Ixesha lekhefu laqala kakuhle xa u-Antonia wabona uRefiloe ephuma kwi-ofisi kaNqununu, imascara igcwele konke ingqonge amehlo akhe ebomvu, esula amehlo. “Jonga apha – makoti kamtyholi,” akakwazanga kuzibamba angaqhuli noTanya. “Ndiyafunga ukhanyele konke.”
Kodwa uSindiwe unyamalele. No-Andile unyamalele. Bekunzima ukungazibuzi ukuba ingaba bayazana na.
U-Antonia noTanya bazimela kweyona kona ikude ebaleni, kwaye babeza kutya xa kwafika uNgcebo nomhlobo wakhe wenene uRatsebe.
“Hey mantombie. Size sifuna ‘ukuhlala’ nentombazanana ‘yomtyholi’ watsho ejalile uNgcebo, kwaqalisa ke ngoko iziqhulo zexesha lekhefu kutyiwa. “Mamelani manenekazi, andiloHindu ngoko ke andinazinkomo zingcwele. Uyivile le ingoMtyholi, i-imam, umfundisi no-rabbie? Bahamba baya ebharini…”
Ngexesha begqiba ukutya, uAntonia noTanya babeneentlungu kukuhleka.
“Ya, kumnandi ukuhleka, ne?” watsho ngoncumo olugezayo uNgcebo.
Esahleka njalo, uAntonia wanqwala wathi xa ephakamisa intloko, amehlo abo adibana, babethelana amehlo. Wamncumela naye.
Emva koko emangalisiwe wathi uNgcebo ezimisele: “Antonia, ndiyazi umhlophe kwaye awukholelwa kwizinto zezinyanya, kodwa ingaba uyafuna ukudibana nesangoma sam? Uyindoda enamandla. Angasihlamba sonke esi sinyama usifumeneyo. Kwaye angakunceda ube noMoya – uyazi ndithetha ngantoni?”
“Ngoku oko kungangamava amatsha anomdla! Kodwa, ndiyabulela andizuphumelela. Iza kudlula ngokukhawuleza nam ndizakuphila. Ngokukodwa kuba abanye abantu bandithathe ngokuba ndisengumntu nam,”watsho, emanga engalindelekanga. “Kwaye Ngcebo, ‘asinyangeki’ isifo sokungakholelwa kuTixo. Ndizamile; inkolo ayiyonto yam.”
“Akho ngxaki. Kodwa ndiseza kuzicela izinyanya zikunced. Kuba ndiyakuthanda. Ndiyabathanda abantu abacinga ngokuzimeleyo,” watsho, wamtsweba esidleleni, waya eklasini.
*****
Ngalo njikalanga abakwaKingwills babeziphumelele, bekhulule izihlangu, besela iwayini ebandayo. U-Antonia wayechaze usuku olwamkelekileyo kwaye babevuya kuba babohlukene nalo mbudane. Emva koko kwakhala intsimbi yomnyango.
“Ag, ndicela uvule phaya sthandwa,” wakhwaza umama wakhe.
U-Antonia wavula ucango. Waqumba, emangalisiwe ekrokra kuba ebona uSolomon, uMagdalen nendoda enxibe isuti emnyama yakudala ephethe iBhayibhile.
“Solomon? “Solomon? Molweni…eh…nenza ntoni apha bafowethu?”
Watsho uMagdalene ngelizolileyo, “molo Antonia. Sicela uxolo ngokunindwendwela ebusuku. NguMzalwane uJacob lo. Singangena sincokole? Uyazi – ngazo zonke izinto ebezisenzeka.”
Ndinemvakalelo embi ngale nto, wacinga njalo u-Antonia. “Kulungile. Ngenani.” Wabazisa kubazali bakhe, abababulisa ngbubele ‘obulinganiselweyo’, babonakala bothukile.
“Molweni nenekazi nawe nene,” waqalisa uMzalwana uJacob. “Le rhamente yolutsha ize kum, ikhathazeke kakhulu. Bathi kukho into ekhathazayo eyenzeke esikolweni. Ukuba intombi yenu ithethe phandle ukuba ayikholelwa ukuba uTixo ukhona. Ngoku…”
“Hey – lo nto inakwenza nantoni nani?” Ilizwi likaMnumzana Kingwill lanyuka kakhulu.
“Ndiyacela Mnumzana Kingwill, ndicelajumamele. Simamele. Sikhathazeke kakhulu!” Wabongoza uMagdalen.
Unkskz. Kingwill wazama ukumzolisa: “James, James, ndiyakucela. Masi–”
“Sinoloyiko mhlawumbe unedemoni; kusenokuba ungenwe yidemoni! UMzalwane uJacob anganceda. Singathandaza apha sonke… Yitsho!” wagqabhuka uMagdalen.
UMzalwane uJacob wancuma ngokuzolileyo ze phambi kokuba abazali baka-Antonia abathetha kakhulu nabanamehlo amabi bathethe wathi: “Ewe. Ngoncedo lukaTixo ndizithembile. Konke kuza kulunga. Yimiqondiso yokuqala nje le – ukreqo nemiqondiso embalwa yobuSathane. Akukabikho kulwa ngamanqindi namazwi obuhedeni.”
UNkskz.Kingwill waxhuma waphakama. “Uthetha ukuthi nize apha … andikwazi noku… zibhanxandini zenene. Amademoni? Ukukhutshwa kwedemoni? Kula maxesha nakubantu bale mihla? Nini aba ninengxaki zengqondo apha. Kukunukunezwa kwabantwana oku!” wangxola, etyityimbisa umnwe wakhe wokukhomba abatyhola.
USolomon wazogquma ubuso ngezandla zakhe. “Oh, oh, owu Tixo,” wasebeza ngelo. UMagdalen wazisombulula, ze, ephefumelela phezulu, wadibanisa izandla wathandaza ngokuzolileyo.
UMzalwane uJacob wayengakhathazekanga; wathi nje kwesi sibini soyika kakhulu, “Ningakhathazeki bantwana bam. Oko kukuthi … zolani … thandazani nithe cwaka.”
“Kulungile Annie, yeka. Ukungabi namonde nokuthukisa akusayi kunceda nganto,” watsho uMnumzana Kingwill, ebamba inkosikazi yakhe ngengalo. Wavala amehlo, waphefumla nzima, ixesha elide, wolula iminwe yakhe ngamandla ze wayivalelwa kwakhona ngaphakathi emanqindini akhe. Wacinga umzuzwana, ze wathetha ngelizwi elinzima, eloyikayo elitsolo njengokusikwa yirazor.
“U-Antonia unelungelo lokuzikhethela inkolo yakhe, nokuthetha ngayo esikolweni. Ndiyawazi umthetho wam. Ngendlela efanayo, nani ninalo ilungelo lokukholelwa oko nifuna ukukukholelwa. Kodwa awukwazi ukunyanzelisa inkolo yakho kwabanye abantu – kule meko ukukholelwa kwimimoya enamandla engabonwayo. Umntwana wam sele onzakaliswe kukunukunezwa esikolweni, ngenxa yokunganyamezelani kweenkolo. Xa kukho izenzo zokunukunezwa siya kumangala. Uyaqonda? Ngoku phumani apha.”
U-Antonia wema engcangcazela ngexesha begilana bephuma, begxothwa kutata wakhe. “Ndiyivile ngenene le nto? Ingaba ngenene bebeze kukhupha iidemoni? Kuza kulandela ntoni kum kule mpilo iphambene kangaka?”
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Khawusichazele: Abanye abantu bakholelwa ukuba ukuziphatha ngendlela engaqhelekanga okanye endlongo-ndlongo, ukuba nemibono okanye ‘ukuva amazwi entlokweni yakho, kukugula ngengqondo. Abanye bakholwa ukuba ezi zinto zisenokuba zibangelwa ziidimoni nemimoya emibi engena emzimbeni. Ucinga ntoni? Ingaba zikho iidemoni?