When I woke up the following day my mother was sweeping the mess I made on the floor. It left me feeling guilty.
“Sbu ngwanaka, Nna ke gapeletsega go boela morago, ola kokoago wa lwala wa nhloka.”
“What about me Mama! Nna otlo no ntesa ke hlophega gore o ye go hlokomela koko? She has her own children mama? You are just her mother-in-law, let her children take care of her, I also need you.”
“I’ll come back, go se go ye kae ola Matlakala o ntshephishitse gore o tla go hlokomela.”
Even the way she spoke proved that she was not entirely sure that my aunt will take care of me. “I’m sorry my boy.”
“It’s fine Mama, go and take care of Koko, I’m not going anywhere.” I said with tears in my eyes. “You can withdraw the thousand left and use it to go back home, I won’t need it.”
“Ke a leboga ngwanaka, thank you. God bless you.”
The day after my mother left, my cousin Solly came in the shack to bring me breakfast; dry bread with tea. He was wearing what looked like my suit and shoes.
“He monna diaparo tse o di tsere kae?”
“Why? Ke di rekile kganthe?”
“Solly, diaparo tseuwe ke tsaka monna.”
“Gwa tshwana otla hlwa osaya kae? Lesa rena bo Solly ro charmer bana, wena eja breakfast in bed sheuwe ke go diretse o tlogele go balabala.”
And that’s when I realised that life is unpredictable!
After my mother left things started getting from bad to worse. I would be left in that shack the whole day without food and no access to medication. Sometimes it got too hot that I would sweat till I stank. My shares at MM were the only thing giving me hope. All I needed was to work on my courage to face the world again. Imagine if Liz knew where I slept on at this very moment. Someone would mistake the bed I slept on with a braai stand, covered in grease from God knows what and dust. I woke up to each and every day with back pains. I tried in vain to get myself on the wheelchair so I could reach my medication and water.
One day I was awoken by a loud bang on the door. I found it hard to believe that anyone would remember me during the early hours of the morning. The door swung open and Uncle Mishark walked in, holding a bottle of Black Label.
“Sbuda! Oh Sbuda mfana wam ke boile jwale.”
“Malome obe ole kae all this time?”
“Gape nna ke busy, ola mmaneago obe a bona okare ge aka nkoba ka mo ke tla sharelwa! Phela nna ke Mishark wa ba Ntoana.”
He took a sit by the bedside.
“Sbuda
“Ya neh, life is something else neh. Ele gore mpotse, mosadinyana ola wa gago o tseya gabotse? Gape tsatsi le mmago a tsweletseng le diaparo tsa gago asenke ke tshephe. You know they all acted like you were dead. Solly ke ge shetse a bechitse ka watch ya gago ya mabonwa just to play dice. That cigar case of uas ke hlakane le yona sporting bra Dan. I told them Sbu will survive this and he will show you all, that he is a strong man.”
I wished that I believed that much in myself. Staying in that shack made me lose faith in myself and in God. I felt like nothing; no-one. My kids wouldn’t even recognise me if they saw me. Tears threatened to flood my eyes when uncle Mishark told me about how aunt Matlakala sold my expensive perfumes for fifty rand each, how Solly sold some of my clothes and kept others for himself. The story was endless all I did was sit there, wipe off tears and listen to him.
“Hey jwale ke boile, ola Masechaba o dira ka gore o rata chelete man. Gape o nkobetse gore ke ganne go mo fa chelete yaka ya grant kamoka. Mosadinyana ola wa ntalela ora gore nna ke hloke le ya kwae? Wa gafa man.”
“Hey Malome se nka go kgopelang sona ke gore o nchelele meetse ke hlape.”
Wena o mfanaka, my best nephew. You took care of me son, I will never forget that. Ere ke ye ka kua ntlong ke go beele meets.”
“But I’ll prefer taking a bath in here, ake nyake le go le gata in that house.”
“Ya mfana ke gore sekgowa osa sencha ka dinko, he!”
We laughed and then he went in the house. It was good to have company, someone to joke and laugh with; someone who believed that all this would come to pass, although I didn’t believe that someday I’ll ever be back on my feet.
Uncle Mishark helped me to bath. I found that he managed to take some of my clothes in the house without Solly realising it. After he helped me bath he disappeared for a while and came back with fish, Russians, chips and a cold-drink. On the side was freshly baked bread and I found myself enjoying them more than ever.
At night he took some of the blankets and slept on the floor and we had a conversation until the late hours of the evening. The following day when I woke up, our shack was filled with vetkoeks and Atchaar aroma and there were two tea mugs on the table and the aroma of coffee also filled the air. We enjoyed breakfast while talking and laughing over things that happened in the past. After eating Uncle Mishark poured water for me in one of those metal baths they use for washing clothes. After bathing he wheeled me out of the shack and we enjoyed sitting under the Baobab tree.
***
Tell us: Do you think Sbu can get back his old life?