SIMPHIWE: HER LAST

Chapter 28

SIMPHIWE

And instead of me worrying about convincing kaMashaba to marry me, I'm worrying about something I never in my 29 years of life thought I would worry about.
A man.
An unknown man by the name of Thulasizwe.
Thulasizwe who? I don't know. But it seems like this Thulasizwe guy is not unknown just
judging by the way my fathers were acting up when they heard that name last night.
I've been unable to sleep since I got home and I don't know why.
The matter isn't about going to Germany anymore, it's about this Thulasizwe guy.
It's 2AM so I know Kgomotso isn't going to wake up from her sleep and pick up my call and tell me to sleep like she used to back in those days when she'd be in Limpopo for the holidays and I'd in my mother's old apartment before she met bab'Zothile.
I used to feel so restless at night knowing I'd never see Kgomotso in the cafeteria or expect to come with a flying broom and appear in my kitchen so I could see her.
Those days we never had video calls, it was straight up from a buttoned phone. Hers was a 3310 she used to take good care of until I accidently dropped it one day at school and I asked my mother to buy her a Blackberry the next day so she wouldn't be mad at me forever.
Geez I really loved her hey. I still am madly in love with her. Thirteen years later I still love her like the first time.
I'd try to call her, but I know she won't answer my call.

My suddenly vibrates.
I switch it on and it's a message from Sihle.

"I can't sleep bafo. This whole Thulasizwe thing has been on my mind" His message reads.

Great minds do think alike, don't they?

"Me neither" I reply.

Sihle [through text]: "Do you have any idea who he might've been?"

Simphiwe [through text]: "I think he was your father."

SIHLE

I was texting Simphiwe just 15 minutes ago next thing it's the next day.
Me falling asleep must've been a miracle. My phone is at 6% meaning the screen was on the whole time while I fell asleep.
I have to get to the bottom of this though. Thobile shouldn't think of pretending like nothing happened last night.
Today I will know who the heck Thulasizwe was.

__________

I find her on the dinner table drinking coffee. Gcinile is in the living room watching cartoons.
My mother probably made breakfast for her. I know she loves Gcinile like she never mad at Amanda for carrying her.
She's grown to love Gcinile so much and treats her like how she used to treat me when I was her age. She's formed such a close bond with her that sometimes Gcinile cries when she has to go school.
My mother loves Gcinile as if she were her own and I appreciate her for that. But right now what I don't appreciate is her revealing something so big last night and now acting as if nothing happened. Just sipping coffee like any other day.

"Ma." I finally say.

She looks at me.

Mama: "Sawubona Sihle. Ulele kanjani (How did you sleep)?"

I squint my eyes because there is no way she's asking me that right now.

Sihle: "Lydia, you do realise that I have just left the mother of my child after 10 years--"

Mama: "Hence I asked how you slept." She asks in such a calm tone. Like she's so unbothered about everything that's happening.

I didn't even finish my sentence!

Let me just cut to the chase because this chit-chatting won't work and instead it'll piss me off.
I sit down on the seat across her, looking at her dead in the eye.
Malume Masoja comes whistling a tune.