Pretty a hwenyela kha Jonasi na Bethuel. “Ya, khonani dzanga.”
“Mudzumbami! No vha ni gai?” hu vhudzisa Jonasi.
“Mimaketheni ya zwiḽiwa – ndi tshi khou ḽa kota na dzhusi,” a fhindula. “Ndi na sakha.”
“Ndi na tshiṱafu. A ri ṱuwe zwashu ri yo ḓi kanzwa,” ndi Bethuel. “No naka zwone no ambara tshikete tsha tshikolo, Pretty. Ndi ngani ni sa ambari zwikete na musi ni hayani? Ndi ngani ni tshi dzulela u ambara marukhu sa musidzana-mutukana?”
Pretty a sea. Vha livha ngei dzithoiḽethe dza kale dzo itwaho nga masennge khonani ya dzharaṱa ḽa tshikolo.
“A ri dzhene zwashu nga ngomu hafho,” Pretty u ralo, a tshi vha ranga phanḓa u dzhena dzithoiḽethe. Vha a tevhela.
“Hafha fhethu hu a nukha,” Jonasi a gungula. “Vhonani – ndi makaka hoṱhe-hoṱhe.”
“Litshani u gungula ma munna,” Pretty a bula. “Vhaṅwe vhathu vha shuma u buḽokulula phaiphi dza dzisoredzhi na dziḓireini dzadzo fhedzi ni nga si pfe vha tshi khou gungula. Vhutshilo hohu vhu ṱoḓa muthu o khwaṱhaho.”
Bethuel a kokodza kufulobo kwa muvhala wa buraweni u bva tshikwamani tshawe. A i vula. Ngomu hayo hu na lubambiri lusekene lutshena, thanda tharu dza mantshisi, na hafu ḽa bogisi ḽa mantshisi ḽo gidelwaho zwiṅwe zwithu zwi no sumbedza hu mbanzhe yo ṱanganyiswaho na zwiṅwe zwithu zwitshena na zwiṅwe zwitsu zwi no nga vhutoro. A dzudzanya bambiri ḽine a ṱoḓa u pomba ngalo. A kuya mbanzhe a i ṋuṋedza-ṋuṋedza ngomu ha bambiri. Jonasi a ṱoṱomodza mukulo wawe a tshi itela u vhona zwi re ngomu.
“Ndi ngani tshiṱafu itshi tsho fhambana na tshine ra dzulela u tshi shumisa?” U vhudzisa o ḓala u mangala.
“Ni amba zwone. Ndi ngani tsho tou ralo, Bethu?” Pretty u vhonala o mangala-vho. “No tou zwi migisa na mini?”
“Ndi tshiṱafu tshone-tshone. Ndo tshi renga kha connections dzanga.”
“Nṋe ndi nga si sokou kokodza na zwine ndi sa zwipfesese,” ndi Jonasi. “Ndi tama u ranga u ḓivha uri izwo zwitoro zwitsu ndi mini.”
“Na nṋe a thi ḓivhi uri ndi mini, fhedzi ndi ḓo daha,” Pretty a ralo.
“Izwo zwa tou amba uri ni ofha lufu?” hu sea Bethuel musi e kati na u ḽi pomba.
“Ndi nnyi we a ri ndi ḓo fa? Zwo luga, izwo na nṋe ndi ḓo daha,” hu amba Jonasi.
Bethuel a ḽi funga. A daha lwa tshifhinganyana. Hezwi a tshi kokodza, vhutsi ha muvhala lwa lutombo nahone u penyaho u vhonala kha xale hangeno phanḓa u tshi vhofhana u tshi fhefheḓela nṱha.
“Skyf,” u ralo a ḽi pfukisela kha Jonasi, we a ri u ḽi ṱanganedza a ḽi hoba vhukuma. Ngamurahu ha tshifhinga, Jonasi a pfukisela kha Pretty.
“Ḽi sia u oma nyana hangeno ngomu mukuloni,” u ralo. “Fhedzi tshi a netulusa na u nakadza u fhira tshiṱafu tsho ḓoweleaho. Ndi tshavhuḓi hetshi. Mara ndi mini – tshi pfi mini?”
“Vhaṅwe vha tshi vhidza nyaope,” Bethuel a ṱalutshedza. “Tshi a vhidza.”
“Ni ṱoḓa u mmbudza uri nṋe ndo daha nyaope?!” Ganuko iḽo ndi ḽa Jonasi.
“Zwino no fa?” Hu vhudzisa Pretty.
A takula mahaḓa a fhedza a a litshedza. “Ndi tshavhuḓi nga nḓila-vho yatsho, inwi. Hu pfi ndi vhugai?”
“R45 kuputo. Kana R150 hafu ḽa bogisi.”
“Eish – zwi a ḓura! Fhedzi ri ḓo kona u tshi zwikelela zwiṅwe zwifhinga-vho.”
“Ndi zwone,” Pretty u a tenda.
Hezwi vho no fhedza u daha, vha rwa muduba vho livha ngei bombini fhaḽani tsini na dzikiḽasini. Vha kulukusha hanwani nga maḓi, vha fhedza vha ita na u nwa. Sairini ya u ḓivhadza uri tshifhinga tsha bureiki tsho fhela ya vha i a lila.
Ri vhudzeni: Ni nga ṱahisa vhuḓipfi haṋu nga nḓila-ḓe siani ḽa u shumiswa ha nyaope, zwi tshi livhanywa na u shumiswa ha mbanzhe?