SIMPHIWE: HER LAST

Chapter 14

KGOMOTSO

02 JUNE

"We've been under the same roof for a while now, Lebone. We can't go on like this." I say.

I'm in her room.
It's been a month and four days since she was discharged.
Life has been going normal for the past two months.
My belly has grown even bigger, meaning this baby is ready to leave my womb.
Mahlodi and Matome are still here.
I'm surprised Mahlodi hasn't been catching the nearest flights to other countries and being the businesswoman that she is.
Mama was never going to leave anytime soon.
Rele and Lebone seemed to have worked things out, but she's been giving me the silent treatment. For a month and four days now.
Yes, I've been counting.
It's about time her and I made peace. I can't be living with that guilt everyday and plus a silent treatment is very childish.

She's packing her laundry into the wardrobe and is seemingly ignoring me.

Kgomotso: "Lebone. Lebone. Please, say something."

She stops and looks at me.

Lebone: "I've got nothing to say to you, Kgomotso."

Kgomotso: "Okay, look. I know it wasn't my place--"

Lebone: "Damn right it wasn't!" She snaps as she shuts the wardrobe.

She's pissed and the room has gotten really tense.

Lebone: "You almost got me killed, Kgomotso. You know that Relebogile is a Kunupi and he would have done anything! You couldn't keep your mouth closed, and all for what? Some kind of validation? Or did you want an award for the most loyal Kunupi wife? Huh?"

Kgomotso: "I'm sorry, Lebone."

Lebone: "Sorry isn't going to take back what happened."

Kgomotso: "Being angry at me won't take anything back either. You'll just be hurting yourself in the process. I'm calling for a truce because I want to keep the peace between us, have things go back to the way they were. Look, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have gone out of place and told him, but..." I sigh. "I only did that because what you did to him hit home. I know the feeling of being cheated on. But that this isn't about me. I'm sorry, Lebone. I truly am sorry. The guilt had been eating me up since I heard about the accident and I--"

Suddenly, liquid flows out of me.
I'm not peeing myself, am I?
I'm panicking. I'm panicking!

Just after a few seconds, I feel excruciating pains come out of me.

Lebone: "Okay, okay! KG, calm down! Calm down!"

I'm screaming in pain!
She runs out the door.
What the hell is going on??!!!

LEBONE

"Mama, mama! Her water just broke. Her water just broke!" I say to Kgomotso's mother just as I reach the bottom of the stairs.

Mme Mashaba: "I'm coming. Mahlodi, call the ambulance!"

She rushes up the stairs.
The house is becoming chaotic.
Chaos is the last thing we need right now!

We come back and we find her screaming.
I open my wardrobe and grab a few towels and neatly place them on the floor.

Mme Mashaba: "We're going to need a waskom with water too! Hurry up!" She looks at Kgomotso. "Kgomotso, ngwanaka. It's time."

Kgomotso: "Time for what?!"

Mme Mashaba: "You're giving birth."

She's panicking.