Chapter Twenty Nine

STRING OF PEARLS

TWENTY NINE

NARRATED

Mcedisi walks out of the bedroom freshly showered and ready to tackle the day ahead. He is in a much better mood since he kissed and made up with Onezwa. However, he is still trying to find the best possible way to deal with Tiro Ramokala, and the government project they are working on also has him preoccupied. He walks into the kitchen in the main house whistling before greeting his mother and planting a kiss on her cheek. He then makes his way to the dining table where his wife, MaSibiya, is busy setting the table. He greets her and she looks up smiling. He frowns when for the very first time he sees his wife with makeup on.

"You look beautiful," he compliments her, and she smiles.

"Any plans for today?" he asks, taking a seat.

"I was thinking of visiting my mother today. I haven't seen her in a while," MaSibiya answers cheerfully.

"Hmm, greet her for me," he says, and MaSibiya nods before heading to the kitchen. A few moments later, she walks back into the dining room carrying an enamel bowl with soapy warm water and a dish cloth. She slightly bends as her husband washes his hands. When he is done, she hands him the dish cloth to wipe his hands, and later she serves him his greasy delicious English breakfast.

"Thank you, mkami, the food was amazing as usual," he says as MaSibiya hands him a cloth to wipe his hands.

"I have a busy day ahead. Please don't forget to greet my mother-in-law for me," he says, getting up and pecking his wife's cheek before heading out.

MaSibiya hurries and washes the dishes before heading to her hut to change. After trying on three different outfits, she finally settles for a dress Carolina once bought her. She has never worn it before because she felt it was too fashion-forward for her liking, but today is a different day. Today she's meeting up with the man who has occupied her mind since the previous day, after the encounter at the restaurant and later the conversation they had on the phone. She looks at herself one more time in the body-length mirror and sighs when she sees how the red dress is clinging to her body, exposing the round ass which is always hidden in her modest flowy dresses she usually wears.

After bidding farewell to her mother-in-law, she calls a cab, refusing Thulani's offer to drive her to her mother's place.

"I've seen beautiful things in my life, but none compare to the beauty that stands before my eyes," Tiro says as soon as MaSibiya steps out of the cab. They agreed to meet near the community soccer field. He is leaning against a hummer limo.

"You need to stop reading Chinese cookies," MaSibiya says, and he chuckles.

"I'm here," she says, her heart and mind racing.

"I see. Shall we?" He says, opening the door to the limo. She looks at him hesitantly for a few seconds before getting into the car. Tiro gets in as well.

"Thank you for coming. You are beautiful," he says, and she nods.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Cape Town," he says, and she gasps.

"You can't take me far," she says, and he smiles.

"I'll have you back in time to cook that ungrateful husband of yours dinner," he says, and she frowns.

"Sorry," he says, raising his hands, and she nods.

"You are indeed beautiful, Amandla," he says.

"Thank you. Now, why did you want to see me? I only came because I'm curious. Well, I'm not going to lie, you did get my attention, but I also know that you are doing all this to get under my husband's skin. I..."

He interrupts her. "I honestly don't have a vendetta against your husband. I understand his frustrations. What my brother did was wrong, and I'm not excusing his behavior. However, he is my brother, and I cannot in good conscience let him die. He messed up, yes, but there is no bin where I can throw him. I came to plead for his life. He is not only my brother but also my daughter's one and only uncle," he says, smiling. MaSibiya can't help but notice how much he likes to smile.

"I hear you, although I have no idea who your brother is and what he did. That still doesn't make me stop questioning your intentions," she says, and he nods.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" She furrows her eyebrows.

"Let's forget that you are married, that I'm your husband's enemy. Get to know me, Tiro, and I'll do the same. I know it will be hard, but can we just try to forget teverything and everyone and just be present in the moment?" He says, taking her hand into his, and she immediately feels butterflies doing backflips in her stomach.

MCEDISI

My brother and I just signed a very lucrative deal with the mayor of KZN. This is big because this means that we can go legit and with the reputation we have already accomplished, we will definitely be a force to reckoned with. As we are walking out of the building, Nkanyezi gets a call and judging by his reaction, the call is not pleasant. He hangs up the phone and darts his eyes my way, he finds me staring at him and he immediately casts his eyes to the floor before clearing his throat.

"MaSibiya was seen getting into a car with Tiro," he says and I immediately see red.

"What?!" I roar.

"I swear MaSibiya trying me. No no wonder she was all dolled up. She was planning to meet up with that imbecile," I say pissed.

"Can you track where they are going?" I ask and he nods. We rush into the car and drive.

Nkanyezi is on the phone talking to whoever while I'm driving. He tells me which direction to take. We finally arrive at KZN aviation and to we are told that the lovely couple has just lifted off.

"Fuck!" I roar kicking the tires of my car.

"Relax, we can get...." Nkanyezi says but I interject

"Leave it, let's go."

"But..."

"Nkanyezi leave it Damnit!" I roar and he raises his hands in surrender.

After dropping off Nkanyezi at his house, I drove to Onezwa. We have an appointment with the real estate agent to view a couple of houses.

"I'm sorry I'm late," I say kissing her cheek and she heaves a sigh.

"Let's just go," she says sounding irritated.

ONEZWA

"Two kitchens, two living rooms, five bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a beautiful patio, and it's within your budget," Lisa, the agent, says. I glance at Mcedisi, but he seems distant.

"Do you like it, babe?" I ask. He lets out a deep sigh.

"Tell me, what's so special about Tiro?" I frown, bewildered. "Are you serious right now?"

"It's just that this morning, MaSibiya had makeup on. I've never seen her wear makeup before, not even on our wedding day. Then she sneaks out with Tiro, wearing makeup and acting like a lovely couple. That's what the owner of the aviation center said. What's gotten into MaSibiya?" he says, more to himself than to me.

Tears well up in my eyes, and I storm out, leaving the poor agent confused.

"I'm sorry," he says, finding me trying to open his car door. "You just had to ruin this day for me, didn't you? This was supposed to be a special time for us. We're not just searching for a house; we're searching for a home – our home, our sanctuary where we'll raise our children."

"I...I'm so sorry," he says, and I chuckle.

"It's okay. I just realized something, and it hurts. It hurts so bad," I say, wiping away tears. He tries to touch me, but I move away.

"The only reason I agreed to this polygamous marriage was that I thought you didn't love her, I thought you couldn't choose me because of the guilt you felt. But that's not it. It's either you were making a fool out of me, or you're in denial about your feelings for her. You love her, Mcedisi. And now that another man is showing interest in her, it's driving you crazy. You feel like your heart is being ripped out of your chest. It's called jealousy, and that's how I feel every time you talk about her during our time."

"I love you, Onezwa," he says softly.

"I know. Please take me home," I reply. He nods and opens the car door for me.

"I'll go reschedule," he says, heading back to the house.

At the hotel...

I walk in and throw myself onto the couch, with he following close behind.

"Onezwa, I'm sorry. It's not that I'm jealous, but it's my ego. Tiro is disrespecting me," he says, taking a seat on the coffee table and holding my hands.

"First, it was guilt, and now it's ego? Please," I say, retracting my hands.

"Onezwa," he says calmly.

"I need to rest and mourn yet another failed relationship. Please leave," I say, getting up.

"Not this again," he says, and I ignore him as I walk into the bedroom and lock th

I lean against the door, trying to calm myself down. I can hear his muffled voice on the other side, apologizing and asking me to open the door. I ignore him and walk over to the bed, collapsing onto it.

As I lie there, I can feel tears streaming down my face. I'm tired of being hurt, tired of being second best, im just tired of relationships. I thought that marrying Mcedisi would bring me happiness, but all it's brought me is pain.

I hear the door handle turn, and his voice is clearer now. "Onezwa, please open the door. I need to talk to you." I ignore him, pulling the blanket over my head.

The door handle turns again, and this time, his voice is firmer. "Onezwa, I'm not leaving until we talk about this." I remain silent, hoping that he'll get tired and leave.

But he doesn't give up. He sits outside the door, talking to me, apologizing, and explaining himself. I listen to his words, but they bring me no comfort.

As the hours pass, I drift in and out of sleep, exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster. When I finally wake up, the room is quiet, and he is gone.

I get out of bed, feeling empty and hollow. I walk over to the window and look out, wondering what the future holds for me.