Early the next morning Vusi, Patrick and Sakhile wake up to scour for fire wood, making many trips to the forest. MaNkosi approaches them when they return to the yard for the fourth time.

“Sanibona! (Hello) You guys must be tired by now. Come inside. I’ve made some tea for you. Your uncle will continue to fetch firewood in his car. I also heard that you guys cleaned the yard. You did a great job! But for now you need to rest. After drinking tea we will all sit and write a list of all the things we need to buy,” MaNkosi smiles.

Sakhile is having none of it. “A list of things to buy? Things like what?”

“Food and drinks for the funeral, and whatever you may need,” says MaNkosi.

“Do corpses eat and drink where you come from, MaNkosi? Because the person who needed all these things you want to buy is now a corpse. The very same one who gave birth to your boyfriend. Was it your plan to deny her food while she was alive, and then make a list of food and drinks to put on her grave?”

MaNkosi seems to choke when she tries to speak. She coughs and replies, “I mean for people who will be at Gogo’s funeral. We also need to buy her coffin.”

“Will those people be here to bury Gogo or to eat? There’s no need to waste your man’s precious money on Gogo now that she is dead. Don’t buy a coffin for Gogo, because she won’t rest in peace knowing that the coffin she is buried in was bought by your money,” says Sakhile.

“And what will become of you, boys? In this list we will write all the things that you also need.”

“We are orphans, anyway. You don’t have to worry about orphans since you are barren. Isn’t that what you said to uncle Sonke?”

MaNkosi has no answer to Sakhile’s questions. She looks to the ground ashamed. They leave her like that, and fetch more fire wood.

Vusi’s long lost mother arrives in the afternoon while he, Sakhile and Patrick are out collecting firewood. She arrives and heads straight to the room where a candle burns day and night to commemorate Gogo’s life. She joins the sympathisers who are there, dutifully visiting the family of the deceased. She sits on the mattress on the floor, next to the burning candle, and drapes a blanket over her shoulders.

The boys come back from fetching fire wood and bathe after a long day’s work. After they finish they go to the room with the burning candle.

Vusi takes one look at his mother and grabs a paraffin lamp. He kneels next to the mattress where his mother sits and brings the lamp close to her face. Somdali’s words ring in Vusi’s head as he scrutinises his mother’s face: ‘Me and your mother were great lovers!’

Vusi stands up, scratching his head, pacing around the room. Mzimela’s words also haunt his young mind. ‘Is the money I send you every month not enough?’

Vusi stands next to his mother, crouches and says, “Good evening, Mrs Mzimela.”

“Is this the proper way to act around your own mother?”

“Oh! Now you know that you are my mother?!” shouts Vusi mockingly. “If that is so, when was the last time you visited your son?”

“You know very well that I got married,” she says.

“If you are married then why are you doing things behind your husband’s back?”

A collective gasp from everyone in the room nearly puts out the burning candle.

***

Tell us what you think: Why was MaNkosi suddenly being nice to the boys?