Yintsasa yoMvulo,mna nomntakwethu asiyanga esikolweni kuba izulu lilibi. Sidlala ngezinto zethu zokudlala kwigumbi lethu lokulala. Emva kokuba ese umama emsebenzini ngesithuthi, utata ubuye waphindela ezingubeni. USkhixi ukhalela isithuthi sam sokudlala, uyangxola.
Sithi sakulilisana asingxolise esithi siyangxola uzama ukulala. Umninawa uyaphikelela ekhalela isithuthi sam, ndiyamnika, athule.
Kuthi ke emva kwemizuzu engephi simbone utata ephuma egumbini lakhe esiza kuthi afike athi usiqumbele ngoba thina siyamngxolela xa efuna ukulala. USkhixi utyhola mna esithi ndidlala kakubi. Utata uphethe iglasi enamazinyo akhe emboleko. Uyaphuma aye
kuwahlamba empompeni. Siyamlandela. Ufika apho kukho ummelwane umama kaNtobeko.
Bayabulisana kuncokolwe ngolwaluko lukaNtobeko oluzakuba kwisithuba seenyanga ezimbini ezizayo. Utata uthi akugqiba ukuhlamba amazinyo akhe, awafake emlonyeni abuyele endlwini, siyamlandela kwakho.
Kwesi sithuba sele ithe qabu imvula, kulokho ekwazi nje ukusithuma ibhokisi yamaqanda amathandathu, isonka, iitumato kunye nobisi, ze athi maze sizithengele nathi izinto
zokumungunya. Siyakhawuleza sibuye ke, kwenziwe ukutya, kuphakwe, ndithunywe ukuba ndiye kunika uBra Suz okwakhe epozini lakhe. Ndifika esalele, ndimvuse, athi mandikubeke etafileni. Ndibuyela ekhitshini ndonwabele ukutya nomntakwethu notata, kuncokolwe, kuhlekwe.
Uye ahlambe izitya utata emva koko, ngelixa thina sichola-chola amaphepha nezinye izinto ezimdaka ngaphandle. Uthi akugqiba utata akhuphe imoto yakhe ngapha kwamasango ukuze ayihlambe. Simncedisa emavilini. Sithi sakugqiba athi masikhwele axelele uBra Suz ukuba uyabuya usaya kulanda umama emsebenzini, kuba ebethe uzakusebenza de kube yintsimbi yeshumi elinambini. Siqala egaraji apho afika ongeze amafutha esithuthi esi, ze sisingise ngasedolophini. Sifika edolophini singene kwa-OK apho athenga khona izinto zokutya, asithengele nathi amashwamshwam ze sibuyele esithuthini kuyiwe emsebenzini kamama.
Sifika sele esilindile umama, angene esithuthini aphuze utata, eze kuSkhixi, ze agqibelise ngam. Umama ukhalaza ngentloko ebuhlungu arhanela ukuba ingumvuka wokungenwa kwakhe ngumkhuhlane. Uye athi uza kufika endlwini alale, ze notata athi akayi ndawo tu namhlanje, uzakuhlala endlwini. Sithi sifika endlwini umama asicele ukuba siye kudlala ngaphandle kwela gumbi kuphekelwa kulo ukuze singamngxoleli. Utata yena ufika aye
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epozini kuBra Suz, bahlale bancokole. Kuthi ke kwisithuba esifana neeyure ezimbini sidlala angene utata apha ekhitshini afike achube imifuno, aqhole inyama, abase isitovu apheke.
Sesiman’ ukuncokola naye ke ngoku, simncedisa kwiintwana-ntwanana. Kuyahlekwa kumnandi.
Uthi utata akugqiba ukupheka asimisele amanzi asihlambe nomntakwethu, ze ahlambe naye.
Siyahlala emva koko kubukelwe uSokhetye Inkawu Yelitye kumabonakude. Utata yena uzifundela iphepha-ndaba. Kuthi emva kweyure umninawa abiwe bubuthongo, ze utata amfunqule aye kumbeka emandlalweni ecaleni komama esekobentlombe. Utata ufaka isandla kwibhulukhwe ebeyinxibe ngezolo akhuphe imali eziinkozo athi mandimkhaphe siye
kuthenga isiselo evenkileni. Undibeke emagxeni ke sihamba nje, sincokola kumnandi. Sifika kuloPinkboy utata ancokole notata kaPinkboy ngelixa mna ndibukele uPinkboy edlala ngenqwelo-ntaka yakhe, eyiphethe ngesandla, eyihambisa phezulu. Ndicela andidlalise, kodwa ale esithi akafuni. Utata uyasinikwa isiselo ze avalelise sihambe sibuyele ekhaya.
Kuthi emva koko athi mandiye kuxelela uBra Suz ukuba eze endlwini ngoba uzakuphaka ngoku. uBra Suz uye athi uziva enentloko ebuhlungu yena angazikhathazi utata kodwa, angamphakela nje, uzakutya akufumana isiqabu. Ndibuyela endlwini sele evukile umama, exukuxa. Utata uyaphaka acele umama ukuba avuse umninawa aze kutya. Umama yena uye acele ayekwe umntwana ngoba udiniwe, abe ke ngoko umninawa noBra Suz abatyi nathi.
Kodwa ke sithi sisatya njalo kuvakale isithonga sokuwa kukamninawa, abe sele esitsho nesikhalo. Umama uyabaleka aye kumthatha amthuthuzele, amthathe embeke phezu kwakhe ngelixa asetafileni, amtyise. Sithi xa kanye sigqiba ukutya, utata elungiselela ukusigalelela isiselo, kukhale umnxeba egumbini, aye kuwuphendula.
Ubuya achazele umama ukuba ibisisihlobo sakhe ubhut’ Kototo, uthi usendlwini yesinye isihlobo sabo kwiSitalato iSangotsha esikufutshane nesi sethu; yaye ucela ukumbona
ngokukhawuleza yaye akayi kumlibazisa. Umama uyakhalaza akhumbuze utata ukuba kaloku bebethembisene ukuba akayi ndawo namhlanje, sekutheni ngoku ehamba nje. Utata uye azame ukucacisa ukuba makube mhlawumbi ngumba obalulekileyo nongxamiseke kakhulu lo afuna ukumbonela wona umhlobo wakhe, yaye naye ke uyathembisa, akayi kuhlala. Uyala umama. “Nisenakho kaloku, Mzwandile, ukubonana nangomso, kuselithuba tyhini?” Utata uphinda azame ukucenga ebonisa umama ukuba kusenokwenzeka ukuba umhlobo wakhe udinga uncedo olukhawulezileyo, watsho esithi ukumqinisekisa ukuba akayi kuhlala apho, uzakusishiya isithuthi. Uye athule umama, kubonakala mhlophe ukuba akaxolanga
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nakancinci. Kodwa ke utata uye aphinde amcenge esithi makamkhulule, ze umama ke, noxa engekaxoli, athi makahambe. Utata uye aphuze umama ebunzi aphinde abulele
ngokumkhulula, aphinde futhi athembise ukuba akasayi kuba mde kumhlobo wakhe.
“Ndiyabuya ngoku, bafana bam.” Uthembisa atsho nakuthi. “Sure, tata.” Iphendula itsho le ingumninawa.
Uyaphuma ke utata, avale umnyango, sisale thina nomama sibukele umabonakude. Kuthi emva kwesithuba esifikelela kwiiyure ezimbini, engekabuyi utata; umama athi masiye kulala ngoba siya esikolweni ngentsasa elandelayo. Singena emandlalweni singekathandi ke ngoba asikozeli, futhi ke nomboniso wethu esiwuthandayo kumabonakude awukaqali. Kodwa ke siyazi, umama akathethi kabini, ngoko ke, senza ngokwemiyalelo. Andazi ukuba ngubani ophela elala kuqala kodwa ndiyarhana ndim ngoba bendidiniwe.
Kuthi ngentseni elandelayo sivuswe sisikhalo esikrakrayo sikamama, ezibethekisa naseludongeni, ekhwaza igama likatata. Sithi sisesebuthongweni njalo, sifumanise ukuba kukho nabanye abantu apha endlini, abaquka oobhuti ababini esingabaziyo kunye nomama notata kaNtobeko, abamelwane bethu. Omnye waba bhuti singabaziyo uye eze apha kuthi emandlalweni, athi:
“Vukani, vukani, makwedini, utata wenu ufile.”
Asikayazi ncam ke thina indaba yokuba uthetha ukuthini xa athi umntu ufile, ngoko ke siye singazi nomntakwethu ukuba sithini ukuphendula kule nto ithethwa ngulo bhuti. Ngaphandle kokubhideka zizililo zikamama, asikabi nazimvakalelo zizizo. Umama ukhala akayeki, abamelwane baya besanda ngoku endlwini, beze kuthuthuzela umama. Siyababona basijonga ngokusisizela, kodwa ke asazi nathi ukuba sithini. Iyaqhuba ke imini kuman’ ukungena abamelwane beze kumama, bafike basange nathi, basixelele ukuba singakhathazeki ngoba utata wethu uye ezulwini, siyakuhlangana naye thina khona apho. Ikwa ngabamelwane abasenzela ipapa ukuze sitye, umama akekho mandleni.
Kwisithuba seentsuku ezilandelayo, kuqhuba imithandazo rhoqo ngorhatya, kuculwe
kufundwe neBhayibhile. Umama ngoku uthanda ukunxiba iqhiya, yaye usoloko ekhala. Kuya kugcwala apha ekhaya, izizalwane ziza kuhlala, nathi ngoku siphele singenandawo
yokuhlala. Andiyithandisisi le meko. Umama akasasihoyi kakuhle, yaye usoloko engathi ukhathazekile. Utata yena kuthiwa ufile, yaye akutshiwo ukuba uza kubuya nini ekufeni, siyamkhumbula thina. Kwisithuba seveki, ngomnye uMgqibelo, umakazi uNonzolo usixelela
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ukuba kuyafihlwa yaye mna nomntakwethu sithengelwe iisuti ezintsha. Ndiva kuculwa la ngoma sidla ngokuyicula esikolweni ndingxole ndichazele umninawa, “Skhixi, nantsi le ngoma le sidla ngokuyicula esikolweni!” Umama uyandikhalimela athi mandingangxoli.
Kwiintsukwana ezimbalwa emva koku, uBra Suz uthe vram yaye ubonakala ekhathazekile, ekwanomsindo ngaxesha-nye, uyathukisa ngelixa alilayo. Uthetha nomama: “Uyabona, Nomvuzo, ukuba ndingambamba ngezi zam la Kototo, uyakuzisola. Njani abulale utata uMzwandile esazi ukuba uzakushiya iintwana zakhe? Uthi mazithini ezi ntwana ngoku?”
umama akaphenduli, uthule, kodwa ubonakala ekude ngeengcinga.
Siba ke ngolo hlobo isidlo esasisiphekelwe ngutata ngala Mvulo, sisidlo sethu sokugqibela naye.
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