Sanity

Devious

Naledi folded her blue dress and zipped up her bag. She couldn't believe what a great opportunity her friend had opened up for her. The more she thought about it the more she wondered why her friend had been so generous with her husbands brother. Why hadn't she introduced them all these years? She wore he loved raincoat to hide her sisters crimson dress certain she wouldn't let her borrow it again especially for a holiday in the boondocks. She wanted to remind Andrew of what had seduced him in the first place. Naledi sneaked into the kitchen and pulled a wad of cash from under the stove. It was the last of their food money but soon they would never have to worry about that.

"I'll pay it back." She reassured herself as she rolled it up into her bra.

She hurried to catch a taxi to bab'Mkhovu's hut on the other side of town. He lived in a great neighborhood with a beautiful two story house. Only his customers knew that behind the glamour sat a hut that required you to crawl to enter. The inside was dingy and smelt of blood and freshly dug up roots. Naledi's skin crawled as though being touched by disgust.

" Naledi! Your life is changing for the better. You've been impoverished for years,now is your time young lady. Cease this opportunity with both hands. Give me your hand." 

The razor sank into Naledi's spirit as bab'Mkhovu chanted his spell. Her burgundy soul dripped from her ring finger onto the herb fire whose smoke dizzied her into unconsciousness. When she came to, bab'Mkhovu had wrapped up bundles of whips to keep everyone bowing to Naledi. She was sprawled naked on the cold hard floor paralyzed with the weight of the spell.  Bab'Mkhovu  sliced the lips of her womanhood rubbing in the powdered whips Naledi would reign with in her new household. A dark figure savagely deflowered her as bab'Mkhovu wrapped tiny takeaways of whips and muffled her screams of agony with her own underwear.

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Driving wasn't maNgidi's strongest point but she could get from A to Z and right now she had to park far from point Z to avoid the wrong attention. Naledi walked like a retarded baby with a full diaper ignoring maNgidi's furious hand gestures. 

"Naledi! Nongoma is 4 hours away from here and you're strolling like you belong here! Come on man!"

MaNgidi sped through traffic almost passing the candle factory. She got out of the driver's seat and sat next to Naledi cradling her, trying to coax the trauma away. 

"Ssh sssh my husband can't see you like this. You're lucky I came to fetch you. No one came for me I had to take 3 taxis back home alone."

She lit two cigarettes and they smoked in silence till her husband approached the car in high spirits. He chatted all the way to Nongoma not even noticing Naledi's sombre mood.

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The house was immaculate. It sat on acres of land filled with fruit trees and several *kraals for the goats, pigs and cows. The potpourri smell greeted them on the front porch and lead them to an overly organised living room. Andrew could not contain himself.

"Naledi! You look even more gorgeous than the day I met you!" He squeezed her tightly into him. 

"Come, dinner is ready."

The table was set with shiny cutlery and China that looked to be from his wedding. Bottles of expensive wine stood guard besides the chunk of roast beef and heaps of vegetables from his garden made dinner into a feast.

Though none of the adults noticed the children, the children studied them. Upon laying his eyes on her Smanga's memory hurtled back to him. 

"That woman is a witch." He whispered to his siblings.

" Oh Smanga you're suspicious of everyone. She seems nice. I hope she marries father, it would be amazing to have a mother." Zinzile dreamed out loud.

"Why do you say she's a witch Smanga?" Busisiwe inquired.

"At Mduduzi's birthday party I saw her quickly put some muti away then she had father wrapped around her finger. But besides that, look at her! Your mother was an angelic woman. This house is amazing. Our father is accustomed to the finer things in life. What do you see when you see her?"

"A witch." Agreed Busisiwe.

Zandile rolled her eyes "How can you possibly tell that from just looking at her Busi?"

"You forget that I helped them wash their hands. When I got to her, the hairs on the back of my neck stood and I felt as though something was pushing me to bow deeper to her." Busisiwe tried to explain.

"Father is going to marry her. Mark my words." 

"Don't be ridiculous Smanga. Father is not a foolish man. Let's go Busisiwe, we'll be late and you know how aunty gets." Zandile carried their blankets out the kitchen door followed by Busi.

As soon as they entered her house, Aunt Rosemary interrogated them till midnight.

*Kraal- Outdoor barn for domestic animals