Angajabula kanjani? Kwacabanga uBongi ngenkathi befika ephathini. Yonke into yayibhidlikile. Umethenjiswe yini uXavier? Umnike yonke into, manje amaphupho akhe asephenduke uthuli. Yini emenze waba yisilima kangaka!
“Andiswa, lesi akusona isikhathi sokuthokozela iphathi,” kusho uBongi, kodwa kwase kusemuva kwendaba, base bengaphakathi.
Indlu yayiyisithabathaba. UBongi wayengakholwa ukuthi kuhlala abantu ngempela laphaya. Yayifana naleziya zindlu ezikuMzansi Mansions, ezisetshenziselwa ukuthwebula amabhayisikobho. Yayingencane imali lapha.
“Ngekabani le ndawo?” uBongi ebuza ku-Andiswa.
“EkaThato Soci, uyamkhumbula? Wayephambili kwethu ngonyaka. Wayehamba amaphathi njalo nje, wafeyila konke. Kodwa manje ngizwa kuthiwa useyunivesithi… akukholakali. Kukhona amahlebezi. Ngizwa abantu bethi–”
Kodwa ngalowo mzuzu nje, omunye wabangani baka-Andiswa abase bedukelane isikhathi eside naye waqhamuka egijima wadonsela u-Andiswa etafuleni leziphuzo.
Kwakugcwele lapha. Abantu base bevele bedakwe wutshwala obubizayo obabubekwe ematafuleni yonke indawo. Futhi lapha kwakusesendaweni yechibi lokubhukuda kuphela. UBongi wayezibuza ukuthi kazi indlu yayinjani ngaphakathi.
UBongi wahamba waya etafuleni leziphuzo. Insizwa eyayiseduze kwakhe yayizithelela iVodka ne-tonic enkulu.
“Thato, mngani wami, nakhu lapha ukhona. Thato…” kumemeza insizwa ethile ngenkathi ibhadazela iza kubona. Insizwa eseduze kukaBongi yaphenduka.
UBongi waqhela. Kwakunguye-ke lo uThato! Wayengasamboni nhlobo ngenxa yokuthi wayesekhuluphele. Izinyama zakhe zazilwela indawo ngaphansi kweT-shirt yakhe.
“Awukwazi ukungibiza ngalokho, ndoda. Sengizidale kabusha,” kwahleka uThato. “Sengingomunye umuntu. Ngikwethula kuKatlego – umfundi waseyuni oshisa bhe!” esho ethi ukugoba.
“Njengebhayisikobho yezinhloli yangempela,” kwancokola abanye abangani bakhe abase befike bazokuma nabo. Bahleka bonke.
“Manje, Katlego, ngithanda okokuphuza,” kusho enye yamantombazane eyayisinyathele yagqomoza yaze yafike yaphulula isihlathi sikaThato ngendlela yokuzithandekisa.
Ngokushesha, bonke abantu base bezungeze uThato. Bonke babemngunge ngendlela ayeyithanda.
“Thato?” kwamemeza omunye umuntu. Kodwa amehlo kaThato ayesetholane nakaBongi, manje wayesemgqolozele, amehlo engasawasusi kuye. “Ngiyakubona… ungayi ndawo. Ngizobuya khona manje.”
“Ngiyeza, baba,” kumemeza uThato, egijima enyuka ngezitebhisi eziya emphemeni lapho okwakulinde khona uyise. UBongi wamlandela buqamama. Wayesethi khimilili! Uyise kaThato wayengeyedwa. Eceleni kwakhe kwakumi uXavier Buphoto egaxe uyise kaThato emahlombe. Babebonakala bengabangani abakhulu.
“Malume uXavier, bengingazi ukuthi uzodlula lapha.”
UBongi wabuka ngokumangala okukhulu ngenkathi uThato esingatha ‘uMalume uXavier’, umqondo wakhe wase uqala ukuzama ukuhlanganisa iziqeshana zomdlalo wephazili.
“Sinomsebenzi othile okufanele siwenze sinoyihlo. Ngicabange ukudlula ngihalalise. Iyunivesithi! Halala!” kusho uXavier. “Ngiyajabula ukuthi konke kuhambe kahle!” Wacifa iso.
UBongi wazizwa egula, kodwa kwakufanele kube khona akwenzayo. Wayengeke alidedele ledlule leli thuba.
“Kuyoba kuhle ukuthi imqondise,” kungenela uyise kaThato. “Yonke le mali engiyisebenzise kuye kodwa yena ucabanga ngamantombazane kuphela.”
UThato waphenduka wabheka uBongi, owasuka emathunzini waphumela ekukhanyeni kompheme. Kwahlangana amehlo akhe nakaXavier.
“Mnumzane uXavier, ngidinga ukukhuluma nawe, ngiyacela,” UBongi wadonsa umoya wasondela kuXavier.
“Kubonakala sengathi ngowakho lo, Malume X,” kwahleka uThato.
“Mnumzane Xavier, ngifuna ukwazi ukuthi kwenzekeni.”
UXavier wabuka uThato ngokumamatheka wayesebamba uBongi ingalo, emsusa kuThato nakuyise.
“Wangethembisa …”
“Angethembisanga lutho, ntombazane,” kwahoshozela uXavier ebamba ingalo kaBongi eyiqinisa kakhudlwana. Wonke umusa owayeke wamkhombisa wona wawusuphenduke ulaka ngokuphazima kweso.
“Igamamfihlo owanginika lona alisebenzi,” kuqhubeka uBongi.
“Kusho ukuthi wafaka izinombolo ezingeyizo …” emva kokusho lokho, uXavier wamshiya waya kuyise kaThato base beya egunjini eliyihhovisi ngokushesha sebeyokwenza umsebenzi wabo.
UThato wabuka uBongi ngokumamatheka. “Waba lusizi kangaka? Yiphathi le … woza ngikutholele okunye kokuphuza.”
Ukube kwakungesinye isikhathi uBongi wayezothamba, kodwa njengamanje, wayethuke, ethukuthele, futhi enyanya kakhulu ngalokho okwakwenziwe nguXavier ngendlela yokuthi akakwazanga ukuphendula incoko, ingasaphathwa eyokukhuluma. Kodwa akadinganga ukwenza lokho, ngoba kulowo mzuzu, u-Andiswa wagxawuzela weza kubo.
Sitshele: uThato wathi kufanele abizwe “ngoKatlego” manje. Ucabanga ukuthi uliguqulelani igama lakhe?