Gabsile

Akhumzi?

****Siyanda Khumalo****

My phone beeps in my hand and I automatically know its Akhumzi , I can feel it in my blood that my 'husband' sent me a text. I don't look at it , I just pick out cream suit pants  a white shirt and a black wool jersey and then I comb the hair I stayed up late unplaiting and relaxing into a high pony tail and then I put on my artificial long pony tail , I'll put on my red lipstick in the car.

Duduzane and my car are no where to be found but there's a note and Mpilo in his gown at 7 am in the kitchen drinking coffee or tea or maybe even alcohol , who knows?As I read the note a smile creeps on my face and Mpilo starts his session of Did you know?

'Did you know that my brother is intelligent and very confident in his area of work but cannot for the life of God talk to a woman?"
' Did you know that you make my brother weak? He literally starts pacing in his bedroom everytime he has to pick an outfit because of you?"
'Did you ? I mean he took your car so you could stop driving that bug of yours and  I don't blame him imbi , so just pick a random car key in that bowl and go to work" and I did , I picked his Brabus and left .

I find  Miss Bogatsu in the parking lot and she jumps up and down in excitement as I park and stands by my door making faces and calling me 'Mrs Buthelezi' and you know what ? I love how these leather seats feel , how his steering wheel feels , I feel empowered and unstoppable because of just being in his car and most importantly I feel like I am taking a part of him to work since this car smells like him .

The lunch time bell rings and I grab Miss Bogatsu and steer her in the direction of his car.' My body is a war zone " I say after closing the door , ' was the sex so bad?" She asks
'What ? NO! Akhumzi my husband called me yesterday saying he wants us to meet today at Rosebank -"
'And you're not going right?"
'I don't want to but I want to "
'Sii I have a bad feeling about him , so has he texted you the details? I can always come for moral support and stay in the car"
'He did and no man I got this , I don't know who is genuine, Duduzane isn't saying it but he is showing me & Akhumzi wants us to fix our marriage"
'Where's your ring wena married woman ? ...Free advice? Give Duduzane a fair shot , Akhumzi isn't the guy for you anymore , he can't be calling after nearly two months , he just wants to get laid "
'Well I'm just going because I want to hear him out , we are meeting at a restuarant so I will be fine "

Afterschool I drive behind Miss B for a light lunch & then I head off to Rosebank. I know he said 6pm but I prefer being early and scanning the area to see if I will be safe , I don't trust that man and the rape & crime stats of this country are crazy .With just over 2 hours to spare I go fragrance and lingerie shopping, you never know when you might need to put on a sexy number.

Its 6pm already and Akhunzi is nowhere to be found , not in the restuarant that im parked infront off and definitely not in the driveway so I call him two times  and when he doesn't pick up  I go into Crumbs , the restuarant that we were going to sit and have dinner in , order coffee and wait for any sign of Akhumzi. The couples start filling in and I feel awkward having plain coffee so I order a muffin and call him , does he answer?No , does he show up?No.

After finishing the muffin and coffee I stand slowly , I am angry , I want to throw this chair at something , I want to punch something so I figure that It's better if I leave. My heart is slowly breaking and I feel stupid ,I drove another man's Brabus to come see aman that didn't even have the decency to text me or call me or even send a please call 'angisazi" .sies!

I get in the car and I call him for the last time and he finally answers but his voice sounds so strangled I can almost hear his chest panting.
'Hi , where are you ?"
'Hi -oh fuck baby please not-"
'AKHUMZI KHUMALO!!"
'Si-I-oh fuck-I-oh fuck-baby-"
And It clicks , this man stood me up , so he could either have sex with someone or to get head from someone , this is the man that called me sounding genuine , and here I am unable to move and start the car because every single thing in my body feels broken and I don't even look down when my phone slides from my palm .

I sit in that same position , staring outside the window and crying my lungs out. I feel like air has been sucked out of my lungs, my chest is on my fire , my palms feel dry and the clothes ontop my skin feel heavy . The couples walking out of Crumbs intensify my feelings and its only when the lights go out and the doors are locked that I come back to life and I start the car and leave , wishing I would die on the way to Krugersdorp.

****Duduzane Buthelezi****

I have this heavy weight on my shoulders and I don't know what causing it. Its 8.30 pm and im leaving my friends place excited to see Siyanda and give her the roses that I picked up on the way to the office and the chocolate gifts I ordered to my friends place because Mpilo is a stray dog who eats anything and everything he sees. As I drive into my street the security guards at the construction site call me to report  that there are people stealing some material and their backup hasn't arrived so I go back to that construction site cursing and hooting at anycar the passes by because when I return Siyanda will be asleep and I'm not going to be able to do much at the construction site but I have to be there since they reported.

I arrive together with their backup and I hurl out insults without repeating and statering , calling the site manager and everyone else who is involved and insulting them too because I could be warm in bed too but im here in the dark because everyone else couldn't answer their phones except me.

When I finally arrive and park I see Siyanda Driving in the garage. Odd, very odd but maybe she went out with Courtney or for some shopping but then she doesn't get out of the car , she parks and rests her hand on the door , balancing her head on her palm and looking out the window. I look at her for a good minute and realise that she cannot see me because if she did she would hop out the car .

Another minute passes by and  I hop outside her little car and go knock on her window , she just removes her head and opens the door revealing the mascara stripes that run down to her chin and the bits of pieces of hair that are sticking out and completely ruining her hairstyle. She looks up at me and my heart drops to my stomach , I feel sick instantly and  I don't ask any questions.

I help her get out of the car and carry her the house where she finally whispers ' Kubhlungu "while the tears pour down her face.I put her down and hold her close to me while my hand taps the wall for the switch and when I find it and switch the light on I hear a woman scream. You see that weight that I felt on my shoulder ? It was definetly my younger brother and his girlfriend having sex completely naked in my kitchen .

She stops screaming when Mpilo places her on the kitchen counter and tosses a dish washing cloth at her and stands infront of her showing us his behind.  I try by all means not to drop Siyanda's hand and to jump on this naked boy and circumcise his circumcised penis with a fist and a kick in the ribs . Yibo laba aba yenza ukhuthi emsebenzini ba cekeze.

I take Siyanda and tuck her in her bed and she holds my hand as im about to leave and asks me to hold her to sleep and I hesitate a little before joining her.