STRING OF PEARLS
THIRTY FOUR
ONEZWA
I wake up early on Saturday morning, feeling restless and trapped in my large, empty house. My son, Mpendulo, senses my distress and stays close. His father, Mcedisi, has been absent since our argument a few days ago. I'm convinced he's cheating on me.
"Mzala," Lihle says with a huge smile as she opens the door for us. Mpendulo is quick to wiggle out of my arms. I know he is in a hurry to see Lihle's gorgeous daughter, who's a year and a couple of months old.
"How are you?" Lihle asks as I enter, and I heave a sigh. "I'll be alright," I say, trying not to cry. She knows that I'm having problems with Mcedisi. I hate the pity in her eyes as she leads me to the lounge.
"Where's Siya?" I inquire.
"He went to fetch his mother at the airport," she says, and I frown. "They are coming back here?" She nods, and I attempt to get up. "We should go..." I say, and she frowns gently, pulling me back to sit down.
"What's with the drama? You know Mrs. Khumalo, she likes you," she says smiling, and I sigh.
"I don't want to impose," I say, and she giggles. "You're not. Let me go check on those kids," she says, leaving me to my thoughts.
A few moments later, Siya walks in with Mrs. Khumalo, and they greet. "Onezwa," she exclaims, hugging me. "The last time I saw you was at your first wedding. Such a tragedy that happened to your late husband," she says after breaking the hug, and I smile awkwardly.
"Lihle tells me that you married the older brother," she says, and I nod. "Eish, that boy worries me so much," she says.
"Ma, not this again," Siya says.
"Am I missing something?" I ask with curiosity etched on my face.
"No, my daughter. Uhm... you need to pray for your husband and your marriage. Sometimes when we are young, we get ourselves into situations..." Siya interrupts.
"Ma, let me show you to your room,"
I watch as they walk out. Lihle walks into the lounge holding a tray of biscuits and juice.
"I just had the weirdest conversation with your mother-in-law and your husband seemed like he wasn't happy about," I say, and she takes a seat next to me before heaving a sigh.
"She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a couple of years ago. She was then recruited into those charismatic churches and she then announced that she's healed and she's now a prophetess," she says.
"Oh," I say nodding.
"So, how about you help me bake? Remember those delicious red cakes you used to make?" she asks giggling.
"The ones you took credit for then threatened to take my new jeans if I didn't tell your mom you made them?" I say shaking my head, and she laughs.
"Don't remind me, and I still don't know how to make them," she says, and I get up, heading to the kitchen. Maybe baking is the therapy I need right now. I'm glad I have her now, and since her mother is no more, we only have each other now.
NKANYEZI
Everything is a mess. I swear it feels like we are losing everything all at once. We thought going legit would change our lives for the better, but instead, everything went south. The government project was put on hold because they are investigating the stakeholders of the project. Our fleet of taxis went from 40 Quantums to just a mere 12. As it is, my wife's YouTube channel has been sustaining us. Thulani told me where to find him. Apparently, he hasn't been home for days. Onezwa must be having it tough.
"Bafo, open up!" I shout while banging on the door to the B&B. He unlocks but doesn't open, so I let myself in. Walking further in, I almost trip on empty beer cans and half-eaten takeaways.
"Bafo," he's sitting on the bed with half a bottle of whiskey.
"Talk to me," I say, and he lifts his head. This is not my brother; this is a defeated man who's given up on life.
"We can start afresh, go home. You need your wife now more than ever," I say, and he shakes his head.
"Bafo, talk to me. Is this about losing all the money and businesses?" I ask, but he doesn't say anything. His phone rings on top of the bed, and he side-eyes it before grabbing it and answering. "What?" He shouts abruptly, getting on his feet. "I'm on my way," he says before hanging up and looking around for his car keys.
"Where are you going?" I ask, but he doesn't respond.
We arrive at the coffee shop, and I'm shocked by the destruction. The place is burned to the ground. Luckily, no one got hurt, but the damage is extensive.
The insurance company informs us that they won't be paying out. I'm concerned that my brother is hiding something, and this streak of bad luck is more than just coincidence.
A white guy pulls my brother to the side, and they have a hushed conversation. A few minutes later, he comes back, and I can tell something is wrong.
"That was the insurance guy. They are not going to be paying," he says, and I shake my head.
"Why?" I ask, lost for words.
"I don't know, Bafo. This is the end of everything I worked hard for," he says, and I pat his back.
"We will rise again, brother," I say, trying to offer some comfort.
"I need to get going," he says before getting into his car and driving off. I'm left standing there, wondering what's going on with my brother.
I know he is hiding something, and there must be a reason for all this bad luck. I'm just worried that he's carrying all this on his own, not letting anyone in, not even his wife.
I decide to head back home, my mind still reeling with thoughts of my brother's situation. As I walk in the door, I'm greeted by the sound of my wife's voice, coming from the living room.
I take a deep breath, preparing myself for the conversation that's to come. My wife looks up at me, concern etched on her face.
"How's bhuti Mcedisi?" she asks, and I shake my head.
"It's not good," I say, taking a seat next to her. "He's lost everything, and I think he's hiding something from Onezwa."
My wife nods, her expression thoughtful.
"We need to be there for Onezwa," she says. "She's going to need our support to get through this."
I nod in agreement.
MCEDISI
I sit in my car, staring blankly out the window as Masoja's words echo in my mind. "You must make the sacrifice, Mcedisi. The ancestors demand it. If you do not comply, your riches will fade, and your life will be forfeit." I feel a cold sweat trickle down my spine as I think about what Masoja is asking of me. I made a pact with him, trading my soul for wealth and power when I was young and desperate to make it in the life of crime. But I never thought it would come to this.
Apparently, his dark witchcraft wants more since MaSibiya's womb and my child's death are not sufficient anymore. That's the thing with ukuthwala; they start demanding simple things that are doable, like goats and cows, but then they escalate to human blood of strangers until finally wanting the impossible. I'd rather die than sacrifice my family members.
I think about Onezwa, my wife, and Mpendulo, my son. What will happen to them when I die? I hate the person I've become, but I can't seem to face my wife.
Later in the evening....
I arrive home late in the evening, exhausted from days of not sleeping. Onezwa is sitting on the couch, watching TV. She looks up at me, her eyes filled with a mix of concern and anger.
"Where have you been?" she asks, her voice firm but controlled.
I try to think of a convincing lie, but my mind is blank. "I...I was working. The coffee shop burned down," I stammer.
She raises an eyebrow. "Working? For days on end?" Her voice is laced with skepticism.
I sigh, feeling guilty and trapped. "Onezwa, please...just trust me, okay?" I plead.
But she's not having it. "Trust you? How can I trust you when you're not even honest with me?" she asks, her voice rising.
I feel a surge of panic. I need to calm her down, to reassure her that everything is fine. But how can I do that when I'm hiding such a huge secret?
"Baby, please...just listen to me," I try to reason with her.
But she is beyond consolation. She gets up and walks away, leaving me standing alone in the darkness.
I watch her go, feeling a pang of guilt and frustration. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. The secrets, the lies, the weight of it all is crushing me.
I take a deep breath and follow her, trying to apologize, to explain. But she's already in our bedroom, the door slammed shut behind her.
I stand outside the door, feeling helpless. I don't know what to do, how to fix this. I'm trapped in this web of deceit, and I don't know how to escape.
I hear a faint sobbing coming from inside the room, and my heart breaks. I've hurt her, again. And I don't know how to make it right.
I slowly turn around and walk away, feeling like I'm losing everything that truly matters to me. The darkness closes in around me, and I'm consumed by the weight of my secrets.
As I walk away, I hear Masoja's voice whispering in my ear. "You must make the sacrifice, Mcedisi. The ancestors demand it. If you do not comply, your riches will fade, and your life will be forfeit."ùù
I can never sacrifice my precious family or the child my wife is supposedly carrying, according to Masoja.