I BECAME HIS ZULU BRIDE

land of illusion*(33)

Dead , I was dead , atleast I thought I was . That was probably the reason I was very surprised when I opened my eyes , I was laying under  our sacred oak tree back in South Africa.

I looked around for my husband since I knew when I was under this tree so was he . It took me a while to find him . He was at the river and was also shirtless and looked ever so sexy , my husband was really hot , have I ever told you that.

His body glistened as water droplets fell down his dark , chocolate torso. His eyes turned to me and he smirked. "Hello Ajax" , I looked at him a bit confused at the name but still smiled , it was okay if he wanted to call me by my real name , I had no quilmes with that at all.

All I knew was that I was happy so happy to see my husband again. I had a feeling I had forgotten something but for the life of me I could not figure out what it was .

I simply ran into Sthe's arms but something was not right . They were not as warm as usual . I thought maybe it was because he was standing inside the river. The explanation I gave myself was reasonable so I went with it .

"Sthe , I missed you" , I said holding him tightly ," so did I Ajax". My name again , it just sounded so wrong for him to call me that way . I looked at him and smiled , "what are you doing?" , "Fishing Ajax , I want to cook fish ".

Those words were also strange since my husband can't cook to save his life . "You cook?", "Yes Ajax ", my smile somehow tightened . Something felt wrong . "Since when? ", "a very long time ago "." So you were pretending not to know how to cook?", "Yes".

I bit my lower lip and decided to let it go , maybe it was just me overthinking like always , it's not easy to be smart you know. Like that he actually fried the fish and I was about to eat it when something stopped me . I looked down and it was the bead necklace.

Everytime I touched the fish it shook violently. That made me suspicious , I looked at the Sthe, infront of me and frowned . What was going on? , Was the only question running through my mind .

Sthe , looked at me , "are you not hungry?", "no I don't feel well at the moment ", I lied straight through my teeth , I never lied to my husband but this man infront of me was just not the same.

"When did we came back to South Africa?", "We have been living here all along, are you sure your okay Ajax". My name again , it irked me to hear it come from his mouth.

It just made me uncomfortable, I did not feel safe with the man infront of me . It surprised me how I was feeling.

That is when the realisation hit me , Sthe , would only call me Ajax , when he did not approve of something I did . My husband can't cook , my husband makes me feel safe and most of all my husband looked at me with love in his eyes .

I knew then and there that the man infront of me was not my husband."who are you?" I asked so I can get an explanation of what was happening. "What do you mean ?,I'm your lover".

" No you can't possibly be my husband", "but I'm Ajax","no your not , your nothing like my beloved husband" .

The man laughed , "oh my , seems I've been found out , your right I'm not your husband, I'm the keeper of this place". "Where is this place ?","the place that will bring you happiness " I looked at the man with a stern look. "My happiness is with my husband and children , I want to go back".

" Your happiness was to be free from everything, being with that so called husband of yours has brought you nothing but misfortune"." Misfortune or not , I love my husband , I love our babies and I will cherish them til my last breath".

The man looked taken aback by my words. " Well then if you want to go back to them so bad do it ", I looked around me and I knew I could not leave this place , this place that was filled with nothing but illusions.

I closed my eyes and began to chant , this is not real , this is not real . "What are you doing?!" The  man sounded panicked." I'm leaving , I'm not from this land of illusion, I belong where my family is". I smiled after saying those words , a smile filled with a certain nostalgia.

"Dali , please wake up we need you ,I can't raise the boys alone , I'm not that strong without you " I was startled hearing the voice of my husband , the husband I missed , "Sthe" I called for him but he did not hear me . I was devistated but the fact that I could hear my husband's voice meant I was still alive .

I looked around me and began to concentrate some more , I rubbed the bead necklace , as I kept on chanting , this is not real .  I concentrated for some time but I could not clear my mind .

What if I get back and they do not want me anymore?, It was a stupid question yet it plagued my mind making my heart ache . My husband , oh how I missed my husband , I also wanted to see my babies and with that my resolve was made .

I smiled and concentrated even harder , I was going home , I was going to be in my husband's arms very soon . "Sthe, I love you", with those words spoken out loud I blanked out . The next time I woke , I could not open my eyes for a while ,then I heard a voice I had missed ever so much. "Dali?" I moved my hand to show him I could hear him .

It did not take long before I felt lips crash gently ontop of my dried ones . I smiled into the kiss and tried to speak but my throat was parched. "W-a-t-e-r" I managed to croak out . It felt painful just to say that simple word .

I finally opened my eyes after Sthe, gave me water to drink . I looked into his brown eyes and it brought me to tears , slow , silent tears that portrayed my joy . I was just so happy. "I love you Sthe" , I said still crying, "I love you more Dali" and for the first time in my life I saw my husband cry . My mean , big , strong yet Loving husband was crying.

He just embraced me until the doctor came In. The man looked to have aged ten years since the last time I saw him . "I'm glad your awake Mr Khaya", he said after seeing that I was alright. "How long have I been asleep doc?", "Three whole months". I was astonished by his reply.

I looked at Sthe , "where are our boys?" ,"In the hospital Dali ". "I'll send the nurses with your babies In a moment" the doctor said . I could not wait to see them .

After the doctor left I looked at Sthe , again , "what are their names ?" , " I have not named them yet , I could not do it without you by my side ", "so if I did not wake up what would you call our babies?".

"Baby 1 and baby 2" l laughed at his silliness , it eased my mind and heart a lot to know how much Sthe , valued me.

The door opened as I was about to say something to Sthe , and with the door opening , in came two nurses holding our babies .

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Hey guys here's an update , thank you for reading my story😘