The lobola negotations take place and everything goes according to plan, my parents are more religionists than traditionalists so after the lobola, we skip all the other zulu mambo jambo and get hitched. The wedding was beautiful, It even made the papers for some reasons not known to me, we travelled between Durban and Cape-Town until my 6 month contract with the art gallery came to an end then we decided to relocate to Johannesburg so I can finish my diploma and he can be closer to work and for the past two years, we've been making it work. I have my own little traditional jewellery shop in Newtown and Mandla just recently got promoted to Prime Minister of Home affairs in the cabinet of South Africa so as you can imagine, life is a little different now.
You caught us at the right time actually, I'm in the middle of preparing a celebratory dinner for him. I invited Mandlas friends, whom also happen to be his colleagues and their wives over for dinner. It's only been a month since he got the position but it's not easy being a prime ministers wife. People think the only thing you do is wake up, look pretty, attend gala dinners and have secret meetings with the president but either than the big black tinted car followed by motorbikes we are subjected to taking every day of our lives, it doesn't get anymore glamorous than that.
Mandla is hardly ever home now and when he is, he is stressed to the nines. I think life would be much simpler if I didn't have a job cause I hate being followed around my shop by a bunch of grown man in black. The fact that my every move is watched and I have absolutely no right to privacy is the most troubling thing a working women could ever encounter and I am no exception.
The first couple shows up, It's Noma and Melusi, He's such a humble guy and she is...uh...let's just say, I've never met any other women like her before in my life. She is the oldest amongst the wives and gives us no room to forget that. They greet and settle down by the pool, she looks around the house and whispers something to her husband, probably judging the interior but in our defense we are planning to move, It's a three bedroom penthouse with a spacious lounge and dinning area for guests. With a little baby proofing, it'd be more than perfect for a normal couple looking to settle down and start a family but ever since he got his promotion, there is nothing normal about us. Having a politician as a husband was something I never imagined, not even in my wildest dreams but here we are and to my surprise, it doesn't come with as many perks as being free, now we are accountable for so many people and should anything go wrong, black twitter stays on our tail. I have people I don't even know referring to me on a first name basis. It's not strawberries and cheese cake. It's far worse.
The door bell rings, Mandla answers and walks back in with the second couple in tow. Daluxolo and Nomzamo, They are just...wonderful. They are the couple you look at for inspiration or for a lack of a better word, "marriage goals". Dalu follows Mandla to the lounge to join the others while Nomzamo comes to the kitchen to help me with the salads. She is always the life of the party; naturally loud, always on heels and is by far the most glamorous of the group, the girl wears hooped earrings and red bottom stilletos to a beach braai, need I say more?
Her husband on the other hand is the nerdy type, a soccer fanatic that loves romantic comedies and writing books. He is the most reserved in this room but somehow he ended up with a woman a streetwalker could hear from the side of the road should one walk by, love right? It's a funny thing.
The atmosphere in the lounge gets even better when the third couple makes its way in, Themba and Thembi. Their love story is abit complicated, They haven't always gotten it right but through it all, there are still together and seemingly going strong. The start of their problems began when they wanted to have children. They've been trying but haven't been able to conceive since the beginning of last year and it sometimes causes a drift. Themba kisses her forehead as they part, him to the lounge and she to the kitchen with us, the energy she brings is, well...dampening. She's emotional due to the invitro that didn't give her the results she was looking for so we have to walk on eggshells around her until she recovers. It doesn't help that the next couple, Mpheleliseni and Masthabile are expecting for the third time but luckily she is in her last trimester. This woman sneezes and gets pregnant and is such a soccer mum as a result. She joins us in the kitchen, all cheered up because of what her oldest daughter did at school today, she gets so much joy from being a mother and her problems with her partner stem from the fact that he won't commit, they've been together for years but the guy just doesn't believe in marriage, we don't discriminate against her though. She is just as much a politicians wife as we are and the conversations in our table are a lot different from regular wives.
The food is done in minutes, we lay it on the dinning room table, each wife holding onto her signature dish except Noma because she's one of the boys I guess and on that note, I call them all in. The conversation changes when we are all seated around the table, the husbands and wives have reunited and are interacting. Mandla and I are hosting so we are the only two that can't sit next to each other, instead we are seated across the table from one another and we are using our eyes to communicate. He looks into them often and beats me at numerous staring contests before I wink at him when he won't stop staring, that usually distracts him. The table is, for a lack of a better word, lit. The couples are each telling the story of how they met and are all marvelled at how our story is. "When it's meant to be it's meant to be you know, you can't put time on love. One month was all I needed"- I say.
The smile on Mandlas face, yep i'm getting ridden like a horse tonight. That's for sure.
"yho! I would never give myself to Melusi like that, he had to work for me"- Noma lets out.
I catch Nomzamo rolling her eyes.
"Yeah I'm sure he did"-Thembi mumbles sarcastically
"What is your problem Thembi? Since you got here with your foul mood, the vibe has just changed. It's not our fault that you can't make a damn baby!"- Noma yells
"Baby!"-Melusi
"No baby, makastshele, yin inkinga yakhe? what is her problem maan!"- Noma
"Okay Noma that's enough! We just came here to celebrate Mandlas promotion, today is not about anybody but him. you need to stop it"-Masthandile jumps in
"Ag shut up, get a ring on your finger before you address me"- Noma says nonchalantly.
Yho! Mpheleliseni almost chokes her, Mandla holds him back.
"You better get your wife man!"- He keeps yelling.
"Okay Noma it's time to go"- Melusi says
"I am not going anywhere, this is not the Mkhize household, they can't kick me out of here"-Noma scorfs
"Okay Noma then I'd like you to leave"- I subtly say. Everybody seems shocked by that, I'm new to the group, I hardly ever say anything during get togethers but here I am making them leave. I'm the "Observer", that's what they call me.
"It always ends in a fight when you're around, my husband works very hard and I just want him to have one stress free day, all of this was for him, your energy is ruining that and I just can't allow that to happen so unfortunately you can't stay"- Me again.
She throws her hands in the air "the chicken is dry anyways" she says and storms out, her husband following behind her.
Talk about a drama queen!
"I'll call you guys later and Mandla, congrats my man"- Melusi says before closing the door behind him. Such a humble guy, I wonder how they ended up together.
Overall, I'd say that the dinner was a success. The table was positive and was full of love, It also looks like Mandla got his groove back on there for a sec. There was a dancing competition that he won hands down, my Usher bantu, he is so funny. He walks back in and catches me smiling with the dishes.
"You looked so beautiful tonight my love"-He murmurs into my ear with his deep powerful African voice
"I looked or I am?"- I poke at him
"You're everything"-He says, kissing my neck.
"Thank you for today"- Him again.
"It's my pleasure babe"- I say
"You know my only mistake was not marrying you sooner, given the time, I'm really glad you said yes"-He says
I turn around to face him, He kisses me. It's just a kiss but something about it is so sincere. The way i'm holding onto him and how he's holding on to me, we communicating, I love him so much. My man, my Mandla.
"What do you say we take this upstairs?- He suggests
"Let's"- I agree
--------
I'm woken by a vibrating phone, what the?? It's the middle of the night for goodness sake. He taps my back, that means I should go back to sleep. He doesn't switch the light on, instead he grabs his cellphone and walks out. I hear alot of whispering and cursing. Mandla doesn't curse, I wonder what about this call has him calling out all sorts of names. He comes back in the room, puts on his morning shoes, a robe and searches under the bed for his gun, he finds it. Flip! I knew I should have gotten rid of that thing the first time I saw it. I ask him where he's going just when he's about to storm out and he snaps.
"Didn't I tell you to go back to sleep? didn't I?"- Him
I open my mouth to answer but
"Nokubonga I'm not going to argue with a woman, i'm going to say this one last time, go back to sleep"- Mandla
Gee wiz! I was just trying to figure out where my husband was sneaking of to in the middle of the night but I guess that's just too much to ask. I don't like testing him when he's like this so I tuck myself back to sleep, but this is not over, we will have this conversation in the morning.
YOU ARE READING
Mandla
Short Story"Okay okay, you're right. I want you to be safe so you can come back home to me every night Mr. Hlatshwayo"- I say leaning in. He feeds into it, men are so easy to manipulate... "So can I keep it?"-Him "Hell no! find security, there is no way you ke...
