BANGIZWE
We got back last night and this morning I have to get ready for work. I feel tired and would rather be in bed but it's only good that I get back in routine. Nandi is still fast asleep when I go to shower. I'm still feeling the effects of our honeymoon, I'm still on this high and the fresh memories keep putting a smile on my face.
I love that she was happy.
That's all I wanted, for my wife to be happy and to enjoy this time away. I wanted to make it super special for her. She always spoke about how she wanted to visit Thailand one day so I figured it would be the perfect place for our honeymoon. We could have been anywhere and it wouldn't have mattered to me as long as I had her next to me so this was more about making her dream come true.
As I shower, I start thinking about how things are going to shift in our lives. I know it's impossible for things to remain the same. I can't say or promise her that life will remain as we know it to be but I know that I meant each and every promise that I've made to her and I intend on living up to my word. I know there's no running from it now, especially knowing what I felt when I saw Lulama. Everything that bab'Mzimela said would happen, happened exactly in that way and now I know I need to have this talk with Nandi.
She's not in bed when I come out of the bathroom, my clothes are neatly placed on the bed with the shoes on the floor. I smile at this gesture, I wasn't expecting her to be up at all. I get dressed and make sure I smell good too, or should I say Nandi makes sure that I smell good because she also picked out the cologne for me to use.
I'm so glad that we got this house before getting married or now we would be faced with the struggle of getting a house while dealing with everything else. I prefer one struggle at a time but I know life hardly works that way. It's quite easy to find yourself in a shitstorm and I'm truly hoping that's not the direction my life is taking or Bangizwe senior would have fucked me up for real. None of my kids are going to be named Bangizwe, none. I also worry about the kind of person Lulama is but I guess I'm about to find out.
I find Nandi in the kitchen, her favorite place to be. I know our family business will be born from this kitchen one day. Despite everything else, I have a good feeling about us, I have faith in our love. If she could love and accept me with all the stuff I come with, there's no way it can be hard for me to reciprocate that love and multiply it a thousand times.
"I thought you'd sleep in," I hug her from behind and tilt her head to the side so I can kiss her.
"I wanted to talk to you before you leave," She says and then turn around to look at me "We can talk while you eat before leaving for work,"
I don't have an appetite, especially since knowing what it is she wants to talk about but she's already made food and I know better than to let her efforts be for nothing. She serves me breakfast and she settles for coffee then it goes quiet. I know she's waiting for me to lead the conversation and I know that I cannot run from it any longer. It's here.
"I saw her..." I start and she nods looking at her coffee, she's holding it with both hands and staring at it like there's something going on in that mug.
"I figured... Did you talk to her?"
"No...well I mean, she spoke to both of us but I didn't say a word to her besides her interaction with us," she looks up when I say this, waiting for me to elaborate "it's the waitress that was assigned to our table," I say it slowly, feeling scared that she will start crying but she doesn't, she just looks down again, taking it all in.
"Lulama... That's her name, right?" it's almost like she expected it..
"Yes, it sounds like you already knew,"
