I am us insides new by Rich1402

I AM US By

NOKUKHANYA MAZIBUKO

ISBN 9780620694391

This is a Self-published book, printed and bound by BK Bookbinders. This is book a fiction. The names, characters, places and events either are out of the writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own imagination or are used fictitiously. If there is any identical or resemblance of personalities, it is coincidental.

Titles by Nokukhanya Mazibuko Preacher’s Kids Series #1 I am a PK, not an Angel #2 I AM US

“Honor your marriage and its vows, and be pure; for God will surely punish all those who are immoral or commit adultery. Stay away from the love of money, be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never, never fail nor forsake you.” ~ Hebrews 13: 4 – 5

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has been supportive in my writing journey, everyone who has encouraged me to keep writing and everyone who is eager to read. Thank you all so much.

Prologue She shuts the wardrobe doors and tells me to keep quiet. It is dark in here. She’s protecting me. But I don’t know what from. I hear her moving around the house. Pushing the wardrobe door, I try to peep. I don’t know what she’s doing. But she’s busy. I see a sleeping baby on the bed. I don’t know what she saw, but she comes to the wardrobe running. She sits next to me. It is getting hot in here, she’s breathing heavy, her hand is holding my hand very tight. I feel safe with her here. “It’s gonna be alright. I know it will.” She says. I think she’s talking to me. Why can’t she tell me why we are hiding? I feel suffocated here. Her arms are around me now. “I will find you and I will find your stinking mouse and I will kill you!” a man shouts. “What’s going on, why....?” I whisper. “Ssshhhhhhhh...” she whispers back and places her index finger on my lips. She’s shaking. I can feel her body trembling against mine. “Dear Lord, you are my help in times of trouble, you are the rock and shield that I need every time he does this. Please keep me safe. Keep Mfana safe. Take us out of this misery. This is not my portion Lord…” There’s a light. A man has opened the door. He looks so angry and disgusted.

“What did I say to you, filthy woman? Did I not tell you to go dump this mouse of yours and kill it in the bush?” he says and throws my small body out and then pulls her. “I am sorry. I am very sorry….” She said and then... Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! What did.... “Shezi, Shezi, wake up!” That dream again! What the hell!!!

Chapter 1 THE DAY had been very dreadful. Trying so hard not to think about the loss and void I was feeling in my heart, I decided to take a deep plunge in my work at the office, with endless back to back meetings. Between that, I found time to go to the high court. I just had to hear the verdict myself. I didn’t want to read it from anywhere, or hear it from anywhere. Zethu Nkwanyana, the woman my late best friend, Nhlanhla Nkwanyana, left his wife for and even vowed before God to spend the rest of his life with, was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, charged with conspiracy and attempt of her husband’s murder by the court. I don’t know how and what my ‘friend’, Mondli Ndlanzi’s involvement was in this case, but I heard his name mentioned quite often. I heard he was charged fifteen years in prison. It was a pity that Nhlanhla wasn’t around to hear me say ‘I told you so’, and I was going to say that, because I had told him time and time again that she was going to bring trouble in his life. Any woman who has an intention to deliberately date a married man, is a dangerous woman, her willingness and accomplice is already a hazard – that’s what I told him. I told him not to leave his wife, whatever that was going in their marriage; it was going to come to pass. I knew better. Amazingly, I managed to make it to my house just before 5pm. I made myself some food, from yesterday’s pizza that we had left in the fridge. I tried to be quick about everything, but I

~1~

had to call my wife first, there surely been something she’d forgotten in the house before she left earlier. “Shezi, hi.” She answered, sounding so pleased to hear me. “Mkami, is everything alright there?” I asked, worriedly. “I wish everything was, all is done though. Everyone is here, except you – even uncle Sgananda is here, with his new girlfriend.” She laughed. I laughed too, and said “I bet she’s younger than you.” “You’ve no idea! When will you be here, I need you here.” I knew she was amused by this. She was scared of my father’s twin brother, but she also found him amusing and entertaining and gangster. Her voice and laughter was soothing through the phone. I was happy she found time to laugh. I needed her and my babies fine. “I’ll be there soon. I’m about to leave the house, do you need anything?” “Yes. Please bring my phone charger, my red scarf on my drawer – second one from top on the dressing table.” I already knew she was going to need something. Pregnancy made her over forgetful. “Is that all?” I asked, just to make sure. “No, please bring my husband as well. Bring him safe.” I had to bring that husband of hers. She had become very clingy and needy, in a very heart-warming way. “I’ll do that. Love you.” “I love you too.” After that I activated all security alarms around the house and left.

I THOUGHT I was dreaming when I heard my wife’s phone ringing, it rudely awoke me. “KaMaseko!” I called her. How could she not hear that!

~2~

“Mhhhhh...Don’t tell me it is morning already.” She said in her sleepy voice. “Why aren’t you answering your phone? Who’s calling you at 3 am?” I snapped. “I don’t know.” She said that and pulled the duvet and turned to face me. The phone rang again, whoever this was wanted to annoy me more than they wanted to speak to my wife. “Oh for Christ sake, are you not going to get that?” I snapped again. She took the phone, looked at it, and then held it in her hand. I noticed that her face had changed. “Who’s that?” I asked. I hoped it wasn’t anyone who had troubled her before, or bad news. We didn’t need that. “I don’t know, wrong number maybe.” She said, the phone rang again as she explained. I grabbed the phone from her hand, the screen read ‘Skhona’. I answered “Hello...hello...hello,” There was no one talking on the other side. I think the call was deliberately dropped. But my wife told me she didn’t know who was calling her. With my apparent confusion, I asked “You said you don’t know who is calling. Why is he calling you at this time, and why isn’t he saying anything now that I’ve answered the phone?” “I don’t know why he’s calling me. I’ll ask him in the morning.” She said, passively. Her phone vibrated in my hand, an incoming message alert beeped. His name appeared again next to the little envelope showing the message was unread. I opened the message and read it out loud “I didn’t mean to disturb. Please call me ASAP.” I looked at my wife who was suddenly edgy, she bowed her head as if she was dodging eye contact with me.

~3~

As I read the message, I saw there was a long thread in her phone. I hadn’t realised that they maintained a friendship that needed frequent messaging. I must have been blind. “Wow, we have a long thread in here...you and your friend message each other frequently, I see...why are these messages one sided, why do you delete his...” “Shezi please, you don’t expect us to discuss my messages at this time...are you for real?” She was defensive, even her tone was. “Wait, this is interesting... Please stop texting me! No, these babies are not yours, they are my husband’s. I will tell Buhle about you in good time. About the party, go ahead with your plans as long as mom and dad know...” Now this particular message...this one...it caused a rage eruption inside me. I looked at her, she was breathing heavily, her facial expression was a giveaway – she was guilty as charged by her conscious. But how...why...when...I mean... I got off the bed and went to the door, thinking, and then I turned and made my way back to bed. I was going crazy, absolutely amazed. “I need you to start talking and explain to me, what’s going on here...” I shouted. “Please calm down Shezi, I can’t talk...” “Like hell you can’t. Talk! What the hell is going on here? Are you sleeping with him? Did you give him a reason to think he could be these babies’ father?” I shouted, anger and pain pressing me down. She cried. “Zakhele this is not what you think, I can explain this. Please calm down...” “What is he to you...what is he to Buhle?” This isn’t possible...this is just a bad dream...she can’t do this to me, never – those were my thoughts. Her voice was shaky, she stuttered. “Baby he is nothing to me...he...he is...”

~4~