Shrivelled Roses 2: Iyana Kleinbooi

24

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-Four

-Buhle-

She waited in the car until Zwelethu walked out of the house with one of his cousins. It was somewhat normal for them to arrive home and rope in cousins and friends for get-togethers. This was new to her. If she had been traveling, and then decide to go home, her safe return would obviously be celebrated but her parents always told her to never rope in other people at least not for the first three days to a week. There were things that her father believed need just abantu of the immediate family. But, she wasn't complaining. The Khumalo men knew what they were doing and it worked just fine for them.

"Masheleza, sorry for making you wait" he murmured as he got in the car and she just smiled at him, with a little nod to show that she understood. He drove her to her home, leaving his brothers to tend to the lot. She noticed that he wasn't taking the normal route to her home, but decided not to question him so she just fixed her eyes onto her phone. He stopped at Checkers, in Durban North and left her in the car. She squinted her eyes at his behind as he walked away, without saying a word. A few seconds later, his phone rand and she looked at the screen and sighed. Then put the phone down. It stopped, and rang again. She closed her eyes, it was Mzukisi and the only reason she pushed herself to answer the call was what if there was something urgent that he needed from Clive. She took a deep breath, and then answered the call...

Buhle: Mntungwa's phone saw'bona bhuti.

Kuriyata: Hawu, Masheleza, kunjani?

She rolled her eyes before answering him in short sentences.

Buhle: Ngiright, wena uyaphila?

Kuriyata: Ngiyaphila, konje ukuphi uZwe? I didn't see you two leave, I just heard now from Mzuvukile ukuthi Zwe is taking you home.

Buhle: Yes.

Kuriyata: Ingaba konke kuhamba kahle kodwa ekhaya?

Buhle: Yebo.

Kuriyata: Ooh, bengicela ukukhuluma no Zwe.

Buhle: I'll ask him to call you back, he shouldn't be longer than fifteen minutes. He left his phone in the car.

Kuriyata: Ooh okay, hayike, uhamba kahle.

Buhle: Ngiyabonga bhuti.

She quickly hung up and breathed.

Mzukisi looked at the screen and frowned, in his heart of hearts he knew that Buhle was running away from him, but he wouldn't admit that. Not even to himself. His mind told him something else, and his heart another. As he stood on that veranda, his girlfriend called him and he put the phone on silent and walked back to where his cousins had the fire going.

Zwelethu returned to the car carrying two shopping bags, put them at the back passenger seats and then joined his wife in the front and drove her home without saying a word. They got to her front gate and the gatemen approached the car, Buhle lowered her window and one of them saw her, quickly ran and opened the gate for them to drive in. He found a parking spot, turned off the ignition and then looked at her.

"Please take those bags, your parents are not home so I won't have to walk you inside" she frowned at him, and then asked, "how do you know that they are not here?" he chuckled, and didn't respond to her question.

"Your brother called, I told him you'd get back to him about fifteen minutes" she said that as she was getting out of the car. He looked at his phone, only realizing that moment that he didn't take it with him when he had gone to Checkers. He put the phone down, helped with taking out the shopping bags and then stole a kiss on her cheek before watching her leave. As soon as she disappeared into the front rondavel, he got in his car and drove out dialing his brother.