A HEART REPLACED - A HEART REPLACED, chapter Six

A HEART REPLACED, chapter Six

A HEART REPLACED

Chapter six

MKHUSELI’S POV

“Wahamba unyaka wonke”he says to Khulekani who walks in with two cups of coffee.

“Awushongo ngani ukuthi Londeka's sister is this beautiful?” Khulekani asks him, handing him a strong cup of coffee. Mkhuseli just looks at him, shaking his head, thinking to himself that he wouldn't be surprised if Khulekani had tried to make a move on her, even with his wife under the same roof.

“Unangaki vele?(ow old is she, anyway?)” Khulekani asks, and Mkhuseli responds, “Why don't you ask her yourself?” Khulekani smirks as he sips his coffee.

“You'll never change, will you, Khulekani? Even though you're married, you're still a womanizer,” Mkhuseli says, familiar with his brother's ways. “Well, you know me well, Bafo,” Khulekani says with a wink.

“I'm heading to bed, it's late,”Mkhuseli says, standing up. “Come on, Bafo, isn't it early for you to be leaving?”

“I need to shower and get some rest; tomorrow, I'll leave early for the hospital. Ufuna ngihlalele wena uloku ungitshela ngabafazi, owami umfazi elele esbhedlela?”Mkhuseli says shaking his head, heading out the door, leaving Khulekani chuckling and continuing to drink his coffee.

______

Mkhuseli wakes up at 08:00, feeling like he's been in a coma, having slept through his 06:00 alarm. He tosses off the covers and heads to the shower. After a refreshing minutes-long shower, he emerges wrapped in a towel, lotions up, and gets dressed, looking presentable. He makes his bed and heads to the living room, where he finds Nonhlakanipho cooking breakfast while Khulekani pesters her. “Morning,”he greets them, and Khulekani turns to return the greeting. Nonhlakanipho murmurs a quiet “morning” back, focusing on her cooking.Pearl joins them just as they're starting breakfast.

Only Pearl and Khulekani seem to be having a lively conversation, chatting nonstop. Mkhuseli finishes his meal quickly and gets up from his seat.

“I'm heading out first,”he says. Khulekani asks, “Hawu Bafo, awusilindi ngani sihambe nawe? (What's the hurry, brother, can't we go together?)”

Mkhuseli replies, “You have a car, Khulekani, and you know the way to the hospital.”

He heads out, gets in his car, and drives off to the hospital. As he approaches the hospital, his heart feels heavy, and he's silently praying that his wife is awake. He parks and walks into the hospital, greeting the receptionist and asking to see his wife, Londeka Mbatha. While still talking to the receptionist, he spots the doctor from yesterday and approaches him.

“Doctor,!” he calls out, and the doctor turns to greet him.

“Mr. Mbatha, morning.”

“Morning, how is my wife?”Mkhuseli asks immediately.

“Your wife's condition is still a concern, Sir, but thankfully, she's been moved out of the ICU. Let me show you where she is now,” the doctor says, leading the way. Mkhuseli follows him, and they arrive at the ward. He walks in and approaches the bed, finding his wife sleeping peacefully.

He feels a mix of emotions seeing her like this, relief that she's out of the ICU, but worry about her condition. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. The doctor notices his concern and puts a hand on his shoulder. “We're doing everything we can, Mr. Mbatha. She's in good hands.” Mkhuseli nods, trying to process everything. He looks at his wife, studying her face, willing her to wake up. The doctor interrupts his thoughts.

“Why don't you take a seat, Sir? I'll go check on her charts and see if there's any update.” Mkhuseli nods and sits down, his eyes fixed on his wife, praying for her recovery.

******************

NONHLAKANIPHO’S POV

I'm stuck in a car with Khulekani and his wife, feeling uneasy as he keeps sneaking glances and winking at me through the rearview mirror. This guy is really inappropriate, disrespecting his wife like this - poor Pearl is oblivious, too engrossed in her nonstop chatter in the front seat to notice. Finally, we arrive at the hospital; I didn't want to come, but I felt guilty when everyone else was going to visit my sister, so I ended up tagging along with them.

I'm not a fan of hospitals, and the thought of seeing Londeka in her current state gives me the heebie-jeebies. We arrive at her ward, and as we enter, we find her awake and alert. Mkhuseli is also here, looking relieved.

“What are you doing here?” Londeka asks, leaving everyone confused about who she's addressing.

“Ngikhuluma nawe Nonhlakanipho, ufunani Lana?” she asks again, this time clearly directing her question at me. “I'm here to see you,”I reply.

“See me? To confirm that I'm dead, right?” she asks, Now I regret coming here; I'm not in the mood for her feistiness.

“Cat got your tongue, huh?” she says, and Mkhuseli intervenes, “Love, calm down, your sister is here to see you.”She chuckles and says, “Whose sister? I don't have a sister like this; she's not my sister.”She continues, “She wants me dead, this one, I'm telling you, love.” I think to myself, “Who is she kidding? Why would I want to harm her skinny self? If I wanted to, it wouldn't have been hard work; she's as thin as a needle!”

Mkhuseli tries to calm her down, “Londeka, my love, don’t say that. Your sister is here to support you.” But she’s having none of it. “Support me? Ha! She’s been wishing me dead for years. Ask her, Mkhuseli, ask her how many times she’s prayed for my demise.” I roll my eyes, “Londeka, that’s not true, and you know it.” She smirks, “Oh, so now you’re a saint, huh? You’ve never wished harm on me? You’ve never thought, ‘if only Londeka would disappear’?” I sigh, “Londeka, stop this. You’re not thinking clearly.” Mkhuseli tries to intervene again, “Londeka, my love, please...” But she cuts him off, “No, Mkhuseli, let her answer. Let her tell you the truth. ‘I’ve never wanted anything bad to happen to you, Londeka’,” she mimics, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Sure, Nonhlakanipho, keep telling yourself that.”

“Londeka, please, you’re not thinking straight. You’ve just woken up calmn down.” Pearl tries to reason with her ,maybe she will listen But she’s too far gone, her mind racing with conspiracy theories and paranoia.

“You’re all in on it, aren’t you? All of you are in Nonhlakanipho's plan, plotting against me so I die right.?” I try to defend myself, “Londeka, that’s not true! your still a sister to me, I care for you” But she just laughs maniacally, “Care for me? Ha! You’ve never loved me. You’ve always been jealous of me, of my beauty, my intelligence, my life.” Mkhuseli tries to calm her down, “Londeka, my love, please, you’re scaring me.” But she just turns on him, “And you, Mkhuseli, you’re just as bad. You’ve started to be on her side, you have started to sleep with her like your parents said haven’t you?” The scene is becoming increasingly uncomfortable, and I wonder how much more of this I can take.

”Can't you see she's a witch, just like her deadmother?”she spews, crossing a line.

That's it, she's gone too far I explode, my anger boiling over. How dare she speak about my mother like that? I demand, my voice echoing through the room. ”Enough” I shout, my finger pointed accusingly. “I can tolerate your foolishness and tantrums, but I won't stand for you disrespecting my mother's memory.” I declare, my eyes blazing.

“I regret coming here; I only did so because I'm not as heartless as you. We was worried about your well-being, but instead of gratitude, you unleash your paranoid delusions on us.”i breath in and out,

“Londeka, I'm exhausted. I've had enough of your animosity towards me. Despite your hatred, I've chosen to maintain a level of respect, pretending not to notice your disdain. I've attempted to build a connection with you, showing you kindness and care, even when you've made it clear you don't reciprocate. But now, you've crossed a boundary by disparaging my mother, thinking you can speak freely just because she's no longer here? Not while I'm present! That's it, Londeka; I'm done trying. I wish you a speedy recovery, not for my sake, but for your husband and parents, who deserve better than your toxic behavior.”With that, I wipe away my tears and storm out of the hospital room,.

I hail a taxi and head home, arriving at the house and entering through the front door. I make my way to my room, gathering my belongings and packing my clothes, leaving nothing behind. I exit the house, locking the door behind me and placing the key under the mat. I then catch another taxi, which takes me directly to my destination.

AT BAB’THUBANA ’S .......

Bab'Thubana is tending to his few remaining cows at home, while some are out grazing in the nearby entabeni. He's singing his favorite tune as he works. Meanwhile, MaMnguni is cleaning the amabhontshisi under the shade of a tree. She notices a taxi stopping at the gate, and someone gets out, closes the door, and the car drives off. As the person approaches, MaMnguni realizes it's Nonhlakanipho, already inside the yard, walking towards her. “Sawbona, Mah,” she greets her.

“Nonhlakanipho, what brings you here? Aren't you supposed to be with Londeka?” MaMnguni asks.

“Londeka is with her husband, Mah,”Nonhlakanipho replies.

“But what brings you here?”

“I took a taxi and decided to come home. Londeka doesn't want me in her house, so what's the point of caring for someone who doesn't want me around?”she explains, as Bab'Thubana approaches, frowning.

“Nhlakanipho, wasulana udadwenu uright yini?what's wrong? Why have you returned?”he asks, but Nonhlakanipho rolls her eyes, thinking to herself, ‘They don't care about me; they only care about their favorite daughter.’

”I'm heading to my room” she says taking her bags,

“Haibo lengane, Nonhlakanipho ngibuze ngodadweni!” Bab'Thubana exclaims

"Baba you have a car why don't you take it and drive to go see your daughter yourself?Angizalelwanga ukubhekana nesalukazi esingango Londeka mina.I know she's ill, but she has a husband who's taking care of her, excuse me,”she says, leaving Bab'Thubana and MaMnguni stunned and speechless as she walks away.

To be continued...