Mandla

Chapter 9: Home sweet home?

I'm heading to Cape-Town with the husband. It's been decided that the wives are all supposed to report down there from now on so they'll be able to keep an eye on us. The plan is to spend the weekend at Mandlas family home in Western Cape and head to Cape-Town first thing Monday morning. He's also thinking of moving here full time. Uprooting my life is an inconvenience but he couldn't care less, he thinks it's easy running a jewellery store and as far as he's concerned, his career is bigger than mine so I'll just have to adjust to his schedule. So here I am looking for a place to live in a foreign city to please him, the things we do for love I tell you.

The ride is a quiet one until I hear my baby kick for the first time. We took the lamborghini to spend more time together and he's already getting on my nerves.
"The babies kicking"- I say.
"really? can I feel it"-He asks then pulls over within the yellow line.
He puts his hand over my tummy
"It did it again! Oh my God Mandla, It did it again! can you feel it?"-Me
He smiles "Yes I can"-then answers
"He'll be a soccer player, our little soccer player"- I murmur
He stares at me, without a blink
"I love you baby"-Him
"I love you too"-Me
"Quickie?"-Him
"No, you naughty politician. drive or we'll never get home tonight"- Me
He smiles and does as I say. I missed this. I missed him.

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We get to the wide farm of Brandwacth Western Cape; the place where Mandla grew up, talk about humble beginnings!

We're driving through the gravel road surrounded by hills, valleys and mountains of the Cape which bring a certain level of warmth to the journey. After two days of being on the road i'm comforted by the fact that it won't be long before we get home but I can't help but silently worry; he gets lost when we get there, distant, as If it reminds him of another life that's foreign to the one we're living.

We arrive and park next to the cattle kraal his father worked on for so many years to build, maintain and make a living out of. Nonsikelelo comes out first, She's the most responsible of all his sisters. She's about my age, 25 if not 26. She has one son who lives with his father in the city and is by far the wisest of the 3. Followed by Ntombenhle, the middle child also known as the wild child, the one that loves travelling and has bigger dreams than this place, she reminds me so much of her brother;
then there's Nombulelo, the youngest and also the mamas baby of them all. She is the only one that was born by Mandlas stepmum and you can tell. She has strong entitlement issues but we all nudge it off to the fact that she's young.

They individually give us a hug and carry our bags inside while we follow behind, me dreading to see Mandlas step mum. I don't know if she's snobbish or plain old mean but whatever it is, I am not looking forward to it. Mandlas father wraps his arms around me and cheerfully gleams "makoti!" upon my approach. He looks like an old rural man but is surprisingly very open minded and It doesn't help that his son is a politician. They could talk till the sun comes up the next morning.

Then she comes, big hips and all, dark in complexion but stylish! She gives me a look then hugs my husband affectionately. I noticed there are no pots on the stove, I guess she specifically told them not to cook cause I was coming. Luckily, we have a whole boot filled with groceries so I'll whip up something quick that doesn't require much effort from me. Then she glances at me and after a brief staring battle, puts her arms around me as if she is embracing me. Ag! the fake ness of it all

I'm done with the pots just in time for Skeem saam. Yep! they are a soapie watching family. They don't eat around a dinner table either, they would rather hurdle up infront of the TV so that's where I have to serve them. I made steamed bread and chicken curry. I didn't make salads just to piss my mother-in-law off. Mandla is still on his laptop while I slave around the kitchen but gets interrupted by a phone call and heads out, probably his friends from around here, meaning he's going to come back late tonight, I just know it.