Church Chronicles: Part 2

Eight: A Needed Move

After that unexplainable and unpleasant encounter with both my parents, I decided that it was time for me to move out. It wasn't an easy decision, but I felt like it was much needed and when I brought it up, they didn't decline or try to convince me otherwise so I knew even by that, that it was time.

So I moved out from home and found a house to rent in Queenstown, closer to work. After settling in, two weeks later, I went to fetch everything that belonged to me in East London and I did all kinds of prayers that I don't bump onto Mike or his wife or anyone from their church. I was gradually moving to a good place emotionally and I feared being taken back to that dark place if I saw anything connected to him. All went well, I fetched all my stuff and moved fully to Queenstown without seeing any of them, and my heart was relieved for a bit.

As if the devil saw right through my fears, Mrs. Sikhona Ndizi decided to take a trip to Queenstown the following weekend, looking for a place either to rent or land to buy for the church extension. An entire branch! I flipped, and then I realized a minute later that "she doesn't know anything", the shock in her eyes said it all.

"I thought you'd be excited Mandi,"

"Excited? Yhu, excited Mam'Mfundisi?" I exclaimed.

"Heee, kanti what's really going on here?"

I closed my eyes and managed to breathe the words "Nothing, I'm sorry for that"

"No something is going on, why did you really leave the church? And please tell me the truth, " she added.

I took a deep breath.

I actually wanted to tell her why I left the church, but I didn't want to attempt to move on from them in one hand, and then on the other, I'm starting out fires. So I just smiled and composed myself, as usual...

"Look, it's nothing you should be concerned about," I answered.

"Okay, so something did happen, that I can tell,"

"Pretty much, but I really don't want to dwell on it. In actual fact, it was nice seeing you. I should get going," I said grabbing my man-bag from the empty chair.

"You're not done with your food," she pointed out.

"I'll ask for a doggy bag, don't worry about it," I said taking my plate and walking towards my waitress who was now walking towards me as well. I asked her to do the doggy bag, then I disappeared to the bathroom hoping she'd be done by the time I returned.

We had accidentally bumped onto each other while I was having lunch at Dagwood, I saw her first and prayed she wouldn't see me but that was futile. So upon seeing me she put her Pick n Pay shopping bag down and pulled a chair, joining me without invitation. Obviously, I didn't want to see her let alone talk to her, but I couldn't chase her away now so I entertained her until she mentioned the branch. I couldn't fake my way out of that one, hence I chose to walk away. Immediately.

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"What did you tell my wife?"

I looked at the number he was using to call me, it wasn't his. It was Mam'Sihlaba's number and I could tell he was mad, but calm at the same time.

"Mandilakhe?"

"Michael?"

"What did you tell my wife?"

"I told her the truth wethu yintoni le undibuza yona? Kanti ufike wathini yena kuwe le ingavakaliyo?"

He cussed, I heard him even though it was a very silent one. But he cussed.

"Mandilakhe Ngqoloba, I will ask you for the very last time and you better think carefully before you answer me, alright,"

"Mh, siya treat'nishana ngoku? Yey, iyasebenza lento ka Ma-Yandi ungatsho nje"

He didn't answer me...

"What did you tell my wife?"

"Nothing"

"Then why is she under the impression that something happened, somewhere... Which resulted in you leaving the church?"

"Because Michael, your wife is smarter than you make her out to be. She must have read between the lines, I don't know haibo."

"Don't come at me with that attitude,"

"Or what? Huh, what will you do?"

"Mandila-"

"Hay shut up man and leave me alone for heaven's sake. You, your bloody wife and everything eyeyenu please man leave me alone, ndiphumile mos kuni, yintoni ngoku eniyifunayo kum? Wena kanye, yintoni ngoku oyifunayo kum? Have I not given you everything I could ever give? Utheni, awoneli kulendawo uphakelwa kuyo?" I asked with a bit of sarcasm.

"Mandilakhe kutheni wathetha rhabaxa ngoku nam? Have you forgotten who I am?" he was still speaking in a calm tone, but if you knew him as well as I thought I did, then you'd know that he wasn't calm at all. He was furious.

"Yey yey yey! Sukundiqhela kakubi mna, have I forgotten ntoni? How do you selfish people expect me to forget anything when you constantly pull me backwards? Huh? I am trying my best to move on and pick up the pieces, is that enough for you? Noooo! Nindifuna ndifile qha, which is not going to happen because I don't belong to any of you."

"Heh Mandilakhe, iKomani ayikho se KZN, it's just around the corner. Ndakuyenza ibencinci ngakumbi la toilet uyibiza indlu mna uyeva?"

"Hay voetsek man!" I responded almost fuming.

After that, I hung up and breathed, finally. I breathed, without feeling like I was carrying something around my shoulders.

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Exactly three months after the drama had died down, I woke up to multiple social media mentions, with lazy eyes I clicked on one and got the shock of my life. There was a young lady who had posted Pastor Mike's picture and wrote an entire confession on how he paid for her fees and in return had sex with her, behind his wife's back. It was an entire thread, I didn't know the lady, apparently, after she graduated she left East London, and when I came about to know these people she had already relocated so people who knew Mike as my pastor mentioned me on the post.

I went through all five hundred comments looking for other confessions, from guys, people like me but there weren't any. It was just two more girls who said that one day when they're also confident enough they would speak out about this Pastor Michael. I took a screenshot for his wife, erased the girls' names, and unblocked her from my WhatsApp then sent her everything. She called me back a few minutes later...

"Hello?"

"Ngobani aba?"

"Andibazi, I just got mentioned on the post since my Facebook friends know him as my pastor"

"Yhooooo!!! Andisena ntloko. Do you believe these things wena Mandi?"

"It's not my place, you know the truth. You know him better, he's your husband."

"Yhoo Heee! This is shocking, bazothini abazalwane when they see this? Oh Bawo! Yhima, did you send these pictures to him?"

"No, and I won't, you can do the honors. But I'm sure he already knows, I saw some of his friends on the comments as well... Nomntana ka Mam'Hlangu lo use UCT also commented on the post,"

She was either very good at acting or she was really shocked, but I didn't care. I just hoped she would get the idea that her husband was also doing the same thing with Yandisa and maybe more other girls from the church. Right under her nose.

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