Yibanathi

🧡Part 19🧡

Avuyile

I am back from the church conference. I actually came back this morning and Yibanathi is sleeping. I am sure she did not even hear me come in.

It is now 10 o'clock in the morning. I hear a knock on the door.

"Come in."

I say in a calm tone. I see Tsolo entering and she sits next to me.

"Unjani Vuyi?"
[How are you Vuyi?]

She asks me. She is genuinely the only person here in Umbumbulu who cares about me and my family. I guess it could be because we are both widows. I am happy for her caring because it can get lonely here when you only have 1 close neighbour and the next one is far away.

"I am good Tsolo and you?"

I ask her and she takes a deep breath.

"I am okay Vuyi thanks for asking."

She responds with a smile on her face. We chat for sometime and still Yibanathi is still in the bedroom. She later comes out and says she will go outside and sit there.

I nod my head and she is gone just like that. After a while Tsolo leaves and it's almost time for Sandile to come back from school. I start to cook and I go outside and Yibanathi is sleeping peacefully under the tree behind the house. I warned her not to sleep there for it is not safe. It is a mango tree and snakes could be around it or worse even on it because of the mango. I agree it has great shelter but it is also a disadvantaged.

Tsolo is outside her house checking on pots which she has started outside on open fire. One thing about Tsolo is that she is rural no matter the situation. We have electricity but no the woman likes cooking with fire wood.

"Gogo I am home."

Sandile announces happily. He is back from school clearly very excited.

"I give him a small hug." He quickly rushes inside the house and Tsolo is out of sight. I go to the tree where Yibanathi is sleeping. I get there and shake her.

"Anathi wake up and go and sleep inside."

I say and she has the guts to ignore me when she knows she is a light sleeper so she can definetly hear me.

"Yibanathi man!"

I shout and she mumbles something.

"Angizwanga ntombi uthini kimi?"
[Excuse me girl what are you saying to me?]

I say to her. She wakes up in a foul mood and stomps all the way back into the house.

"Heeey! This girl! You will not kill me in this house I refuse it."

I shout while on my way back inside the house. I find Sandile dancing while listening to music through Yibanathi's phone.

"Sandi boy where is your sister?"

I ask him. He points the bedroom and I go there instantly. The last time I left a child on their own they commited suicide. I would not like a repeat of Sthandiwe with Yibanathi.

Angiwufuni umkhokha kulomndeni ngoba phela asigezanga.
[I don't want a curse in this family because we did not do a cleansing.]

Yes we did not do cleansing after Sthandiwe's death so any bad luck and a chance of history repeating itself can happen.

The Chiliza family back in Richards Bay is a mess. After Mdunge's death no one bothered to check up on me. To ask how I am doing on the phone at least because I know a visit is a bit too much. It is like no one cared about me there. When Mdunge died he sure died with his family in my heart. I no longer ever want to see them in my life.

I stand outside their bedroom. Yibanathi shares the bedroom with Sandile. I feel like knocking but no I decide to just enter instead of knocking it is my house after all.

I find Yibanathi on her bed ataring into space.

"Anathi are you okay?"

I ask her.

"I am okay gran. I just feel sad and bored."

She answers. At least she talks unlike her mother who was a closed box.

"Gran I just wonder though if we will suffer like this until when?"

The pain behind this question Anathi throws at me is evident in her voice.

"It will never remain like this forever. Think positive and pray everyday for yourself and for us as a family."

I tell her and I can see she is listening to my words. As it is now I spent my last cash on the church conference. We are now short on groceries.

I hope we can still get some food on credit at our local tuckshop.
Yibanathi has to get a job or get a man because as it is now we are  hopeless. We cannot even afford to have food to last us a month.

"Yibanathi please take good care of yourself no boys please. I know you are 22 and I could not afford to do 21st for you."

I tell her and she nods her head. At least she is well behaved. Even when she was living at MaNgubo's house I never heard of a complaint. She is a good child and even though she was an average child at school. Yibanathi has grown indeed and she looks so much like Muzi but she has Sthandiwe's personality.

Sthandiwe... it has been years since I last visited her grave.

I leave the bedroom and go to my own bedroom and sleep on my bed.

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