uThando

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I slowly turn my body to face the person whose face I'm dreading to see. I focus on his shoes as I don't think I'll be able to look him in the eyes. Banzi's demeanour is hard and defensive. I know he's just waiting for me to give him an indication to get rid of this man. If only he knew and it's not like I can tell him that the man before us is my brother. I mean what is he doing here and why didn't Gugu warn me that he's around?

"Bhuti," I utter in a whisper, still averting my eyes away from him. (Brother)

"Bhuti ntoni? What're you doing here?" he asks, darting his eyes between the trolley filled with baby essentials and Banzi who's still rooted beside me with Linam in his arms. (Brother what)

"Uhm... I-I," I falter which seems to aggravate him some more. I know I'm not doing anything wrong but somehow it feels like I am. My brother is very intimidating, and I fear him more than I fear my parents, so him finding me in this 'compromising' position has me shaking.

"Thando ndikubuze umbuzo." (I asked you a question) My brother hates repeating himself. I lift my eyes so I can look at him.

As always, he's dressed to the nines, black suit pants, dress shoes, a white slim fit shirt. He has a stack of books in his hands which I know are for Mtha. He always makes it a point to bring him something whenever he's travelled somewhere, be it for business or for leisure and judging from his appearance or rather dress code it can only mean that he was here for a meeting.

"I was helping my friend buy things for his son," I say, trying to be as calm as possible. Banzi's jaws tick when I refer to him as a friend but what am I supposed to refer to him as?

"Wazi ntoni wena ngezinto zabantwana?" (What do you know about kids)

"..." Silence. I can't tell him that his wife assisted me otherwise he will burn me alive.

"Khona, why isn't this friend of yours buying these things with the mother of his son?" (Also)

At the mention of his ex, which Nzolo obviously has no knowledge of nor the nature of their relationship, Banzi drops his hand to his side and bawls it into a tight fist. uNzolo kodwa. The urge to reach out to him and hold his hand rises but njani when my brother is piercing daggers at me? (How)

"Ndoda, yintoni ekudibanisa nodad'wethu?" Nzolo asks, shifting his attention to Banzi. (Man, what connects you to my sister) At least he didn't call him a boy. That would've been disastrous. The two have a stare down. My brother is being his usual intimidating, overbearing self but he has met his match because Banzi's not backing down. Men and their stupid egos. When Banzi doesn't answer, Nzolo decides to throw his toys out the cot.

"Thando, mas'hambe." he says through gritted teeth. (Let's go)

"W-what?" I ask, stuttering with my eyes bulging out of their eye sockets. Nzolo can't do this to me. He found me here mos.

"Thando andizoziphinda; ndithe mas'hambe," he says, taking a giant step towards me, grabbing my wrist painfully. (I won't repeat myself; I said let's go)

"Nzolo uyandilimazia," I wince as he drags me out of the store, all eyes on us now. (You're hurting me)

"Ubufuna lonto, andithi?" (That's what you wanted, right) I shake my head 'no' with tears at the brim of my eyelids.

"Thando," Banzi calls out to me. Nzolo comes to an abrupt stop and glares at him. Banzi hands over my car keys to me but Nzolo snatches them out of his rather aggressively. I look at Banzi and mouth sorry to which he responds with a knowing smile and faint nod.