Amehlo akhe ayekhazimla okwelitye legolide. Uncumo lwakhe lwalusitsho kuthi merhe uvalo komondeleyo. Ayemaninzi amantombi apha elalini, kodwa abafana babegxalathelana, okwenkunzi zomthonyama zingena ediphini, befuna ukutshata yena. Indlela anyathela ngayo indilisekile, umhlaba ange uyawusizela xa ewunyathela. Xa eze ngomva ukunika umfanekiso ongacimiyo nasemathongweni. Ilizwi lakhe lizolile lintama uxolo nothando. Umntwan’omntu uhlala ejikajikana nengqondo yakhe ukuba angenza njani ukuze aqiniseke ukuba ukhethe elona soka limfaneleyo.
UNonceba xa ehamba esitalatweni ubusiva amaxilongo eemoto esitsho ngesandi esimyoli, okomzalikazi ethuthuzel’umntwana ngobusuku. Namantombi elali ayemcekisa kuba abafana babesoloko belilisela ngaye ngokungathi nguye yedwa intombi apha elelini. Xa ehlisa izitalato zaseMthatha ubusiva amaququbelana ecula: “Mhle lo mntwana kwedini, mhle noba sevuka.”
“Owu! Nonceba mntwan’omntu wena wanconywa nazimfama zathi ingelosi izelwe emhlabeni. Ingqina andikholelwa nokuba wazalwa ngumfazi nje ngabanye abantu,” watsho lo mfo emnunusa ngesandla ukumnceda anyukeni lo micangcatho yaseJET.
“Enkosi, bhuti,” wabulela uNonceba emangalisiwe ukuba lo uvela sembiza ngegama umazela phi. Elibele tu ukuba akukho mntu ungamaziyo, kususela mhla waphumelela ukhuphiswano loo nobuhle baseKSD, uMiss KSD ke ukutsho. Lo mfo usukile egadeni, uthi akuncuma ange angawuvali umlomo ngenxa yokufaneleka kolo thotho lwamazinyo akhe amhlophe okwekhephu, aze ahonjiswa ngomhlantla. Umdaka omnyama ongeva sepha waseMangxongweni, phantsi kweNtabba kaManketshane, eBaziya kweli laseMthatha. Kodwa ngoku uxelenga ehlala kwilokishi iSouthernwood kwalapha eMthatha.
Kwaphela iinyanga ezisixhenxe uNonceba noZakhele bethandana baziqamangela ngeqhina lomtshato. Kaloku wayeqinisekile ukuba wenze esona sigqibo ngobomi bakhe.
“Ncepssy, kuzokufuneka siye ngasedolophini ngokuhlwa nje,” watsho lo mfo emthe ntsho ngamehlo umtshakazi wakhe.
“Hayi, Zakes torho ndidiniwe namhlanje ndifuna nje ukuphekela isophoro emnandi apha endlwini. Ndide ndathenga nemifuno pha emarikeni,” walandula ngelitshoyo uNonceba. Kaloku oko betshatile akapheki ngokwakhe, oko besitya eziretyurenti.
“Owam unkosikazi akazupheka ngelixa sisekwiHoneymoon,” yabuya isitsho impendulo, isuka kulo mfo uncumo lugoso.
“Ohk ke, kulungile masihambe,” wavuma uNonceba.
Uthando lwabo lwalunje ngomdudo kaMaphasa kuthi boosomatheko. Phakathi kwabo kwakungekho neyokungena umoya intunja. Endleleni abantu abamaziyo uZakhele wawunokubeva besithi: “Inene umfo waseMangxongweni ugwaz’uTshaka, ugwaz’ebona kweli ityeli. Akwaba angangadlali ngaye ke lo,”
E-Ekhaya Guest Houses abantu babephuma bengawuvali umlomo luthando lwesisibini. Egumbini labo lokulala kwakugcwele iintyatyambo ukusuka phantsi emgangathweni ukuya kuma kumandlalo wabo. Kwakugquba umoya wothando. Phofu lunjalo xa luselutsha. UNonceba noZakhele babeyintlaka noxolo kwakucaca nakuDengana ukuba olwabo uthando lunqwema lwentulo.
“Hey! Mfethu le bharu isemathandweni nalo mntwana,” yatsho enye inkewu incokola nowabo xa bedlula kwesisibini.
“Yitsho uphinda Gazi, nguRomeo and Juliet,” yabuya isitsho impendulo.
“Nonceba ndicela isipho endingasayikuze ndisilibale apha ebomini bam,” watsho lo mfo emthe ntsho ngamehlo unkosikazi wakhe. UNonceba wayenthanda uZakhele, emthembile kananjalo, kodwa xa emjongile yayikho le nto ingaqhelekanga ngaye. Into enokwenza nale ndoda inomsila neempondo.
“Yintoni ley…”
“Umntwana!” Wamqhawula engekagqibi nokuthetha sele esondela embamba isandla eqweba uncumo. “Ndicela umntwana Nonceba.”
“Kulungile ukuba yinto oyifunayo leyo,” wayinika uNonceba le mpendulo kucaca naseluswini lwakhe ukuba uthi ndaze ndakuva zwindini.
Zaphela iinyanga ezilithoba, yafika ingelosi emhlabeni ngoNonceba. Into emehlo agqam-gqam ngathi ngakayise, empumlo icikizekileyo ngathi yekanina. Ubunokuva xa eteketiswa kusithiwa: “Ntombi yolonwabo lwethu, sitya sethu segolide,” atsho alaqazise lo mehlo akhe makhulu, nto leyo yalatha ukuchubeka nobukrelekrele bengqondo yakhe.
Emva kweminyaka elishumi uNonceba noZakhele betshatile.
“Zakes uyawanxilile nanamhlanje?” Wabuza uNonceba ebhekisa emyenini wakhe kucaca ukuba umsila wembulu uvelile.
“Tyhini! Bantu bakwaNtsundu, ye mfazindini ndiyanxila kuwe ngoku?”
“Ucinga ukuba wenza ntoni?”
“Sukundiphatha kakubi emzini wam, kuba hleze ndikwenze mbi nam. Ndikubethe uyolala esibhedlela nje ngale nyanga iphelileyo,” yatsho lanto imtyityimbisela umnwe.
“Uyaxoka yini le!”
“Ndakukubetha bobosindini lomfazi…” yatsho la nto sele imombelela ngamanqindi. Kuyikati emhlophe ehlungwini ukuba le nto yokubuza kwakhe uNonceba uzixhoxhele isikhuni somhlakothi.
Le nto yokuvunwa kwakhe, uNonceba, yayisisidlo sakhe semihla ngemihla. Lo mfo wayemka iintsuku ezine endlwini, xa ebuzwa ukuba uvela phi athi uyindoda into ayiyo. UNonceba wayehlala engcungcutheka emphefumlweni, intiyo yayikhula imihla yonke entliziyweni yakhe. Bonke ababekhula naye xa bembona babemthandabuza, kuba wayengathi ngunontyintyi waseKopano kungenjalo ngomnye wabaseNdimangeni. Umntwana wakhe wayenxiba impahla azicholelwe ngunina endaweni yokulahla inkunkuma. Abantu baseSouthernwood babengayikholelwa le nto. Isikhalo sakhe babengasothuki kuba babesiva kusasa namatshona. Anqaba amaxilongo, kwanqongophala nomlozi lo womlomo.
Ngomgqibelo, umhla wesibini kuJuni. Lalimathumb’asikhwenene elokishini kwakuthe cwaka ngendlela engaqhelekanga, kwakuvakala nje ukukhala kwesikhova nomkhulungwane owawusenziwa zizinja. Wavakala uNonceba esithi, “Namhla kunamhla.”
Wathabatha umntwana wakhe wamvalela egumbini lakhe lokulala; wabeka amanzi eziko wawagalela amafutha wokupheka neswekile. Wathabatha ibhozo walifaka esinqeni. Malunga nomkhono emva kwentsimbi yeshumi elinesibini, ngelikathula nja. Yavakala ingoma engatshongo khona kaZakhele. Wathi nje ukuba ayive uNonceba ajika amehlo abomvu kodwa kungekho nenyembezi le inye, yabetha ngamandla intliziyo yakhe ngokungathi ligubu lamagqirha abhidwe ngumshologu. Vingci! Zavaleka indlebe akeva nento le, ngaphandle kwamabhungane awayesenza isankxwe engqondweni yakhe. Wayesengemntu ngoku.
“Ukuba andiyifumani le nto ndiyifunayo mna ndizobetha umntu,” watsho engekangeni nase sangweni uZakhele.
Wathi xa efika emnyango walukhaba ucango lwayokuwa egumbini. UNonceba akazange othuke nokothuka namhlanje, wonda ngembiza eyayixhentsa izombelela eziko, wayithi quba kuZakhele, emva koko walandelisa ngebhozo entanyeni. UZakhele wonela nje ukukhamisa lwangcol’ungele ngoko nangoko. Bafika abakwantsasana bathi uyakuthetha phambili. Wagwetywa iminyaka elishumi elinesibhozo esebenza nzima kwesinomhlwa ngenxa yothando.
UNogumbe wenyembezi uhlala usihla uqukuqela ezidleleni zakhe, emane esenza isimbonono.
“Sii! Ukuzenza akunje ngakwenziwa, ndandisithi xa ndanditshata uZakhele ndenza esona sigqibo silumkileyo ngobomi bam, ndingazi ukuba ndizibizela ijele. Ndisithi nditshate nomntu oziyekileyo iziyunguma nobumnandi balo mhlaba kanti nditsho phantsi kwa qhum’uthuli; ndithi kuba nditshate nomntu omdala ngeminyaka esixhenxe kum ndizofumana uthando nenkathalo. Kodwa…”