UNzwaki wayeyimamele ngenyameko intetha kaSiyabonga. Wayemana ecinga ngoJoe, nangokunqongophala kweARV ekliniki. Nguye owayenamandla kwistoko sasekliniki kuba nguye owayesebenza kwiofisi ephethe ikliniki. Wayedibanisa ulwazi analo engqondweni yakhe, ecinga nento ethethwe ngabafundi ngabantu abeba iipilisi. Wakhumbula ebona uJoe enika indoda ethile ipasile evela emotweni yakhe. Nendlela awayejongeka ngayo ebusweni.
Le nto yayiqhubeka kanye phantsi kwempumlo yakhe. Leyo, nokuthandana kwakhe nentombazanyana eyayincinane ngokwaneleyo ukuba ibe yintombi yakhe.
Emva kwentetha leyo wafumana uSiyabonga kwigumbi leetitshala. Wayethetha noNora. Wabona ukuba bayevana ngenene. Babethetha kamnandi kangangokuba zange afune kubaphazamisa: eli yayingelilo ixesha lokuba amxelele ngento ayirhanelayo. Ngoko wavela nje wancoma intetha yakhe efundisayo waqaphela nendlela lo mfana oselula awayekwamkela ngentobeko ukunconywa.
Bathetha ixeshana ngezinye zezinto awayethethe ngazo waza uNzwaki wambuza ukuba oku kunqongophala kweARV kuqale nini na. Sekungaba ziinyanga ezintandathu ngoku, watsho uSiyabonga.
Kwinyanga ezintandathu ezidlulileyo uJoe wayengenakukwazi ukuthenga iselfowuni, iisofa ezintsha, iTV ye plasma okanye izihlangu ezintsha zofele lokwenene. Kodwa ngoku, indlu yayizele zezi zinto zintsha kwaye umvuzo wakhe wawungenyukanga. UNzwaki wayewajongile amaphetshana akhe asemsebenzini ngephezolo. Umnqwazi wakhe wawungaqini.
Yayivela phi ke yonke le mali? Impendulo yayicacile ngoku.
Wayesenalo ixesha lokutshintsha ingqondo yakhe, enze sengathi akazi nto avumele ubomi buqhubeke njengesiqhelo. Ze kuthini ke emva koko? Wayengakwazi ukuhlala nendodaethengisa ngobomi babanye abantuukuze ifumane nje ubutyebi obungenandaba? Hayi, yayikukwenza into elungilyo oku. Naleya ndoda wayekhe wayithanda, awayengayikhusela, yayise yemkayo.
Le indoda awayehlala nayo yayifanelwe nje yintolongo ngenxa yamatyala ayo.
Walinda de uSiyabonga wahamba esikolweni waza wakhawuleza ukuya kumnqanda.
“Molo Mama,” wancuma uSiyabonga. “Ndiyavuya ukuva ukuba uyithandile intetha yam.”
“Ndibize uNzwaki,”watsho, ebuyisa uncumo. Indlela aba bantwana abanembeko ngayo, yena noNora, watsho ezicingela.
“Ingaba kukhona into ofuna ukundibuza yona?”
Wayeza kuyenza njani kodwa le nto? Wayeza kuyenza njani into yokujikela indoda ayithandayo-awaye yithande – iminyaka engamashumi amabini anesithathu? Ukuba khona wayephazama? Mhlawumbi le nto ayirhanelayo kwakungasiyiyo le yenzekayo? Mhlawumbi uJoe wayenayo nyani ibhizinisi esemthethweni esecaleni? Mhlawumbi le bhizinisi, kudibene nokungakwazi ukwenza nto emsebenzini ngemeko yeARV kwakumhlupha kangangokuba angafuni nokuthetha ngako? Kwakumbeke phantsi koxinzelelo. Ibhizinisi ezintsha zazisoloko zitsala nzima kunyaka wokuqala.
Kodwa hayi. Intliziyo yakhe yayimxelela ukuba ucinga ngokuchanekileyo.
“Ukuba eh … kukho into endiyaziyo …” waqala ngokutsho. La mazwi aphuma ngendlela engeyiyo.
Walinda uSiyabonga.
“Kukho into ngeARV kwikliniki yethu. Kungenzekani ukuba umyeni wetshomi yam usebenza kule kliniki yethu. Kungenzeka ntoni ukuba le tshomi yam icinga ukuba umyeni wayo ubeka ubomi babanye abantu esichengeni ukuze yena azuze?” Watsho uNzwaki ejonge phantsi. “Kungenzeka ntoni?”
“Kuza kufuneka ke enze loo nto intliziyo yakhe imxelela ukuba ilungile,” watsho uSiyabonga.
Bema apho ixesha elide elalifana nokungathi kwakungunaphakade ngeli xa uNzwaki ephinda phinda ukwetyisa la mazwi engqondweni yakhe. Intliziyo yakhe yayiyazi into elungileyo. Yiyo ke le wayeyenza ngoku. Kodwa yintoni le nto kwakunzima kangaka? USiyabonga wayengashukumi kwaye wayengatsho nelimdaka. Wajonga uNzwaki ngendlela elindele okunye kodwa engambeki phantsi koxinzelelo lokuqhubeka.
Ekugqibeleni, uNzwaki wadontsa umoya omde osuka emazantsi. “Ndicinga ukuba umyeni wam unento engekho mthethweni ayenzayo ngeARV, kwikliniki yethu, apho asebenza khona,” watsho, ngeli xa kusihla inyembezi esidleleni.
Ngaphambi kokuba uSiyabonga ahambe, uNzwaki wathembisa ukumfowunela. Kwakufuneka bafumane inyaniso ngoJoe.
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“Namhlanje ndifuna ukuba sikhe sincokole nje, ngokuphandle nangokuthembeka,” watsho uNzwaki ngemini elandelayo kwiklasi yakhe ka Greyidi 11.
“Uza kuthetha nathi nje phandle nagokuthembakala nawe Maam?” ULwazi, omnye wabafundi bodidi lukaA eklasini kaNzwaki wabuza.
“Ewe, Lwazi. Ndiza kuthetha phandle kwaye ndiza kuthembakala nam,” watsho.
Incoko yaqala ngentetha ababenayo kusuku oludlulileyo. Abafundi babenezimvo ezibethabethanayo ngeHIV nokuba idluliseka njani na ngokukhawuleza.
“Kodwa ngabantu basezidolophini abanayo baze ke bona bayizise apha,” yatsho enye inkwenkwe. “Umcebisi wasekliniki wayifumana njalo.”
UNzwaki wachaza ukuba ukosuleleka akunanto nokwenza nendawo, imeko, okanye isini sabantu othandana nabo okanye isini, kodwa yindlela abantu abakhetha ukuphila ubomi babo ngayo.
“USiyabonga wakhetha ngendlela eyimposiso wazidibanisa nomntu ngesondo engasebenzisanga ikhondom. Into yokuba wayenomsindo kwaye enxilile, ayithethi ukuba wayengafanelanga ukunyanzelisa ukusetyenziswa kwekhondom. Kwaye ke nje kuba wayengayisebenzisanga, akuthethi ukuba wayesisidenge esifanele ukosuleleka. Ngamanye amaxesha izinto esizikhethayo zisichaphazela ngeendlela ebesingakhange sizicinge,” watsho uNzwaki ezikisa ukucinga, ejonge komnye nomnye kubafundi bakhe lo gama ethetha igama negama.
Imicimbi yengxoxo yadlulela ebantwini abanamaqabane amaninzi, abathandana besisini esinye neHIV ukuya koo sugar daddy.
“Amadoda atshatileyo, namakhosikazi, kaninzi basebenzisa izikhuseli xa bethandana ngaphandle komtshato. Amadoda awafuni ukukhulelisa amantombazana amancinane kuba loo nto ingazisa iingxaki emtshatweni. Oo sugar daddy bebodwa abasiso isizathu sokudluliseka.”
“Ewe, abafazi babo ababi kwaye abadala ngabo unobangela,” watsho uAsanda ecomfoza ifowuni yakhe. UNzwaki wayengambonanga ukuba udlala ngayo. Wazama ukuzibamba lo gama intombazana leyo iqhubeka ngendelelo,”Andisoze mna ndithi indoda yam mayinxibe ikhondom ukuba umfazi wayo seleyibulalisa indlala kakade. Ukhuselekile. Abasazenzi, ndithi, abasazenzi tu ezesondo naninina, sekungunaphakade.”
UNzwaki waziva exhelekile njengokuba uAsanda wayeqhubeka ukumgwaza entliziyweni ngegama ngalinye, neetshomi zakhe ezazisazi ngoNzwaki ziqhubeka zigigitheka. Ifike njani le ntombazana kule mo yokuba nentliziyo elukhuni kangaka? Weva izibilini zisihla xa intsimbi ikhala.
Wathi nje ukuba afike ekhaya uNzwaki wafowunela uSiyabonga. Bathetha ixesha elide baza bathi bakugqiba bavumelana ukuba badibane ngenjikalanga yelanga elilandelayo emva kokuphuma kwesikolo. Yayilixesha lokuba nesibindi eli. Yayilixesha lokwenza into – ukuphelisa kokubini okububusela nokwenyeliseka ezandleni zendoda yakhe nale ntombazana egcwele ulunya.
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Khawusichazele ukuba ucinga ntoni: Yayikhona mhlawumbi into eyayinokwenziwa nguNzwaki malunga noAsanda ngokunxulumene nesikolo? Kwakukhona into engekho mthethweni mhlawumbi eyayisenziwa nguAsanda ngokuthandana no Joe?