“I know you’ve explained this to me before, but why do I have to leave again?”
Gomolemo was packing the last bit of her belongings into her bags, rushed by her anger and irritation.
“I told you; it will just be for a few days. My grandfather is here for a medical procedure, and as soon as he’s able to travel back home, you’ll be back”, Khaya tried to explain.
“I’ve been living here for 9 months now! Your mother knows me. You’re 32 years old for goodness’ sake! Why are you ducking and diving like a teenager?”
Khaya had grown tired of explaining what she couldn’t understand. “I told you; they don’t know you at home. Anyway, I’ll make it up to you, I promise. After you come back, we’ll go on a holiday to Sun City, or wherever else you’d like to go.”
“Well, I’m done packing now” she said trying to calm herself down. “So what does this mean for the next few days? Do we not see each other? Am I allowed to call you? Or do we have to send delegations of uncles to talk to each other?”. Khaya didn’t have the energy for her sarcasm.
“Babe, I need to get to Park Station now. His bus will be arriving soon. I promise, I’ll make this up to you in a big way.” He tried to give her a kiss to say goodbye, but she turned away. Kissing her forehead in consolation, he picked up his keys, and left the Beverly flat to the station.
An awkward silence engulfed the car on the drive back from Park Station. Khaya hadn’t visited Cofimvaba in about 8 years and had forgotten how to make conversation with people from the rurals. His grandfather on the other hand was perfectly at peace with the peacefulness after the chaos of the station. “How are things at home?” Khaya asked trying to break the silence.
“Things are ok. All the young people are gone now so there is nobody to maintain the things. Why haven’t you come to see us?”
“Things have been so busy this side Mkhulu. It has been very difficult to find time to go home.” Khaya tried to explain. He hoped that his grandfather believed the lie.
“Ya you people in these big cities get swallowed up here. Luckily or unluckily, nobody has died to force you to come back home.”
They arrived at the parking of The William apartment block. Khaya’s grandfather was welcomed into his flat by a whiff of woman’s perfume that Khaya had become so accustomed to, that he forgot it was there. He slowly looked around, taking in his home for the next few days. Khaya stood proud of his leather furniture, large screen TV and art pieces he’d collected over the years. “Can I make you some tea?” Khaya offered.
His grandfather sat on the couch looking out into the tiny patch of grass outside, while Khaya took his bags into his room. “There’s space there at home to start buying some cows. I can make sure they are safe and one by one, over years you’ll have many”.
This is why I stopped going there. Khaya braced himself for this conversation again. It was over 8 years ago, but it feels like it was just yesterday. After a deep breath, he explained “We don’t need cows here in Joburg Mkhulu”.
“A cow can produce more cows. When your father needed to finish school, I sold a cow to pay the remaining school fees. If you need money, what are you going to sell? This couch and this tv?”
“I’ll save from my job” he started. “Things don’t work like they worked in 1865”.
His grandfather stood up, irritated by the seeming disrespect. “Things work exactly the same. You’re just a shepherd boy in someone else’s kraal when as a man you should have your own. And why aren’t you even married yet?”
Couldn’t your cows buy you a hospital next to your kraal? Khaya held his thoughts in. This is going to be a long couple of days. Rather not make it worse now. “I’m just going to the bathroom. I’ll be back soon”.
Sitting on the toilet seat, Khaya heard a faint knock on the door of his flat. He started getting anxious. “Hello?” he heard his grandfather answer. He heard the door being opened. He heard Gomolemo’s voice. His heart started beating faster. “Hi, I’m Khaya’s friend. He promised to allow me to use his phone charger” he heard her say. He finished his business and rushed out of the bathroom door. “Hi friend” she said with a cheeky smile on her face. The smell of her perfume then became so apparent, and he realised his grandfather had probably figured out more than he’d have wanted.
“Hi frieeeend”, she emphasised.
“Hi. Let me get the charger”, he said in a hushed tone. He went into his room to look for her charger, and could hear them making small talk in the lounge. He was paralysed, as one side of him didn’t want to go out there and face that situation; yet the other side of him wanted to get out and end it as soon as possible. He saw the charger in the corner of his eye, grabbed it and rushed back to the lounge. “Here you go. You can bring it back to me tomorrow”.
Her walk back to the door and outside seemed to be taking much longer than it should’ve, with her hips swinging from side to side in mockery. “See you tomorrow then”, she smiled as she closed the door.
With Khaya staring at the door, and his grandfather staring at him, it was his grandfather to break the awkward silence this time: “So, we were talking about cows”.1
Photo by Michael Oeser on Unsplash