UMihlali walala ngokuthula embhedeni wakhe edomi yabo. Kwakungasekho ayengakusho. Wayesekusho konke manje.

U-matron waqhubeka nokumphulula kahle. Lapho evula amehlo akhe uMihlali wabona ukuthi u-matron wayehwaqile ebheke emnyango. Waphendukela kancane kuMihlali wabe esemomotheka.

“Kumele uhambe nami manje Mihlali,” esho ngezwi elipholile. “Sukuma uhambe uyothela amanzi ebusweni bakho.”

U-matron wabe esesukuma eshiya uMihlali, lapho ephuma wathi: “Uze esitezi esisezansi ngemva kwemizuzu emihlanu.”

UMihlali akazange athi vu ngenkathi lo wesifazane ehamba naye ngemoto ezitaladini zedolobha.

“Kumele ngibike konke ongitshele khona Mihlali. Ingabe uyakuqonda kodwa lokhu? Kumele siye emaphoyiseni khona manje, futhi kuzomele ukuphinde emaphoyiseni konke okushilo. Sengimshayele ucingo umama wakho. Umninipulazi uzomletha kusuka epulazini. Sizohlangana naye esiteshini samaphoyisa.”

UMihlali wazizwa endikindiki kodwa inhliziyo yakhe yayishayela phezulu, umfutho wayo uzwakala ezindlebeni zakhe. Wayefisa sengathi angavula umnyango wemoto aphume bese uyabaleka. Pho wayengazi ukuthi uzobalekela kuphi.

Kodwa futhi kwakunengxenye yakhe eyayizwa sekukhona ukuzotha, nokuthula ngaphakathi. Waphenduka wabheka ifasitela lengilasi elingaphambili lemoto, wabheka imigqa emhlophe njengoba ilokhu ishwibeka ngenkathi imoto ishona phambili. Yayimyisa phambili, ingasekho into eyayingakuvimba lokho.

Esiteshini samaphoyisa wayiswa egumbini okwakukhona kulo usonhlalakahle, wase elinda lapho isikhashana kwaze kwafika umama wakhe. Usonhlakahle wanikeza uMhlali isikhwama esenziwe ngendwangu. Wathi uzinikeza izikhwama ezifana nalesi zonke izisulu zokudlwengulwa.

“Ingabe yimi lowo? Isisulu sokudlwengulwa?” kucabanga uMihlali, ngenkathi ekhipha okwakusesikhwameni ekubeka ethangeni lakhe. Kwakukhona iqhuzu lensipho nendwangu yokugeza. Kwakukhona ngisho nokhilimu womzimba, isifutho samakha omzimba nothedi othungwe ngendwangu ebunsomi, onamehlo enziwe ngezinkinobho.

UMihlali wabe esebuyisela esikhwameni yonke into, kodwa wabamba uthedi owawuhlezi edolweni lakhe, ubonakala sengathi ulalele futhi ubukele yonke into eyenziwa phambi kwamehlo akhe amnyama ahlabayo.

UMihlali waphinda futhi watshela iphoyisa lesifazane konke okwakwenzekile. Leli phoyisa laligqoke izimpahla zabantu nje, lase litshela uMihlali ukuthi kwakuwumsebenzi walo ukulalela izindaba ezifana nezikaMihlali. Labhala konke phansi. UMihlali waqhubeka nokukhuluma, kanti iphoyisa lalilokhu limbuza imibuzo, uMihlali bese ekhuluma futhi. Ngesinye isikhathi weyezwa ukuqubuka komoya emzimbeni wakhe bese ema kancane ngaphambi kokuba aqhubeke futhi. Ngaso sonke lesi sikhathi umama kaMihlali wayebambe isandla sakhe, elokhu ebhambatha amehlo akhe ngeduku lakhe.

Kamuva uSenazo watshela uMihlali ukuthi ubone u-Abram ebingelela iphoyisa elalizomlanda njengomunye wabangani bakhe abadala. USenazo wayevele wamangala lapho ebona bemthatha u-Abram.

Kamuva futhi noSenazo kwadingeka ukuthi ahambe aye esiteshini samaphoyisa ukuze naye ayolanda indaba yakhe ngalokho u-Abram ayekwenza kuye kuyo yonke le minyaka. Umama kaSenazo akatholakalanga, kodwa ubaba wakhe wayehambe naye, efihla amehlo akhe, ewamboza ngeminwe yakhe, kodwa uSenazo wazibona izinyembezi zakhe.

Umninipulazi wethuka kakhulu washaqeka nje lapho ezwa ngalokho u-Abram ayekade ekwenza. Wanikeza ubufakazi obubalulekile ngobudlelwano obabukhona phakathi kuka-Abram noMnu Casa, nokuthi wayehlose okuhle kodwa ngokucela ukuthi laba basize izingane zezisebenzi zakhe.

UMnu Casa wavele wanyamalala esikoleni. Ngosuku olulandelayo kwase kukhona omunye uthisha esikhundleni sakhe. UMihlali wayengamthandisisi, futhi abantu babelokhu bemhleba esikoleni, abanye bede bemsola.

Bonke bathi ukuqhela kuye kancane izinsuku ezimbalwa, ngisho nomdlali webhola lombhoxo imbala: kodwa uMihlali akabanga nandaba.

Ngemva kwesikhashana kwaba nombuthano wokulalela ofakazi esikoleni, lapho amaphoyisa esembophile uMnu Casa, kwavela amanye amantombazane nawo akhuluma ‘ngezifundo ezengeziwe’ uMnu Casa ayewanikeza zona ngesikhathi sekhefu. Akekho omunye umuntu owayeke waba nesibindi sokukhuluma ngalolu daba ngaphambilini. Sisho ngaphambi kokukhuluma kukaMihlali.

Umeluleki kwezomqondo waqala ukuza ehostela ukuzobona uMihlali, futhi noMihlali wayekulangazelela ukuvakasha kwakhe, lapho bobabili babezohlala ehhovisi loMphathi, baxoxe ngezinto eziningi.

Igama ngalinye uMihlali ayelikhuluma kuye kwakuba sengathi ligudluza elinye ifu. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi waqala ukuzwa ilanga, selifudumeza isikhumba sakhe futhi.

Ngeviki elilandelayo uSenazo weza esikoleni, no-Angelique wabasiza ukuthi badonsele umbhede wesihlanu egumbini lokulala ayelala kulo noMihlali.

Amantombazane ayesaqhubeka nokuhleba ebumnyameni ngaphambi kokuba alale. UMihlali noSenazo babelalela ngokuthula futhi ngezinye izikhathi babelula izingalo zabo ukuze bathintane nasemnyameni. Lapho izandla zabo zithintana babebambana, iminwe yabo inkonkoshelane kakhulu.

Iyaphela