UWandile uhlezi ekhoneni legumbi lakhe lokulala. Ucabanga aze aphimisele amagama.
“Angihlanyi mina. UNonku wafa!” usho ezishaya kakhulu enhlafunweni kahlanu.
Selokhu kwabulawa uNonku uWandile akakaze akuthole ukuphumula. UNhlanhla akaphenduli uma emfonela; ugcwele amathafa. Sekuphele izinsuku eziyisikhombisa engakaze abuthi quthu ubuthongo uWandile, sekuphele izinsuku ezintathu engadlile. Amehlo aseyizigobhe. Ubona uNonku sengathi useceleni kwakhe. Okumuhlanyisa kakhulu uWandile ukuthi uNonku ambonayo usesimweni atholakala ekusona ngesikhathi edutshuliwe – ugcwele izimbobo zezinhlamvu futhi uyopha. Lezi zithombe azibonayo ngomqondo zimuphithanisa ingqondo azizwe ezisola ngokulahla unina esikhathini sakhe zobunzima kanye nokuba nesandla ekubulaweni kukamzala wakhe.
“Ngiyaxolisa! Angazi nami ngangenzani!” Kuxolisa uWandile ekhuluma nodonga. Kodwa yena kwawakhe amehlo ubona uNonku. Umbona emanxebanxeba evuza igazi kuwowonke amanxeba ayisithupha adutshulwa kuwo.
“Wangibulalelani, Wandile? Ngingumzala wakho ngiyakuthanda,” kusho uNonku osemqondweni kaWandile.
UWandile uhayiza avale amehlo. Uhayiza agcine ephelelwa umoya. Kukhona umuntu ongqongqozayo esicabheni. Uyazihudula afike esicabheni. Uvula isicabha kancane ahayize kakhulu kunakuqala. Ubona sengathi uNonku lona omile esicabheni.
“Kwenzenjani sisi?” kubuza umfana odayisa imishanelo.
“Hamba Nonku wena wafa sakungcwaba! Ngiyeke! Ngiyeke! Ngiyaxolisa mzala!” kusho uWandile.
Umfana odayisa imishanelo ushaqekile ngenxa yokuhhema kukaWandile. Uthatha amagxathi ambalwa lomfana, ahlehle maqede aphenduke asuke ngejubane ebaleka. UWandile uvala isicabha. Kugcwele izimpukane nezimbuzane lapha endlini. Izitsha ezingcolile ziyintaba ekhishini.
Ekuhambeni kwengqondo yakhe ufonela uNhlanhla. Uyazi ukuthi uyena owabulala uNonku kodwa manje uyamdinga.
“Ngicela ukukubona, Nhlanhla. Angizizwa kahle. Ngidinga ukukubona njengamanje, sthandwa sami!”
“Hheyi wena Wandile uhlanya ngempela kanti? Ungifonelelani? Amaphoyisa abuza imibuzo ngalento kodwa wena ufonelana nami. Angisahlali nasendlini …”
“UNonku uyangipokela, Nhlanhla. Ngimbona yonke indawo manje. Useceleni kwami njengoba ngikhuluma nawe manje,” kusho uWandile.
“Manje mina ngingenaphi kuyo yonke leyonto? Ngingenaphi ekuboneni kwakho izipoki?”
“Ungakhulumi kanjalo, sthandwa sami. Ngiyakudinga manje kakhulu kunakuqala. Ukuphi, sthandwa sami?”
UNhlanhla useluvalile ucingo. UWandile uyaphinda futhi azame ukufona kodwa ucingo lukaNhlanhla lumufaka ezihlahleni.
UWandile uhlala esimweni sokuhanjelwa umqondo amahora amaningi. Uqalekele izidakamizwa kodwa umcabango wokuphuma endlini umkhathaza amathambo. Uzama ukudambisa ukuqaleka ngokuphuza amanzi abandayo ekhishini.
Kukhala umakhalekhukhwini wakhe. Akayazi lenombolo engenayo.
“Hello,” kuphendula uWandile.
“Uyazi uyintombazane eyisiduphunga wena! Sduphunga ndini!” Kumemeza uNhlanhla ocingweni.
“Nhlanhla, sthandwa sami. Ukuphi?”
“Ngisesiteshini samaphoyisa. Lalela la, ulalelisise. Ngiboshiwe ngoba wena ungidayisile emaphoyiseni. Ngifuna wazi ukuthi ngikunyanya ngenhliziyo yami yonke! Futhi mhlazane ngaphuma ejele ngizoku-”
UWandile ucisha umakhalekhukhwini wakhe. Okokuqala ezinsukwini eziningi ezwa kudamba ukuphithana kwengqondo. Uvele azumeke khona lapho phansi ekhishini.
Kumnyama endlini ngesikhathi uWandile ephaphama. Uhlala azigoqe phansi aqale futhi akhulume yedwa aphinde akhulume noNonku ambona emqondweni kanye nayo yonke indawo.
“Nonku, mzala wami engimthandayo. Ngangingaqondile ukukubulalisa. Ngangingazi nami ukuthi ngenzani. Ngicela ungixolele bandla. Ngiyacela bandla ungixolele!” usho ekhuluma nodonga.
“Uyakhumbula, mzala, ukuthi sasizwana kanjani sisebancane? Sasihleze sihamba ndawonye,” uyamamatheka uWandile ngoba uyazibuyisa emqondweni lezo zikhathi. “Abantu babecabanga ukuthi singamawele. Uyakhumbula kodwa?”
Khona lapho esamamatheka ubona kuthi thushu unina, uMaMhlongo, la ekhishini. “Wambulalelani uNonku, wena sikhohlakali sengane?”
UWandile uphuma endiza endlini. Ukuhanjelwa ingqondo kanye nokuswela izidakamizwa kuwukhahlazile umzimba wakhe. Uzacile futhi untekenteke njengoba ediyazela emgwaqeni. Emqondweni wakhe uzibona sengathi ubalekela uNonku noMaMhlongo abamujahayo. Kodwa ngokwangempela uthatha amagxathi ambalwa, adiyazele agcine ngokuquleka phakathi nomgwaqo.
UMaMthethwa ukuveranda emzini wakhe, uziphuzela amanzi abandayo. Uzwa kukhala ithayi lemoto. Inhliziyo yakhe ibhakuza icishe ukuma ngoba ubona umzimba womuntu ulele ngaphambi kwetekisi. Ugijima aqonde khona abone uWandile ewumfunzana emgwaqeni.
“Kwenzekeni?” Kubuza uMaMthethwa kumshayeli wetekisi.
“Uvele wangena emgwaqeni waquleka lomuntu. Uyamazi? Unenhlanhla ngoba ngikwazile ukuyibamba imoto ingakamushayisi!”
Bonke omakhelwane sebefikile endaweni yomonakalo. UWandile ulele akanyakazi.
UMaMthethwa uguqa eceleni kwakhe, amnyakazise. “Wandile! Wandile!”
Kuthatha imizuzu emibili ngaphambi kokuba uWandile aphaphame. UWandile akalimele emzimbeni kodwa uMaMthethwa ubona amehlo agcwele izinhlungu zomphefumulo ngesikhathi evula amehlo. Kuyacaca ukuthi lengane kuningi ekuthwele enhliziyweni.
“Ngisize, ngisize. Ngiyacela bandla,” kusho uWandile. “Ngidinga usizo.”
UMaMthethwa udonsa umakhalekhukhwini wakhe abize i-ambulensi.
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Sitshele umbono wakho: Ubona ukuthi uWandile udinga usizo olunjani?