Unhinged Love

CHAPTER 64

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You would think that 1 live video is enough to shut people up, but no. people actually screen recorded the live and posted the video and then proceeded to demand answers from Mbulelo just to get him to crack under pressure or something. But I am just glad he handled that whole encounter with grace and took his time to respond to most of the questions from people who needed clarity.

He left yesterday after he made sure that his father was back home safely. When he left, he did indicate that he is still at odds with us and he doesn’t want us in his relationship or his child’s relationship. I was just super grateful for everything that he did for both Melisizwe and I, so I couldn’t be a hypocrite and force him to reconcile with us when he has dug us out of a very deep grave.

Melisizwe hasn’t been very forthcoming about who drugged him but I know that he remembers his attacker. Just like he remembers all the events that happened that evening and how he was planning on calling me before he miraculously disappeared on me. One way or another, I am going to get the information out of him.

He did get discharged from the hospital yesterday and I made it my responsibility to look after him. He is fine now, except for very few and far apart dizzy spells. Luckily, no actual damage was done by the drugs, so he should be up and running in no time. But that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about him. He is my man and I want him to be healthy and happy at all times.

I have a huge mess that I need to solve back home, but my man’s wellbeing comes first and Mbulelo’s damage control stunt might have helped my issues a lot. I got an email this morning from the MasterChef headquarters which stated that they nearly disqualified me from the competition because of my recent scandal but after my name was cleared, they decided to ignore the rumours and let me participate on the competition. That made me very happy and relieved. I know my chances of wining the competition is not 100% but if I had been disqualified, I would have lost my chance of getting that exposure which is going to be epic for Healthy Eats.

“Babe, I am ordering lunch. What would you like to eat?” Melisizwe asks from the lounge and I make my way there. In as much as he wants me to face my problems head on, my presence warms his heart and he doesn’t want me to leave.
“Just get me whatever you are getting.” I sit next to him and he nods. He proceeds to finish ordering and then lowers the volume on the TV.

“My secretary is ready to publish a statement about our relationship but she has made sure that it corresponds with Mbulelo’s live video. Hopefully that will take away more heat from you. And if you don’t mind, I would like to join you in the meeting with your investors next week. I am not saying you are incapable of dealing with them on your own, but I just want to be there for moral support. And tomorrow I want us to go to Richards Bay. I am going to be there physically through this stage.” My God. I just love him more for saying this.

I cuddle him and he wraps his arm around me, bringing me closer to him. “I appreciate you saying that, my love. I really want you by my side. I wasn’t going to suggest it because it would have come off as needy or too dependant but your presence will mean a lot to me.”

He kisses my forehead. “You can never be too needy to me. Anyways, want to read the statement?”
I shake my head. “As long as you acknowledge our relationship, I don’t need to know more. I know that you would never throw me under the bus or blindside me.”
“Yeah.” He doesn’t say more and we just fall into comfortable silence. Besides the drama that has led us to this point, I can actually see myself being with this man in the future and that makes me want to open up to him about certain things in life. Not all of them but someday we will get there.

“When my mother died, my father changed a lot.” I start off and he doesn’t say anything, prompting me to continue. “He cheated on her and he was still with that woman when she died. He was never that much affectionate to us before but he just because an animal after that. He drove Mndeni insane and forced him to follow in his footsteps and even wanted him to marry a girl from an influential family who will be good for his image. My father was a wealthy man so keeping up with the appearances was very important to him.

“Mndeni really rebelled to such an extent that he disowned him. Well, he said he had died whereas he tortured him and left him for dead in the middle of nowhere. He also got me into this arranged marriage thing but I ran from him before I could tie the knot. I haven’t seen him in over ten years and I don’t know if he is still alive or dead. I would be very happy if he was the latter but we don’t always get what we want.” I chuckle bitterly and somehow opening up about this part of my life makes me feel so vulnerable and naked. Melisizwe take so long to process and respond and that makes me anxious but I know that is not his intention.

“So where are you originally from?” he asks. Well, that’s not a question I was expecting.
“Western Cape.”
“Okay. Now, if I want to you to make me an honourable man, who would I send my cows to?”
I chuckle. “Mndeni of course. He is the only family member I have since my mother’s side of the family is practically non-existent. My mother was not a good person and she burned a lot of bridges while trying to keep my father happy and that includes her relationship with her family. We just somehow inherited that beef and we just let it be because we are not going to apologize for a dead person and we are also not going to mend a relationship with people who obviously don’t care about us.”

He sighs. “I do hear you my love and with my cows’ question, I want to take your mind off things but I can see that your family is rather a touchy subject. First off, I want to say I appreciate you for trusting me enough to open up about your family. I have seen uncomfortable you get when they are mentioned. I just never though there was such a deep reason for it. You are strong and brave to have survived a relationship like that and made a name for yourself. A lot of people would have used that as an excuse or shield when things went sideways in their lives. Instead, you didn’t let your past define you and you just soldiered on and blossomed into this great version of yourself. Your mother would be so proud of you MaNdiyema. And since she is not here, I am going to pass on the message.

“You are strong. You are beautiful. You are enough. You are courageous. You are resilient. You are a role model and your strength encourages a lot of people to just carry on against all odds. Your dreams are an inspiration to a whole lot of people. Right now, you are creating generational wealth for your future kids. Even if they are not restaurateur like you, you know they won’t ever suffer because you have prepared for them.

“And from me, your man, I am just amazed by the type of woman you. At such a young age, you have gone through a lot of things and actually came out on the other side with battle scars which shaped you to be who you are today. You have raised a bar in my life and I know that if I were to ever fumble you, I would move heaven, hell and earth to make sure that I get you back. I love you, Hlengiwe. No matter what happens, never doubt my love for you, not even once.”

His words don’t only just warm my heart. They engrave themselves in my soul. Such validation from a partner is all a girl could ever ask for. I don’t know how stupid his exes were but I am here now and I am sinking stiletto nails into his skin so that I don’t let go. I love him so much. My man. My silver fox. My salt and pepper. U Mnguni wami.