Ngamanye amaxesha iba ngathi abukho ubulungisa kweli lizwe. Abenzi bobubi bayaphumelela. Abantu abalungileyo abawongwa.
Mandikubalisele ibali likaDadi. Ndilazi kakuhle. Mna naye sisuka kwilali enye.
UDadi wayezibiza ngokuba lijoni elingumntwana, kodwa ke xa sele uneminyaka eli-17 awusengomntwana. UDadi wayeminyaka eli-17 ukuzibandakanya kwakhe nabagrogrisi waze wenyukela kumantla. Wayematsha nabo ngexesha lasemini. Aze aphinde alale kunye nabo kumahlathi anemigxobhozo ngobusuku.
Wayethatha inxaxheba kuyo yonke inkohlakalo ababedume ngayo abagrogrisi. Xa kwakunqunyulwa izandla zabantu, yayiba nguye osebenzisa isitshetshe. Wayenceda nasekutshiseni imizi apho elalini. Wayekwathatha inxaxheba nakwizenzo zodlwengulo nogwinto.
Ekugqibeleni, emva kweminyaka emininzi yenkohlakalo, imfazwe yobukhaya yaphela. Abagrogrisi kunye namajoni angabantwana aphindela kumawabo. UDadi wabuyela kwilali yethu. Izandla zakhe zizele ligazi, kodwa iipokotho zakhe ziphuphuma bubutyebi. Ubutyebi obubiwe kwiimayini zasemantla.
Baye bamenza waziva amkelekile! Abantu abadala baye bathi, “Makaxolelwe. La majoni angabantwana awanakho ukubekwa ityala. Makanikwe umhlaba wakhe oyifama njengabanye abafana.” Kungenzeka bethu ukuba bobu butyebi bakhe obathibaza abantu abadala? Ubutyebi bakhe bazithambisa bazithibaza ngenene iintombi zelali yethu. Ingakumbi ezi zintle kunene. NjengoClaudette.
Ekugqibeleni ke uDadi wamtshata uClaudette. Nangona ke ndandithenjiswe ngaye. Ingaba yayibubulungisa obu? Ingaba yayiyindlela efanelekileyo yokumohlwaya le ngobuhange bakhe? Ukuwongwa ngenzwakazi. Eyona iqhamileyo ke phofu.
UClaudette wamzalela oonyana abahlanu. Bonke bezalwe bephile qete kwaye beneengqondo eziphaphileyo. Izityalo kwintsimi yefama yakhe nazo zaqhama. Zikhula zomelela kwaye zande. Zande ukodlula nezi zam.
Kodwa kwakukho nto inye, UDadi wayengasikelelwanga ngayo. Laa minyaka yokulala kumahlathi anemigxobhozo yayilimaza intliziyo yakhe.
“Kodwa ndiza kukunika ezi pilisi,” watsho ugqirha otyeleleyo. “Ukuba iintlungu zesifuba ziyakuhlasela, thatha zibe mbini ngoko nangoko. Uncede uzifihle kubantwana bakho. Zinobungozi kwaye zinetyhefu eninzi.”
Nantso ke, ndicinge ndatsho. Ingaba siza kuba sisohlwayo sikaDadi esi? Ukuba omnye woonyana bakhe uza kuzifumana ezi pilisi, zibomvu oku kweelekese zeevenkile zasedolophini? Aziginye?
Kodwa kwakungenjalo. “Uyabona,” utshilo ugqirha. “Isiciko sebhotile sinesikhuselo sabantwana.”
Ngaphandle kumhlaba wefama ngenye imini, ndizimele etyholweni, ndandibukele uDadi ehambahamba eqhayisa phakathi kwezityalo zakhe. Umona wandikhulela. Umnqweno wokugwinta wagubungela intliziyo yam. Kwaye ke kwakungekho bani kuloo ndawo owayenokunika ubungqina.
Kodwa ndahlala ndizifihlile. Andiyondoda ithanda ubugebenga. Kodwa ndandibukele, xa uDadi wayesiwa phezu kwaloo mhlaba wakhe utyebileyo, ebambe kwintliziyo yakhe ebuthathaka.
“Ndincedeni!” ukhale watsho ejonge kwisibhakabhaka esingenabani.
Andizange ndenze nentshukumo. Kungenzeka phofu ukuba ekugqibeleni wayendwendwelwa bubulungisa? Ndingabuphazamisa njani ubulungisa?
Nalapho akukhange kuvume! UDadi uphindile wasikelelwa wanethamsanqa. Wawongwa endaweni yokohlwaywa. Umntu owayezihambela ngendlela wasiva isikhalo sakhe: inkosikazi eyayinxibe izivatho zamazwe asemantla. Yeza ibaleka yaguqa ecaleni kwakhe.
“Ndingakunceda njani, mhlekazi?”
“Iipilisi zam!” ukhwaze watsho kwakhona. “Khawuleza. Nanzi empokothweni yam! Beka zibe mbini apha kulwimi lwam, kungenjalo ndiza kufa.”
***
“Uxolo, mhlekazi,” itshilo inkosikazi. “Andikwazi ukukunceda.”
Waphakamisa izandla zakhe ukuze imikhono yakhe iwele kude. Iingalo zakhe zazilinyaziwe. Iingalo zazingenazo izandla.
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