Umendo Chapter 30
As a Christian l am supposed to forgive those who do me wrong as The Lord has already forgiven me for all my sins. Here was Nicole calling me and asking me to forgive her and help her out. I knew that the Christian thing was to help her, but she and her mother had put me through so much. I asked her if ther wasn't any other relative she could move in with and she told me that she didn't have many relatives, and her aunt was the only relative who lived around, as for her friends they all stayed at home with their parents, so none of them could help her. In the end l told her l was going to sleep on it and get back to her the following day. I couldn't sleep that night, l was thinking of a week old baby in the streets sleeping rough, crying day and night because mother cannot produce milk since she has not eaten all day. I called my cousin Nokuthaba and asked her if she knew a vacant space around. She told me l was crazy for wanting to help this girl after everything but said that she knew me, so she wasn't surprised l was doing this. She told me that there was a space in a flat opposite to hers in Berea for R500. She called to find out if they allowed children. They did, so l called Nicole and told her about the place. She thanked me profusely but told me that she only had R700 in her name, her clothes and her baby's stuff. I told her that the most important thing was a roof over her head, which she had for now.
Langa and l went to visit Siya during lunch time the next day. He was breathing by himself but he was asleep when we got there. I asked Langa to go with me to Nicole's new place. The woman who open the main door for us asked which one of us was Nicole's sister? Langa and l looked at each other confused. She introduced herself as umastanda and explained to us that she was asking because Nicole told her that it was her sister who had found her the space and she was going to stop over to visit her. Whilst she was talking to us, Nicole came over and introduced me as her sister kumastanda. I didn't want to seem rude, so l just kept quiet. Langa's eye though. She took us to her space, It was a living room that had been divided into two by curtains. Her baby was sleeping on the floor. She gave us her two bags to sit on and she sat on her suitcase. She looked broken and vulnerable, her eyes were swollen and red.
Nicole: l would offer you drinks but l don't have glasses nor the drinks
Sme: No, it's fine. We brought you some fruits, here (l handed her a plastic bag filled with fruits)
Nicole: Thank you very much
Sme: Have you tried asking your aunt to talk to your mother?
Nicole: She did, but my mom won't hear any of it. She won't take any of my calls, or reply any of my messages
Langa: How do we know this isn't a set up that you and your mother have planned, to destroy Meme again? ( Langa tends to think aloud)
Nicole: l understand your reasons for thinking that way, but l swear l am not lying about any of this, ungixoshile ngempela uma wami, and akafuni nex ngam.
Sme: How about your father?
Nicole: Angimazi, l have never met him and my mom never talks about him. I once overhead my aunt telling her friend that my father was a married man when my mom had an affair with him. She had to drop out of school because she got pregnant and had me, my father denied he ever slept with her and told her that he wanted nothing to do with her. She went to have an abortion but they told her it was too late because she was five months pregnant by then.
Langa: Like mother, like daughter
Sme: Ah Langa
( Nicole started crying softly)
Langa: (Hands her a tissue) Utoba strong
Sme: So, do you have any blankets and toiletries?
Nicole: (sniffling) No, l have R150 left because l have paid my rent and l used R50 for transport and pampers. (Etsho eyikhupha eskhwameni)
Langa: (Shakes her head) What happened to the money you swindled from Meme and your baby's father?
Nicole: l spent it all on Junior's preparation
Sme: And the car you were driving the day you flooded my house?
Nicole: (Taken by surprise, then sighs deeply) My mom sold it because your security guard had seen it, so she said if you saw me driving it, you could use is as evidence against me. She was in the process to buy me another one when she found out about me and Mapetla
Sme: Do you realise that l could get you and your mother arrested right now?
Nicole: l do, and l am so sorry for the pain l have caused you. I got too caught up in trying to hide my affair with Mapetla from my mother. I was desperate, and didn't care who l hurt, but l realise now that l was wrong. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me some day. I really do
Sme: We are going to buy you a couple of blankets and will be back in a short while.
We went eYoeville to buy buy some pampers, food basics, a cheap bed, bedding, cutlery, a couple of plates, cups and amabhodo. Whenever l picked up something, Langa will put it down and look for a cheaper alternative. The bed arrived just as we did. Nicole wouldn't stop crying and thanking me as we were taking the groceries inside. I gave her R300 and told her to apply for a child grant from the government. We left her making the bed. I got a call from Zandie when we got back to work, she was checking up on me. We had a long chat, but l did not mention anything about helping Nicole because l knew she would go ballistic if she knew. So l was saving that talk for another day. I received two text messages whilst l was on the phone with Zandie. One was from my bank telling me that my account had been deposited with R90 000. The other message was from Lumkile asking me to be patient with her whilst she was working on getting the rest of my money. I had to log into my online banking to see if there hadn't been a mistake, and there is was. R90 000 from L. Mbatha. Great for evidence that she indeed stole my car, l took a screenshot of the text message and sent it to Zandie. When l got home that evening, Lindo waved at me, but l just drove off. I saw him on the rear view mirror following behind me, but l ignored him. I didn't want to give him the chance to make up another lie and spread it around the complex. Phela Lindo will take out anything from a simple conversation and make something huge out of it. There at our front door l saw someone sitting outside with a small suitcase
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