Shrivelled Roses 2: Iyana Kleinbooi

32

Chapter Thirty-Two

-Iyana-

After calling Clive multiple times without being answered, she resorted to calling Buhle because ebetshilo that Clive was going to be at home. She didn't even think Buhle would allow her to speak to Clive, not after the exchange of words they had earlier. But she was surprised that Buhle didn't hold that against her, what shocked her even more was how Clive spoke to her. He was livid!

"Sanda... What do I do? Zwelethu just left me here, I am pregnant"

"Eish Nana"

"I don't need your 'I told you so' right now friend, I really don't"

"Iyana wena ufuna ndithini ke? Why are you acting like you didn't know that Clive really made someone else ukhona? Did you really expect him to marry ogqiba amyeke nje kokwabo angi nokuyomkroba ke? Like... yho ha.a friend, andikujaji but uzifake kelento with your eyes open" Sanda burst out loud.

The outburst was followed by a long silence.

"Yazi Sanda uZwelethu uyandithanda... you know this too. You have seen what I am talking about, he married her because he had to. He couldn't defy his brothers, no Zulu man would ever defy his family"

"Nana... Zwelethu is someone else's husband now. Ewe he may have loved you before, but we cannot run away from the fact that he is someone else's husband right now. Things have changed, you need to accept that things have changed" Sanda's heart broke as she tried to figure out what was really happening with Iyana because there was no way her actions were inspired by love.

"So I need to accept that out of nowhere I became second best to him? Asoze Sanda, nawe you would never accept lonto umthanda umntu wakho"

"Okay ke Iyana, what do you think is your way forward?"

"I will win him back... he needs to be with us... with me and his baby. That's where he belongs" Iyana nodded to herself convincingly and Sanda just saighed and said 'okay' because there was really nothing she could do or say.

Two hours later, she was in bed, lying on her back in the dark room with tears down her cheeks and some into her ears. He called, and she took a deep breath while watching the phone ring. It stopped ringing, and she exhaled in relief. But he called again, so she answered...

Iyana: Hi?

Clive: Why did you do it?

There was this calmness in his voice, it confused her.

It, being the calmness, and it being the question.

Iyana: Pardon?

Clive: Why did you tell her about the pregnancy?

Iyana: I didn't know that you were hiding the pregnancy, and I didn't even know that she was really part of your life. Remember you denied her, you made it look like I was crazy, even with the information I had presented you with. You and your brothers made me look like I was mad.

Clive: Mmh, so this was vengeance?

Iyana: Vengeance would be aborting this thing I'm carrying.

Clive: You would never do that.

She didn't respond.

Clive: Iyana, you will not abort my child.

Iyana: And I will not be your second best. You will either be for us, or for her. Choose Zwelethu.

He didn't respond.

He knew he messed up the day she locked all doors and pulled out proof regarding his brother violating Buhle, he knew he messed up the day he sat across his brothers at Buhle's home after the lobola negotiations finalizing a deal instead of asking his brothers about the accusations, he knew he messed up when he went ahead with the plan. He knew he messed up when he kissed her lips, confirming that he had really caught feelings for her. At the back of his mind, he knew he messed up.

Clive: I'm coming back in a day or two, we need to talk about my request.

Iyana: Is that all you care about?

Clive: Have you changed your mind?

Iyana: No I haven't, but is that all you care about?

Clive: I don't know what I care about anymore Iyana, you are making it very difficult to care about you and I don't want to be insensitive and tell you I only care about my child. That would be very wrong of me.

She blinked the tears away...

Clive: I don't know why you thought you had the right to disclose yourself to uMamzimela. I don't know what you thought you would gain by humiliating me and telling my wife about a pregnancy that I was still finding a way to disclose to her. As of late, with you we go one step forward, and then hundred steps backwards. Masheleza is not your friend Iyana, delete her number from your phone. I am your boyfriend, if you have anything to say, say it to me! I really hate what you did here, I am saying in the calmest of tones, I hate what you did and I hope it never happens again.

Iyana: You are choosing her? Zwe... you are choosing Buhle over me?

Clive: I am choosing to protect her. You have no idea what she's been through or what she is going through and you probably don't care because you're selfish and all you can think of is you and your child. What if she can't have children? What if your call revoked her past traumas? You didn't think about that? Or you did, but you don't care because the world has to stop where Iyana is concerned.

She broke down.

Clive: Angazi ke ukuthi ukhaliswa yin' manje ngoba siyakhuluma lana as grown adults. Call me when you've decided to be a woman who can actually handle her business.

He hung up and kicked the bean bag... his biggest concern was how he would face Buhle and how long had Iyana been calling Buhle behind his back. She was still his wife, and according to him, they were making progress. Now all of that might have been for nothing... because Buhle was a daddy's girl, she would expose him for his shenanigans to the chief and he would have to answer!

*******

-Buhle-

She cleaned up after herself, washed the plate and went to her room. She got in bed and just waited in the dark. She wasn't expecting him to join her, she was expecting him to either call and explain the baby news or text. He seemed shattered earlier on, or maybe he was planning to hide the baby from her? She didn't have answers to her own questions...

She heard a knock but didn't move.

He knocked again...

Buhle: Yebo?

Clive: Can I come in?

Buhle: Cha.

Clive: Please.

Buhle: Ufunani Mntungwa?

Clive: Ngicela sikhulume mama... five minutes nje then I'll be out of your hair.

Buhle: We can talk tomorrow morning.

Clive: So vele sizolala singakhulumisani?

Buhle: Hayibo, siyakhuma njenga manje.

He ran a hand over his face...

Clive: Masheleza?

Buhle: Khumalo?

Clive: Ngicela uvule.

Buhle: Mntungwa ngicela uk'lala, we can still talk in the morning bandla.

Clive: Okay.

After that he didn't say another word.

A few minutes later, she got out of bed and opened the door only to find him sitting on the floor. She sighed and opened the door wider for him. He didn't move, so she dropped and joined him on the floor without saying a word.

Clive: I'm sorry.

Buhle: Do you love her?

Clive: That's beside the point...

Buhle: Answer my question Mbulazi, do you love her?

He looked at his feet and didn't answer her.

She waited, looking at his bowed head. Her biggest fear was him actually admitting to loving her (Buhle) more than loving Iyana. That would mess her plans, so would her falling for him.