Umendo Chapter 6

Umendo Chapter 6

I just stood there with so much disappointment, feeling deplated. I decided that I wasn't going to ask my husband over the phone cos I wanted to see his reaction and facial expressions when I asked him. If I called him, he could tell me that there was a poor connection or that he was busy and couldn't talk, then say that he will call me back as soon as he can, therefore allowing him time to come up with a good excuse and ask one of his friends to lie for him if he needed his story to be backed up. I'm sure if he was desperate he would even ask Lindo to lie for him then buy him i6pack. So no, I wasn't taking that chance. I didn't want to ask Lindo and look like a fool who doesn't know what goes on endlini yakhe, and expose our dirty laundry in the process. As much as Lindo was a nice guy, I knew he couldn't keep his mouth shut, isfuba sakhatshwa lidube shem, and lamkhaba to become nice. But who could blame him, the guy had nothing much to do the whole day expect open the gate, of which most of the time he wouldn't be at the gate, he would be at someone's house shwashwating about who Zodwa (one of our neighbours) had brought over last night or who dropped off sis Angie (another neighbour). What's funny was that he would then go to Zodwa and gossip about someone else, whilst digging more information from her, then go to sis Angie, do the same thing, then someone else. I wouldn't set up any of my cousins with him even if they were single. Indoda ethanda umgosi kangaka, hayi no ngiyabonga. I know men like to gossip, my husband included, but they do it in a very subtle way. Like my husband would come home and say, "ah phela kuthwa uNgwenya lowana umaqhula utshiywe ngumfazi". Then I'm there waiting for him to tell me why, azithulele uSiya like he didn't say anything. Then I have to ask him, why, umtshiyeleni? "Ah, kukhanya umfazi ubesethole ongaqhuliyo". And that's it, I wouldn't be able to get anything else out of him no matter how much I tried. He would just say, "ah, mina yikho kuphela engikwaziyo."But I can assure you that with his friends, he would have told them way more than that. Sometimes I would get annoyed at his half stories and tell him never to tell me any of his stories again cos what's the use if he won't tell me the whole story. Ah, kambe shuwa.

I decided to put my personal issues on hold and get to work. I knew I wouldn't be able to fully concentrate, but I had no choice. Deep down I hoped that there would be a good explanation for all this, I hoped that this was all a misunderstand which will all be cleared. You know when you a faced with bits and pieces of evidence that someone you love, the person who 'claims' to love you with all his heart has betrayed you, it's hard to accept.  Because you know that if indeed they have betrayed you, things will never be the same again. And because you don't want things to change for the worst,  you hope that there is a good explanation to it all. Sometimes even turn a blind eye to some obvious clues and evidence of betrayal, because you don't want to rock the boat.  

I got to my office and was greeted by our ever cheerful secretary/ PA, Langelihle Dlaminini, she is from Swaziland. " Umama no tata wam botaba disappointed if they find out kutsi I missed the chance of being Mswati's number 2015 wife to spend the whole day sat here stalking people I don't know on FB". Hahah, she was funny like that. "Why haven't you been picking your calls iweekend yonke? I was about to call the police to come to your house and check if you are still alive" , oh shit. I had forgotten to return calls after being released from eNo_4. I told her that I was fine, I just had a busy weekend. I shared the office with Mike Mdluli who screamed GAY from the way he dressed to the way he spoke, and Langa our PA. We did our projects together, and sometimes had to go away away for a day or two around the country with work. My husband wasn't comfortable with me going on business trips with a male collegue until he found out he was gay. 

"Busy weekend my foot, busy having fun more like. I saw your car parked outside Monte Casino on Sartuday just when me and my man were leaving, I called you like a million times but you never picked up. Please tell me you don't have a gambling problem", Langa pleaded. "Monte Casino?, my car?, hayi maybe awubonanga kahle sisi ngoba I haven't been to that place in like a year or so", I retorted. She told me that she knows what she saw, and she saw my car, a black 2011 Toyota Yaris number plate ******. I was shocked, it was my car, but why would it have been there when it was supposed to be parked eHilbrow Police Station whilst they did their investigation? It didn't make any sense. Langa kept going on and on about God knows what, I couldn't here her cos I was deep in my thoughts trying to make sense of all this until she clapped her hands in front of my face. "Weh Meme, jika kwabaphilayo, I have Zandie on hold, she says she is worried about you cos you have not returned any of her calls". I told her to put her through to my phone,  and our conversation went like this 

Sme: Mfazi, unjani?

Zandie: Ah mfazi, ngibona wena nya. Ngafona ngafona

Sme: Bengise No_4 mfazi

Zandie: Ah, what were you doing eNo_4?

Sme: Bengibotshiwe, since Friday ngaze ngaphuma ngeSunday 

(The look on Langa's face, she got up from her desk, pulled her chair and sat opposite me)

Zandie: Ah mfazi, wothi uyadlala,ubotshelweni?

Sme: Nope, ngi serious.(I told her the whole story from when Lumkile stopped me)

(Langa sat there with her eyes and mouth wide open I could see islakalaka, I hadn't noticed Mike was there until he clapped his hands with shock.)

Zandie: Yiii mfazi, why didn't you call me ngazokukhipha shuwa? USiyabonga waze wangi disappointa ngimthembe kangaka! Manje what have you decided to do?

Sme: I don't even know what to do mfazi, and now Langa is telling me that she saw my car eMonte, l don't know yazi. Ngiphelelwe nje njengawe.

Zandie: Eish, l'm sorry that you are going through this mfazi. Please come over kwami for the weekend, I will cancel my Saturday shift. You can come on Friday ungashayisa,you need a break from all of this. 

Sme: Ya I do need a break, but don't cancel your shift my friend, we can meet up for lunch on Friday. Thank you for the offer though. I have to go now mfazi, sokhuluma later. 

Zandie: Sharp mfazi, take care.

( Zandie was a great friend shem, we had been friends since secondary school. We had seen and been there for each other's ups and downs. I couldn't have asked for a better friend, she was like a sister to me.)

As soon as I hung up, Langa and Mike were onto me, bombarding me with like million questions. When I started work here 6 years ago, I told myself that I was going to keep a professional relationship with my work collegues and not mix personal stuff with work. That all changed when I met Mike, I met him on my first day here as an intern. I was so nervous and scared that I wouldn't fit in, but Mike was so kind to me, he took me under his wing, showed me around, told me whom to look out for and all the office gossip. 3 months later I was offered a permanent job, and was put in Mike's team. I started as a marketing assistant, was promoted to marketing co-ordinator after 9months, then to supervisor after a couple of years, now I am the junior manager, Mike is the marketing project manager, I'm just a level below him. Langa joined us nearly 3 years ago, we are like a small family. 

"Tjoo, men are dogs shem", hahah, Mike liked saying that as if he wasn't a man himself. Langa asked if I wanted her to make a few calls to "her people" to find out about this Lumkile Mbatha, (Langa knew a lot of people and had a lot of connections with people in higher places), but I refused.  I was going to handle it my way. Above everything else they both showed their support and told me that I should let them know if I wanted anything or wanted to take a few days off. I didn't want to take time off work, my mind would go crazy if I did. I wanted to keep myself busy and distracted from all this drama that Siyabonga was bringing into our marriage. I decided to check all my bank accounts including our savings with online banking. I was surprised to see that R3000 had been withdrawn from our savings this morning. Didn't Siya say that he withdrew R3000 from our savings to bail me out on Sunday? How come it showed that it was withdrawn only this morning at 10:20am to be exact.