Love, Guns & Kayise

24.

24.

NTANDOKAYISE

I've been back home for three days nursing my broken heart. I don't dare to go back to the Zikhali Mansion for my stuff. I know Muzikayise, and if he's angry at you, he won't speak to you. I've posted his picture on my Instagram account with the caption “I miss you” hoping that he'll see it. This picture was taken when we were both watching a movie with my legs on his lap. Now, I'm scrolling to read the comments on the post.

Someone commented, “You don't post them when you're in a relationship but when it has ended”. I fail to see how that is her problem, but I'm going to comment.

I tell her that it has nothing to do with her, and that she should go search for her deadbeat baby daddy because I've never seen her posting her child's father. I comment badly to every mean comment, not caring how they feel. If I'm hurt, then so should everyone.

My phone rings, and the last person I would prefer to call me does. I answered the call, ready to bite off her head.

"What do you want?"

"What are you doing?" What is she talking about?

"What do you mean?" I yell on the phone.

"Commenting badly to every comment. Those people are not the ones who broke your heart, Muzikayise did." Mandla shouldn't try to tell me what to do. The last time she did that, it backfired and looked at me now. I'm miserable without my cuddly bear. I didn't mean to cry, but I ended up sniffing the tears away.

"I'm sorry, babe. I didn't know you were going to fall in love with Muzikayise, and if I did, then I would have never asked you to do that." I know she would never do that. Mandla has been like a big sister to me and has been supportive of my relationship with Muzikayise. She told me she wanted to be a maid of honour.

"I miss him," I confess. I sound like a heartbroken girl, but I am. I'd never been in love until Muzi waltzed into my life in a purple shirt and insane dimples.

"Can I come over? And I have some information regarding Melamina." Mina? I even forgot about her.

"What about her?"

"You know that next week is Christmas, right? She's coming back to the country, but that's not the cherry on top. What I have right now is going to shake your world." I'm now confused. What is she talking about, and why didn't anyone tell me about Mina coming back into the country? I talked to both Musa and Owami on WhatsApp, but they failed to inform me.

"Please come over." I wipe my tears.

"Pleeeasssse look presentable. I hate mucus and tears and I'll bring wine and ice cream for you, okay?"

"Whatever." She laughs, then hangs up. Okay, I haven't taken a bath since yesterday. Let me go immerse myself in a bathtub full of bubbles.

———

Two hours later, Mandla walks through the door with all sorts of junk food. Okay, she'll eat them alone. I just need the wine. Not that there's no wine at home because there's a collection, but just because she promised to bring it.

"My baby," She engulfs me in a hug, and I try my best to keep my tears surfacing. We both sit down on the couch. My dad went out after he tried cheering me up, but only Muzi could cheer me up right now, and wine could help me forget, so I opened Mandla's wine and drank straight from the bottle.

"You're going to need that wine when I show you what I have." She's holding a gift bag.

"Can I see?" I love gifts.

"Firstly, tell me how you feel." I sigh.

"I'm not okay. I thought I'll get over him but I can't and I miss him so much. He's not taking my calls. He's blue-ticking my voice notes even when I send a voice note, crying. Doesn't my pain make him have a heart, at least because I feel like he doesn't. I hate him so much, and at the same time, he's all I think about." I'm crying again. I honestly can't help it.

"Come here." She hugs me again for a while before kissing my head and letting me go.

"I'm going to need you to wipe your tears because I don't want you to act emotional right now. I need the clever Kayise who's going to piece the puzzles." What is she on about? She hands me the gift bag, and I take it with a rapidly beating heart because I can feel that this is not a normal gift.

I open it, and there's a photo frame inside. I stare at Mandla, and she gives me a subtle nod. I take out the photo and stare at it, but I get confused when I realise who's on the photo, rather than who are on the photo.

"Amahle?" I ask in confusion.

"That's not Amahle. That is Melamina Zikhali." Mandla says, but she doesn't even make sense. This is Amahle, but how did she know Muzi?

"Muzi knew Amahle?" Nothing makes sense here, and I'm trying to think.

"There was a school project where learners were asked to bring their framed photo with their favourite person, and Melamina brought this one. I got it at her old high school where Amahle also used to attend." Mandla explains.

"So you mean to tell me that Mina and Amahle were look-alikes? But that's not possible, Mandla." Amahle never had a twin, and this looks like the same person.

"It is possible, and that's what I want you to find out. How are they related? Do you remember that I told you about a therapist I used to see after Mandisa's death?" She asks, and I nod. She once mentioned something like that.

"Well it happens that last year in May, Mina also went to the same therapist and apparently she was involved in someone's death but then the next day she was shipped to China and never came back to the therapist. I only know this because the therapist and I are close, and I promised not to share this information." I feel like I'm in a horror movie right now.

"Mina mụrdered Amahle? Why? They were both just children." If Mina is the one involved in Amahle's death, then I won't spare that family.

"I know. It doesn't make sense." Mandla opens a bag of chips. "Amahle never mentioned anything about meeting a lookalike? You said she loved talking to you about everything."

"She once mentioned meeting a new friend before she died, but..." Then it clicked.

"The things that Amahle didn't tell me, she wrote them in her diary. That girl loved diaries and got a new diary on every new year." I said enthusiastically, feeling that I was going somewhere with this.

"Now that's where you should start. Where is her diary?" Mandla ask.