UThuli wangcamla kancinane amanzi, waza wathatha ilatshana lakhe lasetafileni wasula umlomo wakhe. “Konke kwenziwa ngendlela efanelekileyo nengenamkhethe kwaye konke kusemthethweni ngokuphelelelyo. Kwaye konke kuza kwenzeka kwakamsinyane nje.”
“Thuli!” Ilizwi likatata wakhe lalithe ukuphakama kwesi sihlandlo. “Kwanele. Ndifuna uxolise kuMnumzana noNkosikazi Mokae ngoku kuziphatha kwakho. Ngoku!” Wajikela kuMpumi ngoncumo olunodano. “Ndiyaxolisa. Intombi yam inokuba sisidlamlilo.”
“Ifuze wena ke ngaloo nto, Moses?” Ukuhleka kukaMpumi kwakunyanzeliswa.
Wajonga uThuli, yenza ngokunjalo nenkosikazi yakhe.
“Ndiyaxolisa,” watsho uThuli ngeliphantsi.
“Ndimangalisiwe,” watsho uNkosikazi Mokae. “Intombazana encinane njengawe, ingenelela kwincoko yabantu abadala. Kwaye niyakukhuthaza oku kuziphatha, Moses?”
Kodwa ngumama kaThuli owaphendulayo. “Siyakukhuthaza, Portia. Sithanda ukucinga ukuba abantwana bethu bayaliqaphela ilizwe elibangqongileyo, singabakhuseli kwiinyaniso ezenzekayo. Kodwa naxa kunjalo, ndifuna ukwengeza uxolo lwam kolukaThuli. Into enye nje esiyifundise abantwana bethu kukuba basoloko bebahlonipha abanye abantu. Andithi uThuli ngengangenelelanga kwincoko yethu. Noko kunjalo, ubefanele ukuthetha ngembeko angaphakamisi ilizwi.” Kwesi sihlandlo ibe nguPhindile ophakamise igilasi yakhe engcamla ngokucekisa. “Ndicela ukuxolele ukuzondelela kolutsha.”
Ixesha eliseleyo lesidlo ladlula ngokuthula okunyanzeliswayo. Izimuncumuncu zasemva kokutya zazijongeka zimnandi, okungumxube wetshokoledi kuhamba nesosi yamaqunube, kodwa uThuli zange ayive naloo ncasa. Into nje awayeyifuna kukushiya le ndlu, aba bantu banekratshi, abaleke le ndlela yayimkrwaqula ngayo le nzwana yenkwenkwe ehleli ijongene naye ngaphaya kwetafile.
Wayijonga ngokukhawuleza, amehlo abo adibana. Yima! Ingaba kwaku …? UThuli wayeqinisekile ukuba kwakukho uncumo emacaleni omlomo wayo. Okomzuzwana nje, lwaphinda lwanyamalala.
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“Yima! Yima ndiyakucela!”
USebastian wayebaleka esihla ngendledlana yemoto, ewangawangisela uThuli izandla. Wema wamlinda ukuba amfumane.
“Ulibele oku.”
Wayephethe ijezi yakhe. UThuli wanqwenela ukumxelela ukuba ayigcine; ngaloo ndlela kwakungazukuba namfuneko yokuba baphinde bathethe. Waza weva kakuhle ukuba uthini.
“Umama wam. Ndiyaxolisa. Akenzeli oku ukuba krwada. Yindlela angayo nje le.”
‘Hayi ke,’ uThuli wayefuna ukutsho, ‘kufanele acinge ngokukutshintsha oko.’ Kodwa uThuli akazange athethe. Kwakunoxinzelelo olwaneleyo ngolu suku lunye.
*****
Egumbini lestadi kwaMpumi Mokae.
UMpumi usemnxebeni, ethetha ngelizwi eliphantsi.
Siva nje eli lakhe icala kule ncoko.
— Ewe, mhlekazi. Bezile kwisidlo sasemini.
— Kube njengokuba bekulindelekile.
— Sibeke isiseko. Kwaye uye wafumana ufifana lokuba ubomi obubhetele bunganjani.
— Ngomso? Ngokuqinisekileyo, mhlekazi. Ewe, kuza kufuneka sense ngokukhawuleza. Kuvakala ngokungathi baza kuqokelelana nanini na kwakamsinya nje. Ngaphandle kokuba kusezakuba nezinye iingxoxo?
— Hayi? Andicingi njalo.
— Kulungile, mhlekazi. Nje ukuba ndiphinde ndambona, ndiza kukwazisa. Ndiza kumxelela ukuba siza kudinga impendulo ngokukhawuleza okukhulu.
*****
UMoses wayehleli etafileni, intloko yakhe isezandleni zakhe. “Andazi, Phindi. Ngumsebenzi omhle. Umvuzo omhle.” Waphakamisa intloko waza umtha wethemba wakhanyisa ubuso bakhe. “Ngubani owaziyo? Mhlawumbi ndingenza kwa okuninzi okulungileyo ndingaphakathi? Yiloo nto athe uMpumi iza kuba yinxalenye yomsebenzi wam. Utshintsho. Ukulungelelanisa izidingo zotshintsho.”
“Hmmm.” Ilizwi likaPhindi lalingazibopheleli. Wayemi kufuphi nebhodi yoku-ayinela, esolula enye yeehempe zikaMoses zekaki zomsebenzi.
“Intoni? Akucingi njalo?” UMoses waphakamisa intloko wajonga inkosikazi yakhe.
“Andazi, Moses. Konke kwenzeke ngesiquphe. Ukubuya kukaMpumi. Evela nje apho singaziyo. Kwaza kwaba kho leya braai imbi kakhulu. Kwakucace gca ukuba uPortia wayengasifuni tu phaya. Ndiqinisekile nangoku ukuba wayalela abancedisi bakhe ukuvuthulula ifenitshala emva kokuba sihambile.”
“Oh, yini ke noko,” watsho uMoses. “Ubengembi kangako …” Wajonga indlela inkosikazi yakhe yayimjamele ngayo wahleka. “Kulungile ke, mhlawumbi ubenjalo. Kodwa oko akuwuphenduli umbuzo wam. Ndiye kolu vavanyo lwesicelo somsebenzi okanye hayi?”
UPhindile waphakamisa i-ayini. “Landela intliziyo yakho, Moses. Kwaye ukhumbule, ungawuthathi lo msebenzi ngenxa yam, okanye ngenxa yabantwana. Imali asiyona nto ibaluleke kakhulu emhlabeni.”
“Utsho sesibala nale moto yethu indala ithembakeleyo eseyifuna ukunikela umoya?”
UPhindile wahleka waphuza umyeni wakhe emoyeni. “Nditsho sesibala naleyo, Moses wam. Nditsho sesibala naleyo.”
*****
Umyalezo omtsha
Sebastian Mokae
Hey Thuli
Molo
Ndiyaxolisa ukufumana kufacebook, kodwa bendingazi
enye indlela endingakufumana ngayo.
Kulungile. Unjani?
Ndiphilile. Ndiyaxolisa nge-braai.
Uyibiza i-braai leya nto? Ibifana nesidlo samakhosi.
Ewe, ke. Abazali bam abakwazi ukwenza izinto ngendlela elingeneyo.
🙂
Ngoku. Bendicinga.
Ewe?
Unento oza kube uyenza ngoMgqibelo ekuseni?
Hayi, ncam. Ngokuba kutheni?
Bendicinga ukuba mhlawumbi sidibane. Kudederhu lweevenkile ezikufuphi nawe?
Ngoba?
Andazi. Ukuba sinckole nje. Sibe kunye nje ixeshana.
Andiqinisekanga …
Asizi kwenza nto itheni. Kukuthi nje …
Ewe?
Ndiyithandlie indlela othethe phandle ngayo. Bendicinga ukuba
kungakuhle uyazi, ukuqhubeka ukuthetha kakhudlwana.
Singathetha apha. Ku-FB.
Ngokuqinisekileyo. Singathetha kwakho ubuso ngobuso. Uyazi,
ngaphandle kwezikrini nekhibhodi.
Leyo ke yingcinga entle …
Ndinazo zininzi ke ezo. Ndithembe.
Mhlawumbi ke ndingakhe ndive ezinye zazo? Uyazi,
Njenge, ndlebe zam zisiva ilizwi lakho lokwenene.
Kungalicebo elihle oko.
Kulungile. Kamnandi. NgoMgqibelo ekuseni kudederhu lweevenkile.
10.30?
Singalenza u11? Kufuneka ndongeze ixesha kunye neqela endifunda nalo.
Kulungile. Ndiza kukubona.
UThuli waphuma kwi – akhawunti yakhe yeFacebook. Sebastian Mokae. Wayeselelithanda bhetelana ngoku eli gama lakhe.
*****
Walithanda kakhudlwana emveni kokuba yena noSebastian bedibene kudederhu lweevenkile. Wafika emva kwexesha; iseshoni neqela afunda nalo yathabatha ixesha elidana kunesiqhelo ukuphela.
“Ungxamele phi kangaka?” Wabuza uAnele.
“Uxolo, andizukuba nalo ixesha lokuncokola.” UThuli wafaka iincwadi zakhe engxoweni ngokungxama waza wabaleka ukuya kukhwela iteksi. UNomsa noAnele babezitshomi zakhe ezindala, kodwa wayengekakulungeli ukwabelana nabo ngeendaba ezingoSebastian. Hayi okwangoku. Wayeza kudibana naye, abone ukuba unjani kuqala.
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Khawusichazele ukuba ucinga ntoni: Wayeza kuthini uPortia ukuba wayefunde le ncoko kaFacebook?