FAMILY SECRETS
CHAPTER :14
UNEDITED
[NANDI’S POV ]
It was late in the night and I was standing on the balcony watching the moon in my silky night dress, holding my cup of tea. As I was lost in the beauty of the moon, staring at it with so much fascination I felt strong, warm and hard arms slowly going around my waist and a warm peppermint mint breath on my neck and I immediately knew who it was because only one person has made it this difficult for me to breath for the past one week.
A week has passed now and I am so glad it’s over because it has been one of the strangest week of my life especially after Mthokozisi’s strange and awkward gestures and behavior ever since we got back from the kid’s house.
He firstly takes me inside his private room inside his office and shows me properly the paintings, I saw of me when I secretly broke into his private room in his office to find proof that he has been stalk me. The paintings of me in that room almost convinced me that he was indeed stalking me until I saw the dates on the painting and they indicated that the paintings were painted way before he met me and how is that possible I don’t know seriously. Then it was the pulling me closer to him and putting his hands around my waist holding me tightly when we were in bed, then the early morning stares. This man would make sure to wake up early just to stare at me while I am in my sleep. Then tricking me into using the bathroom while he is still in there taking a shower, a bath or changing his clothes, now this?
“Mthokozisi what are you doing here, it’s not my week?” I asked despite having difficulties breathing because of the wet kisses he was planting on my neck
Immediately after the honeymoon it was my week to be with Mthokozisi after our marriage, this rule was set to give the newlywed couple some time to spend with each other, then the rotation will start over so this week is Mihlali’s week to be with mthokozisi but he is here instead. He turned me around and made me face him, then brought me closer, held my chin and kissed my forehead.
“Look I know this contract we signed is keeping me from loving you and showing you love, I know I am not supposed to but I can’t help but love you Nandi. Whatever behavior and whatever I have been doing whole last week was to show you how much I love you because do I love you Nandi and I hope one day you will find it in your heart to love me back. “he said before departing from my room
It was now morning and I was in the kitchen preparing some smoothie for myself when Mihlali and mthokozisi walked towards the dining room passing the kitchen with serious and cold facial expressions . They didn’t look happy at all, it’s like the is some tension going on between them but I guess they will sort out their differences the is no need for me to interfere.
But if they are going to sort out their differences I hope it’s going to be soon because I don’t like seeing this dull Mihlali, I want to see the happy Mihlali that I know . Mihlali walked into the kitchen with the same cold and dull facial expression. She didn’t greet me nor look at me, she just took out the blender and some fruits from the fruit bowl and I took some few items from the fridge for her because I guessed that she was making a smoothie too.
I took those items from the fridge and put them on the kitchen counter for her in hopes she will notice my gesture and talk to me but she didn’t,the silence was cold and unbearable .
“Mihlali I am here if you want to talk about it. Please talk to me, tell me what’s wrong because I hate seeing you like this what’s wrong?” I asked
“nothing is wrong Nandi, I just woke up in the wrong side of the bed that’s all.” Mihlali said with a stern voice
“I know it’s none of my business but does this cold Mihlali have something to do with mthokozisi? Did something happen between you two?” I asked
“Nandi you are absolutely right it’s none of your business so please stay out of it.” Mihlali said and I guessed from there that asking won’t make Mihlali talk but emotionally blackmailing her would make her talk, she is a bubbly person she finds joy in expressing herself through talking to other people and cheering them up. If she found out that someone is sad because of her she would immediately brake and try to make it up to that person.
” okay, it’s fine I guess I am not the little sister or friend whom you can tell everything like I thought. I guess I haven’t made my way to your heart yet since you don’t feel free to share your feelings with me.” I said and I guessed it right as I watched Mihlali slowly Crack from her cold and hard core mask
” no please don’t think that, I wasn’t lying you are like my little sister and I genuinely trust and care for you. “she said in one breath and the old Mihlali was slowly returning
” well I thought siblings are supposed to share things between them especially the ones that bother them so that they can help each other. “I said
” I know but I made a promise to mtho that I wouldn’t say anything. I wanted to tell everyone so that we can get help for him if whatever is wrong with him needs serious help but he forbid me from saying anything to anyone and because of that we got into a small squabble. “Mihlali said
” say anything about what? “I asked
” promise me you won’t tell mtho that I told you this. “Mihlali said
” I promise. “I said
” well last night strange things happened in our room and he doesn’t want anyone knowing about Last night’s incidents. ”
” what incidents? “I asked
” well last night when I got into our room I found mtho frozen in one place with his eyes looking all over the room and when I asked what’s going on he responded with where is this water all over the floor slowly rising coming from. ” Mihlali said
“And?” I asked
“Nandi the was no rising water on the floor, the floor was dry. He said I should get some buckets and a mop to get rid of the water before it floods the room and I kept looking around and the was no water in our room. I walked to him and told him that but he didn’t believe me , it was like he was seeing things for a good two minutes then his senses returned.”
“what???”i asked
” and that’s not all, around 12 am I got a call from my mother and she asked me to step outside if I am with mthokozisi so he doesn’t hear our conversation, I thought the conversation was serious so I did only to find out that the conversation was half nonsense and I couldn’t hear the other half because I was sleepy…….
“Mihlali… Mihlali…. Back to mthokozisi.” I said
“oh… After the conversation over the phone with my mother I went back to bed and just when I placed my hands on the bed to climb it, it was soaking wet water was dripping from the bed and mthokozisi was all wet incl all his pj’s.”
” mabye it was his sweat from a bad dream mabye? “I asked
” I too thought that at first but the is no way someone’s sweat can wet an entire bed, just then I thought mabye he might have released in his sleep but the water dripping from the bed didn’t smell like pee it smelled like sea water. ”
” sea water???” I asked in confusion
” yes sea water… So I shook him in order to wake him up but he wasn’t waking up so I tried again, he woke up and spit out water from his mouth and tried to catch his breath as if he was choking or drowning. ” Mihlali said
” anyways he woke up and we cleaned the entire night and when we were done he told me not to tell anyone about what happened so please don’t tell him that I told you about last night. ”
” I promise I won’t say anything. “I said and Mihlali walked out of the kitchen with her smoothie.
” sea water?? “I asked myself. It is all strange it seems like all these weird incidents are related to the sea, firstly mthokozisi sleepwalks to the sea, Duma vomit water that smell like the sea and now this? What is going on here?
Why do I feel like whatever thing that is in this family is slowly catching up?