Shrivelled Roses 2: Iyana Kleinbooi

36

Chapter Thirty-Six

-Buhle-

Zwelethu decided to stay longer than what he had initially intended and that caused Buhle to forget about Phathuxolo being in KZN. It only hit her a week after Mntungwa had returned to the Eastern Cape. Filled with guilt, she dialed Phathu's number but it went straight to voicemail so she waited for an hour and then called him again, the same result. The last resort was to call the royal house and find out if he was still there, so she called her dad, because she was suddenly anxious. At the back of her mind, she knew that he could have been busy, but for some reason she was really anxious. Her dad's phone rang once and he answered...

Dad: MaSheleza mntanami, unjani? Ngaze ngajabula ke.

Her: Baba, ngiyaphila... ngiyazi umatasa angekhe ngik'moshele is'khathi.

Dad: Noma ngimatasa ngan'yami, akwenzeki ukuthi ngibe matasa even for you.

Her: Ngiyabonga Mzimela, bengicela uk'buza baba, ingaba u Phathu usekhona lapho ekhaya? Akaphenduli ucinga beng'zamile ukumthinta earlier on.

Dad: Cha mntanami, he left a week ago. IS everything okay?

Her: Angazi, I am hoping so. Bengithi ngizoza but I got pre-occupied, u Mntungwa was home so...

Dad: He understands mntanami ukuthi ushadile manje, he even said that when I dropped him off at the airport. I asked him if he wanted us to come by your house and he said no, he had already spoken to you on the phone.

Her: You dropped him off? Ebekuphi u Bheka?

Dad: Haha, I just wanted to. Bengihamba naye u Bheka.

She breathed, mindlessly tapping on the armrest as she finished off the call with her dad. She tried Phathu again and gave up.

A week later, she received a call from prison... she frowned at the phone. It wasn't every day that one could get calls from such places, especially not her but unfortunately Phathu had decided to inform her of what was going on his end... they were friends after all.

Buhle: Buhle Mzimela?

Phathu: mZulu...

Buhle: Speaki- aw, Nkosana? I've been trying to reach you yazi for the last few days. Why are you calling me from Butterworth prison?

Phathu: Because I have been arrested. How are you? How have you been?

Buhle: You have been arrested? By who?

Phathu: Buhle, how are you?

Buhle: I am fine. What's going on Phathuxolo?

He sighed. She sounded weird calling him by his full name, she seldom called him that. He was usually "nkosana" or "mXhosa" and he loved both, especially coming from her. He went silent for a few seconds... wondering why he thought calling her was a good idea in the first place. She was fragile, she already had a lot of burden on her shoulder. Why did he think calling her was a good idea? Damnit!

Buhle: Nkosana?

He cleared his throat...

Buhle: Please talk to me, what is going on?

Phathu: I am accused of raping Iyana, your husband's girlfriend.

Buhle: Wha-

Phathu: Oh, and I'm accused of murdering Chief Zanoyolo.

Buhle exclaimed... and cussed!

Phathu: Okay calm down, how are you really doing? I was really looking forward to seeing you.. but I understand that you're now someone's wife. I can't really expect th-