“Sibe nexesha elimnandi kakhulu,” watsho uClarah evuyile. Wayethetha nomnye wabahlobo bakhe uOlivia efonini.

Usapho lwalufike ekhaya emizuzwini engamashumi amabini ngqo edlulileyo. UClarah akazange akwazi ukulinda angathethi ixesha elide nomhlobo wakhe.

“Clarah, okungasenani ke ubuncinane onokubenza kukuncedisa umama wakho ukuba akhuphe iimpahla ezityesini.” Upapa wayemqumbele.

“KULUNGILE Thulani. Uba mtsha kanye nje,” watsho uGrace. “Yeka uClarah ancokole nomhlobo wakhe. Ube luncedo kakhulu kum ngexesha leholide yethu.”

Amehlo kaClarah aba makhulu ngumothuko. Ngokwesiqhelo yayiba nguMama omngxolisayo. Kwangoko waziva engasathandi ukuthetha noOlivia. Ndiza kukubona.”

Kwakuyinjikalanga elandelayo. Konke kwakupakishwe kakuhle kwaye nempahla emdaka yayihlanjwe yonke. Usapho lwaluhleli lujonge ifilimu ehlekisayo kumabonakude emva kokudla isidlo esikhulu sasemini ngeCawa.

Ifoni yakhala waza uClarah waphakama ukuya kuyiphendula.

“Molo Clarah,” kwatsho ilizwi. YayinguTom. UClarah wayevuye kakhulu ukufonelwa nguye.

“Unjani? Uyonwabele iholide yakho nabazali bakamama wakho?”

“Ewe, yonke into ibimnandi kakhulu,” watsho uClarah. “Siphindela esikolweni ngomso. Kulusizi, kodwa ndilangazelela ukubona zonke iitshomi zam.”

Aba babini bachitha ixesha bencokola. UClarah wayemangaliswe yindlela awayekufumana kulula ngayo ukuthetha noTom. Kwakungathi babese benexesha elide kakhulu besazana.

Ngaphambi kokuba bohlukane uTom wathi utata wakhe wayefuna ukuthetha nomama wakhe.

Upapa wayesahambe noPrince besesitiyeni bekhaba ibhola. UClarah waya wahlala phantsi esofeni, emamele. Umabonakude wayesavulelwe kodwa isandi sithotyiwe.

“Ndingathanda ithuba lokuthetha ngasese efonini,” watsho umama wakhe, ngaphambi kokuphakamisa ifoni.

UClarah wanyusa amagxa kodwa waphuma egumbini apho. Kodwa ngoku wayefuna ukwazi nangaphezulu. Wayebonile ukuba izandla zikamama wakhe zazingcangcazela kwaye enoloyiko emehlweni.

UClarah wachwechwa waya egumbini labazali bakhe waza waphakamisa umnxeba owawukufuphi nebhedi yabo.

“Molo Grace,” watsho uGeoffrey. “Unjani?”

“NDIYAPHILA,” waphendula umama wakhe, kodwa kwakukho ukuvevezela okuvakala kakuhle elizwini lakhe.

“Andizi kuwenza made apha,” watsho ngelithambileyo. “Kodwa ngexa ndisesibhedlela benza uvavanyo kwaye ndisandula kufumanisa ukuba ndinentsholongwane yeHIV. Bendingazi ukuba ndosulelekile. Ndixolisa kakhulu ukuba ibe ndikuxelela oku, kodwa ndibone kungumsebenzi wam ukuba ndikuxelele. Ndiqaphele ukuba wawusikeke kakubi kubhontsi ngexesha undinceda.”

Okomzuzwana uGrace akazange athethe nto. Ezi zindaba awayesoyika ukuziva.

“Ndiza kuqalisa unyango kungekudala. Inkosikazi yam nayo ihloliwe.”

“Ingaba naye … unentsholongwane yeHIV?”

“Ewe,” watsho uGeoffrey. “Andifuni kutyhola mntu kodwa ke sobabini besingenankathalo.”

“Ndilusizi kakhulu, Geoffrey, kuwe nakwinkosikazi yakho. Kuhle ukuba nifumanise oku kwangoku.”

“Enkosi, Grace,” watsho uGeoffrey. “Siza kuqalisa ukuthabatha iiARVs kwakamsinyane.”

UClarah wabeka phantsi ifoni ngokucoselela. Ukuba umama wakhe wayengafumanisa ukuba wayemamele incoko yakhe, kwakuya kuqhawuka kuhlangana.

I-HIV. I-Aids. Amagama ajikeleza njalo entloko ku Clarah. Wayesegumbini lakhe ngoku, elele ngesisu ebhedini yakhe.

Kwakungajongeki kuyinto enokwenzeka ukuba umama wakhe osuleleke. Wayemise ecaleni lendlela ukunceda usapho olwalusengxakini. Ukuba abazali bakhe babengafikanga mhlawumbi uGeoffrey ngewayeswelekile.

UClarah wanqwena ngokungathi ngewayeswelekile. Waza wacinga ngoTom. Ngephanyazo wamcaphukela yena nosapho lwakhe lonke!

Ukuba uPrince wayengazange abe ligeza elinjeya ngaleya ntseni, ebaleka egqiba indlu yonke ngeba uMama wayengazisikanga emnweni.

UClarah waqaphela ukuba i-plasta yayisukile kungekudala nje emveni kokuba uPapa wayeyibekile.

Wakhumbula umama wakhe esithi uza kuvumela umoya ungene kulo, ukuzelome. Kwakuza kuthi ke bakufika kwatatomkhulu nogogo alifake isibulala ntsholongwane aphinde alibophe kwakhona.

Unokuba uMama wayilibala yonke loo nto xa befika kwindawo yengozi. Umama wakhe wayengumongikazi ogqibeleleyo kwaye iingcinga zakhe zokuqala yayiza kuba kukunceda abantu.

UClarah wavala amehlo xa esiva abazali bakhe bengena egumbini lakhe.

“Clarah,” watsho ngelithambileyo uPapa. “Ungasijongela uPrince okomzuzwana kuba mna noMama singathanda ukuya kucambalala siphumle okwexeshana. Sisadinwe kakhulu emva kohambo.”

UClarah wenza sengathi ulele. Wayengafuni ukubona umnewabo ngelo xesha. Ukuba wayengambona wayesazi ukuba wayengakhwaza amngxolise. Mhlawumbi wayengamqhwaba nangempama. Wayefekethiswa kakhulu.

“Ndiza kulalisa uPrince ebhedini yakhe,” watsho uGrace. “Ungamvusi uClarah. Naye udinga ukulala.”

“Hamba uye kucambalala, Grace,” watsho uPapa. “Ndiza kufundela uPrince ibali. Ngokuqinisekileyo uza kulala ke.”

UClarah wayesazi ukuba uMama unokuba umxelele uPapa ngencoko yakhe noGeoffrey. UClarah wayesazi kwakhona ukuba xa umama wakhe engaba unentsholongwane yeHIV kuzakube kusekutsha kakhulu ukuba bangafumana iziphumo ezichanekileyo zovavanyo. Ngoku kwakuza kunyanzeleka ukuba balinde ixesha elidana. Waziva ngathi ukuhlala elindile engazi kwakuza kumbulala.

Wayefuna nokutsiba ebhedini aye kuzijula ezingalweni zikamama wakhe kodwa wayesazi ukuba oku kwakuza kumoyikisa nangaphezulu.

“Masizame ukungakhathazeki kakhulu,” watsho ngelithambileyo ilizwi utata wakhe kumama wakhe. “Nokuba kwenzeka ntonina, sikunye kule nto Grace. Akukho nto iza kutshintsha indlela endiziva ngayo ngawe.”

***

Khawusichazele: Ucinga ukuba uninzi lwabantu belungakwazi ukuthatha izinto ngendlela enze ngayo uThulani, xa besiva iindaba ezixhalabisa njengezi?