UDumi wazilungiselela ukuya esikoleni, wabona ubaba wakhe ehleli etafuleni lase dining room.

“Dumi, sicele umalume wakho ukuthi asiphelezele njengoba siyohlangana no Principal,” kwasho ubaba wakhe.

Uncle Mivuyo? Ngobani?”

“Sikhathazekile, Dumi. Kuyicebo elihle ukuthi sihambe no Mivuyo ngoba kungenzeka sidinge ulwazi lakhe ngakwezomthetho.”

“Mama, nawe baba. Kukhona okunye enginganitshelanga khona,” u Dumi wayengathandi ukubakhathaza ngokunye kodwa wabona ukuthi akabatshele konke.

“Ebusuku bekungalaleki ngase ngingena ku Facebook. Isithombe sisakhona, sigcwele yonke indawo. Futhi –“

“Futhi yini?” kwabuza ubaba wakhe ekhathazekile. Umama wakhe yena wayebheke phansi enikina ikhanda.

“Futhi abantu sebefake ama captions kusona. You know, like speech bubbles.”

U Dumi wathula isikhashana. Wayengafuni ukutshela abazali bakhe ukuthi abantu babhaleni phezu kwesithombe sika Miss Majola no Vuyisile Gaba. Izinto ezithi:

I’m a tranny check my fanny.

Oooh baybee, girl-on-girl.

One hot mess deserves another.

Lokhu kwakuyikhona okungcono emagameni andiza phezu kwesithombe. “Ngeke ngikwazi ukunitshela ngokunye okubhaliwe ngoba kunyantisa igazi,” kwasho u Dumi.

“Kulungile, siyabona ukuthi uqonde ukuthini,” kwasho ubaba wakhe. “Ikhona lokhu okwenze u Principal asibize ekuseni kangaka.”

Wabona ukuthi indodana yakhe iphatheke kabi, wasukuma wabeka isandla sakhe ehlombe wamduduza ngokuthi: “Akukho ukuya ngapha nangapha, ndodana. Lento oyenzile imbi ngempela. Kodwa ngiyazi ukuthi ubungaqondile ukuthi iphenduke lento esiphenduke yona. Ungakhohlwa kodwa ukuthi sikhona for support, ndodana.”

Umama wakhe wasondela wambamba isandla ethi, “Kunjalo, Dumi darling. Siyabona ukuthi uyazisola futhi uyalibona iphutha lakho.”

Lokhu okwashiwo abazali bakhe babekusho ngoba befuna angakhathazeki kakhulu, kodwa kwamenza wakhathazeka kakhulu kunasekuqaleni. Wafisa ukuthi bamthethise, badinwe bambuze ukuthi kwenziwa yini abe isiphukuphuku kangaka. Babuze ukuthi ingane yabo ukuyiyona yodwa vo kwenziwa yini ibhayize kangaka?

Nakhoke futhi lendaba isizokwaziwa ngu malume Mivuyo. U Dumi wabona ukuthi into elandelayo ezokwenzeka ukuthi nazo zonke izihlobo zakhe zizoyazi – ugogo nomkhulu, omalume nabazala. U Dumi angaba ingane yabo eyodwa kodwa bobabili abazali bakhe baqhamuka emindenini emikhulu, njengoba isithombe sisabalala ku Facebook, nobuphukuphuku bakhe busabalala emndenini. Abazala bakhe babembiza ngo ‘Golden Boy’ ngoba athola umfundaze. Lento ayenze esithombeni izoqeda konke ukucwebezela kwa ‘Golden Boy’.

U Dumi wabuka isitsha esiphambi kwakhe sigcwele iphalishi eliphekwe ngalendlela ayithandayo, lithelwe ushukela omningi waze wenza okusakhekheba phezulu. Wasusa amehlo ephalishini wabheka eceleni.

“Idla iphalishi lakho, Dumi.”

“Ngiyaxolisa, ma. Ngeke ngikwazi ukudla, ngiyasola ukuthi ngizovele ngibuyise uma ngidla.”

“Kulungile, Dumi. Asihambe,” kwasho ubaba wakhe.

Wathatha konke okwesikole – ibhantshi, ubhaka. Konke kwakulapho ayekulaxaze khona ngayizolo. Wayengayibhekanga nokuyibheka i homework. Wayezoyibheka kanjani exakwe imicabango yesithombe. Wayebona kahle ukuthi lokhu ayekwenzile kuzokwenza alahlekelwe umfundaze.

Bafika kukhala ibhungezi emagcekeni esikole. Imoto ka Principal kuphela eyayikhona. Umalume Miviyo wafika besavala izicabha, wapaka eceleni kwabo.

U Mivuyo ungumfowabo omncane kababa ka Dumi. Waqala eyi articled clerk kwi law firm aseyi junior partner kuyona. Umndeni wonke uziqhenya kakhulu ngo Mivuyo. Ubaba ka Dumi wayemyala njalo ngokuthi: “Uyambona u Mivuyo, ungumzekelo okhombisayo ukuthi kuyaphumelelwa ngokuzikhandla nokubekezela.” Ngendlela anconywa ngayo u Mivuyo kungenza abanye abantu babenomona kodwa kulukhuni ukungamthandi ngendlela anomusa ngayo.

Amehlo ka Mivuyo ayegcwele ukumzwela umshana wakhe. Wathi kuDumi, “Ungakhathazeki, mshana, sizoyilungisa lento. Kuhle kakhulu ukuthi abazali bakho bangibizile. Ngiyazi ukuthi awuyena umfana ogangile.”

U Mivuyo wayeqinisile ngalokhu. U Dumi wayengakaze aphule umthetho, futhi engayona inhlobo yomuntu ongumdlwembe. Kwakungokuqala abazali bebizwe esikoleni ngenxa yakhe. U Dumi wayengumfana ozithulelayo ozenzela umsebenzi wesikole ngaphandle kokuthanda ukubukwa.

Uqotho futhi uyazikhandla. Une part time job khona engeke acele imali kubazali bakhe. Ngisho i cell phone anayo wazithengela yena ngemali yakhe. Wayeziqhenya kakhulu ngosuku amtshela ngalo ubaba wakhe ukuthi uzokwazi ukuzikhokhela yena i contract ye cellphone. Manje njengoba esekulesisimo wafisa ukube akazange ayithenge kwale Nokia Lumina nge contract ngoba iyona eyenza kwasabalala isithombe esidale inkathazo.

“U Mr Allan uthe uzoshiya lesicabha sivuliwe,” kwasho ubaba ka Dumi evula isicabha sase reception. Baqhubekela phambili kuthule cwaka kwi corridor, kusemnyama ukukhanya kuqhamuka e Principal’s office kuphela. Basondela bama isikhashana ngaphandle komnyango ovaliwe.

“Right,” kwasho ubaba ka Dumi, “asiyilungise lendaba.” Umama ka Dumi wabamba isandla sendodana yakhe, wayimbhambhatha emhlane. U Dumi wadonsa umoya wagcwala isifuba, wangqongqoza esicabheni.

“Come in,” kwasho izwi lika Principal Allan. U Dumi wavula isicabha wadedela abazali bakhe nomalume wakhe ukuze bangene kuqala.

“Ah yes, Mr and Mrs Totobela. Dumi,” kwabingelela u Mr Allan. Wabona u Mivuyo, wakhipha isandla emxhawula naye, wabuza ukuthi ungubani.

“Lona ngumfowethu,” kwasho ubaba ka Dumi. “uMivuyo Totobela. Simcelile ukuthi abekhona naye in case we need a lawyer.”

“Cha, Mr Totobela, angikholwa ukuthi sekungaze kufike lapho.”

Perhaps ubona kanjalo, Mr Allan, kodwa kubukeka ngathi lento isiphenduke into beyond a student prank.”

“Siyazama ukubaxwayisa abafundi nge internet. It can be a wonderful tool, kodwa on the other hand it can cause great trouble.”

“U Dumi usisusile lesithombe ngesikhathi ezwa ukuthi sesiku Facebook,” kwasho umama wakhe.

“Inkinga ukuthi, njengoba sesibonile ngalendlela ekwenzeka ngayo, into efana nalena ayibambeki,” kwasho u Mr Allan. “Ngeke ngikwazi ukusho exactly how many times the picture has been shared and Instagrammed; engingakusho ukuthi sesinama ‘likes’ angaphezu kwa 10 000. Inkinga ukuthi kuthinteka igama lika Vuyisile Gaba, ikhona okwenza ukuthi umsebenzi ka Dumi we cut-and-paste usabalale kangaka.”

“U Miss Majola yena uyithathe kanjani lento eyenzakalayo?” kwabuza u Dumi ngezwi elinokuvevezela kungathi uyakhala. Engqondweni yakhe wayelokhu esibona lesithombe, esibona sisayisona engakasithaki nge Photoshop. Wakhumbula indlela u Miss Majola ayejabule ngayo kusona, nendlela u Vuyisile Gaba ayembuka ngayo yayikhombisa ukuthi basothandweni futhi bajabulile. Wazisola kakhulu u Dumi ngokulimaza uthando oluselusha lwabantu ababili. Wazisola ngokuba nomona, wazisola ngokufuna ukuzigqamisa ku Alexa – lo Alexa ongasoze wabuka u Dumi ngamehlo othando. Konke ayekufuna empeleni ukuthi u Alexa ambuke ngamehlo othando, ngalendlela u Miss Majola ayebuka ngayo u Vuyisile esithombeni.

“Uphatheke kabuhlungu kakhulu u Miss Majola,” kwaphendula u Mr Allan. “Engikutholile ngesikhathi ngikhuluma naye ukuthi she understands that this is a very silly schoolboy prank gone horribly wrong.”

Bezwa ukunyathela kwama high heels okusheshayo esondela esicabheni. Bezwa umuntu engqongqoza, wavula isicabha. U Miss Majola wayephatheke kabi ngempela, kubonakala ukuthi kade ekhala. Kwahlengezela izinyembezi emehlweni ka Dumi.

“Oh,” kwasho u Miss Majola. “Mr and Mrs Totobela, Dumi.” Wabuka no Mivuyo kodwa wangalinda ukwaziswa ukuthi ingubani lensizwa angayazi.

“Miss Majola-“, kwasho uDumi ezama ukuxolisa.

“Sengizame konke ukupholisa lento kodwa uVuyisile ucasuke kakhulu. Uthi ozokumangalela. He wants to sue.” kwasho u Miss Majola

***

Sitshele ukuthi ubona kanjani: Ungamumangalela (would you sue) umuntu osabalalise isithombe sakho asinongile nge Photoshop njengoba kwenze uDumi?