Unhinged Love

CHAPTER 63

Sponsored by L. Ndlovu

MBULELO MZIMELA

After I have made sure that my father is okay, even though he hasn’t woken up, I head to his house. I call his secretary on my way to the house and let her know about the current situation. I also let my grandparents know. I get to the house and collect his toiletries, pyjamas and some clothes. I don’t go to the police station as I had initially wanted to. I think I have to leave the decision to my father if he wants whoever that drugged him to pay or not. He is a very capable man.

I first check up on Nomfundo, have a late dinner with her and then go back to the hospital. It is around 8 pm when I get there and I bump into Hlengiwe and her brother in the reception area. She looks beautiful but exhausted, like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She is wearing track suits and sleepers and looks like she hasn’t slept in ages. For a split second I am reminded by the woman I fell for. The beautiful entrepreneur with a kind heart and sexy eyes. But the moment our eyes meet, that feeling goes away and I am slapped with a reality that she is with my father now. she clears her throat and looks at her brother.

“Mfo, thank you for letting us know about your father’s situation. I don’t think Magcina would have slept tonight without seeing that man. She even wanted to drive on her own but I forbade it.” Her brother is the one who speaks and she nods slowly.

I will myself to stay calm and point at the direction of the elevator. “Follow me.” I start to walk and they follow closely behind me. We walk quietly until we reach my father’s ward. I turn and look at Hlengiwe. “He was drugged with Fentanyl. A very strong drug that leads to a black out. The doctor explained the side effects and how it might impact my father’s health. The reason I called you here was not because I accept whatever thing that’s going on between you two nor I am okay with it. During times like these, you both need each other and you need to lean on each other. I will back off after he has woken up and let you two be.”

She opens her mouth and decides against whatever she was going to say and close it. But before I open the door, she stops me. “Thank you, Mbulelo. For letting me know about his condition when you didn’t have to. I will never forget this.”

A tear slowly falls down her cheek and she wipes it. I wish I can reach out and give her a hug but I do know that I can’t do that. I can’t go there with her. So, I just nod and walk inside the ward. I find my father in the same condition I left him in earlier on. Hlengiwe gasps and rushes to his side. She touches his face and slowly caresses his cheeks.

“Mnguni, please wake up. I really need you right now. I feel like I am all alone and the whole world is against me. You promised to stand by me in times of need but when I needed you the most, you vanished like the Avatar. Don’t let me go through this alone. I need you, Mnguni.” She speaks in the most soft-spoken voice I have ever heard and it is almost like a miracle because I see my father’s fingers twitch before he grabs and squeezes the sheets. Hlengiwe is unaware of all this as she continues to speak to him in a low tone as if we can’t hear her. It isn’t until my father slowly opens his eyes that she realises he is conscious. She smiles widely and her tears flow freely. She doesn’t even wipe them.

I see him frowning before he says anything. “Ntokazi.” He mutters in a hoarse voice and Hlengiwe giggles. She actually giggles like a teenager in love.
“Mnguni, I am here. You are going to be okay now. you don’t have to worry about anything. I love you, okay? And sorry for doubting your love for a just a split second. And when you get to your phone, delete all the messages and voice notes I sent the past two days.” My father chuckles before he coughs. She quickly makes his sit up, supports his back with a bunch of pillows and then helps him drink water.

“It’s like watching an episode of The Young and the Restless.” Her brother mutters from his position in one of the visitors’ chairs. That bursts their bubble because they finally remember that there are people in the room. Hlengiwe takes a step back and looks at me while my father looks at her for a few moments before looking at me.

“Son, you are here. What happened? Why am I in a hospital? Did I maybe have a heart attack?” he asks and I nearly roll my eyes.
“You don’t have a heart condition, Mzimela. However, someone drugged you with Fentanyl and you have been unconscious for three days. I found you at home in a guest bedroom and rushed you here. The doctors were able to drain the drug from your system but you are still going to feel the after effects. The dizziness and all that. But you should be fine and back to your normal self soon.”

He nods and smiles. “Thank you, Qwabe. Without you, I wouldn’t be here. So, I appreciate you, son.” He then looks at Mndeni. “Sawubona Mthotshane.”

Mndeni just nods. “I am glad you are up now. a lot of shit went down while you were in your deep slumber. I hope you have superpowers to make it all go away though seeing you are a huge contributing factor.”
My father frowns and looks at Hlengiwe first before his eyes move to me and then back to Hlengiwe. “What happened, Ntokazi?”
Hlengiwe scowls at her brother and gives my father a small smile. “Nothing too hectic, Mnguni. Let me get a doctor to check you, okay?” she quickly rushes out and my father looks at me.

“What happened, Mbulelo?”
I clear my throat. “Someone leaked the news of our love triangle to the wrong people and now the whole of South Africa knows that she moved from son to father. And she is being perceived as a gold digger who slept her way to the top.”

“If only those comments were said in person, a lot of funerals would be happening this Saturday.” Mndeni responds, clenching his jaws. “I don’t know how you Mzimela men are planning on fixing this, but you better fix all of it and make sure that my little sister comes out of this unscathed. She has been through a lot in the past and she has fought so hard for her dreams and ambitions. She doesn’t deserve to be called a whore after she spent sleepless nights brainstorming and preparing for her business. She is no blondie who got capital from a rich sugar daddy. Even you, Melisizwe, have never contributed a single cent towards Healthy Eats, so sort this shit out. I don’t want to see my sister go through depression because of your dicks.” He clicks his tongue and walks out.

Before any of us to can say anything, the doctor walks in and examines my dad. When he is done, he heads out. My dad sighs and looks at me. “I need to shower.” He mutters before slowly climbing off the bed. He nearly falls down and I rush to his side. I help him stand and just assist him to the bathroom. He showers and I assist wherever I can. When he is done, he gets dressed in pyjamas and he heads back to his bed. I just sit on the chair and look at him. “Do you know who did it?” He asks without looking at me and I shake my head.

“I don’t know who it is. But at this point, the source doesn’t matter. All that matters is damage control. Her brother might have been rude, but he was right. Hlengiwe can’t lose Healthy Eats or her reputation because of a scandal that includes both of us. We have to find a way to solve this for her.”

He finally looks at me. “What do you suggest we do?”
I take a deep breath and say the only thing that has been on my mind since I woke up today. “Deny. Deny. Deny.”

×××

The following morning before I go check up on my dad, I decide to go to my TikTok and start a live video. I am not a content creator or influencer but I do post content about me being at work or going out with my friends or my family. Somehow, I am glad I never posted Hlengiwe on my socials. I only posted her on WhatsApp and the content was harmless. I greet my followers who just joined the live video and as soon as I get to 100 viewers, I start speaking.

“Hi everyone. My name is Mbulelo Mzimela. A lot of you might have seen the news that have been trending lately about me dating Chef Hle and then her moving from me to my father. A lot of things have been said about this topic and a lot of shaming has happened which I am very much against. First off, I just want to say that Hlengiwe and I never had a romantic relationship or even a courtship. It was a purely platonic friendship from the get go and it didn’t progress to anything more as time went by.

“When Hlengiwe met my father, she was legit scared of him. I remember her saying ‘dude, your dad is scary AF’ and I just laughed because my old man is such a teddy bear. Somehow I guess she was attracted to that scariness and I did feel a bit weird at the beginning of their relationship because Hle was like a homie. But when I saw that they truly loved each other, I gave them my blessing and took a step back. Hlengiwe is still a good friend of mine and she built her empire from scratch. She has never taken any short cuts to success and I don’t think people should speak on how she built her restaurant while they weren’t there when it was built.

“People are always quick to rejoice and pull down a successful young black entrepreneur. Not so long ago, people were congratulating her of opening such a beautiful establishment and now that you have heard lies about her, all of a sudden ‘vele she was too good to be true’. You guys didn’t even give her a chance to explain, you just went for her neck. As her friend, I feel it’s my duty to defend her and her honour. She is a great woman, a kind friend and a wonderful boss to her employees. Your dragging does not only impact her but it impacts over 50 employees. Did whoever that spread the lies about her think of that? Come on guys. You can do better than this. if it was your friend who was in the same situation, would you sit by and watch people tear her empire down just because she is young and successful? Think long and hard about your answer and that’s where I leave you. Thank you.”