretty”
“Just like Mama”,I smile.
I take my bag and we walk out of my room.
Today is my off day and it is a Friday. I get odd off days too. Sometimes it can be Monday or during the weekend.
As we are walking I hold Rethabile's hand and I see a car driving towards us and it stops next to us as we are walking to catch a taxi. The window rolls down and Mimi’s face peaks out from the passanger seat. 
“Haibo where are you going?”,She says.
“Ausi Mvelo and I are going to town”,Rethabile says.
“Oh, okay”,Mimi says and she smiles.
“I will see you guys when you come back”,Mimi waves at us and the window of the car rolls up.
The man who was driving seemed to be much older than her, I noticed from the grey hairs that he had on his face and hair.
“Come let's go and catch a taxi”
I never question what Mimi does and I never know but she seems to have money some days. Way too much money sometimes that I have never seen with my own two naked eyes.
“Can we get icecream in town Ausi Mvelo? It is hot”,Rethabile mentions.
“Yes baby”
She smiles. We get a taxi and it goes to town. We arrive there and we make our way to the bank. We enter and we get assisted quiet quickly than I had anticipated. 
I tell Rethabile to sit by the waiting seats while I was assisted but I made sure to keep an eyes on her. She was looking around swinging her legs back and forth. 
.
“Do you like it?”,I ask Rethabile.
We are at McDonald's. I have never been here before but Rethabile mentioned that her mother gets her a happy meal from there and she likes it.
She is now playing with her toy while I am eating. She has only touched her fries and has not touched her burger as she is eager to assemble her toy.
“Ausi Mvelo please assemble this for me. I want to go and play”,She mentions  and I nod taking her toy.
“Be careful”
“I am old”,She giggles and runs off going to play.
I assemble her toy and it gets done within seconds.
I take my cold drink and take a sip before I take a bit off my big Mac and I enjoy my meal.
Where has this been all my life? I love it and it is quiet affordable too. I have only been used to Kfc alot from my husband and at home too. My parents are lovers of that franchise they always have been. 
I wonder if I have been just as intelligent and did not struggle at school would I have been where my sister is in life? Would I have been married to my husband? I had always dreamed from a tender age of being a social worker but that dream never happened. I knew I wouldn't reach it when I barely pulled through my matric. I was never the smart one. I struggled quiet badly in my academics and when I put in alot of work I would be average or below average.  My father thought I am illiterate and that I am slow learner and I should go to schools where struggling children go there but my mother refused. She believed in me and so as my teachers. I was good in one subject though and I loved it so very much. Mathematics, surprisingly even better than Nomvula. Anything related to numbers I was well good in it but when it came to reading and anything involving notes I was very terrible in it but those numbers got me no where. Trust me. I even regret not taking up on the offer of my father changing schools for me but I accepted that maybe I may look more or less like my sister but we are very different people and have different paths to run. 
I finish my burger and get on with my fries and wait for Rethabile to return once she feels burner out.
“Mvelo!”,I see her running towards me crying but she bumps into another man making him spill his coffee.
I stand up and rush to her and kneel infront of her.
“I am sorry about that”,I say to the man.
He check his white t-shirt and it is stained. 
“It is fine”,He mentions. I turn my attention to Rethabile.
“They pushed me”,She mentions and I hug her.
“I am sorry baby, come let's go so you can eat then we can go home.
“Okay”,She sniffs and wipes her tears. I take her hand and stand up.
We go back to our seat and she sits infront of me.
You can see that her mood is somber now. I take her burger and open it for her and then open her juicebox for her.
“Here”,She takes it and starts eating.
I watch her eat but by bit but she doesn't finish her food. 
“Don't mind those children okay?”,She nods and drinks her beverage.
I take her toy and give it to her.
“Thank you Mvelo”,She says with a little smile on her face and I smile too. 
“Hello Sisi”,I look up and see this man who's coffee was spilt on him.
“Uhm Hi”
He has ice cream in his hands.
“I am sorry for scaring your daughter. I didn't see where I was going”,He mentions.
He had hot coffee spilt on his chest yet he did not flinch. I expected him to shout at us for messing his white top but he did not.
“It is fine.”
“I bought Ice cream to make her feel better”,He mentions and I look at Rethabile and her face lights up.
“For me?”,The dark skinned man laughs.
“Yes for you”.
He turns to me.
“May I?”,I nod and he crouches infront of her and gives her the ice cream.
“Thank you Malome!”,Rethabile says taking the ice cream and already eating it.
“Thank you”
The man stands up.
“You are welcome Ms...”
“Nomvelo”,I just tell him my name. 
“Thulani”,I nod my head and he walks away. 
“I got free ice cream Ausi Mvelo, do you want some?”,She asks.
She is bobblibg her head back and forth while swinging her legs as she keeps on kicking me.  She is happy now and that somber feeling she had all forgotten.
“Let's go home now”,She nods and gets off her seat.
I pack her things and we walk out of the franchise going home.
.
It's the following day and back to work, I am getting the hang of how things are done here at work but mostly I am just happy about being able to work.  I am planning on spending my leave home with my parents but I will start and check up on my in laws. They are my family too and Jabu gave them to me and made me part of their family. Aside from our differences I shouldn't turn my back away from them as I have been a Gwala for atleast 6 years and still running. 
I am moping the main floor and I finish up quite early before my lunch break even begins. When that is done I go and help by the bar area to assemble the washed glasses for drinks when they are needed.
I wipe the glasses one by one and I place them on the shelf and get them on there one by one. 
“Gwala”,I look up and it is Mr boss himself.
He told me who his name is and it is Qophelo. 
“Hello sir”,He smiles.
He doesn't come as often to the place so I have heard but he has been much frequent here for a while. 
“How are you?”,He asks.
“I am well sir and yourself?”
“I am good. I see you are busy. Do you have plans after your shift?”,He asks.
“No”
“I would like to take you out to eat as friends”,He mentions.
I look around and then land my eyes on him. 
I sigh and I just nod.
“Fine, does your fiancee know about this friendship? I don't want to impose...”
“Yes, I told her”,I nod my head. 
“Okay, let me leave you to work.”,He mentions and flashes his smile before he disappears from my eyes. 
I laugh on my own before I turn around and place the glasses on the shelf once more and carry on with my work, after a while I do the same and turn around and I get the fright of my life when there is man staring at me.
“Oh my God!”,I place my hand on my chest feeling my heart beating fast against my chest.
“I am sorry to fright you”,It's the dark skinned man from that place.
“It is okay”, I smile and he sits down on the high chair he places his hands infront of him and there is a silver band on his  left finger.
“I would like a whiskey on the rocks”,Eh what does that mean?
“I don't drink, I don't do these rock things”,I mention.
He chuckles.
“Okay. How is your daughter”,daughter? Since when do I have a child?
He sees the confusion on my face.
“The little girl you were with”,Oh Rethabile. I smile wider.
“She is fine”
“She seemed upset that day ready to burst”,he mentions.
“She was just having a bad day”,He nods.
“I will just have water”,He mentions.
That I can do, I know there is a jug here.
I get a glass and pour some water and get some ice from the little bar fridge underneath the counter and I pour it in the drink and I search for a coaster and find it before I give it to him.
“Thank you”,He smirks and then takes a drink of half of the water and gets down from the chair.
“Usebenze Kahle Nomvelo(Work well Nomvelo)”
“Thank you”,He smiles and walks away. 
God really has beautiful people out there. Even my boss is beautiful. I laugh once again. Mimi wouldn't have wasted any time with those men. She did once say I am sleeping on a bag of which is my boss but I am respectable lady. I have to act accordingly. 
I take the glass of water and I go away from the bar area. 
Lunch time arrives earlier than I had anticipated. Working really pushes time and next thing you know you are knocking off. I go and  get my food before joining the other ladies and sit with them during lunch.