CHAPTER 69

CHAPTER 69

Snothando freezes when Nikky asks the question again. She is not even sure how long Nikky has been standing there, or how much she might have seen. For a second, her mind goes completely blank. Her heart races, and her hands feel sweaty.
"Are you okay?" Nikky asks again, her voice softer this time, filled with concern.
Snothando forces herself to breathe. She needs to lie. Not just any lie, a good one. A perfect one. Something simple. Something believable.
Before she can answer, she hears her mother's voice.
"MaNkabinde, how are you?" her mother asks gently.
Snothando almost sighs out loud in relief. She feels like she has just been pulled away from danger at the last second.
"Come inside. Your friend saw a frog, and you know how she fears frogs," Kholiwe adds quickly, clearly trying to save the situation.
Nikky gasps softly, her face showing surprise.
"Oh, I didn't know this place had frogs," Nikky says as she follows Kholiwe into the house without questioning it further.
Snothando stands there for a moment, trying to steady herself. She wipes the sweat from her forehead with shaky fingers. Her body still feels tense. Her thoughts are scattered.
She turns back to the small hole in the ground and quickly closes it, pressing the soil down firmly with her hands. She looks around carefully to make sure no one is watching. She knows she will have to plant a tree there soon. Something strong. Something that will make the ground look untouched. No one must ever suspect what she buried there.
Slowly, she stands up. Her legs feel weak, but she forces herself to walk toward the small tap and sink outside. She opens the tap and lets the water run over her hands. She washes the dirt away, watching it disappear down the drain.
Her mind keeps repeating the same thought: stick to the story. A frog.
She almost lets out a nervous laugh. Of all things, a frog. But it worked.
Now she knows she will have to continue with her mother's lie about that damn frog. She has no choice.
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Sno finds both her mother and Nikky in the lounge, sitting close and chatting like nothing is wrong. For a second, she just stands there and watches them. She doesn't know why Nikky is here, but she guesses it works in her favour. She wanted to see Nikky anyway. She just did not expect it to be like this. She forces herself to calm down and walks in, then sits next to her mother as if everything is normal.
"You should have called. I was going to organise something," Sno says with her forever fake smile, the one she uses when she does not mean a single word.
Nikky shakes her head gently.
"No need. I was at lunch with Aunt Lungu and Ntobe. I'm full," Nikky says casually.
Sno almost rolls her eyes but stops herself just in time.
"I'm here to check up on you. I heard what happened… the funeral and your car," Nikky adds, her voice turning soft and sad.
Sno sighs slowly. Her weekend was a complete disaster, all thanks to Sylvia. Her beautiful, expensive car was stolen. Now she is carless, stressed, and embarrassed after being humiliated by those lowlife kasi people. Just thinking about it makes her blood boil again. She looks at Nikky and feels the irritation rising. This is her fault. Why did she have to say no? Why couldn't she just help her stupid mother with the funeral? None of this would have happened.
"Yeah, now I see why you dislike that township. It's a pit," Sno says bitterly. "But I'll be fine. My insurance will give me a car by the end of the week," she adds with a careless shrug, pretending it does not bother her as much as it actually does.
Kholiwe looks at Sno with clear disappointment in her eyes. She still does not understand why Sno helped Sylvia in the first place. That woman took everything from them, yet Sno still went running when she called.
"That's better. I was worried about you. At least you didn't get hurt," Nikky says with a warm, genuine smile.
There is a short silence. Then Kholiwe's eyes fall on something around Nikky's neck.
"That's a beautiful necklace you are wearing," Kholiwe says, staring at it with interest.
Sno's eyes snap to the necklace immediately. Her heart skips in surprise. She frowns slightly, then slowly stands up and moves to sit next to Nikky. Nikky is holding the necklace gently between her fingers, almost protectively.
"Oh, it was a gift," Nikky says lightly.
Sno leans closer without even thinking and touches it carefully. Her fingers brush against the stone.
"This is real emerald," she whispers, her voice filled with shock. She lifts her eyes to look at Nikky. "Who got you this?" she asks, unable to hide her curiosity.
Nikky giggles and gently pushes Sno's hand away from the necklace.
"A girl. I can't tell all her secrets," Nikky teases. "And yes, it's real emerald, not fake."
The teasing tone makes something twist inside Sno. She bites her lip to stop herself from reacting. A secret? Since when? She feels annoyed, almost threatened. She suddenly wants to grab her phone and take a picture of the necklace. Something about it does not sit well with her.
"It's nice. It really suits you," Kholiwe says warmly, smiling at Nikky.
That comment makes Sno even more irritated. She forces a small smile, but inside she feels angry. Everything about this moment annoys her, the necklace, the secrecy, her mother's compliments, and the way Nikky looks so calm and glowing.
Sno smiles, swallowing her pride with effort.
"It's beautiful. Mom is not lying, it does suit you," Sno says. The words taste bitter in her mouth. Complimenting Nikky feels like defeat, but she forces herself to say it anyway.
"Thank you so much," Nikky replies warmly. "How's Phume?" she asks, gently changing the topic.
"Oh, he's fine. Sno and I are heading home tomorrow," Kholiwe answers casually.
Sno frowns immediately. She turns to look at her mother. She does not remember agreeing to go home tomorrow. No one told her that. Why is her mother making plans without telling her?
"Oh really? Sno didn't mention it. I was going to give you a gift for Phume," Nikky says kindly.
"Gift my ass," Sno mutters under her breath without thinking.
"What?" Nikky asks, looking up quickly.
Sno blinks rapidly, feeling heat rise to her face.
"No, nothing. I'm sure Phume will be here during the school holidays. You can give him a gift then," Sno says quickly, forcing another fake smile. She just realised Nikky almost heard her. She needs to be more careful.
Suddenly, Nikky's phone rings. The sound loud. She reaches for her bag and starts searching inside it. Sno glances at her mother with a confused look, silently asking what is going on.
"Eish, I have an appointment I completely forgot about," Nikky says as she stands up abruptly. She smooths her dress and looks at Kholiwe. "It was nice seeing you. You should visit often."
"I will. But you know your friend is not always in the house. She's always travelling," Kholiwe says with a small smile.
Sno rolls her eyes dramatically, clearly annoyed.
Nikky giggles softly.
"Well, I guess she'll be home more now since she's dating someone serious. I heard he might propose," Kholiwe adds warmly, her eyes shining with excitement.
Sno's lips curl into a wicked smile as she side-eyes Nikky, waiting for her reaction.
Nikky frowns slightly, clearly confused.
"Sboniso? He will propose?" Nikky asks, genuinely surprised.
Sno nods proudly.
"Yes. He's meeting Mom tomorrow for breakfast, and I might meet his whole family soon too," Sno says cockily, her tone full of boasting.
Nikky smiles politely as she picks up her bag.
"Well, that's nice. You both will finally settle down," Nikky says with a calm nod. "Let me get going. You will call me when you get back, Sno."
"Yes, sure," Sno replies sweetly.
Nikky finally walks out. They hear the door close softly behind her.
The moment the sound fades, Sno sighs heavily, her face dropping instantly. The smile disappears. Annoyance takes over her expression.
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"Why are you nice to her?" Sno asks, clearly pissed off.
Kholiwe grunts and stands up, walking toward the kitchen. Sno quickly follows her inside.
"What? So now I must show her that I hate her?" Kholiwe says with a shrug as she opens a can of soda.
Sno rolls her eyes and sits on one of the stools.
"I thought you said she liked Sboniso, but after telling her about the proposal, she seemed like she doesn't care," Kholiwe points out.
Sno knows her mother is right. Nikky did not look angry. She did not look jealous. She did not even look hurt. Even though the proposal is a lie, Sboniso is still coming to meet her mother tomorrow. That part is real.
"But how are you going to meet Sboniso? Tomorrow we are leaving, and you didn't even tell me," Sno says, shocked. She does not remember having this conversation with her mother.
Kholiwe sighs softly.
"Snothando, you need to cleanse all the bad cloud following you after that… you know," she says carefully. "If you don't get cleansed, things will get worse. Your car got stolen. You went there and almost got caught. Let's go home. You stay for one week. Nothing long," Kholiwe says firmly.
Snothando scoffs. She knows her mother is talking about Ndumiso's house. She almost got caught trying to get inside. Since then, she has been watching the news nonstop, trying to see if anyone found the body or Ndumiso's car. There is nothing. No headlines. No police updates. Nothing at all.
She even thought about calling Ndumiso's PA but decided against it. That would raise too many questions. Instead, she will inform her assistant to handle everything at work since she just took an unplanned leave.
She sighs softly as she thinks about Ndumiso's gun and phone she buried outside. She really needs to plant something there. A tree. A flower. Anything to cover it properly.
"Your friend is indeed glowing. You were not lying. Her eyes are bright," Kholiwe says, pulling Sno out of her thoughts. "How much is that necklace?" she asks curiously.
Sno clicks her tongue.
"She has been very secretive. Her job cannot pay her that much. Emerald stones are expensive," Sno says dismissively, but deep down she is annoyed. She knows that stone is not fake. She touched it. She felt it. It is real.
When she gets back, she will sleep over at Nikky's flat and find out what is really going on.
"Maybe she took a loan. You said she wanted to take a loan, right?" Kholiwe says, trying to make sense of it.
"Yeah, but she said she went against it. Unless she was lying," Sno says with a shrug. She has to find out.
Kholiwe leans forward on the counter, lowering her voice.
"How about you plant that gun in Nikky's bag? Or use her as bait. Because I know people will soon realise that man is missing, and someone might find his car," Kholiwe says wickedly. "Nikky did have an interaction with that man, so the police will go to her too. If they find her with that gun, she will be a suspect. And knowing her, she might not afford a good lawyer. If they try to help her, the Nkabindes will run out of money," Kholiwe adds and laughs softly.
Sno tilts her head, thinking.
"Be smart about this. Think about it. Her going down for your crime will be the best revenge ever for what that family did to us," Kholiwe says with a cold smile. "Maybe a week is long. Let's do this for two days, then we come back. Bring a healer to cleanse this place and then continue with our plan," she finishes and straightens up before walking away.
Sno chuckles wickedly. She likes the plan.
"Oh, I love it," she whispers to herself.
She quickly stands up and walks to the lounge to get her phone. She grabs it and scrolls to Nikky's number.
She presses call and places the phone against her ear.
It rings three times before Nikky answers.
"Hey, girl," Nikky whispers.
Sno frowns slightly. She wants to ask why she is whispering, but she ignores it.
"Listen, when I get back home, we should go out for a spa day. We haven't done that in a while. Just you and me," Sno says sweetly, her voice soft and friendly.
"Oh, okay. I would love that," Nikky replies, still whispering. "We will talk properly later. I'm a little busy right now," she adds before hanging up.
That does not even make Sno mad. Instead, she jumps in excitement, her heart racing with wicked anticipation.

•••

[MNOTHO]

The intercom rings loudly through the house. I honestly thought coming home would be peaceful. I already have a headache, thanks to those damn sweets I ate with Nikky.
I walk slowly to the intercom camera and press the screen to check who is at the gate. I need to see if whoever is outside is even worth my time.
I frown immediately when I see both Bangizwe and Tshengisile standing there.
Oh, so Bangizwe called his lawyer now. He probably thinks Tshengisile can change my mind or convince me to break up with Nikky. Where is his car? And when did Tshengisile even arrive?
I press the gate release button and open the gate. Then I walk back to the lounge and continue with my work like nothing is happening.
In two weeks, I am meeting up with Velaphi Maseko, and right now I am busy trying to find a way to get myself inside Genesis Empire. That is what should be stressing me, not this family drama.
"Mnotho!" That is Tshengisile's voice.
I refuse to answer. She will walk through the whole house until she finds me anyway.
"Are you sure Fanyana said he is here?" Tshengisile asks Bangizwe.
I close my eyes in annoyance. I need to have a serious chat with Fanyana. He was supposed to warn me that these two were coming here.
"Hawu, Mnotho! I've been calling your name. Why didn't you answer?" Tshengisile asks as she walks in, followed by Bangizwe who is already holding a bottle of beer inside my house.
I sigh heavily and lean back on the couch, crossing my arms.
"You should have called," I say calmly.
Bangizwe scoffs and sits down on the opposite couch like he owns the place.
"You see? He's cocky now since he's dating a younger woman," Bangizwe says while sipping his beer.
Younger woman is better than him calling Nikky a child, like I am some kind of pedophile. That is not a nice thing to say. It is disrespectful.
"Mnotho, what is going on? Are you going through some hardships? Why would you date someone younger than Mtholephi?" Tshengisile asks softly.
Two siblings down, one to go.
"I love her. And no, I am not going through anything. I simply fell in love, Tshengisile," I say firmly.
Oh God, this is going to be a long life. Maybe I should just move away from here and find Nikky a place of her own, because I already see that this will not work out. Bangizwe has clearly poisoned Tshengisile's mind.
She gasps softly.
"Does she love you, or does she love what you can afford?" she asks.
I blink slowly, turning my full attention to her.
"Excuse me?" I ask, shocked and offended.
She sighs deeply.
"What if she doesn't love you? What if she is after your money? Have you thought about that? And Bonga? What is Siyabonga thinking about all this?" she continues.
I blink again, completely stunned.
"Why don't you find a good woman back home? Someone who will help you build, not someone who is here for fun. These young girls are unpredictable," she adds.
"Tell her, sisi. I even asked him, what exactly is she going to teach Bonga? How will a child raise another child? What if Bonga ends up falling for that girl and destroys this family?" Bangizwe adds his two cents.
Tshengisile nods in agreement, looking worried.
"Oh my God… or Mtholephi? Mnotho, think about this clearly. There are many women your age who are beautiful and will truly love you. Stay away from trouble," she says.
I scoff, looking at them one by one, disbelief written all over my face.
"What the fuck?" I say, completely shocked.
"You see? He is even swearing at us now," Bangizwe says dramatically. "Khwezi can be a good mother to Bonga. She has no child. She and Bonga get along well, and even the ancestors love her," he adds confidently.
I gasp softly, not even knowing what to say anymore. I am too shocked by their way of thinking. The audacity, the entitlement. The disrespect toward Nikky.
"Look, Mnotho, you are my brother, my younger brother. We want to see you happy. We don't want you to go through what you went through with those previous women, Julia and Sthembile," Tshengisile says, giving me a soft and worried look.
"You are a good guy. That is why you attract such vile women. They use you and then they leave you. Khwezi has been waiting for you for years. Bangizwe is not lying. The ancestors love her. We even went to a traditional healer, and he told us everything," she adds seriously.
I laugh bitterly, shaking my head in disbelief.
"So now you go to a traditional healer on my behalf? Who asked you to do that?" I ask, feeling my irritation rising. "And will you please back off? Am I telling you how to live your lives? I am not a child, for Christ's sake," I add, clearly pissed off.
They both gasp, shocked by my tone.
"As I told Bangizwe before, I love Nikky. And she will be a Mlambo soon. She will be part of this family whether you like it or not. I don't care if you don't love her. All I am asking for is respect. You don't even know her, yet you are already judging her because of her age," I say firmly, looking at both of them furious.
"And why don't you date or marry Khwezi yourself, Bangizwe, since the ancestors love her so much? The ancestors will learn to love Nikky by force," I add with a careless shrug.
Bangizwe growls loudly, his jaw tightening.
"Don't speak ill about the ancestors. They have been watching over you. They have been blessing you. You are where you are because of them," Bangizwe says firmly, almost shouting. "And no, I am happy with Gabi. I will not marry Khwezi," he adds quickly.
"Exactly. I am also happy with Nikky. I will not marry that woman. I hope I have made myself clear," I say firmly, not backing down.
"Ma?"
That is Mtholephi's voice. He walks in with a deep frown on his face, clearly confused by the tension in the room. Tshengisile's face lights up immediately.
"My boy!" Tshengisile says happily as she rushes to give Mtho a tight hug.
"What are you doing here?" Mtho asks, looking around at all of us with confusion written all over his face.
Tshengisile waves her hand dramatically.
"I was here to see your uncle. That young woman has bewitched him," she says with frustration.
I frown deeply.
"Malumekazi? she did not bewitch uncle," Mtho says calmly. Thank you, boy. At least someone is thinking straight.
Bangizwe gasps loudly, placing his hand on his chest in disbelief.
"You see, sisi? Even Mtho is under this young girl's spell," he says dramatically. Honestly, they are too old for this kind of behavior.
"No, she didn't," Mtho argues firmly.
I close my laptop slowly and gather my papers together, feeling drained by this whole situation.
"Please leave. I am going back to work," I say coldly. I might as well bury myself in work instead of listening to this nonsense.
"Hah! You are kicking us out?" Tshengisile says, standing up quickly, shocked and offended.
"I told you, sisi," Bangizwe says, shaking his head as if he has just proven a point.
"Mxm," I mutter under my breath, tired of this drama.
"Malume, I need to talk to you about something serious," Mtho says, his voice suddenly serious. He looks straight at me.
"What is it? Are you relapsing again?" Tshengisile asks immediately, panic rising in her voice.
"Jesus Christ," I whisper under my breath.
"Hayi, Ma. Please go to the other house with Uncle Bangizwe. We will talk when I get there," Mtho says firmly, handing her the keys. "Can you please leave? This is between me and Uncle Mnotho," he adds politely but seriously.
The siblings look at both of us in disbelief, clearly unhappy. They hesitate for a moment before finally walking out.
Mtho follows behind them, probably to open the gate for them.
I sit back down on my couch and wait for him to come back.
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.
.
"They have left," Mtho says the minute he walks back in.
I just nod slowly, still feeling irritated.
"What did you want to talk about? It sounded serious," I ask curiously, sitting up properly.
He nods and sits down across from me.
"Well, the day Nikky got attacked, she received a call from Julia," Mtho starts.
I frown deeply. Julia? How?
"Well, Julia was pissed off that Malumekazi gave Bonga some advice about the launch for her company. I guess Bonga told Julia, and she got angry. She called Malumekazi and told her to know her place," Mtho continues carefully.
I feel my irritation rising again. I close my eyes and rub my face slowly. Lord, I am really being tested here.
"Why didn't Nikky tell me about this? Or Bonga?" I ask with a tired sigh, my eyes still closed.
"I guess it might have slipped her mind, or maybe she was scared. And Bonga… you know Bonga," Mtho says calmly, shrugging a little.
Julia is really full of nonsense. I would never do something like that. I mean never. I never called Khutso and told him to back off. Yes, at first I was angry, but I never called him to tell him where to get off. But Julia has the nerve to call Nikky and speak to her like that.
I open my eyes slowly.
"Thank you for telling me. I will have to talk to Nikky and Bonga about this," I say softly, trying to control my anger.
He nods and then stands up, but he does not leave. He looks at me with worry in his eyes.
"Is it worth it?" he asks quietly.
I look at him, confused.
"Your relationship with Nikky. Is it worth it? To fight everyone like this?" he asks again, his voice serious but gentle. "Don't get me wrong. I just want to know if what you are fighting for is really worth it," he adds honestly.
I just look at him, silent for a moment.
"She's worth it." I say, meaning every word.
I sit forward.
"She's worth every argument. Every uncomfortable conversation. Every raised eyebrow and every fight."
A soft smile spreads across my face.
"Because at the end of the day, when everything else fades, she's the one I want next to me."
I hold his gaze.
"If I have to fight the world for her, then I will. A man only fights that hard for something he's afraid to lose."
I pause. "And I am not losing her."
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I didn't find Bonga at his workplace, and his phone is off. I know he's avoiding me. He stays here, I wonder how long he will keep avoiding me. I notice Nikky's bag on the bed. She's home. Good. We have dinner to attend; we're going to see the Lebeses. I know it's short notice, but I told Khutso I'd bring food if necessary, and he said no, he'll tell Julia to cook for us, or he'll cook himself. I don't care about the food; I just need to talk to the mother of my child about Nikky. I won't tolerate any disrespect from her.
Nikky walks in, looking exhausted, and throws herself on the bed. I sit next to her.
"Please, give me a massage. I had a long day, baby," she says softly, eyes closed. I sigh.
"Peaches, you'll get the massage later. We have to go somewhere for dinner, we're going to see Bonga's other family," I say.
She lifts her head sleepily.
"What?" she asks.
I nod.
"Yes. I know. Mtho told me everything about the call," I say firmly but gently. She groans and throws her head back on the pillow.
"Baby, why? There's no need for us to go. It'll feel like I can't fight my battles," she complains.
I chuckle.
"Oh, you can fight your battles with those small fists, but this is serious. You should meet Julia and Khutso and deal with this issue. I told you, no one. I mean no one will disrespect you, so…" I pause, looking at my watch. We have only three hours. "Take a short nap. I'll wake you up. And where were you?" I ask curiously.
"I went to driving school. I need to get my license, Mnotho, soon. And Ntobe wants to meet you," she replies.
"Mmmh. Okay. Take a nap," I say, kissing her cheek.