Maid For Marriage

100

The drive to the village was a long one. We took as many breaks as we could.  MaKhumalo and Gogo were in one car, and Baba and I were in another. When we got to the homestead, I was amazed again. I forgot how massive it was, and with the main house being completed, it was even more spectacular.

The main house stood at the very top of the hill. It was grand. The house had huge clear windows you could see through from the front. I could see the entranceway, the living room, dining room, and kitchen all from outside. It was spectacular. "Babakhe, this is amazing." He smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it, my love." MaCele, MaMlambo, and MaGumede came running when. The cars pulled up to the main house. Before we even stopped the they tried opening the doors. Luckily, it was still locked.

Baba rolled down his window just a little bit. "If all of you don't calm down and step away from the car, I'm starting it and driving back to the city." They complained, but he was having none of it. "Ladies, come on. Give Thandi and the baby some space. How would you feel if you came home with your baby for the first time and everyone just pounced on you?" They calmed down. By now, I already had Simangaliso in my arms. I was ready to get out, too. "Now relax please and help with the bags. We've got a lot." They helped get all of our things out of the trailer, but Baba made me wait in the car. He made everyone put their phone in a pouch that blocked them from taking pictures.  The dramatics were at an all-time high.

When I was finally let out of the car, Baba would not allow me to remove the blanket for the wives to see. "Baba, this is so unnecessary." I complained.  "It's just until we're inside." He grabbed Simangaliso's bag, and we went inside. I was finally allowed to take his blanket away from his face. They gasped. "He's beautiful. Can I hold him, please?" I nodded and handed him to MaMlambo. "Wow, MaMlambo.  I thought we said I was going to hold him first." She ignored MaCele and went to take a seat. MaCele fought with her to hold him, but she finally gave him up. He woke up and was surprisingly comfortable with her. "My turn." MaGumede said, and I went to take him before she could. Everyone noticed, and the room got awkward. Luckily, the wives mentioned something about lunch.

We had lunch and Baba showed me to my room. "Wait... is this the master bedroom?" He nodded. "I can't stay here." His face fell. "But it's already set up for you and the baby." I sighed softly. "I know. Thank you, but Baba, you're not thinking. MaKhumalo will be staying here, too. This is the family's main house, and she's the first wife. You should know by now that I would never disrespect her like this. It may seem insignificant, but it's not. The house is beautiful. Any other room will do." He didn't seem okay. "Baba, come on. Don't be like that. You know what I'm saying is true." He sighed. "I know. I wasn't thinking I was a bit overly excited, but you're right. Thank you."

Rooms were switched around, and I didn't regret it one bit when I saw the smile on MaKhumalo's face. Senzo drove us to his family's homestead, and  we went to introduce Simangaliso to the elders. The aunts seemed to hate me even more. They didn't even seem interested. They just came in and looked at him and then walked back out. I caught up with Senzo's siblings. His brother worked his way up to a managerial position at the farm, and his sister did hair and recently bought herself a small space for a hairdresser. Everyone was doing .

Simangaliso got very fussy, and I knew he was tired, so we went back to the house. Leaving without Gogo was so weird. She was always by my side along with my mother. This would be the first time I would be alone. I got him to sleep quite quickly, and then I took a nap as well. I was woken up by a lot of voices. It was noisy in the house, and I knew exactly who it was. It was the girls.

"You're up." Baba said when he entered the room. "Is he awake. The girls just came from school." I shook my head. "Not yet. He'll be up in half an hour, maybe." He came to sit with me. "I'll tell them that. They're very excited, but I don't want to disturb his routine." Just as he said that, Simangaliso woke up. I fed him and then took him downstairs to meet his siblings.  Even MaKhumalo's girls were there. I absolutely loved it.

The day before the ceremony, my family arrived. My grandmother got emotional when I told her the story of Simangaliso's birth. Everyone got to know him, but every single time MaGumede even got close, I would block her or take him before she could. Her and Senzo's aunts were not allowed near my child. They gave me very bad vibes. Senzo's aunt's didn't want to be near my son anyway. They avoided him like the plague, and every time someone complimented him, they rolled their eyes or glared. I did not have time for any of that near my baby.

Senzo and the elders were going to cleanse the homestead. We didn't really need to be around, and everyone was busy anyway, but he asked that all the wives be present. They were about to start, but MaGumede was nowhere to be seen. "Didn't I ask all of you to be here?"
"Yebo, baba, but MaGumede just vanished. We don't know where she went." MaMlambo said softly so our guests couldn't hear. "Baba, I think we should just carry on without her. We don't have the whole day. We called her but found that her phone was at her house." MaKhumalo said. He looked frustrated, but he let it go and carried on.

MaGumede only returned that night. To say Baba was angry was an understatement. He was livid, but we managed to calm him down. The day of the ceremony arrived, and the elders and bsbs were all very excited. Simangaliso was introduced to the family and the ancestors. After all of the official customs were complete, the family showered him with gifts. It was one of the best days of my life.

"MaBhengu, I want to talk to you before I go." One of Senzo's cousin's wives pulled me aside.  "Yes, of course." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "I just wanted to know if there's anything special you did to give birth to a boy. Did you maybe drink something?"
"Are you insinuating that I used muti?" She shook her head. "No, no. Not like that. Was it maybe a specific day or position?" My eyes went wide. What the fuck? "Okay, let me set the record straight. I didn't use or do anything special. Just like this family only produces girls, my family only produces boys. There's on girl in every generation but the Bhengu's only have boys. There is nothing special I did to give birth to my son." She sighed. "Okay, I was just hoping maybe there was something. My husband is convinced the curse is broken and now he wants an heir from me. I don't even know if I want more children."

She looked so defeated when she left. I felt very sorry for her. "What's up? You look like you're thinking very hard." I was drinking tea in the kitchen. "One of the wives asked me what I did to have a boy. She says her husband thinks the curse is broken and wants her to produce a boy. She doesn't even know if she wants more children. She looked so sad when she didn't get the answer she wanted from me." MaKhumalo sighed. "It's not just her. All three male cousins are convinced the curse is broken. The women too. Especially your sisterwives. They're already talking about trying for more boys in the family." She said softly. "Mbali, really?"
"Why do you think they wanted to make sure your son is real? The day we arrived I heard MaCele and MaMlambo discussing trying for more children. They even asked did I think you broke the curse." I was shocked. "What the hell?"
"Shh, they're all still around."

We got our tea and went upstairs to her room so we could talk about them but when we got there we were met with MaGumede. "What are you doing in my room?" She looked like a dear caught in headlights. "Huh?" She asked in a shaky voice. She looked extremely nervous. "What do you mean your room? Isn't Thandi staying here?"
"What does it matter? Why are you here?!" I could see her lip trembling a little. "You're staying here?" What was her problem? "Umm..." She cleared her throat. "I just... I was... I was waiting for Thandi. I wanted to apologize in private. I didn't mean to miss the cleansing it's just that I lost track of time. I was visiting my parents. Mbali, did you say this was your room?"

"MaGumede, please. Get out." The whole situation was just suspicious. When Mabli was sure she was gone, she made me guard the door. She started looking for something. "What's happening? What are you looking for?" I asked once she finished. "I'm looking for something suspicious. Something that looks like muti." I gasped and held my hand over my mouth. "Do you think she's into witchcraft."
"It wouldn't be the first time. If she thought this was your room, you're definitely the target." I was scared, but we found nothing. It put my mind at ease, but the both of us were still on high alert.

The next couple of weeks were uneventful. That was mostly due to the fact that MaGumede made herself scarce. Spending time with the wives and children was such a joy. I really did love it here. Even with all the underlying tension from the aunts and MaGumede.

Baba and I were up late just talking about random things when we heard it. "Aahhh! Help! Help!" We heard MaKhumalo scream. We reacted immediately. We both ran to her room as the screaming continued. When we reached her room, we found her sitting in a pool of her own blood screaming in pain.