Kaboentle.
She gently pulls the sorghum up the surve and then she gives it a hard push milking all the mqombothi out and into the big drum under neath it, she's does so again two more times with so much determination and willingness to get it right until Mamkhulu Ndondoloza pushes her finger up between her nose adjusting her glasses and she stands up from her seat.
Till this day I haven't forgiven this woman for what she's done to me, her and her sisters, I still haven't forgotten and it disgusts me being in the same room as her like this again. It wasnt my choice to be here but I had to because it's our responsibility as oMakoti to make sure that the traditional beer is set for the ceremony that's coming soon.
The men had been assigned with chopping up the live stock since I don't know when, they've already slaughtered three goats a whole cow and what I could have sworn a coup of chickens because the women in the bundus don't believe in store bought products, i shit you not ever since I set Foot in this place I Nara smithed my behind since the morning till now, Stacy looks like she could cry because she's in hell and Khwezi has been made in charge of deligating the tea team for the elders from the village that keep visiting the royal house because the royal family is back to the old palace.
We've been here for a day and a half and already things were up and running, the last time I came here was for when we had to put my new born twins in the kraal just so I can prove their paternity to this entire family.
Siyas whole family watched as my babies slept peaceful in their baby seats while the cows paraded around them fear coursed in and out of me because I was told that if these babies weren't Gumedes the cows would try to attack them both, none of them cared for this possibility my only saving grace was seeing that snake slither up the kraal as confirmation the same snake that visited us the morning Siya and I did the cleansing after we miscarried. I ran into that kraal so quickly gathered up my babies and demanded that we leave, those aunts tried to scold at me for disturbing the process but as my twins grow older you can't miss that they are Siyas children and Before then,I was cleansing off the loss of their older sibling in that very same kraal and now here I am again.
Anele is assigned in the food department. Stacy and I have been assigned the most delicate part of the ceremony, I am the second oldest Makoti and she's the youngest and especially since her recent gifts it only makes sense for her to do this but the aunts still like the fact that she's even here at all, they never like anybody anyway.
"No, yima."
[Stop.]
She says asks she shakes her head and Stacy stops with the straining and she looks up at her.
"awukwenzi kahle."
[Your not doing it right.]
She says as she points at the barrel and Stacy scrunches her nose in confusion.
"Awukwenzi kahle lo mqombothi...uyadonsa, uhlunga bese uyaphusha, hhayi okwenzayo."
[Your not doing it right, you pull, sift and then pull not what your doing.]
She scolds and Stacy is still confused.
"I don't know what your saying, Kabo can you translate-"
Stacy says Before she can finish her sentence she's pushing her to the side with her hip and she's calling me now.
"Show her."
She simply says to me and I pull the sleeves of my cardigan up and wash my hands before I start doing as she said while she watches over my head.
"But that's exactly what I was doing."
Stacy defends.
"ubungenzanga kahle."
[You were not doing it right.]
She answers as she shakes her head cutting of Stacy who looks to me now to translate.
"You should have stayed with your kind, asayazi ukuthi ufunani la, you just brought yourself into people's homes and just started popping babies nobody asked for and now your here claiming to be a medium okwa Gumede."
She says as she adjust her glasses and she points to what I am doing.
