Missteps – Chapter Fifty Two

Thozama Mqikela

@Mightyzama

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I wanted to scream, what the hell was going on here, my father had lied to me, when I brought Mthobisi to meet him he had acted like they had never meet before, asked him a bunch of question and now he was telling me he knew his father, this man is unbelievable. I had so many questions to ask, my sister came back and I didn’t want her knowing my husband’s drama so I stopped asking a lot of questions, how I wished I had gone alone. Mthobisi called me on my sister’s phone he wanted to know where we were cause he was home, I told him we were having brunch with my dad but we’ll be leaving soon.

I told my sister I would be driving us home, my mom had picked up my sister’s kids from after care and all the kids were playing with my husband when we got home, they were having so much fun we decided not to interrupt them. I wanted a word with my mom in private anyway, my sister went back to her packing I cornered my mom in the kitchen, I told her how much I love her and how I look up to her I told her to stop protecting me from the truth, I am now a grown woman and can handle the truth I asked her to tell me why did she leave my father, she said I know why, our father choose a younger woman over her, I looked at her in the eye and told her that’s not what he said today. My mother was so shocked she said “what did that fool say”. I had to find a very nice and polite way to say this, I wanted to find a way to disarm her, make her open up without realizing it, that takes skills, I asked “was he involved in criminal activities?” my mother asked how did I know that, I didn’t but yeah keep talking mommy I thought, I said “I think I married someone who is like him.” You know how they say girls always marry someone who is exactly like their father, well that was my reality and the worst part is I didn’t even know what my father was. My mother shook her head and said “I have sat with Mthobisi and studied him, he is nothing like your father, you have a good man who loves and cherishes you, don’t ever think like that my angel” I could see she was about to cry, so I decided to let this go. There will be other days. I changed the subject and told her we will be moving back to our place the next day, we had invaded their space enough, she told us to stay as long as we wanted and wanted to know what have we decided on about the baby I said I don’t know, in fact I was starting to believe that this baby and ceremony shit were just bringing me all this bad luck, maybe that’s why my life has been so bad lately, maybe if we actually do this ceremony things will get better.

The next morning I was not going to work since I had already called in the day before there was no need and besides if I went back after a day people will think I was faking it, so it’s best to stay home for 2 days. Mthobisi said he would also not be going to work, he was really concerned about his mom and said we should go and visit her, I was not keen I asked him to call her first in case she is at work or something, I was hoping and praying that she would pull her usual stunts and not answer his calls, damn she answered, she said she was around Joburg and would come and see us at my mom’s place, she also wanted to give me and invoice for her car windows, that woman is so loud I could hear her over my husband’s phone but I’m sure she intentionally wanted me to hear that part. We packed our things and a few minutes later Mthobisi’s mom arrived. My sister had packed up hers and her kids clothes and left went back to her crazy husband, my mom and Victor were at work so it was just the nanny and my son and us in the house. I decide to be the bigger person, this war had gone on for way too long. We had to sit down as adults and discuss this situation, fighting was not going to solve anything. I told them that as angry and upset as I was about this situation this was more than just about us, there was an innocent child involved in this, that child is sick and needs help and if doing that ceremony meant saving a child’s life then we all have to put our differences aside and save that child’s life by doing a ceremony. I told them that since we stay in a complex we will not be doing the ceremony there our neighbors would call the SPCA on us, so we will do it at my mother in laws house, I asked her if she was okay with that she said she was more than okay, I told her I would be there with my husband by my side at all times and if he even looks at that Katlego woman then he will see flames, Mthobisi quickly promised that he will not speak to her or do anything with her, I told him that if that woman wants anything she will speak to your mother and I looked at his mom and said “and I will appreciate it if you passed it on to me and not your son”, she looked at me and said but he’s the father and I replied and I’m his wife, we promised each other that we are not going to have secrets and if she is not going to stick to these conditions then we can drop everything now, she hesitantly agreed. She then said the child was very ill will it be okay if we hurried things up and did the ceremony this coming weekend, I said I was okay with that, Mthobisi also agreed. Talking things out is the best way out of many problems, if people can just sit down and talk things out a lot of wars could have been avoided, had she done this in the beginning instead of sneaking around we would have avoided all that mess of broken windows, I know I acted impulsive there, but sometimes war first and words later is necessary. Now everyone was happy, Mthobisi’s mom said she will phone Katlego to let her know the good news. She actually thanked me and gave me a hug. My husband said we should go buy a few toys for my son before we leave, we decided to go with my mother in laws car because it was already parked outside the yard.

We went to a small shopping center just out of Alberton, Mthobisi was driving, his mom said she would sit at the back so she could play with our son, they were bonding. We were all a happy family again, when we arrived at the shopping center Mthobisi’s mom said she will stay in the car with our son while we buy him toys, she didn’t feel like walking around, Mthobisi parked close to the entrance so we could do a quick in and out. I was happy with my son and mother in law staying behind cause once my boy gets in the shop he wants everything. We went to a toy store there and grabbed a few toy truck, cars and an aeroplane, my husband wanted to buy him a gun I gave his one sharp look and he put that toy gun down so fast, we went and paid and left as we were leaving passing a jewellery store I saw the most gorgeous watch ever, I love watches I showed it to Mthobisi and I said we should go in, the shop is owned by an Afrikaner Mr. Peterson, I went to the same school as his son, whenever he sees me he wants to chat up a storm, I avoid going to that store but on that day that watch just pulled me in, my husband reminded me of how this old man will just go on and on we’ve been to that store a couple of times so he knew, I told him, I will tell him we in a hurry, then I jokingly pulled Mthobisi into the store and he was acting like he is resisting going in, we were both laughing as we entered, there were 4 guys in the store this was not unusually the store is hardly ever packed, Mr. Peterson was behind the counter, I greeted him, his face was red but with white people they turn red randomly so you never know, I told him I was passing when I saw this gorgeous watch, now these guys in the store were moving around, my husband was standing behind me, with his arms around me he kept kissing my neck, Mr. Peterson said which watch was I interested in, it was on display I pointed it to him then he stood there didn’t move, I smiled and said “well can you take it out?”, he said “why?”, this old man was acting strange, I said because I want to buy it, he opened the display case his hands were shaking and on his left ring finger he was bleeding, “Oh my gosh Mr. Peterson you bleeding” I exclaimed, Mthobisi let go of me and shouted “FUCK” next thing I heard was a click-click sound of a gun being cocked by one of the guys we found in the store, he said to us “get on the floor and shut the fuck up” shit, we had walked into straight into a robbery, we got on the floor, they took the jewellery and money and walked out, as soon as they walked out Mthobisi and I stood up, Mr. Peterson turned his chair upside down there was a gun strapped to the chair, he pulled it out, my husband said to him “don’t do it man, it will end bad, let them go” do you think an angry Afrikaans man will listen to anyone, he ran out after them, a few seconds later we heard gun shots, and people screaming, we just sat there I was shaking so hard Mthobisi had to hold me tight, I was so scared, a few minutes later the gun shots stopped Mr. Peterson came back looking tired and defeated, we asked what happened he said he thinks he shot one of them but they got away. Mthobisi said how did he manage not to get shot cause there were so many gun shots that we heard we were worried that he would come back with a bullet somewhere in his body he said they were shooting at the parking lot and he was hiding in between cars. We heard the word parking lot and cars and didn’t even say a word to each other we ran out so fast to the parking lot when we got there my mother in laws cars had so many bullet holes; the windows that she had just replaced were completely finished, there was smoke coming out the car. Mthobisi put his hands in his head and screamed, I passed out!!

*****THE END*****
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Good Morning
Friends, South Africans and fellow countrymen please lend me your ears that you may hear, and your wisdom that you may understand… (I just had to lol)
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Thank You
Mike Maphoto
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