U-Antonia wayenza ngathi umamele kodwa iingcinga zakhe zazikude, kude kakhulu, ngexesha wayemana esithi qwayi ku-Andile, ekuluhlu olungasentla kwakhe. Owu Nkosi Yam, ubuso bakhe babubuhle: inkangeleko egqibeleleyo, imihlathi eyomeleleyo, uncumo olunomtsalane. Waphefumelela phezulu! Wayengoyena UBUKEKAYO. Ndiwe ngokwenene eluthandweni, wacinga, ze waneentloni xa athi wambona emjongile, waza wamjonga ngoncumo oluneentloni naye.
Kuninzi lweklasi i-LO yayiyindibanisela ephakathi kokudika nokuphumza. Babephupha behlelei, okanye bozele okanye benze imifanekiso enobukrelekrele kuFacebook. Abantwana besikolo samabanga aphakamileyo iWestray bonke babejonge phezulu, kwaye abazali babo babenokubahlawulela oko. Babengakhathali nge-Lo kuba babesazi ukuba yayingakwenzeli nto ukuba ungene ekholeji okanye eyunivesithi.
Ngeli xesha uNkskz. Tshuma eqhubeka ngeenkolo ezohlukeneyo, u-Antonia waziva ngathi u-Andile wayengumazibuthe: wayengakwazi ukumelana nokunye ukumthi qwayi. Kodwa into ayibonayo yamenza lwaphela tu uvakalelo lwakhe lothando.
URefiloe, owasemva kuka-Andile ngqo, wayemphatha-phatha kamnandi apha emqolo wathi akujika kancinci, wambona encuma emnika ileta encinane. Intoni…? U-Antonia wamjonga ngomona u-Andile. Wayifunda lo leta, wancuma ze wamphakamisela ubhontsi emfihlakalweni emva kwakhe. Imbonakalo eyayisebusweni bukaRefiloe yayingenakuphazanyiswa. La nto ingakwaziyo ukunxiba ifuna u-Andile!
Ngokukhawuleza uNkskz. Tshuma wafika kwidesika ka-Andile woxutha lo leta. “Uyawazi umthetho wam. Ukuba ndithe ndakufumana udlulisa ileta; ndiyayifunda ndikhwaza.” U-Andile wanyevula ebusweni, ecutha amaehlo ewavala, ehlazekile.
“Hayi Ma’am, ndiyakucela…”
“Nantso ke: ‘Ndiza kukuvotela. Okuthandayo, Riffs. XX’,” watsho uNkskz. Tshuma ngelizwi lentombazana.
Wonke umntu wahleka, ekhwaza, ngaphandle kuka-Antonia. Wayephambene; ngumona.
“Ndikuphuza kabini, Refiloe? Nkosi yam,” waphoxisa uNkskz. Tshuma, yatsho ngengxolo iklasi ‘yangxola’ ngeligculelayo.
U-Antonia wacinga kwakhona ngengxoxo yakhe nomhlobo wakhe, uSindi ngexesha lekhefu. “Ukuba ufuna ukubona isibhanxa somntu wakho omtsha esebenza kungcono uze kwiManyano yezifundo zeBhayibhile ngale njikalanga. Sivotela ikomiti entsha, naye ungenele. Kufanele enze intetho.”
“Ooh! Isizathu esihle njani ukuba uye kwiManyano yezifundo zeBhayibhile,” u-Antonia wayeqhula ngelo, kodwa ezi ndaba zamkhathaza. Uzimisele ngobuKrestu bakhe. Ingaba uza kucinga ntoni xa efumanisa ngam?
URefiloe onelizwi likanondindwa wabeva. “Wena kwiManyano yezifundo zeBhayibhile Antonia? Wagqibela ukuza kwisithuba sonyaka esidlulileyo. Ngokolwam uluvo akufanelanga uvunyelwe uvote.”
Ngoku kuvela esi siganeko seleta? Wayeqinisekile: esa sibhanxakazi ‘singuRiffs’ sasizama ukuba u-Andile!
Ilizwi eliphakanyisiweyo likatitshala lamenza wabuyela ekunikeni ingqalelo isifundo. “Hayi bo bantakwethu, gqalani kwisifundo. Ngoko ke zonke iinkolo eziphambili zikholelwa kuTixo omnye onaMandla Onke – lunqulo loTixo omnye.”
“Kodwa akutshiwo ukuba amaHindu anqula izithixo zobuxoki Ma’am?” watsho uKanya. “Aneetempile ezineentlobo zonke zezithixo nezithixokazi – ezinye zide zibe zizilwanyana ezingaphelelanga!”
“Ewe, kodwa phezu kwazo zonke nguMntu wabo oPhakemeyo, uVishnu. Kuyafana nendlela usapho lwam olunxibelelana ngayo nezinyanya zethu, ngazo sinxibelelane noTixo. Kodwa ngenene namhlanje uninzi lwethu luxuba amasiko nobuKrestu. Kulungile ke, lixesha lokuba nicinge nani ndiyeke ukuthetha mna. Yintoni ‘owona Mthetho Mkhulu’ ochazwa ngeendlela ezininzi zizo zonke ezi nkolo?”
Saphakama kwangoko isandla sikaSolomon. “Yenza kwabanye ngendlela ongathanda ukuba kwenziwe ngayo kuwe.”
“Ayisosiqwenga sibalaseleyo esi ngobulumko, ukuba nje sonke singasilandela? Kulungile, ikho imibuzo?”
“Kodwa Ma’am, singayihlonela njani inkolo yama-Islam, xa kwabona benale mfazwe engcwele abayenzayo – ijihad. Uyazi, bathumela abanqolobi ukuba baye kubulala abantu abangengoma-Islam. Njengabo bonke aba bantu babulawa eKenya kulo nyaka uphelileyo? Okulandelayo iza kuba sithi amatsha-ntliziyo besibulala! Ngokwenyaniso, ndiyawoyika ama-Muslims. Uxolo, ngokucacileyo hayi wena Meena,” watsho uMagdalen.
Ngoku wonke umntu wanomdla. Babemvela uMeena kodwa babevuya kuba uMagdalen wayithetha – ngenene wayezaliswe nguMoya oyiNgcwele xa ekhokela umthandazo kwiManyano yesifundo zeBhayibhile, ngoko ke kwabonakala ngathi wayengoyena mntu ufanelekileyo ukuba ayiphakamise lo nto.
Kwavakala izimvo ezikhwazayo zinqumleza igumbi wangxola uNkskz. Tshuma: “Ndicela kuthethe umntu abe mnye ngexesha! Kulula ukuthetha lo nto Magdalen, kodwa uthatha icala. Meena, awufuni kuphendula?”
Ngexesha uMeena ephakama, etsala ngexhala umqukumbelo we-hijab yakhe, wangenelela uNgcebo: “Ugeza kakubi Magdalen. Abefundisi bamaKrestu bafika apha okulandelayo sasala neBhayibhile abantu abamhlophe bafumana umhlaba wethu. Ewe, abantu abamnyama basala bengamahlwempu – kude kube namhlanje!”
Ukugqabhuka kweempendulo kwanyanzela ukuba uNkskz.Tshuma abethe ngamandla edesikeni yakhe. “Inzolo! Meena – uyakufuna ukuthetha?”
“Ma’am, i-Imam yethu ithi ubu-Islam benyaniso bunoxolo. Singabantu nje thina – asibaxhasi abo banqolobi. Zizibhanxa eziphambeneyo.”
“Ngqo, Meena. Zonke iinkolo zinamatsha-ntliziyo azo, kwaye zakhe zenza izinto ezimbi ngelinye ixesha. Kulungile, masenze uphando ngeenkolo kule klasi sizikhumbuze ukujonga ezo zinto zabelana ngazo, kwaye sizihloniphe zonke. AmaKrestu? Ewe, uninzi lwethu. INkolo yamaSiko eSintu? Bane. AmaMuslim? Bathathu. AmaHindu? Akakho. Abenkolo yamaJuda? Babini. Zikho ezinye? Ama-Buddhists, okanye iiNzululwazi okanye amaBahai, umzekelo?”
UNkskz.Tshuma wajika wajonga kuluvo olwathethwa kancinane ngu-Antonia. Kodwa ngaphambi kokuba acele ukuba aphinde, ummelwane ka-Antonia, uTheresa waxhuma wema ngeenyawo, ewavule onke:
“Umyelisi!” ekhefuzela.
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Khawusichazele: Ingaba utheni u-Antonia le ikhathaze kangaka uTheresa? Ingaba abantu bazigweba kangako iinkolo ezingezozabo?