iFAIRYTALE KaMAGEZA
𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭 27
CONNIE
I've never seen him this angry. He's walking faster. He storms out of the ward and I follow behind him. When he sees that I'm walking slow he grabs my hand. I have to jog to keep up.
By the time we get to he parking lot I'm sweating. He opens my door. I get in and he slams it so hard that I flinch.
I'm not going to let him drive like this "You have to calm down" I say when he starts the car engine. He gives me a brief look "...please" I hold his arm, he's trembling. I quickly get out and walk to his side, I open the door.
"Come" he looks at me with red eyes. I take his hand, he allows me. He steps out of the car and I wrap my arms around him holding him tightly.
My head is conflicted. What just happened back there was a lot to take in, I'm still trying to process.
"I'll drive" I say looking up at him. I don't know what's going on in his head right now. He hasn't said anything after that bomb was dropped. I'm seeing anger and hurt. I would be angry too, he was lied to. He grew up believing her mother left because she didn't want him. I saw a broken woman back there, how can Gogo be this cruel?
"I want to go back" he finally speaks.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure" I nod. This day just keeps getting worse, I don't know how much more I can take. How does one remain strong through all of this?
We walk back inside. I'm still holding his hand. The nurse who was with us earlier tells us the Matron is in her office. Jackson asks her to go and request her.
Gogo is awake when we walk into the ward. Her eyes stick on me until we sit down. All of this makes me nervous.
The Matron walks in and pauses as soon as her eyes lands on Jackson. He squeezes my hand. Gogo starts coughing so hard that the nurse rushes to her. The Matron is just staring at her with nothing but hate in her eyes.
I wouldn't survive if all those things she went through happened to me. I can't imagine losing Jackson. I've never experienced the love he gives me and I know there's no man out there who will ever love me the way he does. And to have someone take that away from me? I'd lose my mind.
"I want to know the truth" he says in a stern voice "...all of it" he looks at Gogo then back at the Matron. My stomach turns.
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*[NARRATIVE]
Reality is sinking in. She doesn't know how long she has left but she can feel her body giving up slowly. This is the only chance she has to come clean, she can't die with the shackles of his evil doing, her soul will not find peace. She doesn't want to leave a mess behind.
"I'm sorry mtanami..." she begins looking at Sizakele who just looks away. She has no forgiveness for her. Nothing she says now will fix anything. Her sorry won't bring back Mahlathini, her sorry won't take away the pain, it won't give her the 29 years she has lost to mother her son "...I didn't mean to-"
"Oh No!" Sizakele stands up "You knew exactly what you were doing Nomeva. You hated me and you did everything in your power to get rid of me. God you're so wicked! How could you do that to your own son?! Your only son? What did he do to deserve that? What did I do? I had nothing Nomeva, nothing! Mahlathini was the only person I had. You took that away from me, you destroyed me in the worst possible way. I can't love because of you. I can't even love my own kids, I'm broken deep within. I don't know how to be okay. I can't move on! How is your sorry going to fix that?!" she's crying, Connie quickly stands up and walks to her "... I didn't do anything to her, she just chose to hate me. My sin was loving her son. That was my sin" she falls down on the floor and cries.
She's not the only one crying in the room. Connie gets up from the floor and returns to Jackson. He has his face buried in his hands. She holds him. She ends up crying with him.
Nomeva can only watch helplessly, there's nothing she can do or say. There's sorrow and anger in the room, all because of her. She is the root of everything. She destroyed her son's life. She thought she was doing what's best for him. If she allowed him to live the life he wanted he would still be here. He would have married Sizakele and they would have lived happily. He was never going to get involved in taxi violence and end up being killed.
Unfortunately she cannot turn back the time and do things differently. The damage is done.
Jackson stands up, he walks to where Sizakele is sitting and squats down. She looks at him, it's as if she's looking at Mahlathini once more "I'm sorry" she says in almost a whisper "I'm sorry that I gave up. I should have came back for you-"
"I forgive you" he says cutting her off. Being angry at her is pointless. The only thing he's grateful for now is that he knows the truth, he has a chance to know her and make up for all the time they lost. Sizakele quickly pulls him into a hug.