NURSE THEMBENI CHAPTER 31 MENZI I just got off the phone with my father. I shouldn’t have answered his call. He’s put me in a bad mood. Phiwa is sitting up in bed, sheets pooled around her waist, arms crossed tight over her chest. She’s watching me with those big, quiet eyes that see everything … Read more
NURSE THEMBENI CHAPTER 30 THEMBENI For a moment my brain refuses to understand what my eyes are seeing. I am still naked under Mehlo, my body pressed against his. The blanket is barely covering us. Mehlo curses under his breath and yanks the blanket up over us in one quick motion. He pulls it tight … Read more
NURSE THEMBENI CHAPTER 29 THEMBENI So far, my life has been nothing short of crazy and something tells me I ain’t seen nothing yet. There is more to come, I don’t know if I’m ready for it. For a moment I expect to see him in bed where I left him earlier, still resting after … Read more
NURSE THEMBENI CHAPTER 28 THEMBENI I had to go back to the kitchen and finish preparing Mehlo’s food. Apparently, MaPhikela had told them not to continue. By tradition, I had to do it myself. He had his supper in his room. And then, as if he was not already doing enough, he insisted on sending … Read more
NURSE THEMBENI CHAPTER 27 THEMBENI A lazy smile spreads across his face just when I was determined to stay angry. “Phakade lami, come here. Let me see my woman properly.” My woman. The audacity. I move closer with my arms folded. I know I look upset. I want him to see it and to feel … Read more
NURSE THEMBENI CHAPTER 26 NGIYABONGA Ngiyabonga has been trying to get ahold of Menzi for hours, but his phone is off. The guards say they last saw him yesterday. The helpers say the same thing. No one knows where he is. It is almost supper time and Menzi is still nowhere to be found. Ngiyabonga … Read more
NURSE THEMBENI CHAPTER 25 THEMBENI The onions are fighting back. That’s the only explanation for why my eyes are burning like this. It cannot possibly be the stress of this entire royal circus tickling me. No. It’s definitely the onions. I’m standing over a pot that is way too big for a first-day “bride,” wooden … Read more
NURSE THEMBENI CHAPTER 24 THEMBENI Mehlo’s mom went to work, I don’t know how I will cope without her in this house. I prefer her over MaPhikela. I have been walking around the palace, it’s so big I had to cut my trip short and find my way back to my room. There are two … Read more
NURSE THEMBENI CHAPTER 23 MENZI I drove through the night from Manzana to Durban without telling my father I was leaving. I did not leave a message, or tell the guards. I just got in the car and drove. The road was long and dark which was good for me. I needed distance from him, … Read more
NURSE THEMBENI CHAPTER 22 THEMBENI I wake up to two faces hovering above me. For a second, my mind doesn’t understand what I’m seeing. I rub my eyes, I must not be seeing right. Oh, they’re still there. I scream, jerking upright, dragging the blanket up to cover my myself. Why are there people in … Read more