Bagcwele kulawondi omama. Bazoyala uThobile. Yize kubuhlungu kuMaNgema ukuvalelisa indodakazi yakhe kodwa kungcono manje ngoba akasakhali. Useligwinyile itshe.
“Thobile, ngane yami, emzini kuyabekezelwa. Umendo kumele uwubambe ngezandla zombili, ngane yami. Ngisho uzwa ukuthi kukhona okukucasulile thatha ibhakede uye emfuleni, ufike ukhale udele bese uyabuya wenze imisebenzi yasekhaya,” kusho uMaNgiba indlovukazi yesizwe sakwaCele.
“Thobile, namuhla uya kwamfazi ongemama. Kungezeka emzini kube khona abantu abangakuthandi kodwa wena into okumele uyenze ukuthi uthande umyeni wakho. Indoda kayiphendulwa. Indoda kayiphikiswa. Konke ekushoyo uyakwenza futhi ukwenza ngaphandle kokukhononda,” kusho uMaNdlovu indlovukazi yesizwe sakwaDludla.
Kugcwele kuyaphithizela kwaDladla. Ukudla kuyiziduli zabasali. UBhekani muhle njengoba eyishaye yaphelela imvunulo yakhe. Izinsizwa zendawo zilokhu zimxhawule njalo uBhekani. Phela ubashaye bonke amakhanda ngokuthola inkosazane yenkosi eyisiphalaphala, uThobile.
UThobile kubukeka sengathi uphuma ephusheni ngendlela amuhle ngayo njengoba eqhamuka evunule ephelele. Abakwamakoti nabakwamkhwenyana bayaqophisana ngengoma. Kuyachwaza egcekeni lakwaDladla ngesikhathi kungena uThobile.
Inhliziyo kaBhekani ishona phansi, icwile emafutheni. Akusekho ukuphindela emuva manje, sekuyiso isikhathi sokushada ngempela lesi.
Bazoshadiswa iphoyisa lendawo, uNdosi. Abantu bayathanda ukushadiswa uNdosi ngoba unamancoko futhi uqala yonke imishado ngokubuza abashadayo ukuthi bathandana okwangempela yini.
“Wena, Thobile Ntuli, ngabe umuthanda okwangempela uBhekani Melmont Dladla?”
“Yebo, ngiyamuthanda,” kuphendula uThobile.
“Lilili! Lilili!” Kukikiza bonke abantu besimame abakhona ezihlweleni.
UNdosi uphendukela kuBhekani. “Wena, Bhekani Dladla, ngabe umuthanda okwangempela uThobile Ntuli?”
Du uBhekani. Akaphenduli. Kuzwakala ukuhhumuzela ebantwini abagcwele egcekeni. Inkosi inyakaza ngokungakhululeki esihlalweni esisemthunzini wesihlahla sikamango.
Aphinde futhi uNdosi, “Mhlawumbe awungizwanga ngoba abesimame bakikiza kakhulu. Umbuzo wami uthi: Ngabe uyamuthanda uThobile Ntuli?”
Du uBhekani. UThobile useqala ukutatazela manje, amaconsi omjuluko asevele agcwala umzimba wonke. Imibuzo ifika iyizikhukhula emqondweni kuyena emuva kokubona ukundwaza okusemehlweni kaBhekani. Ngabe iyona ngempela lento engiyicabangayo? Wabe esendwaza kanjena manje uBhekani? Ngabe uBhekani angayenza ngempela yini lento? Ngabe ucabanga ukungiphoxa izwe lonke libhekile?
“Cha, angimuthandi uThobile.”
Inkosi isukuma ime ngezinyawo ibabaza, “Wenzani lomfana?”
“Angimuthandi uThobile futhi angifuni ukushada naye. Uyedwa kuphela umuntu engake ngamuthanda emhlabeni. Igama lakhe bekunguDelani! UDelani ubeyisithandwa senhliziyo yami!”
Inkosi isondela namabutho kuBhekani njengoba ukumangala kusabalala ezihlweleni.
UBhekani uqala ukubona isisindo salento ayenzile njengoba amabutho nenkosi besondela kuyena begcwele inzondo nokumenyanya emehlweni. UBhekani ujeqeza abazali bakhe ababuke okokugcina ngoba uyazi ukuthi inkosi izomunika isigwebo sentambo. Ebusweni obukhathazekile babazali bakhe uthola uzwelo. Ulithatha alamukele ngokugcwele loluzwelo ajabulele ukuthi njengoba bonke abanye abantu bemubuka ngokwenyanya kodwa abazali bakhe bona bamubuka ngamehlo othando. Ufisa ukuqhubeka abuke abazali bakhe kodwa amabutho enkosi asemzungezile manje.
Amehlo kaThobile agijima ezihlweleni. Ubona ukwethuka, ukwesaba kanye nenzondo. Ugcina ebuka abazali baBhekani – uzwelo, ukukhathazeka kanye nothando olugcwele emehlweni abo lumthinta ngaphakathi enhliziyweni uThobile. Ukukhathazeka ebusweni babo kugxoba kushabalalise ukuthi yena uThobile uphoxwe nguBhekani ngosuku olukhulu kangaka. Ubona ubuntu kuphela uma ebuka eBhekani. Ukhumbula inhlonipho nokumamatheka kwakhe, akhumbule nokuthi abazali baBhekani bamkhombise uthando kuphela selokhu azane nabo.
UThobile uke awezwe amahlebezi mayelana nokulengiswa kwabantu esizweni esilawulwa nguyise kodwa akukaze kube yinto eyenzekela kumuntu asondelene naye – umuntu amuthandayo. Ucabanga uBhekani elengiswa esihlahleni acabange ubuhlungu obuzozwiwa umndeni wakhe. Yonke lento ayiwenzi umqondo ophusile kuThobile. Akaboni ukuthi kungani uBhekani kufanele ajeziswe ngoba elandela inhliziyo yakhe, ezikhethele yena ukuthi uthanda umuntu onjani. Isibindi sigcwala enhliziyweni sigcine siphenduke amagama aphuma emlonyeni.
“Muyekeni uBhekani!” uThobile umemeza ebheke amabutho. Udlula kuwona njengoba esamangele amabutho, abambelele kuBhekani. “Muyekeni uBhekani!”
“Suka kuyena, Thobile. Lomuntu udelele wena, wadelela usizwe sami, waphinde wadelela nami ngalento ayenze kuwena!” kusho inkosi.
“Cha, Baba! Kwanele manje! Kwanele ngokubulawa kwabantu!”
“Thobile ngiyakwexwayisa! Suka kuleso sidwedwe senkonkoni!”
“Baba, cha! Angisuki kuBhekani! Yini kufanele abulawe? Yini kufanele abantu abathandana bengubulili obubodwa babulawe?”
“Ngoba bayihlazo emindenini yabo nasesizweni sami! Badunga isizwe sami!”
“Kodwa, baba, wena uhlangana kuphi nemizwa yezinhliziyo zabantu? Bazikhethela abakufunayo ngezimpilo zabo, wena awuhlangani nakancane nalokho!”
“Thobile ngiyakwexwayisa! Hlonipha!”
UMaNgema uyabona ukuthi akekho ofuna ukugoba uphondo phakathi kwenkosi noThobile.
“Kungcono siluxazulule ekhaya loludaba, baba, hhayi phambi kwabantu bakho,” uMaNgema uhlebela inkosi.
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Sithele Umbono Wakho: Umbona engumuntu onjani uThobile?