wazibonela ukuthi uma ezama ukuphikisana ngamazwi nomfowabo, hleze athole isibhaxu kuye. UMaMsomi wazibuka lezi ngane zakhe azithandayo kodwa angazithandi ngokufanayo. Ayithanda kakhulu uMchithwa ngoba umfana, noQobolwakhe ayemthanda kakhulu esaphila. UQobolwakhe naye wayengayithandi into ebheke eceleni.
UMaMsomi unesifiso sokuthi njengoba uMchithwa efana kangaka nje noyise ebusweni, sengathi nangezenzo kungaba yinto efanayo. Uyakhohlwa ukuthi umfundisi akamzali umfundisi.
“Bantabami, ngicela ningisize.”
“Sikusize ngani?” ekhulumela phezulu uMchithwa.
UMaMsomi wabacela ukuba bobathathu baguqe ukuze bathandaze. UMchithwa wanyipha uma ezwa igama lokuthandaza. UNtombi wakubona lokho. Unina wangakunaka.
Sakuncokola, uNtombi athi: “Bengicela ubafo asihole ngomthandazo.”
“Musa ukungijwayela kabi, sengathi kukhona ozokuthola uma wenza njalo. Ngiyakusiza uma ngikwazisa lokho,” kusho uMchithwa ehwaqabala.
Nebala, bonke baguqa; athandaze uMaMsomi: “Nkulunkulu ongahlulwa lutho, ngicela ungisize wenze lezi zingane zami zizwane, zombili ziphinde zingihloniphe nginguyise futhi ngingunina. Nkosi enomusa, vikela le yomfana, kuzo zonke izingozi ezingaphansi komthunzi welanga, noyise la ekhona ayiphumelelise kukho konke efisa ukukwenza. Ngiyabonga Baba omuhle onomusa.”
Emva komkhuleko omfishane owenziwe uMaMsomi, zombili lezi zingane zashintsha ebusweni. Lokhu zikwenza ngezizathu ezaziwa yizona. UMaMsomi wakubona lokho engeyona ingane. Kwathula la endlini, kwasengathi kudlula ingelosi. UMaMsomi uyabona ukuthi kufanele kube khona akukhulumayo, hleze isimo sibuyele kwesejwayelekile. Ubona kufanele uma ekhuluma akhulume into enengqondo ngoba uMchithwa uphambene nodadewabo.
“Zingane zami, kungabe ukhona onenkinga lapha kunina?” emamatheka uMaMsomi.
“Ngibona ikhona inkinga,” kusho uNtombi.
“Ntombi, iyiphi inkinga onayo?”
“Wena Mama uthanda uMchithwa.”
“Uyakubhedela lo wena Mama,” ebhoka ngolaka uMchithwa.
“Phansi umoya, Ncokwane. Myeke athi ukwenaba uNtombi.”
“Wena Mama kade ngabona ukuthi umuntu ongcono la ekhaya, uMchithwa.”
“Nginithanda nobabili ngoba nazalwa yimi.”
“Akunjalo Mama,” kuphika uNtombi.
“Sekela ndodakazi.”
“Uma uthandaza, ubeka uMchithwa emthandazweni.”
“Ziningi izinkinga ezehlela umfana lapha emhlabeni kunentombazane, Ntombi,” kubeka uMaMsomi.
Isimo sathi ukushuba lapha endlini emva kwamagama kaMaMsomi, osekuthi akatshele lezi zingane zakhe ukuthi akuqalwe phansi kuthandazwe, ngoba usolwe uNtombi ngokwenzelela emthandazweni. UMchithwa undwazile nje, abuye abiphe okomuntu odliwa yizinhlungu. UNtombi yena ubukeka eya ngokuswabuluka, abuye azelule.
Uma kungase kungene umuntu lapha kulo muzi kaNcokwane, owakhiwe kahle kakhulu lapha kwaDumisa, angasho nje ukuthi awukho kule ndawo umuzi owakhiwe wadlula wona ngobuhle. UMaMsomi wethuka eseshilo ukuthi la ekhaya kufanele kuqiniswe kakhulu emthandazweni.
Wasukuma uMchithwa ukuya kophaka, ngoba ezwa enokulamba okuhlangene nokulunywa isisu. Lapho bebona ukudla okuphakwe uMchithwa kuqonge kakhulu, oNtombi benonina bahleka ngokufihla. UNtombi yena kade ambona uMchithwa ukuthi akayedwa. Njengoba eqongisa ukudla ekushaya ekuvala ngokuphazima kweso nje, zaya ngokuqina izinsolo kuNtombi oshesha kakhulu ukubona izinto.
Ngaleso sikhathi kwabe sekuhwalala. Babhekana nje uma bezwa uMchithwa evalelisa ngoba eya kolala. UMaMsomi kwayimane ebona ukuthi kukhona inkinga kuMchithwa ngoba akasheshi alale, noma kunjalo, akalali engozeli. Bheka nje, akasigezanga nesitsha abedlela kusona. Ngisho nokusibeka emsamo akasibekanga. UMaMsomi wabona ukuthi useyinuku uMchithwa kamuva nje.
UMchithwa wabona kufanele ukuba afonele uNtondolo ngoba wamthembisa ama-ARVs. Enye inhliziyo yathi ngeke, akufanele afone umfo kaNcokwane ngoba uzolwa naye uNtondolo, kwazise akakaze amnike nakanye lawo ma-ARVs esivumelwano. Wavumela inhliziyo ethi akaqale abe nomhlangano nabangani bakhe, bahlanganise imiqondo ukuthi ama-ARVs azotholakala nini, ze uNtondolo ezele into ephusile la kwaDumisa.
UMchithwa walayitha iwunga yakhe wabhema. Emva kokubhema, isisu wezwa sesiphele nya, kanti usuthi enjalo nje umntakaQobolwakhe. Ngaleya endlini okuphekelwa kuyo, uMaMsomi uxoxa noNtombi indaba yokuba yisidlambila kukaMchithwa. UNtombi uluma indlebe unina ukuthi ngolunye usuku, wabona uMchithwa ehlezi emotweni kaNtondolo, kanti uNtondolo uyisigebengu, waze waxoshwa uGumede ayemshayelela waze wayoshayela eMlazi. Bheka nje, bonke abanikazi bezimoto lapha kwaDumisa abazange bamnike umsebenzi.
UMaMsomi, lo mqondo kaNtombi wabona ungaphusile ngoba umfana kulungile ahlangane nabanye abafana. Waphinde wangayikholwa neze indaba yokuhlala kukaMchithwa noNtondolo. Into ebanga lokho ukuthi, phela uNtondolo ungangoyise kaMchithwa. Ayikho into engahlanganisa uMchithwa noNtondolo bebe bebaningi kangaka ontangayabo uMchithwa.
UNtombi wenzela ingane yakhe ukudla ngoba eyizwa ikhala. “Ngendlela okuyiyo, uma engayizwa uMchithwa ikhala le ngane, angamane ayishaye,” kuzindla uNtombi, owaphazamiseka ngokuthola le ngane esenza uGrade 12. Uzimisele ukukhulisa lo muntuza ngaphambi kokuzama ukulenza futhi ibanga leshumi nambili.
UMaMsomi waba nesifiso esikhulu sokuthi uMchithwa angaliqeda ibanga leshumi nambili ukuze kube nguye othatha umsebenzi wokulima, bese kuthi yena uMaMsomi aphumule. Uma engase akhulelise uMchithwa, uMaMsomi angaphatheka kabi, kodwa kungaba ngcono ngoba leyo ngane kuyobe kungeyalapha kwaNcokwane. Akufani nengane kaNtombi engenaye uyise. Le ngane ayinayise ngoba bonke bayiphika. Okuhle-ke ngoNtombi ukuthi uzitshela ukuthi ngeke kuphinde kwenzeke okwamehlela. Uzitshela ukuthi ukubona kanye kusho ukubona kabili lapha ezweni. Ngenhlanhla, waxolisa kakhulu kunina ngalokhu okwamehlela. Ngenhlanhla futhi le ngane uHulumeni uyayondla, yize eyibona ikhula kancane uNtombi.
Ngolunye usuku, uMaMsomi ezihlalele nje noNtombi, ngeniyane ucingo. Waphuma uNtombi.
“Sawubona mzalwane.”
“Yebo mzalwane,” kuvuma uMaMsomi.
“NginguThish’ uSishi, la eSiphapheme.”
“Yebo Thisha, kade ngakugcina ukukubona esontweni.”
“Ukubambeka nje mzalwane, kodwa angikhohliwe umthandazo mihla namalanga.”
“Ngafonelwa nguwe, kodwa kungabe ngenzeni?”
“Ungethuki kakhulu. Ngabe unjani ukubambeka ngalapho ekhaya?”
“Angibambekile.”
“Shaya imoto yakho ufike lapha eSiphapheme,” etshengisa ukuthi sengathi kuyaphuthuma. Bavalelisana emva kokuvumelana.
Inhliziyo kaMaMsomi yacabanga ngoMchithwa ongakafiki lapha ekhaya. Okubuhlungu ukuthi izingane afunda nazo uzibonile uMaMsomi zedlula ngezansi komuzi. Uma ecabanga ngoMchithwa lo angamboni, wafikelwa ukuthi mhlawumbe ufile nje laphaya esikoleni. Pho yini ebange ukuthi umzalwane angamtsheli? UMaMsomi wacabanga nokuthi into ebange ukuthi uSishi angamtsheli, ukwazi kahle ukuthi ubengawa nokuwa; phela uMaMsomi uyaziwa ukuthi unozwela kakhulu.
Watatazela unina kaMchithwa, wena owabona ikhehla ligcagcelwa. Konke unina kaMchithwa ukwenza nje ithemba
