Prodigal Son

"Uhmm...I don't know if this is a joyous or sad occasion mfanawami(my son)...it's bitter-sweet I guess..." Dora Gumede says with a low voice, wearing a sad face as she sits in a lounge with his son Ntokozo on a Sunday afternoon. "Yeah I know mama, uhmm...I'm struggling myself how to describe this very moment..."Ntokozo says but he doesn't finish as Dora cuts in, "But you have been gone for 12 years Ntokozo...12 years." she says with a shaking voice as tears threaten to flood her cheeks. "You didn't even come back when your father passed on 2 years ago. What about your sister Lungile? Do you know what she has been through all these years you weren't here?"

This question suddenly makes Ntokozo feel so bad as he struggles to look at his sad mother in the eyes. The mood in the room has suddenly become heavy as both mother and son don;t seem tp know what to say to each other next.

Dora Gumede is a recently widowed 63 year-old woman living in the suburbs of Umlazi section BB, in this rather huge mention with her dauther Lungile who has a 12 year-old daughter. The Gumedes are a well known family in this community as Dora's late husband Bongani was a businessman who often gave locals opportunities to make something of themselves. He was also well respected throughout the City of Durban and the surroundings because his businesses which included patrol guarages and supermarkets were spread across the City. He was also thought to be well politically-connected judging from guests who'd usually attend events that he hosted.

Dora now runs her late husband's businesses but has every intention of handing over the reigns to her daughter Lungile when she retires at the age of 65. She has been described by many as very elagent even in her 60s now because of her taste and style in almost everything. While she may not be much into politics like her late husband, she is well respected by her business peers in the City.

Lungile also works in the family business and she doesn't seem to have time for anything else besides being in the office which is in this house's basement. She is in a not so clear relationship with Thulani, owing to her distrust of men after having gone through worst relationship experiences over the years. Her daughter Mbali, who is 12 years old, is her treasure and she would go to hell and back for her.

Ntokozo, a 37 year-old first born of Dora and Bongani Gumede left home about 12 years ago when he was just 25, much to his family's confusion. He is not a person who talks too much, which only makes his life even more mysterious. No one knows anything about him or his life in the last 12 years and he is good at keeping a straight face, so he is hard to read. The neighbourhood has changed so much from the time he left he doubts he will even recognize some of the people who live in the area. 

"Your sister has been through a lot the past few years and you weren't there to protect her Ntokozo...how do you think I should feel, huh?" a sad-looking Dora asks as she wipes her tears. "How do you think Lungile will feel, seeing you for the first time after 12 years Ntokozo? Don't you think that will open the old wounds that were actually beginning to heal? You left without saying goodbye or why you were leaving. The only person who was on your corner...who tried to justify what you did was your father, and you didn't attend his funeral. How do you really expect me and your sister to feel when you just show up like this Ntokozo? And your niece? You have never met her and she is almost a teenager now"

Ntokozo just doesn't know how to respond to this as he looks down as though he is thinking about something. "What happened to Lungile mama?" he asks as he looks embarrassed and ashamed by his question but his mother cuts in sharply, "No, no, no Ntokozo...you don't get to ask that question now, okay? Where were you then? What difference does it make now to know, huh?" she asks as she raises her voice but Ntokozo lifts his head and looks at his mother.

When Dora sees that her son won't let this go she takes a deep sigh and thinks for a second before saying, "Your sister went through trauma of rape..." with a low voice as she looks down in sadness which almost sends Ntokozo tmbling the floor in shock. This is not what he was expecting his mother would say. He would have handled anything else like failing a module or losing a job or anything like that, but this? This is too much for him as feeling of guilt suddenly falls on him like a huge brick. Jesus, did I allow that to happen to my little sister? he asks himself as his eyes turn red with rage and his palms become sweaty.

When his mother notices that she shakes her head in sadness and says, "Yeah uhmm...the first incident happened when she and her friends celebrated writing the last paper of the matric exams..." but Ntokozo quickly cuts in, "the first? You mean there's been more than one?" he asks as his eyes pop out in shock. There's visible rage beginning to build inside him as his eyes turn red.

A relunctant Dora looks at his son and sees a look that is scaring her, but she takes a deep sigh before saying, "Uhmm yeah, it actually happened a few times...I don't know, it's like the first incident became a curse." She starts to looking all sad as she drops her head, which makes Ntokozo feel just as bad seeing his mother like that. When he attempts to say something, Dora interjects, "The first incidence led to her falling pregnant..." she says with a low voice as she lifts her head to look at Ntokozo. "That boy who was her schoolmate dissappeared and Lungile never saw him again, so she is raising the child alone.

"The second incident happened when she was in tertiary and again it was a a fellow student with rich parents. The court said there was no suffecient evidence to find the boy guilty but we all know that money had somethinmg to do with that. The last incident happened few months before your father passed away and I really believe that this was one the reasons that added to your father's stress resulting in his heart attack. It was becoming increasingly hard for him to watch his daughter suffer like this because Lungile went through depression because it was now the 3rd rape incident. She started hating herself because she thought she probably was the problem or the cause of all this.

"Psyologists didn't help that much. It's only now that she is getting better and trying to be strong for her daughter but she is still a long way off from being okay because she has no closure. It really pains me to see my daughter like this so I decided that in 2 year's time I will hand over the reigns to her, to run the family busines. Maybe that will help her fous on something else because she will be building inheritance for her daughter."

Listening to his mother relaying the painful experiences that his sister had to go through, Ntokozo is suddenly filled with guilt and shame as he looks away from Dora. His mind is racing as though he is thinking about something. "But mama, I don't understand...dad was a well connected individual, how did all these people get away with this disgsting crime? How?" he asks as he raises his eyebrow but that seems to irritate his mother who interjects, "Hey, hey, hey...you don't get to ask that question okay?" she says as she raises her voice a little bit. "You yourself weren't here to protect your sister, alright? So nothing gives you the right to act like you care"

That last part seems to have cut really deep into Ntokozo's heart as he struggles to respond to that. But this tense moment is interrupted by someone coming through the door. It's little sister Lungile who almost drops her bag as she sees who is sitting in the lounge couch. Well, if Ntokozo thought he was going to catch a break from his mom he was wrong, as tension starts to build to a new whole level.

Well, Ntokozo can't say he didn't expect this from his sister as he stands up to welcome his Lungile with a hug but its a bad call as he is greeted with a hot clap across the face. "What the hell are you doing here, you bastard?" Lungile asks as her eyes immediately turn red with rage but Dora quickly stands up to go stand between the two siblings, "Whoa, whoa, whoa bantabami yimani(my children, hold on) let's not do this right now okay?" she pleads as panic is written in her face but Lungile quickly interjects, "No mama why should we wait huh?" she shouts as she breathes heavily while she looks at heer brother in the eyes.

Ntokozo must have expected all this anger from her sister after hearing what she had to go through in his absence. "Its okay mama, I deserve that..." he says as he holds her sore cheek. "No, you desreve more than that, so why don't you go back to the dead and stay there because you are not wanted here Ntozko, okay? Just get the hell out" the furious Lungile shouts as she points at the door.

"Lungile mntanami(my child), please can we talk about this?" Dora says with a begging voice and a sad face but her daughter cuts in sharply, "No mama, there's nothing to talk about okay?" she shouts while looking at his brother. "This one is not welcomed here. We are doing just fine without him so he should just go back to where he came from...we don't need him here mama."

"Uhmm...she is right mama, I shouldn't be here..." Ntokozo says with a low and sad voice but his siser quickly interjects, "You are damn right, you shouldn't have...how dare you show your face here after all these years and expect us to be okay with it..." she shouts but Ntzokozo cuts in, "I'm not expecting you guys to be okay with..." he says but doesn't finish as his mother also cuts in, "Wait bantabami(my children)...can we just take a second to breathe here okay? Can we talk about this like adults? I beg you guys..." she says as her eyes begin to be teary but Lungile once again jumps in, "Time for talk was 12 years ago mama okay?" she says as she breathes heavily. "Now if you want to stay here with your son fine but I'm leaving then..."

"Oh baby, come on...please don't say something like that okay? I beg you darling..." Dora says with a beging voice as she wipes a tear but Lungile ignores as she storms out of the loung heading upstairs to her room. But she then turns and says, "You...you better not be here when I come back, you hear me? I'm going out to see my friends and you better be gone by the time I'm back..." she quickly climbs the stairs leaving her shocked mother and brother in the lounge lost for words.