NANDI
His body language let's me know just how annoyed he is. I knew he would be talking to Lulama today and by the look of things. It wasn't a great introduction.
"How did it go?" I ask and when he looks at me, I notice his eyes are swollen and red "What happened?" I want to get up but he shakes his head and takes a sit instead. I could ask how the meeting went but it's clear to see it went south.
"She pepper sprayed me,"
I look at him and it takes everything in me not to bust out laughing but the the annoyance on his face does me in.
"Uyahleka [ you're laughing], It's funny to you," He rubs his eyes and winces.
"Hawu sthandwa Sam [My love] , ngiyaxolisa [I'm sorry]" I apologize but the laughter continues, I just can't stop. I can't believe it.
"Mxm, qhubeka uhleke [go ahead and laugh] I'm going to fix myself, how the hell am I supposed go to work tomorrow?" he gets up and starts walking, he's really annoyed.
"Kodwa baby, don't be mad," I call out and he ignores me.
I take a moment to compose myself as I walk to the kitchen to get milk then I make my way to our bedroom. I hear water running in the bathroom so I go there. His shirt is off and he's splashing his face with water. I grab a face cloth and and use my side of the sink to soak it in milk.
I go out to get a chair and bring it in the bathroom "Sit here," I tell him and he does that tilting his head back and resting it against the sink. I place the milk soaked cloth on his eyes and keep it there.
"How bad was it?" I finally ask.
"On a scale of what?"
"One to ten, ten being extremely bad,"
"hundred , definitely a hundred to ten."
"Yho, that bad"
"Number one, she has no idea about this arrangement so I appeared to be crazy or 'weird' as she put it,"
"She called you weird?" I try to conceal my laughter.
"Uyahleka futhi? Nandi,"
I bite my lips, this shouldn't be funny but it is, nkosiyam, this is going to be a long journey, "Angihleki, sthandwa sami, [I'm not laughing, my love] why would I laugh at your misery?" Atleast this time I'm able to send the laughter back.
"I don't get why she had to take it as far as spraying me,"
"Maybe she panicked, I mean you could have been a thug trying to abduct her. You know it's no longer safe out there and you just showed up from nowhere claiming to be her husband. I would have run as fast as I could,"
"Oh she ran alright, right after assaulting my eyes," he clicks his tongue.
"So what now? You've already started the process,"
"I have but there's nothing I can do until she speaks to her elders, I cannot keep getting pepper sprayed, why was she never told?"
"Maybe they didn't believe it...families have different beliefs, maybe this was just a myth to them and they didn't want to trouble her or maybe they were waiting for the right time but it never came,"
I find myself feeling sorry for Lulama, her life is about to take a turn and she has no idea. Atleast Bangizwe has known for a long time now but her, she's about to get the shock of her life.
" Did you get a feel of what kind of person she is? "I ask him.
" Besides her violent nature? " he asks removing the cloth from his eyes and I soak it again.
