Kwindawo yokumisa iimoto phaya ngase sitishini sikaloliwe, umgrugra wohlobo lweSUV wathi gqi uhamba kancinci. ULinda wazimela ngaphaya kwamatyholo. Ngaphakathi emotweni kwakukhwele inenekazi elinamashumi amane eminyaka. ULinda wamfanisa lo mntu…wachwechwa wasondela.
Tyhini kwasa kuye, lo yayingomnye weenqununu azaziyo kwesinye sezikolo zemfundo ephakamileyo kwalapha elokishini. Yayingumama uJemima Solotsi. Wayekhe eve xa umakazi wakhe emncoma njengenenekazi elihle kwaye elikrele krele.
Kodwa umama uSolotsi wayengabonakalisi buhle ngale ntlwa. Kwakuzele usizi ebusweni bakhe, nto leyo echaza ukuba intliziyo yakhe yayisindwa lusizi olukhulu. Iinyembezi zazibenze barhono rhono ubuso bakhe obabuqatywe kakuhle ngaphambili. Wayebonakala ethetha yedwa.
“Thixo othandekayo, andinanto yakuthetha, ngaphandle kokuba umphefumlo wam utyumkile. Intliziyo yam ayinakungcibeka. Kule minyaka ingamashumi amabini, ndinyamezele umvambo kwindoda ebendiyithanda ngentliziyo yam yonke: uThando Solotsi. Ukubona umyeni wam nomnye umfazi, umfazi onakho ukumnika mna into endingenakho ukumnika, indenza ndizive ndifadalele ebomini. Andikwazi ukuphila ngolu hlobo. UThando wayengumntu wam wokuqala ukumthanda. Usenguye nangoku. Kodwa ndingatsho nje ngokuphandle uyakuba ngowokugqibela…”
Iinyembezi zamongamela, zehla zigeleza: akakwazi ukuqhubeka. Ukukhathazeka nobuhlungu bentliziyo baba ngathi buyamkrwitsha emqaleni. Wazama ukuphemfula, etsala umoya. Kwakungathi ufuna ukukhala agxwale kakhulu, kodwa wayesuka abenesingqala, agqume. Mhlawumbi yinto yokuba wayesele ekhale kakhulu.
Watsala into abeyibeke kweliya cala lingaphaya. Ngezandla ezingcangcazelayo, wawukhupha lo mkhono wekati, waza wawunqakraza ukuze ulungele ukudubula. Wawumnyama, ukhazimla kwaye unzima kunendlela obukeka ngayo. Wahambisa iminwe yakhe kuwo ngokungathi le nto uyenza ngothando, ngokungathi le yeyona nto yayinokumsindisa kubuhlungu abuvayo. Kancinci, kwaye ngokucotha, ngesandla esingcangcazelayo, wawuphakamisa wawubeka ebunzi.
“Ndikuphoxile myeni wam. Kodwa nawe wandithembisa ukuba uyakuba nam kuko konke, kumaxesha amnandi nakumaxesha amabi, endlaleni nasekuhlutheni. Awuzange usizalisekise eso sithembiso, Thando! Ndaweni yoko wandenza intlekisa, uhlekisa komnye umfazi. Yayingelo tyala lam ukuba ndingabi naye umntwana, kodwa iminyaka engamashumi amabini wena wenza intlekisa ngam iimini ngeemini. Wandiphatha okwento engento! Uyabona ke ngoku, umnqweno wakho uzalisekile. Andizokuba yinto. Ndiza kuba luthuli lomhlaba!”
Ilizwi lakhe lalirhwexa libuphela ngokungathi akasenamandla aseleyo ngaphakathi kuye okuba makalile.
Ngequbuliso latsho ngamandla ixilongo likaloliwe kudana phaya. ULinda wayibona isathi gqi phaya, nezibane zayo zidanyaza…Ngoku yayilithuba lakhe! Walungisa umntwana kakuhle emqolo, eqinisekisa ukuba itawuli imqinise nkqi emqolo.
Kungelo xesha kanye apho umama uSolotsi ehlisa umpu, waza waphuma emotweni.
Wahamba nje kancinci, wazama ukuqwalasela phakathi kwaloo matyholo. Weva into eyamtsho isisu sakhe saxuxuzela: isikhalo sosana olubomvu.
Waqalisa ukubhuduzela uLinda. Umntwana uye wavuka ngeliya xesha amqinisa ngetawuli. Wayengafuni ukuchitha xesha. Wayengafuni ukubonwa ngumama uSolotsi.
Noxa kwakumnyama, inyanga yayithe qhaa phezulu phaya. Yayingathi incumile apha phezu kwabo. Yayingathi ize kumkhumbuza ukuba ukhona uThixo ohlala ezulwini osoloko esikhangele amaxesha onke.
“Sisikhalo santoni eso? Ingaba ndiyaphupha? Ingaba kukho usana kwindawo ethile apha?” Wamva umama uSolotsi ethethela emilebeni.
ULinda watsala umphefumlo onzima waza watsiba ngaphaya kwemithi. Intliziyo yakhe yayibetha ngamandla ivakala nase zindlebeni zakhe.
“Owu, Thixo wam!” wakhala umama uSolotsi. “Ngubani lowo? Hayi bo! Hayi Thixo wam! Hayi! Nanko esiya ngqo esiporweni sikaloliwe!”
Uloliwe ngoku wayexele umgama weemitha ezimbalwa, evuthela ixilongo lakhe ngamandla. ULinda wayelindele ukuba aziphose endleleni yakhe nolo sana. Suka weva umntu emthi xhakamfu ngesandla ngasemva. Wayesondele kakhulu esiporweni xa uloliwe egquma edlula kubo.
“Ha-ayi-i-i! Ndiyeke mna! Ndiyeke!” wagxwala uLinda, ezama ukumtyhalela kude, kodwa umama uSolotsi wamtsala wamqinisa nkqi.
“Yiza! Yiza apha emotweni yam. Sizakuthetha ngoku. Yiza mntwana wam.”
Zaphalala ezishushu kuLinda. Uthe akwenza njalo nosana lwakhe oluyinkwenkwe lwajweda ngamandla.
“Lulambile olu sana. Uyamncancisa okanye unayo ibhotile yakhe apha kuwe?” wabuza umama uSolotsi.
“Ndingamncancisa,” watsho uLinda. “Ndiza kumncancisela emotweni yakho.”
Wabakhokelela emotweni umama uSolotsi. ULinda wayesafixiza ngeli xesha anikezela usana kumama uSolotsi waza wangena kweliya cala lingaphaya. Wazama umama uSolotsi ukuthulisa usana lukaLinda elushiki-shikiza. Wakhawuleza wathi bozololo umntwana, wathula. Uthe akuba ehleli kakuhle uLinda kwisitulo esingasemva umama uSolotsi wamnikezela kuye umntwana.
“Ngumntwana wakho lo, andithi?”
“Ewe, Mama.”
Umama uSolotsi wakhumbula ukuba ebeshiye ebeke umpu kwisitulo somqhubi. Wakhawuleza waya kweliya cala, wavula phambi kokuba uLinda awuqaphele umpu. Uthe akuqalisa ukuncancisa umntwana uLinda, umama uSolotsi wakwazi ukufihla umpu phantsi kwesitulo semoto.
“Ungubani igama lakho?” wambuza.
“NdinguLinda.”
“Ubufuna ukuzibulala?”
“Ewe.”
“Ngokuba kutheni?”
“Ngenxa yalo mntwana: andizokukwaziukumnakekela,” watsho, ngelizwi elingcangcazelayo. Zaqala phantsi ukwehla iinyembezi ezidleleni zakhe, wamana ezisula ngengutyana yosana.
Umama uSolotsi wamjonga kalusizi, wakhe walibala ngezakhe iinzingo okomzuzwana. Wathi rhuthu laa mpu ebewufihlile waza wabonisa uLinda.
“Nam bendize apha ukuze ndizibulale, kuba ndizibona ndingafanelekanga njengomfazi. Andikwazanga ukunika umyeni wam eyona nto ebeyinqwela kakhulu-umntwana.”
“Ingaba unguMam Solotsi? Ewe, ndiyakubona kakuhle ke ngoku.”
“Ewe Linda, ndinguMam Solotsi, inqununu yesikolo semfundo ephakamileyo. Ungathi Jemima xa undibiza.
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Khawusixelele: Uyakholelwa kwinto yokuba iimeko ziyakwazi ukuzenzekela nje ngendlela ebingenakunqandeka? Okanye ucinga ukuba yaba yinto nje eyazenzekelayo ukuba uMama uSolotsi noLinda bahlangane?