Shrivelled Roses 2: Iyana Kleinbooi

28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

-Iyana-

Zwelethu walked into the room and just stood there, watching her in silence. She frowned, turned around and faced him with her book in hand. He had a water bottle in his one hand, and in the other he had his phone.

"Hi?" she said, cocking a brow and he smiled, taking his yet calculated steps towards the bed. This time around, he didn't walk all the way around the bed, but sat on the first corner and breathed.

"Unjani?" he asked, taking the book from her hands.

"I uhm... I don't know, I am good. I guess"

"You guess?" he asked, with a raised brow and she breathed. Almost as if she sighed.

"Yeah I mean, I came back here because I thought we would uhm, talk? Since we couldn't really talk last night. I know, I know I should have said something, you obviously had other plans which you would have communicated if bendithethile ndingaveli ndithi gqi kwakho"

He smiled at her...

"Your brothers must be having a feast about how clingy I am" she said softly.

"I am actually happy to find you here"

"You are?" she asked, frowning.

"Yes... I have a favor that I need to ask from you"

She sat up right, putting a continental pillow behind her to support her back.

"All ears"

"Okay... before I even tell you what the favor is I want you to know that you don't have to do it if you don't feel comfortable doing it. My life, my legacy and everything my brothers have worked hard to acquire for the past ten years actually depends on the success of it, but I wouldn't expect you to do anything you don't want to do"

"Uyandoyikisa kengoku Zwe" she said softly playing with her fingers.

"I don't mean to scare, I just want you to know that you don't have to do it if you can't. It's obviously a huge ask, hence I am kind of prepping you right now."

She nodded, waiting in anticipation.

"I need you to open a case of sexual assault against someone" Zwelethu said that with a straight face and Iyana almost threw up. She started coughing uncontrollably and Zwelethu just opened the bottle of water he had brought when he walked into the room and gave it to her. She drank half the contents of the bottle, but didn't return it to him.

"You want me to open a sexual assault case against someone?" she repeated and he nodded. Her jaw dropped, and he just looked at her blankly, emotionless.

"Hayibo Zwelethu, you want me to lie? For what? You want me to put my life at risk for what?" her voice was now suddenly pitched.

"Angazi ke ukuthi why ung'rasela ngoba ngik'tshelile ukuthi you don't have to if you don't want to. I will go and ask for someone else to do it"

"No Zwelethu, no! You can't just expect me to not raise my voice, I am shocked that you even considered me for this. Like, am I that cheap to you? You should have just gone with your second option, hayibo lomntu!"

He chuckled, shaking his head as he closed the water bottle, checking time on his phone before responding to her saying: "I actually don't expect anything from you Iyana, nothing. I don't know ukuthi awuzwa yini ngoba ngik'tshelile ukuthi you don't have to do it if you don't want to. It's a favor for a reason, you have an option to either play a good sport or not. Judging from your reaction ke manje it is clear ukuthi you will not do it, and I am okay with that. There's really no need for us to be going back and forth about this, okay? It's good to know I can always count on you. Shap"

He got up and walked out of the room.

He had no second option, Iyana was the first and second option for the plan. She was the only option, the only person who had been in close contact with Phathuxolo, well beside Buhle and Buhle was never going to be an option for that favor. He would NEVER ask her anything close to that.

He found his brothers outside having a braai, he joined in and didn't say a word about his interaction with her even though he could see the curiosity in Kuriyata's eyes. Two hours later, he left the gathering with just a bottle of beer and went to sit in the garden, dialed Buhle and waited as the phone rang. The first call went unanswered, so he waited for five minutes before he called her again and then she answered.

"Mbulazi?" her voice soothed the river of loath that had already started to overflow in his heart. After having such a successful day, Iyana had to ruin his day.

"Mama, kunjani?"

"Hawu, Mntungwa, umoya wakho sengathi uphansi kwenzenjani? Ingabe konke kuhamba kahle?" she asked and the concern in her voice stuck in the back of his head.

"Does this question mean I am not supposed to miss you when I am in East London?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"Angisho kanjalo, hawu weee! Okay fine, what can I do for you ke ukuze nami ngaz'ukuthi u right ngempela?"

"Ngiright MaSheleza, like I said, I just missed you. I am really okay, I have some friends and obviously my brothers over, we're celebrating another win. But for some reason I just left them to call you"

She blushed, remembering how he made her feel when he was in KZN earlier that month.

"Bengith' I must just check if you're okay" he spoke softly while throwing a pebble across the lawn.

"Ngi right baba, futhi ke thank you for checking up on me even if it's really late"

"Ngiyaxolisa if I woke you"

"Akunankinga, manje, uzobuya so that I can cook some good food for you or you're going to sulk lapho eEast London?" she asked and he chuckled, shaking his head.

"I thought you enjoyed your space nje... I also don't want to be up in your face all the time. Kuyasiza nokuthi abantu bangahlezi bebonana all the time. Whites say the heart grows fonder or something along those lines"

"Waze wasikhuluma isingisi wee Mntungwa, awung'tshele ke Mbulazi, is this you declining an invitation to be with your wife?"

"Cha cha cha, I can never do that. Okay, let's do it like this, can I come next week? I need to wrap up a little business kulempelosonto and then go to Cape Town before I can come home. Are you willing to wait?" he asked, softly, almost whispering the last sentence.

"Whatever works for you, next week or next month.... it's not like the groceries are going to grow legs and run away and stuff"

He laughed, running his hand over his head.

The idea of going back to her in such a short space of time seemingly amusing.

"Ngiyacabanga ke ukuthi you will let me know when you're coming home?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"Yebo MaSheleza ngizokwazisa"

"Alright then, go and celebrate with your people. I need to get in bed"

"Uyathandwa ke uMntungwa, you don't have to respond to that kodwa ng'fisa wazi ukuthi uMntungwa uyaz'fela ngawe mama. Ulale kahle ke Mzungwanya"

She smiled, and hung up.

"You are losing the plot Buhle, you are losing the plot" she scolded herself after a second and chucked the phone under her pillow, turned off the lights and breathed into the darkness. He looked at the screen, put the phone in his pocket and then exhaled.