Missteps – Chapter Seventy Nine

They say right before you die your life flashes before your eyes. You see everything that has happened in your life so clear, you get answers to questions that you’ve always had but where too afraid to ask, all your enemies faces flash before your eyes. I was expecting to see myself from the day I was born till that particular day, the day that my soul left my body. I wondered if my mom would go to William Nicol offramp to collect my soul then I remembered

she was too much of a Christian to do that, my soul would linger there and eventually try to get companion and end up being the ghost that kills anyone who drove a taxi, after getting smashed by a taxi like that I was mad at all taxi drivers. As I was still in my dream land it was soo calm and peaceful until I opened my eyes which I regret. When I opened my eyes some guy just was pulling me out from underneath the truck the guy I would later discover that is the taxi driver and a whole off commotion around, I could hear some loud mouth woman shouting “woooo, wooo, kube ngigibele ibus hayi lama simba we taxi bheka manje sibulele umuntu “translation “I should have taken a bus not this shit taxi, now we’ve killed a person” black women can be so dramatic at times, I wanted to say I was not dead but I was in too much pains to explain myself at hearing this the taxi driver dropped me like I was a hot potato luckily I landed on my feet he went to the woman who was screaming and shouting and calmly said “Unga linge ugibele itekis lami wena mama, uyasala khona la efreeway uzozibona ukuthi uzohamba ngani” translation “don’t you dare get into my taxi woman you will stay here on the freeway and you will see how you get home.” There were a few people who had joined the complaining lady but they were mumbling in the background and you couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying after hearing that Miss Loud mouth is getting left behind everyone shut their mouths. This is why having a big mouth is not always such a good thing now she was going to be stranded all by herself, at hearing this people started acting like they were busy on their phones others looking very far like they had never complaining, taxi driver feeling very pleased with himself asked if there was anyone else who wanted to join her and it was all silence. By this time Cleo was by my sidefafing over me asking if I was okay. Taxi driver came back to me and asked “umdala kangaka we-Sisi yini ekwenza ukuthi udlale estradini?” The man had just asked me at my age what possessed me to play on the streets? I was livid what the hell was wrong with this man why in the name of Father Christmas would I be out in the streets playing at my age? I didn’t even get a chance to answer because Cleo got on top of him and started pouncing on the taxi driver screaming at him telling him that he almost killed me, I was about to stop her when the mama who was told she would be left behind came running I was expecting her to stop the beating when to my surprise she joined in. I started screaming at my friend telling her to get off the taxi driver Cleo was like a possessed woman who was fighting a priest who was about to baptize her with holy water. When I turned to look at the cars behind Cleo’s car I realized where the anger was coming from her car was smashed by the truck and rolled and hit the car that’s behind it and the car behind hit another so about 5 cars had collided with each other “oh shit” I exclaimed but my voice was overpowered by the taxi passengers who were cheering Cleo and the “Miss Big Mouth” woman and some ladies were even throwing in a few slaps at the taxi driver, taxi driver was calling out all of his ancestors by name. Next thing I heard sirens and cops running up to us, I had never been so grateful to see cops like I was at that moment. They removed Cleo from the taxi driver and stopped the other women from hitting him and took the umbrella from “miss big mouth” that she was beating the crap out of taxi driver with. Cleo started screaming at cops telling the taxi driver tried to kill her friend cops obviously would not hear of anything that Cleo had to say and told her she needed to make a statement, cops and bloody statements. I started feeling some type of way honestly I didn’t know if I had pains or if I wanted to pee I screamed so loud that everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention on me. Cleo came running and asked “did Mageza break your spine?” If you have lived in Joburg long enough you will know taxi drivers are called Mageza if you don’t know why then you need to get a friend who stays in Joburg to explain to you. Before I could even respond she ran to the taxi driver luckily one of the metro cops was keeping an eye on her so he grabbed her before she could reach him and the while Cleo was attacking the taxi driver the other motorists were attacking the truck driver who tried explaining to everyone that his brakes had failed and there was not much he could do but no one was listening everyone wanted his blood, the situation was so chaotic that the cops had their hands full. Ambulance also arrived and I immediately told the paramedics that I had pains and was pregnant and they quickly attended to me at hearing this Cleo got more concerned I wished that she had not heard me but I was too late. I was put in the ambulance and Cleo started explaining how I got hit by a taxi and ended up under the truck but taxi driver pulled me out before truck could crush me. They said I needed to be checked by a doctor immediately and put me inside the ambulance, I told Cleo to stay behind and attend to her car she went to her car got my phone and told me she will call me to check on me and will come to the hospital to check on me. I was rushed to Fourways Hospital which is not too far and my situation was declared an emergency thank goodness I was awake, a doctor checked on me and to my relief my baby’s heart was still beating normal, doctor did some tests just to make sure that everything was okay, I was told to stay overnight which I flat out refused, there was no way in hell my husband was finding out that I had come to the North side of town and worse got hit by a taxi and landed in hospital, he would come to the bloody hospital and finish me off for not listening to him. I told the doctor since my baby and I were both fine I didn’t see the need of spending the night in hospital I lied and said I had a son at home waiting for me and my husband was out of town so he would have no one to look after him, he didn’t believe me but I didn’t care, private hospitals will always make you spend a night unnecessarily then charge you an arm and a leg just for one night as if their beds are made out of gold. I called She Rocks and she told me Cleo had told them about the accident and she and Andiswa were on the way to the hospital, good shot now I didn’t have to worry about transport to work to go collect the car. Within 5 minutes they had arrived at the hospital and were so relived to hear that I had been sent home, I of course omitted the part of refusing to stay over-night. I called Cleo and she said she was dealing with towing company that was coming to tow her car. Andiswa wanted to know why I didn’t tell her I was pregnant, news travel fast especially where Cleo is concerned, I told them I had just recently found out and was still trying to digest with that I was forgiven and getting congratulation’s hugs and they were already discussing a baby-shower and how they were going to spoil the baby with this and that, I have amazing friends, Cleo called to say her husband was there to pick her up and wanted to know if they should pass by the hospital to come and check on me, I told her I got discharged and there was no need to worry we were fine. She Rocks said she will drop me at work then follow me home to make sure that I don’t pass out on the road while driving I laughed and told her she was crazy but she insisted telling me how some she once saw a show of a guy who was in an accident and he was fine and could walk the following day he was found dead it was all due to the head injury he had suffered during the accident, at hearing that Andiswa suggested She Rocks sleeps over to make sure I was okay since my husband was not there, I didn’t care all I wanted was to go home and forget all about this day. Cleo went her way and She Rocks took me to work on the way there my husband called he wanted to know why I had not been answering my phone, in all the commotion that was going on I had not bothered to check missed calls, I answered the calls that were coming in, I lied and told him that She Rock had taken me out for dinner and we were now driving home and she will sleep over at our place, he was just happy that I would have company, he didn’t ask anymore questions told me to say hi to my friend and he couldn’t wait to see me the next day when he gets back. I told She Rocks that since she was sleeping over there was no need to fetch my car, she will drop me off at work the next morning.

We arrived at my place this was She Rocks first time at our new house she was highly impressed with everything she took pics of every room and sent them to Andiswa who was also blown away, I have crazy friends. We sat and She Rocks said she would cook, my friend is one of those annoying people who are good at everything, she made me the best meal I have ever had, we sat watched tv more like the tv watched us because I don’t think either of us knew what was playing on tv, we had so much to talk about. She told me how much she missed Siyabonga and how she wishes she had atleast something that could permanently remind her of him, how she wishes she had not been preventing then at least she could have had a part of Siyabonga with her forever. I decided to lighten up the mood a bit because the Siyabonga talk was getting a bit depressing, I told her how Cleo beat-up a taxi driver accusing of wanting to kill me, She Rocks was on the floor laughing she wanted to call Cleo to confirm the story I told her not to dare or I will be next in the hit list. We only went to bed after 12 midnight.

Next morning She Rocks wanted to go to the gym in the morning I honestly didn’t want to go but since I didn’t have transport I had to tag along, why do people torture themselves with gym at 5 in the morning? I told She Rocks I wouldn’t be doing too much exercising since I was pregnant, the “I’m pregnant” excuse is the best excuse ever, you get to skip long lines in banks you get first preference on everything, She Rocks google on her phone and showed me that I could still do certain exercises, google is not always your friend I ignored her google facts and told her the doctor said I should take things easy, she let me off the hook and I sat in the steam room the whole time when she was done she came and got me I showered and she dropped me of at work.

I got to work at exactly 08:00, as soon as I walked in I got a message from Andile my boss’s PA that Andile wanted to see me, what did she want, I was seriously not in the mood for her. I decided to hear whatever she wanted while it was still early. I walked to her office. She didn’t even greet or try to make small talk she just looked at me and said “Mfundo has been found and he wants you to be removed from the account. Do you want to tell me what the hell you did to piss him off so much?”