Umakazi uRosy wadibana naye esitishini sebhasi edolophini eKapa. Ulusu lwakhe lwaludakumbile. ULinda wayengazi nokuba wenziwa yinto yokuba esandula ukubhujelwa ngudadewabo okanye mhlawumbi wayenexhala lokongeza omnye umntwana ekufuneka emkhulisile. Mhlawumbi wayehlutshwa zezizinto zombini.
Wothuka kakhulu esakubona indlela ababehlupheke ngayo. Ityotyombe labo kwindawo yaseSiyakhula lalixinene, lilincinci kakhulu kunendlu abesuka kuyo eMonti. Kwakukho amagumbi amabini okulala, kungekho ndawo yokubeka iikhabhathi. Iimpahla zazithe saa nje phantsi. Eli gumbi lesithathu laliyindawo yokutyela kwaye likwalilo nekhitshi.
Umakazi uRosy, wayezibona esemncinci kakhulu xa enamashumi amane eminyaka. Kwakubakho amaxesha apho athi emke ubusuku bonke. Ngezinye iintsuku bekuye kufike iqina lo mfo eliqhuba iveni ebomvu lize kumlanda. Wayesithi xa embiza, ‘Jwarha wam’, embiza kamnandi ngesiduko sakhe. Abantwana babengenalungelo lakumbuza ukuba uyaphi. Ngokwenkolo yesiXhosa ingaba yindelelo nentswela-mbeko ukubuza imibuzo enjalo emntwini omdala.
“Linda, uncede ujonge abantwana. Mna noJwarha siya emlalisweni wenkonzo,” Wayesuka atsho. Umlaliso wenkonzo? Mlaliso mni khona lowo, uLinda wayesakuzicingela nje ngaphakathi.
Wayezicingela ukuba kazi utata uJwarha akamxhaphazi na umakazi uRosy kanye ngoluya hlobo utata wakhe waxhaphaza ngalo umama wakhe.
“Esa sibhanxa sandishiya ndedwa. Wandixhaphaza wathi akugqiba wandilahla ngaphaya kwefestile ngokungathi ulahla itshungamu ephelelwe yincasa. Wawungekazalwa wena ngoko,” umama wakhe wayedla ngokutsho efutha ngumsindo ngexesha uLinda esemncinci enomdla wokwazi ngotata wakhe. “Ukuba uyafuna ukumazi uyihlo, ungaya kwaKhumbul’ekhaya. Igama lakhe yayinguMathanda Dlububi.”
La mazwi anje kunye nezithuko ezaziye zilandele, zamenza uLinda waphelelwa ngumdla wokudibana nesikhohlakali sedemoni yendoda. Kodwa ulangazelelo emphefumlweni wakhe lwalusekho, luvule umwonyo ongavalekiyo. Mhlawumbi wayeya kumkhangela esakuba mdala, wayedla ngokuzicingela njalo. Mhlawumbi xa efunda kwisikolo samabanga aphezulu.
Umakazi uRosy wayebuya ediniwe phantse zonke iintsuku. Emva kwemini ende yokusebenza, ebezithuthuzela kwisiselo sakhe esinxilisayo azenzele sona. Nje ukuba aphumze ingqondo, wayedla ngokutsho. Yena kunye nomnye umhlobokazi wakhe babe hlala kula kona imnyama egumbini lakhe lokulala, bezinkcinkca ngeetoti zebhiya de bangazazi nokuba bangobani amagama abo.
Yahamba iminyaka kwaye baye busiba nzima ubomi. Utata uJwarha wamshiya umakazi uRosy, hayi ke emva koko wanxila ngaphezu kokuba ebesenza kuqala.
“Ndiyabawela ukumncedisa umakazi uRosy, kodwa ndingamncedisa njani?” ULinda wayedla ngokuzibuza atsho. Wayeneshumi elinesixhenxe leminyaka, ekwibakala lesithoba (Grade 11) kwaye kwaku sekuphela omnye unyaka ukuze abenakho ukufumana umsebenzi.
Kungelo xesha kanye wathi gqi ngalo uSipho. Ngenye imini wayeye esirhoxweni eye kuthenga isonka kwakunye nepakethe yamanqina neentloko. La manqina enkukhu neentloko ayeza kwenza umhluzi okanye isuphu yesidlo sangokuhlwa, kwaye ezakutyiwa ke kunye nesi sonka.
“Heyi buhle kanjani ubuso bakho sana. Uthambisa ntoni kakade ebusweni, sana?” Yabuza indoda engaphaya kwekhawuntari njengokuba uLinda ebala uwalakahla lweesenti ezimdaka awayezinikwe ngumakazi wakhe.
“Ndithambisa ivaseline yepretroleum jelly,” aphendule uLinda ezele itshiki, enazo neentloni ngezi senti azibalayo. Ezi yayizezi senti zimdaka elokishini ngoku esezibizwa ngokuba ngamajoni. Oonovenkile abaninzi abafuni nokuzibona xa abathengi beze kuhlawula ngazo.
“Ufuna nantoni enye? Ijusi yona? Iyoghathi? Yintoni enye?” yabuza le ndoda.
ULinda wayeka ukubala wakhe wamqwalasela. Bekukho into enikisa umdla ngale ndoda. Wayephaya embindini weminyaka engamashumi amabini ubudala, emde kwaye emhlana noko.
“Ukuba nje ebengatshongo ngala mazinyo atyheli,” wacinga uLinda elixa lendoda imnika iphepha lekhulu lerandi. Loo mali yayinokwanela zonke ezo zinto zazisebhaskithini nangaphezulu.
“Hayi, ayilunganga loo nto. Asiyomali yam leyo. Ndicela uthathe ezi senti ndihlawula ngazo. Izakonela le mali.”
“Yithathe maan sana. Ndiyakuthanda ubonanje. Ndingakunika nangaphezulu ukuba uyayifuna,” yaphendula le ndoda, yabe isolula isandla sayo phezu kwekhawuntari ukuze ibambe isandla sikaLinda ngaphaya kweentsimbi zesinyithi ezahlule yena kubathengi.
ULinda ukhe wathandabuza umzuzwana, kodwa waphinda wayithatha imali.
“Enkosi. Ndiza kuyibuyisa wethu,” watsho. “Iza kumnceda kakhulu umakazi.”
Wayezakumhlawula kwakamsinyane nje, wacinga njalo. Wayeza kuzama indlela nokuba injani.
Kodwa njengokuba ziqengqeleka iiveki wahle waqonda ukuba kunzima ngenene ukuqokelela eli khulu leerandi kula majoni eesenti wayemana ewaphiwa ngumakazi wakhe. Ngelo xesha kanye le ndoda yasevenkileni yayithanda ukuqhusheka izidudla zeetshokolethi, amaqathana enyama yenkukhu, ijusi yeziqhamo kwakunye nezinye izinto ezinam-nam ezithandwa ngamantombazana amancinci njengaye.
“Enkosi,” wayesakutsho ezele ngumbulelo.
“Ndicela uthi Sipho xa undibiza,” watsho lo mfo ngenye imini.
“Enkosi, Sipho,” watsho uLinda encumile, ecinga ukuba ngenene inobubele le ndoda.
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Khawusixelele: Ingaba wawukhe wayibukela inkqubo u –Khumbul’ekhaya? Ucinga ntoni ngayo?