His Love Healed My Heart

INSERT 23(TUESDAY AFTERNOON )

QHAWELOMZI

We just had lunch and we are on our way back to court.  I can’t believe what I heard in court, I can’t believe the things Lonwabo said, the pain my woman suffered at the hands of that man, the pain my kids suffered because of that man and he has the nerve to want them back.  When we get to court I park the car everyone gets out but I stay and ask Lonwabo and Ntando to stay behind as well.
Lonwabo:  is everything ok?
Me:  I should be asking you guys that question.
Ntando:  I’m not ok, I just want this whole thing to be over and we can go back to our lives.
Me:  Why didn’t you tell your mom that you knew what was going on.
Ntando:  because she probably had her reasons for not telling us, she told us but she didn’t tell us everything.
Lonwabo:  Mom had a lot to deal with and she didn’t need to worry about us knowing too much and besides, she took us for therapy, we still go to therapy but not as often as we used when we started out.  Bhut’ Qhawe, I know that you didn’t know about t the things I said in there and I’m sorry you had to find out like that.  Mom suffered all kinds of abuse at the hands of my father and we won’t be the ones to tell you.  When she is ready to talk, she will. The only reason we know is because whenever our father was not home, we use to sleep with mom in her bed.  And when he is back, before we go to bed, we would go to their room to check on her, that’s when we got to hear her begging him to stop hurting her, to beating her, we heard her silent cries and muffled screams, eventually we stopped going to their room when he was back and we just tried to be there for her like she was there for us even the grandparents don’t know the whole story.  She didn’t tell anyone because she didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for her.
Ntando:  She also attended therapy with us, we all did, even Lina and Khaya. Him and Khaya don’t get along at all, because Khaya would stand up to him.  He never did anything to mom or us when Khaya was around. He hates Khaya.
(as we were still talking there was a knock on the window and it was Luyanda, telling us it was time to go in.  We didn’t waste time, we went inside with him, Khanyi was waiting for us at the door.)
Khanyi:  hey guys are you ok?
Me:  We are ok baby, I just wanted to have a little conversation with them.
Khanyi:  Ok then.  Let’s go sit guys.
In a few minutes the judge walked in.

JUDGE SMITH

Before we went to our lunch break, I saw a lot of pain in a lot people in this room.  Some looked shocked at the things Lonwabo said, some were crying, what I want to know now is if everyone is at least calm now.
Luyanda:  Yes Your Honour we are fine.
Judge Smith:  before I pass my judgement, it says here Miss Sondlo has 5 kids, where are the other two kids.
Luyanda:  they are here Your Honour.
Judge Smith:  May they please stand.  (they stand)  Now tell me, did you also stay with your parents?
Linamandla:  he is not our father Sir, we have a different father but to answer your question, I stayed with them for two years and then my mom said I should go stay with my grandparents and my brother, she said it was for my own protection.
Judge Smith:  After you left, did you visit over school holidays
Khaya:  yes we did but I eventually stopped visiting after we had a few altercations about how he was treating mom and my siblings.
Judge Smith:  did he hit you
Lina:  No he didn’t but we knew he was doing it to mom, with us it was just hurtful words, hurtful things he would say.
Judge Smith:  thank you, you may sit. Mr Langa has your client provided therapy for these children?
Luyanda:  Yes Your Honour she has.  It’s been 4 years now but now the sessions are not as often as when they started out.
Judge Smith:  how many sessions do they have now?
Luyanda:  One session a month Your Honour.
Juddge Smith:  After today, they all need to have two sessions a week for the next two months, this court case must have stirred up a whole lot of issues.
Luyanda:  that will be arranged  Your Honour
Judge Smith:  Mr Tom, you have guts, if I should say so myself.  You sue for full custody of the kids knowing full well what you did, did you really think that you would win or were you just tormenting her wanting to watch her squirm at your threats.  You are a disgrace, I wish she had got you arrested but then again from what I’ve read in your file you probably you would have bought your way out. You claim to want to do right by them but ever since you sat in my court room you haven’t shown any kind of remorse for what you did to your family, I haven’t seen any emotion from you showing that you actually want to fix things.  You weren’t even moved when your kids cried in this court room. 
My ruling: the said children are all under the age of 18 meaning that they are still minors.  They are to remain under the care of their mother as they have been.  As for the father, since you said you wanted to do right by these kids, which I doubt but I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt, you will get visitation rights.  You are only allowed to visit them under supervision, you will only be allowed to see them once a week and I repeat, you will only have supervised visits.  I will appoint a social worker that will monitor the visits.  Princess Lwanele said that they have six dads, I appoint one of the new members of the family Lwazi Tiya to be present during these visits.  I chose him because he’s the only one that looks like he doesn’t want to kill you and because he’s the fun one, he’ll be able to lighten the mood during these visits.

Miss Sondlo you have wonderful kids and you are doing a good job raising them and the things you are teaching your kids at this young age, I wish I had taught them to my kids at a younger age.  You have beautiful, strong young women and handsome strong young men who love you very much and I can see how much you love them.  I’m allowing their father visitation rights so that they don’t grow up blaming you or blaming themselves for his absence in their lives, I’m doing this so that they can find a way to forgive and heal.  You all won’t be able to heal completely until you forgive, it will take time but at some point you will have to do it, which I’m sure that you have taught them about forgiving and being able to move on.  I hope you understand my reasoning behind the visitation rights. And Mr Tom, I truly hope they forgive you not for your sake but for their own sanity.
Princess Lwanele I hope I’ll get an invitation for lunch some time. (she looks at me smiling and nods.)
Court is adjourned.


QHAWELOMZI

Lwazi is so excited and I know he is going to make those visits for Zwelibanzhi hell .  We are all happy the judge chose Lwazi, he is the most calm out of all of us.  After court we all went to Khanyi’s house, we ordered in and just relaxed.  Even the kids seem to be more relaxed now but they are not happy with the visits but they understand why the judge had to do it.  Khanyi is still hurt that the kids heard everything that was happening to her.  We really need to do something about Zwelibanzi with the information we have, but we need something that links him directly to these activities, because with everything that we have on him right now, he is indirectly involved. Lonwabo interrupts my thoughts:
Lonwabo:  You really shouldn’t sit alone like this, she is worried about you and she is scared, you need to talk to her. (I know he is talking about his mother.)
Me:  I will speak to her, when everyone is gone, I just wanted to absorb everything that happened today.
Lonwabo:  I’m really sorry about how you found out.
Me:  it’s ok man.  Can I ask you something?
Lonwabo:  What do you want to know?
Me:  did you mean what you said, when we were in court, when I went to get you from your father.  You said I was more of a father to you than he ever will be, how do you know I’m better than him? I’ve only known you guys for a very short time.
Lonwabo:  I just know.  I just have a good feeling about you.  You are the first guy mom has introduced us to since our father, which to means that she trusts you and she is not forcing you to spend time with us, you are doing it on your own and you probably haven’t told her anything about the “man to man” conversations we have and you never came here and demanded respect from us you earned it, you are earning it. Just don’t hurt us, we’ve been through a lot especially mom. Also know that we would never intentionally hurt you.
Me:  I hear you man.  I would never intentionally hurt you either.  Here comes your mom.
Khanyi:  Hey guys, why so serious?
Lonwabo:  just having a “man to man” conversation that’s all. (and he laughs)
Khanyi:  already, that’s nice.
Me:  it is, I feel so welcomed
Lonwabo:  Let me go to the other kids.  Catch you later love birds.
Me:  Thanks man. (and he walks away.)
Khanyi:  I miss you.
Me:  I’m here my Star
Khanyi:  I’m your Star now, I’m moving up. (she laughs) I still miss you.
Me:  Of cause you are my Star, and I’m right here nje, how do you miss someone who is next to you
Khanyi:  you know what I mean.
Me:  No I don’t, explain to me.
Khanyi:  you know what I mean.  Mxm.  ( hold her close to me and whisper in her ear)
Me: What did I say about using “mxm” when you talk to me?
Khanyi:  Not to use it.
Me:  They why are you using it?
Khanyi:  Because you are irritating me, acting like you don’t know what I mean when I say I miss you. Mxm.
Me:  Khanyi.  (she gets up moves away from me and she says “mxm” again) you are going to pay for that Khanyisile. ( I say getting up to move close to her and she moves back and says it again and she runs to the kitchen with me chasing her and she’s busy calling for Eddie. When she gets to the kitchen she runs and hides behind Eddie laughing.)
Eddie:  And now what’s going on, why are we running in the house, behaving like kids?
Khanyi:  it’s Qhawe (The guys just laugh at us.  I love how childish she’s being right now.)
Me:  Khanyi you do know that Eddie is leaving, in fact everyone is leaving, they won’t be here to save you.
Khanyi:  I know but Lwazi is staying (she says that moving to Lwazi who was next to Eddie.)
Eddie:  Khanyi what did you do?  You are so childish.
Khanyi:  I said something I shouldn’t have said.  (the guys break into laughter)
Bandile:  You are getting it tonight.  Wait you are trusting Lwazi to save you from Qhawe.  Let me tell you now, Lwazi will throw into the lion’s den (she looks at Lwazi shocked and he just shrugs his shoulders. Everyone is just laughing at her and she moves to Bandile avoiding me.)
Khanyi:  can’t you stay then? (she asks Bandile and he gets up grabs his phone and car keys.)
Bandile:  bye guys.
Khanyi:  Huh Bandile, just like that.