THEIR HUSBAND
CHAPTER 31
*** SPONSORED BY NALEDI ***
LEAH MAVIMBELA
What happened to Nkanyiso? This is not the man I married. This is not the man I vowed to spend my life with. Why is he like this? Was he always like this? Was he hiding with work that’s why I never saw his shenanigans. When he introduced Nandi to me, I thought that was his way of telling me that he doesn’t love me. I never wanted an explanation, for me walking away was what was good for me and I chose myself.
Then I found out that he forged the divorce papers, again at the back of my mind I thought maybe he didn’t want to lose me. I thought maybe it hurt that I was the one to break things off. I thought maybe he was jealous to see me with Justin. God knows I tried to give him the benefit of a doubt and try to see if there is some good left in him.
There is no good left in Nkanyiso. He is a crazy person that belongs in a mental institution. He is not okay in the head. No sane person would do the things Nkanyiso Madida does. I cannot believe that he went out and found another woman when he was begging me to get back with him. I cannot believe he went out and got another woman knowing that Nandi is pregnant.
Nkanyiso Madida is crazy and he needs help. That is the only explanation for this. His mother should come and take him home. Maybe they bewitched him because he is crazy. He is crazy if he thought that Nandi, Pearl and I were going to agree to share him. He is crazy if he thinks that he was going to openly admit to lying to these ladies and then they smile and tell him that they love him back.
To think I thought that was it but no, Nkanyiso Madida serves quality content. With him, it is go big or go home. He always does the unthinkable but I did not expect this from him. Noxolo? Of all people, he slept with Noxolo. He slept with Nomhlekabo’s little sister. He even got her pregnant. This is my cue, I don’t need this kind of stress in my life and if he thinks he can keep me here against my will then he is fooling himself.
We are all still standing, watching Noxolo who has her hands on her belly. I am very disappointed in her. She knew Nkanyiso is married. She knows me, we used to talk during family lunches when she knew that she was shagging my husband.
“Leah please tell me this is a dream. Please tell me this is just a nightmare and I am still yet to wake up!” says Nandi. She should save her tears. Nkanyiso doesn’t deserve her tears, “Nkanyiso how could you do this?”
“I’m sorry,” Nkanyiso replies. He is sorry? Sorry doesn’t fix anything. Sorry doesn’t take away the betrayal I feel right now. This is Nomhlekabo’s sister. Couldn’t he find someone else to cheat with?
I cannot believe this man. I say, “Welcome to the circus, Noxolo. As you can see you are not the only one. Nandi is here too and she is pregnant too.”
“I am sorry, Leah,” says Noxolo playing with her hands, “It just happened.”
“You are not sorry. Don’t act sorry because you are not,” I then shift my attention to Nandi, “Where are your car keys?”
She sniffles, “In the bedroom.”
“This is no time to cry sweetie, you wanted this, remember?” I pick up the gate remote and then go upstairs to get the car keys. I see they made themselves comfortable in the bedroom. Nkanyiso didn’t even have the decency to change the bed.
The car keys are not hard to find, I get them on the dressing table. Wait a minute, these are the same keys to my old car. I thought Nkanyiso said he sold it.
“I got the keys, Nandi. I see he gave you my old car,” I say and hear Nkanyiso curse.
Nandi asks him, “You said it was new.”
“I guess everything will be secondhand when it comes to you, Nandi. Take my advice and leave now. You can come with me if you want. I am leaving and no one will stop me.”
“You are not going anywhere, Nandi. If you leave then don’t bother coming back,” Nkanyiso threatens.
“That would be a relief, please say that to me too,” I say, “Nandi are you coming?”
She murmurs, “I have to think of my baby.”
I cannot believe this. Maybe Nandi also deserves to be put in a mental institution along with Nkanyiso. How can she not want to walk away after this? She is talking about her baby, she can raise that child on her own. Hell, she can make Nkanyiso pay child support since he doesn’t know how to keep his dick in his pants.
“You are a grown woman, stay if you want to,” I say heading out. I don’t have any words for Noxolo. She is just a hore. She slept with a married man and got pregnant for him.
“Leah, where are you going?” Nkanyiso shouts following me.
“I am going to my apartment, I am going back to my child!”
“You are not going anywhere. I will get Amahle,” he tries to grab the keys from me but I shift away.
“Listen here, Nkanyiso Madida. I am not Nandi that you can manipulate. I am divorcing you and you will not keep me here against my will. I am no child. Do you hear me?”
“If you leave, you will regret it. I will kill that man that you love so much,” he threatens.
“I will kill you too if you do. Just because you are the father of my child doesn’t mean I will let you do as you please in my life.”
He grabs me by my arm, “Get back in the house!”
“I took your gun in the bedroom. Killing you is too easy. If you do not let go of my arm, I will shoot you in the balls that way ladies can be spared of your cheating.”
“I see you want to challenge me, fine. Go!” he lets go of me and walks back into the house.
I was going anyways. It’s not like I needed his approval on anything. I drive out of the house and lucky the man at the gate doesn’t stop me. I toss them their gate key on my way out. If Nkanyiso thinks he can threaten me then he is crazy. His threats do no work on me. I am not Nandi whom he can easily manipulate.
I drive to my apartment. It’s now dark but since I don’t have a phone, I have to go there so I know where Samantha is. If she is not at my house then I will know that she is at her house. She knows where I keep my spare key so I know she would let herself in if she went to my apartment.
I don’t find her there meaning she is at her house. My bag is on the couch meaning she came and left it there or maybe it was Justin. I take my phone, I will reply to people later, right now I need to call my father.
Me: Hey, Dad. You never got back to me.
Dad: You have no idea what happened, the person that was going to help us got into a car accident this morning.
Me: Oh my God, is he okay?
Dad: The doctor said he will be fine. I will get someone else to help you.
Me: I want you to help me, Dad. You are the best in the game.
Dad: I am old Leah and I want someone who will help you get what you want. If Nkanyiso is capable of faking divorce papers then it means he has friends in high places.
Me: I trust you, Dad. I know you can do this. Please do it for me.
Dad: Okay, since you insist.
Me: Thank you. I will hear from you then.
After talking to my father, go to the bedroom and hide the gun I took at Nkanyiso’s place. I hide it in a place Amahle would not find it. I wouldn’t want accidents. I then drive to Samantha’s house. I want my father to help me because I want the person who will be handling my case to be someone Nkanyiso cannot kill. I know he has a hand in the other lawyer getting hurt. I can’t believe Nkanyiso would go to such lengths just to keep me tied to him. The part that frustrates me is that I am not the only one. He wants me to share him with another woman.
I call Sammy when I am outside her house and she opens for me. “I see you got your Volvo back.”
“It belongs to Nandi now.” I hug her, “Thank you for getting Amahle for me. Did she ask for me?”
“She did but I handled it perfectly. She is sleeping now.”
“Thanks, Sammy. Can I have some wine?” I request as we head into the house, “Did Justin ask about me?”
“He did but I told him you got an emergency call from your family.”
“I feel bad for involving him in all this, He doesn’t deserve this,” I say and Sammy hands me a glass of wine.
“Everything will be fine and Justin is a grown-up so I think he knows what he is getting himself into.”
I sigh, “I guess.”
“So what happened?”
I scoff, “Nkanyiso wanted to introduce us to his new girlfriend. The one he has been cheating on Nandi with. According to him if we gave things a try, it was going to work. That man is sick in the head.”
“I don’t understand, has he always been like this?”
I shrug, “I don’t know or maybe it’s because I was in the dark back then.”
“I am sorry that you have to go through this. I don’t understand why he is forcing you to be with him. Even if you go back to him, it would be because he forced you.”
“I don’t know what is going in with that man. He even got Noxolo pregnant. She is at the house as we speak,” I say.
“I know that name…”
“That is Nomhlekabo’s sister,” I reply.
“I wash my hands off Nkanyiso.”
***
I have told myself that I will not let Nkanyiso get to me. I will focus on my life and cross my fingers that my father will make him sign the divorce papers. It has been two days since that dramatic moment in Nkanyiso’s house. I have told myself that I will not be part of anything that has Nkanyiso in it. He has been calling me with different numbers but my answer remains the same. I am not going back to him, over my dead body.
Justin and I are holding hands in the parking lot heading to the car. It’s knocking off time and today we were the last to leave the office. I didn’t tell him about what happened the last time I was at Nkanyiso’s house and I think it is best I keep it like that.
“Can you sleep over at my house?” he requests.
“Amahle is waiting for me, remember?”
He kisses me, “Can I sleep over at your apartment?”
“Since you asked nicely, yes.”
He kisses me again, “I love you, Leah. I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
He opens the car door for me and I get in. I hear tires screeching followed by multiple gunshots. Justin has been shot!
