A HEART REPLACED chapter Fourteen
A HEART REPLACEDChapter fourteen
NONHLAKANIPHO ’S POV
Her driver drops her off at 20:30, after a enjoyable day out with Pearl. Since her mother's passing, she hasn't socialized with anyone, but Pearl took her out shopping today, treating her to a fun day with her own money. They spent hours at Pearl's house, chatting and watching movies, losing track of time. As she enters her home, she finds Mkhuseli in the living room.
“Hey,” she greets him, but he barely acknowledges her, continuing to watch TV. She rolls her eyes, wondering why she bothered. “Where are you coming from at this hour?” he asks, which irritates her since she never questions him about his late-night escapades.
“Don't ask me what you don't ask yourself”she retorts, heading up the stairs. Mkhuseli raises his voice,
“Nonhlakanipho, I'm asking you a question!”but she ignores him and continues to her room.Unbeknownst to her, Mkhuseli follows Nonhlakanipho and grabs her hand, causing her to turn and face him.
“What do you think you're doing?” she asks, amused.
“You don't walk away from me when I'm speaking to you,” he says, his tone authoritarian.
Nonhlakanipho chuckles and asks, “And who do you think you are? My father?”
Mkhuseli responds, “I'm the head of this household, and you're a wife here. You shouldn't be coming back at this hour.” Nonhlakanipho laughs and says, “A wife to who? You? When did we get married? Remind me, I forgot.”
Mkhuseli's face turns red with anger, and he yells, “You don't want me to remind you how you ended up in this house, do you? You're here to do what your sister did - be a wife, cook, and clean!” Nonhlakanipho is taken aback by his outburst and realizes he's drunk, noticing his red eyes and unsteady stance. “Let go of my hand,”she says firmly, pushing his hand away.
“I don't care how I got here, but we're both stuck together, so don't mess with me. You're drunk.”
Mkhuseli's grip on her hand tightens, and he pulls her closer, his breath reeking of alcohol.
“You think you're so clever, don't you?”he slurs.
”But you're just a wife, a mere woman. You'll do as I say.” Nonhlakanipho tries to wriggle free, but Mkhuseli's hold is too strong. She's starting to feel uncomfortable and scared.
Suddenly, Mkhuseli's expression changes, and he looks at her with a hint of sadness.
“You know, I loved your sister,”
he says, his voice cracking.
“She was a good wife, a good woman. But you... you're just a replacement.” Nonhlakanipho's eyes widen in shock, and she feels a surge of anger. How dare he!
With newfound strength, she pulls her hand free and slaps Mkhuseli across the face.
“How dare you” she repeats, her voice echoing through the passage. Mkhuseli's eyes widen in shock, and he stumbles backward, giving Nonhlakanipho the opportunity to escape.
She turns and runs not stopping until she reaches her room. She locks the door behind her and leans against it, trying to catch her breath. What just happened? She can't believe Mkhuseli's behavior. She's never seen him like that before.
As she tries to process the events of the evening, she hears Mkhuseli's footsteps outside her door.
“Nonhlakanipho,” he says, his voice muffled. “I'm sorry. Please forgive me.” Nonhlakanipho's anger softens slightly, but she's still wary. What will happen next?She heads to the bathroom, where she undresses and takes a shower. Her mind races with thoughts of the incident that just happened, wondering if Mkhuseli is prone to violence when drunk and if he intended to harm her. After drying off and moisturizing, she slips into her pyjamas and gets into bed. She reaches for her phone and finds two missed calls from Pearl, whom she promptly calls back. Pearl answers after two rings,
Pearl:“Hey, I was worried about you. Are you okay? Did you arrive safely?”.
“Yes, I did. Thanks for checking, Pearl,” Nonhlakanipho replies.
Pearl:“Are you okay? You don't sound okay,"”.
Nonhlakanipho sighs, unsure if she should share what happened. “I'm just tired and feel sleepy,”she lies.
Pearl:“Okay, let me let you take your nap. I'll see you tomorrow at work,” Pearl says.
“Okay, bye,” Nonhlakanipho says, hanging up the phone, places it on the pedestal, and closes her eyes, waiting for sleep to arrive.
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MKHUSELI ’S POV
Mkhuseli wakes up with a throbbing headache from the previous day's drinking. As he sits up, the events of the previous night come flooding back, ‘f!ck’he curses under his breath. ‘ how am I going to face Nonhlakanipho again?’ he thinks, recalling her shocked and scared expression. He's made a huge mistake.
As he gets ready for work, his mind races with thoughts of the incident. He can't believe he got so drunk that he took out his anger on Nonhlakanipho. To make matters worse, it's Friday, and they have to go to his parents' house for dinner. What if Nonhlakanipho tells his parents what he did? His father will be furious. Mkhuseli's anxiety grows as he prepares for the day ahead.
Mkhuseli heads downstairs and finds Mam Khethiwe, who has arrived earlier than usual.
“Good morning, Ma,”he greets her,
“Morning, Ngane Yami” she responds and continues cleaning. He looks around but doesn't see Nonhlakanipho, who would typically be preparing breakfast at this time.
“Uh, did Nonhlakanipho come down?
“Yes, she's already left. She said she had to leave early.” He nods, feeling guilty and aware that Nonhlakanipho likely left to avoid him. He takes his bag and also departs, heading to his car and driving off.
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Mkhuseli arrives at work and makes his way to the elevator. He steps inside, he's surprised to find only Nonhlakanipho already there. She's standing with her back against the wall, her arms crossed, and her eyes fixed on the floor. As he enters, she rolls her eyes and sighs, clearly annoyed. Mkhuseli feels a twinge of guilt and awkwardness, knowing he's the reason for her displeasure. He hesitates for a moment, then steps further into the elevator, his eyes fixed on the display screen. The doors close, and the elevator begins to move, trapping them in an uncomfortable silence.
“Nipho,” he calls out, stuttering, “Look, I know you're upset, and rightfully so, because what I did yesterday was unacceptable.” He tries to hold her hand, but she pulls away. He sighs and continues, “Ngicela ungicolele, I mean it, ngicela ungangisabi, Nipho. I don't hit women or hurt them. Yesterday, I was extremely drunk and took out my anger on you. Ngiyacolisa, NaThubana.” He uses his clan name, appealing to her to forgive him.
The elevator finally comes to a stop, and Nonhlakanipho quickly exits, heading straight to her office without a word. Mkhuseli sighs, feeling a mix of relief and frustration, and follows her out of the elevator. He heads to his own office, his mind racing with thoughts of he is going toto make things right with Nonhlakanipho so she will be able to forgive him for his behavior yesterday.
.
.
.
He left the office early for a booty call,just to get his mind on track, Mkhuseli heads home, wondering if Nonhlakanipho will be ready to leave for his parents' house, which is a four-hour drive away. When he arrives, he freshens up and gets dressed in his navy blue suit, which coincidentally matches Nonhlakanipho's dress. She looks stunning, and he can't help but notice her penchant for wearing sneakers that match her outfit. As he descends the stairs, she asks, ”Are you glued to those stairs?” her tone still icy from their previous disagreement. He snaps out of his reverie and approaches her, taking his car keys and opening the door for her. She raises an eyebrow in surprise but gets in, and he closes the door before driving off, unable to resist sneaking glances at her.
To be continued...
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