Chapter 3
Courage under fire…
This felt like the longest week ever Kazi and i didn’t have much family but i guess tragedy unites people. Dad arrived with his wife i am not sure if I’d would say i was relieved they were here as they came with their own drama and maybe they could talk some sense into Bulelani family who wanted their some buried in Bizana, in the week we had gone back and forth with them that this was were his family lived and we couldn’t drag the kids all the way there to a place they remotely knew while leaving a routine they knew life had to be as normal as possible for them. They were worried that this hole accident was shady and this was the ancestors showing they were unhappy as he had turned their backs on them and defiantly married Kazi.
I looked at my beautiful sister she had lost weight over night, i had no words to comfort her or solution for the dilemma she faced, however i knew we had at some point had to have a serious conversation on how the car exploded, the were lot of holes in the story and I couldn’t understand for someone who was doing well for himself a legit entrepreneur why would his car be bombed.
“Kazi, mtase please eat something you need all the strength today, with the village coming into town i need you to be strong, mpumzi, abusisiwe , sonke, lala and sphelele need you and not this shell you are slowly becoming. `Plus i need you as well, i need to ask you something before everyone gathers do you know of Bulelani activities”?
“ what do you mean”
“ i mean did you know everything or let me rephrase had he completely walked away from his shady businesses, because this bomb issue worries me”
“ i think so, i would like to believe so, he was working on some deal with some German guys. He did say if he were to get this specific deal life would definitely be sweeter and we would retire. So i am not sure if it was there cause or just a case of mistaken identity. I cannot even bring myself to think the why and what of all this, this is just a mess with his family wanting to bury him there in a place he hated and them wanting his insurance policies. I feel like I’m in a nightmare and each morning i wake up thinking it was just a dream”.
“ Are they still close with Ricardo”?
“ Yes infact he was probably the last person to see him alive”
“ Walk me through the events of that day, please this is just Incase you left out anything”.
“ It was normal day, woke up, went to work and came home early we had a love making session as sphelele was sleep for a change , went to get the boys from school and we were camped in our room when Ricardo called and told him the was missing cargo that was on the manifest and the clients were not too thrilled infact this guys was livid so he was handling it himself to ensure their insurance pays out if the goods are not retrieved. I fell asleep and when i woke up at 2 am i called you to remind you of Busi 15th birthday wish and then I received a call this morning”
People kept coming in and out, payers were held by a church Kazi attended i must say i found the pastor refreshing and young. We talked through the events of the program and he left, just then the family called a meeting to discuss a few issues.
“Makoti, we have let you bury our son in this foreign place, now we just want to lay down tradition for you, the mourning period will be a year, we expect you to be in mourning wearing black which is custom, also the following Saturday a ceremony has to be down. During the mourning period, i will come and live with you just to ensure that you manage the house hold, his business on the other hand will be managed by Bongani his elder brother for the kids. After the cleansing Bongani will take you as his wife to ensure you and the kids are well taken care of and also Bulelani wealth stays in the family”.
This had very one shocked was this woman on drugs, i looked at my dad who was trying to compose himself, I couldn’t i needed to nip this in the bud they must have walked all over Kazi this week and she let them but this no someone had to put this hag in check.
“ Kancinci nje mama kukho into endiqonda ukuba asiyivha ncam( wait a minute the is something we don’t seem to understand) Ntselekazi lo, will not marry your son she was married to your deceased son and will not marry a man she doesn’t like nor have feelings for, i want to address a few things with all due respect MaZwangwa, boKhwalo,Ncuthu,Mlanjana uNtselekazi as you know is a doctor and in that means she can take care of this house , these kids and life she has been accustomed too, also i would like to point out that what you see as wealth amassed by your son was money invested by Ntselekazi here, your son was a common gangsta when they met nothing but a drug pusher, heist planner and executioner who wore a suite and lied about it. So what you thought or think is wealth that must be shared amongst your leeching family will not happen. Kazi earned every cent from him and you will not dictate what happens. This big house you see was bought by this woman you have said over the years is a useless makoti the black tax ends today. Bongani can find himself another wife my sister will not be used and abused by your kind anymore since you have so much to say she will bury her husband where she chooses. If you want to take her to court gladly go ahead i will defend her and you don’t want to go up against me.”
“ Jonga alpha wena awungeni ndawo kwinto zikabhuti wethu.”( look here our brothers affairs dont concern you) This was the baby maker, her profession was making babies with dead beat fathers.
“ Amanda i think wena you will be hit the worst, if i were you I’d start cueing for the SASA grant that will go a long way”
“ That’s enough ZamaHlubi, my dad roared”
“ Ohhh he speaks, you remember that you have a daughter to defend, this is good ok Tata now ke Hlubi thetha simamele thengisa ngentombi yakho.”
“Bakhozi, you will excuse my daughter she is a hot head i must apologise for the insults, but can i ask that what you have said give my daughter here time to think about it, there is a lot she’s carrying she hasn’t buried his husband just yet and so the is a lot she must process.”
“ Mkhozi, we understand and thank you , maybe this sounded like she has an option to this , this is our custom and i just thought the earlier she knows the better she can process”.
“ Niyanya kanti, anivha xakuthethwa, ( you must be shitting, cant you hear when spoken too)she will not marry your imbecile son and imali anizuzivha, nizophinda ngalendlela benize ngayo. ( you will not get a cent, you will go back the same way you came here) Kazi get up lets go we cant sit for this bulshit”
“ Usile nondindwa ndim, Mthimkhulu nqanda elihuhlazana lakho ndingeka nzi kubekhubi apha” ( You nonsensical whore Mthimkhulu talk reprimand your little heifer of yours before i turn this place up)
“ you will not speak to my daughter like that and infact what she said was true, your son had nothing but a suitcase and a citi golf, that you can have, my daughter has worked hard for all you see. So i will not tolerate anyone insulting her not while I’m still alive anyway”. He roared and you could hear a penny drop. It was the first time ever i heard my father defend us, or more so me i was pleasantly shocked.
Sometimes a little courage can show great reveals…
Stories By Luntu D 