NURSE THEMBENI
CHAPTER 16
THEMBENI
“Themi.”
I am sitting on my bed, still in my nightwear, I do not even look up when Philile lets herself in.
“If you are here to rehearse your ‘Congratulations, Makoti’ speech, please practice it outside.” I tell her.
She closes my door softly behind her and that alone makes me suspicious. Philile does not close doors softly, she opens them like her father built them with his hands.
“I am not here to congratulate you, I am here to save you.”
Huh! I think I’m sitting on one of my senses, so it’s affecting the others. I sit up straight so I can hear her clearly.
“Save me from what? The cows have already been counted, the uncles are practically measuring my head for a crown.”
She invites herself to sit on my bed.
“Baleka, nana. Run.” She says.
I don’t trust Philile one bit.
“Philile, please. If this is one of your stress experiments, I am not in the mood.”
“I am serious, leave, Thembeni. Leave now before they finish talking.”
What is she trying to do? She presses her lips together, she looks impatient.
“Listen to me carefully, your brothers will not stop this. Once the uncles finish today, you will officially be the chief’s wife. There will be no turning back, Thembeni. Marriage is not something you just get into like a Christmas dress you can take off, look at me, I’m still married to your brother. There is no turning back, it’s a life sentence.”
I do know that, but still. And I thought she was more than happy to be married to Mkhululi, she has never complained, not even with a facial expression.
“This is a prank, right? You want me to run so you can stand in the yard and shout, ‘Look how unstable she is, she even ran away.’ I am not stupid, Philile.”
She sucks her teeth, slapping my thigh.
“If I wanted you embarrassed, I would let you walk out there and let you argue with elders. I am giving you an exit.”
I study her, there is no smirk, or a hidden sparkle in her eye. Just urgency, which is new.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because if you stand out there and refuse to get married, they will not hear you. They will say you are emotional and that you have been influenced. They will say you will calm down once you see your husband. ”
They have not been hearing me my whole life.
“I know my husband, this is important to him. He will not let you embarrass them, and embarrassment to men like your brothers is more dangerous than anger.”
She’s right.
“Where would I even go?” I ask.
“Ey, Thembeni. Must I tell you everything? I’m helping you escape, contribute something nawe, don’t be useless.”
She’s so rude.
“And how exactly am I supposed to escape this compound? Teleport?” I ask.
She tilts her head toward the back window.
“Through the back, they are all gathered in the main yard. No one is watching the garden.”
I don’t waste time, I’m on my feet in a jiffy. My heart is beginning to thump in a different rhythm now, an adrenaline I have never felt.
“If this turns out to be a joke…” She might be testing me, then she’ll call Mkhululi and Lindani to come and see wonders of Intaba Zokhahlamba.
“It is not.” She says.
“You swear?”
“I swear.”
I grab my jersey from the wardrobe and put it on, oh and my phone, I can’t go anywhere without it. I can’t pack anything for now. If I need anything, I will use the money Mehlo’s been sending me. I still have quite a lot.
“If my brothers catch me, I am blaming you.”
“I will deny everything,” she says immediately.
Of course she will.
We walk out of the rondavel without being seen and move through the back of the house. My pulse is in my ears. I feel ridiculous. I am a grown nurse, sneaking out like a teenager avoiding chores.
We slip past the washing line, duck behind the storage hut, and reach the back gate. Is that what I think it is?
“What’s the donkey doing here?”
She smiles, Philile does not take me seriously. And she planned this, she came to me with her plan already in play.
“You are joking.” I say.
“I told you to run, not to Uber,” she snaps. “Get on.”
“This is not a movie, Philile.”
“It is the only transport that will not attract attention. If you get a car, the whole village will know.”
What car? Ubers don’t come here because of the bumpy roads, you’d have to get a private car from neighbours and pay them an arm and a leg.
I look at the donkey, the donkey looks at me, it’s chewing something. We both seem confused about how we ended up here.
“This is my first time riding one,” I mutter.
“You grew up here, it’s not rocket science.” She says.
“That is not comforting.”
I hike my leggings, grab the saddle, and attempt dignity. It does not go well. After an awkward shuffle and one near-miss with gravity, I am seated. The donkey shifts.
“So we are really doing this,” I whisper.
Philile steps back, scanning the yard behind us.
“Go through the path behind the mielie field. Do not pass the main road, and do not fall. I will not be held responsible for anything.”
“Encouraging, thanks.” I say.
She whistles and slaps the donkey on its back, it starts moving, very slowly.
“Is this its fastest setting?” I call back.
“Be grateful!” she hisses.
And just like that, I am riding away from my own arranged marriage on a donkey. Halfway down the path, the absurdity hits me. I pull out my phone, this is my first time on a donkey. I deserve documentation. I angle the camera carefully, making sure the ears are visible in the frame.
Click! Another one. Click.
The donkey flicks its ear like it disapproves.
“I am not posting you, relax.” I reassure it.
My hands are slightly shaky, I will not lie. The ground feels closer than I would like. But I grew up rural, I have watched children half my size ride these things bareback. I can manage. Still, every time it shifts, my heart jumps.
“Easy,” I murmur, patting its neck as if I know what I am doing.
The wind brushes my face as we pass the fields. The compound is already out of sight. My phone buzzes, and my heart leaps. Mehlo? I check it on fast-forward, it’s not him. Just network confusion.
“Of course,” I mutter.
I take one more selfie, this one with a dramatic ‘running away but still cute’ expression. If I am going to defy tradition, I will at least have content.
.
.
To be honest, I do not even remember agreeing to run. All I know is that my feet were moving like they have received instructions directly from my survival instincts.
I am still in my nightdress, not even the cute one. The faded cotton one with a small hole near the hem that I keep meaning to throw away but never do because “it is still comfortable.” Imagine being forced into marriage wearing something that cannot even survive a proper wash cycle.
The money I used to get from Golide bought me clothes I could only wear to work and not at home because of Philile and her binocular eyes, it bought me gadgets and took me to trips my brothers thought were sponsored by the clinic.
They are not that educated those ones, I could lie with a straight face and they would believe it. But then again, God created Mkhululi. His wisdom annoys me.
My hair still looks like nest from sleep, it is doing whatever it wants behind me. If anyone sees me like this, they will assume I am being chased by bees.
Honestly, I am. Bees named Tradition, Duty, and Surprise Lobola. I abandon the donkey along the way, I have no use for it anymore. I walk faster than it. By the time I reach Qondi’s house my legs feel like borrowed equipment.
Her gate is slightly open, hanging at an angle. I push it wider and walk quickly down the short path. I bang on the door like I am law enforcement with a warrant.
It swings open almost immediately. Qondi appears in pink pyjamas, her bonnet slightly tilted. She’s shocked to see me here.
“Themi?” she grabs my arm and pulls me inside before I can collapse dramatically on her doorstep.
“What is going on?”
I push the door closed behind me and lean on it, breathing hard. I’m surprised to see Nala on the couch, she’s sitting with her legs folded under her.
“Why aren’t you at work?” I manage between breaths, because clearly my chaos should not be happening alone.
“I’m on night shift duty, Qondi is off. Why are you not at work? You look terrible, is everything okay?”
“I am not going to work because apparently I am getting married in two days. Today, I was surprise by the royal family, they came to pay lobola. My brothers ambushed me with the Hlongwane uncles and a whole herd of cows.”
“Wait, you are getting married to the chief in two days? And you did not tell us? I thought the wedding is a few months.” Nala says.
I walk to the couch and drop onto it, pressing my palms into my eyes.
“I did not tell you because I did not know how to tell you that my life is being scheduled without my consent. I thought I had time, I thought we were still in the ‘talking about it’ stage. That’s what the chief made me believe. This morning they skipped straight to ‘bring the cows.’”
Qondi moves and sits on the coffee table in front of me.
“Chommie, you must be joking.”
“I wish I had the creativity,” I reply, looking up at them. “I told my brother that I can’t go through with it. I told them I have a boyfriend. I even told them about my dream, about Mehlo being the real king in my life. They looked at me like I had downloaded nonsense into my brain.”
Nala’s eyebrows climb higher and higher.
“Wait, Golide is your boyfriend?” Nala asks.
“I lied, chommie.”
“You just said he’s royalty, is that true?” Qondi says.
“I’m not sure, I had this dream, a lot has been happening.” I say.
Qondi lets out a long whistle, “This is chaos, pure chaos.”
They both stare at me for two seconds. Then, for reasons I cannot understand, they jump up and start squealing.
“Chommie!” Nala shouts. “You are getting married, I’m so happy for you. What am I going to wear?”
Qondi claps her hands together, “Queen Thembeni! Imagine us attending royal events. I will finally wear my good heels for something important.”
I stare at them, deeply concerned for their mental stability.
“There is nothing to celebrate, guys. I do not want to marry the chief, I have been saying this.”
They know this and I thought Nala was on Golide’s side.
Qondi’s smile fades.
“Since when? What we know is that you have been balancing options, Chief versus Golide. Stability versus excitement. Let us not pretend you were not entertaining Golide while the chief was preparing a throne, it was nothing serious.” Qondi.
“First of all, I am not entertaining anybody for money, and the chief had months to act like he cared. Months, but he waited like I was a parcel delayed at the post office. Only now, when cows are already being polished, he decides to show personality. Then out of nowhere, he sends his uncles.”
“Honestly, if your heart is not in it, you should not do it. I do not care how traditional or powerful it looks. You cannot marry for the aesthetic.” Nala says.
I point at her. “Thank you. Finally, someone speaking human language.”
Qondi folds her arms and exhales. Here we go again.
“You are thinking emotionally, Themi. What did Golide say to make you change your mind? I mean yeah you were against marying the chief, but you knew it was a done deal. You were going ahead with it.”
That one hurts because it is true. I look away briefly, then back at Qondi.
“Security without love is just a well-decorated cage. I don’t love chief, and I refuse to be a national monument.”
Nala smiles at that. “Exactly and at least Golide is promising, that counts for something.”
I didn’t tell them Golide dumped me. If it’s called that.
“It counts for drama, Nala, and embarrassment. The whole village will talk.” Qondi says.
“The whole village was already talking, they just needed better content.” I say. “I ran because I need somewhere to stay for a few days. Just until I figure out what is happening. Mehlo is not answering his phone, I am scared something happened to him.”
“Since when do you care about him like that?” Qondi asks, I will not honor her question with a response.
“Why don’t you go to him?” Nala asks.
“He is not answering his phone, the last time we spoke, he said we were done.” Might as well tell them. “He said he would not give me money anymore and that I must stay away from him and Menzi both. There is something strange happening with that family, and I am standing in the middle.”
Nala’s eyes widen, “Are they secretly fighting over you? Or maybe Golide is in love with chief.”
I give Nala a look, she shrugs apologetically. Qondi exhales loud enough to get my attention. What does she want to say now?
“I still think you are making a mistake, Themi. The chief is not a bad man, you should go back home. He’ll give you a big life, imagine everyone bowing to you.” Qondi.
Thankfully for me, I do not care what she thinks.
“I already have a life, Qondi.”
She looks at me for a long second, then finally gestures down the passage.
“Fine, come. You can use my sister’s room. She is in Joburg, so it is empty.”
I stand and follow her down the narrow the passsage. She pushes open a door.
“Here.”
The room is small but neat. There’s a bed with clean sheets, a little window with thin curtains.
“Thank you, Qondi. I appreciate it.”
She shrugs, but I can see the worry in her eyes.
“Just make sure we do not get into trouble. Towels are in the cupboard, the bathroom is in my bedroom.”
“Oh yeah, you have a bathroom in your bedroom.”
She chuckles with me.
“I had no choice but to save up for it, having a bathroom in the house is a luxury. There is no running water yet, but I will bring you a bucket.” She says.
I laugh. “Luxury with limitations, we love to see it.”
She rolls her eyes and leaves.
I sit on the bed and take out my phone. Still no messages or missed calls from that charcoal man. My brothers have not even noticed I am gone yet, there are no calls from them.
Imagine being so busy negotiating cows that you forget the bride.
After a while, Qondi brings warm water in a bucket. I carry it carefully into the bathroom attached to her room, feeling strangely grateful for something as simple as warm water.
I pour it into the tub, undress and sink into it. My muscles relax little by little, but my mind refuses. Mehlo. Why are you silent?
Do you know what is happening? Are you safe? Are you ignoring me? Are you planning something? Am I the only one panicking? I will go crazy thinking.
I wash quickly, step out, and lotion my skin right in the bathroom. Just as I reach for the dress I got from Qondi, there is a knock on the door.
“I am almost done,” I call out.
“Themi hurry, your brothers are here.”
Haibo!
“What do you mean they are here?”
I wrap a towel around me and open the door. Qondi is in the passage, looking worried and scared.
“They are in the lounge,” she whispers.
“That is not possible, no one knows I am here except you and Nala. Qondi, you called them?”
“I did not call them, I swear” she says quickly.
“Then how did they find me?”
Before she can respond, I hear footsteps. Mkhululi appears first, he’s pissed. Lindani is behind him, there’s disappointment written all over his posture. They stop when they see me.
“Get dressed, Thembeni. We are going home.”
And just like that, my temporary refuge shrinks. How in God’s green earth did they know where to find me? I know the donkey did not go back and report me.
.
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