THE UNKEPT WIFE Sequence 1-2

Where do I begin?do I begin in the centre or in the end. Do I begin from when I was a little angel,so vulnerable full of life of course before my spirit got crushed.
I will take you back to where it all started.

I am woken up by the cold water. Its her again my aunty. My aunty wasn't just an aunty she was a mother who guided me and my two sisters the other one was ten years older than me while the other one was fifteen years older and she was already married.
"Gugu have you forgotten that you are writing your last exam" I jumped off the bed I was late as always
"Mawe why didn't you wake me up earlier" I rushed off to the kitchen to boil a kettle of water.
She shouted from the bedroom
"Where are your uniforms you lazy girl?"
"In the last shelf,please iron my skirt inside out. I hate it when it is shiny"
"Kulungile maNdaba, I will also take your study materials under the bed and you will find them on top of the table"
My aunty was a life saver,she had prayed all her life to get a baby but she failed. She was a hardcore Christian, I looked up to her she was everything I needed in life. I never missed my mother well she never gave me a reason to miss her. My mother died a happy woman whatever she accumulated when she was still alive was given to us. My aunty fought for us tooth and nail when the relatives tried to exploit our inheritance.
I bathed quickly my last paper was English paper 2. I was not a fan of it, I rushed to my bedroom naked with my wet feet.
"you stupid girl who's going to clean up your mess?"
"My favourite aunty will do the honour" she laughed giving me money for lunch.
I didn't have the Nicki minaj type of a body or the Gabrielle Union beauty I was just simple my skin was sunskined well I think chocolate dipped sounds better. I was not that slim my body was just average with my small perky breasts. I was wearing size 30 if not 32, my ass wasn't that big my stomach was just flat the best gene I got from my aunty.
I ran outside into the dusty roads of Dobsonville in Soweto that was my home Soweto a place where I was born,where I grew up it had nurtured me from the first day I came to planet earth up until today. I walked into the Lamula Jubilee Secondary school with my dusty feet
"You are always late Gugu you are lucky because it's your last prelim paper otherwise I was going to suspend you" Mr Dube growled with anger, I had ran out the reasons why am I always late.
"I am sorry sir" I rushed to the hall. Everyone was already settled all eyes were on me. I pulled my short skirt a little lower and went to my seat.
By twelve O'clock I was done. I found Lizwi waiting for me outside the hall.
Lizwi was my strength and my comforter he was the best thing that had ever happened to me. When he saw me I saw his smile widening I was taken away by his smile he had everything that one can needed in a man
"You look flushed MaNdaba how was your paper" I smiled blushing
"Easy as A B C" he kissed my hand
"I love the sound of that let's go and buy Kotas I am so hungry"
"I don't have money Mhlongo plus I hate it when you spend your money on me"
"I love doing that and you will not stop me" he laughed carrying my bag, being with him made me happy he was a friend I never had.
"I can't believe that we are nearly done with exams" I said it with worry I feared being away from him
"Same here here Gugu and I know that after matric life is going to be different. What are your plans after matric?" I cringed
"I don't want to talk about it"
It was the scary part of my life, I had no money to go to university and I wasn't that smart to get a bursary the funny part about my life was that I didn't know what I wanted to be. Not a house wife of course I was just confused. My sisters worked at Pick n Pay while my aunty was just a domestic worker. I had no one who inspired me not that I blamed them I just had not planned my future ahead I was taking life one day at a time.
We got Kotas and ate making light conversations. He accompanied me home carrying my bag as usual.
"I can't wait to see you singing at church on Sunday" he was smiling
"You mean talking right" I laughed flipping my head back wards
"You have an angelic voice maNdaba. It changes things and I often feel the heavens opening up when you start singing"
"You are really good at smooth talking a lady. I wonder how your girlfriend deals with you"
"My girlfriend so you say. How do you feel when you deal with me"
"I feel like killing you"
"She feels like killing me" I smiled walking inside my house after giving him a hug.
I hated talking about him loving me. I loved him as a friend he understood me, I understood him we both had a mutual feeling but a relationship was going to ruin us. I wanted him to stay with me until forever if there was such .
Aunty had left the chicken feets on top of the bricks directly proportional to the sunlight the ice had melted. I walked inside the house with them.
After changing I went to Thando's house to fetch her we were going to church for the praise and worship practice.
"Are you ready Thando?" I screamed her name when I was outside her house. I loved how it pissed her off
"Hey wena mbuzi(hey you goat) get inside the house don't act like a fool" I walked inside her one room shack it was behind her mother's house.
"I forgot my bible Thando we will share yours"
"You don't have to worry about that, how was your exam?"
"It was good let's go you do know that brother Peter loves complaining when we come late" she laughed
"Not when you are with me. Take my bag and put it on top of the wardrobe while I throw away this dirty water"
We left her place rushing,we were wearing long black skirts with white shirts.
We reached church five minutes late. I was the leader singer. Peter asked us to open our bibles and read the scripture he had opened . We prayed and felt the holyspirit moving some were already praying in tongues .
I sang my favourite worship song people started crying. Our worship team was full of God fearing people we understood that whatever we were doing was for God not for us to be seen or to get the glory.


It was finally Sunday I woke up around 7. I cleaned our two bedroomed house which we bought using the inheritance money. I rushed to the bathroom and took a bath. When I was done fixing myself I took my bible and my purse leaving my aunty behind who was still snoring . Church used to start at 11 am but the worship team was needed at 9 for intercession. When I got outside the house I found Lizwi waiting for me as always. He kept on looking at his watch when his eyes met mine he smiled
"Finally the queen is out" I laughed
"How long have you been standing here?"
"For more than an hour but it's not a problem I would wait for you forever" I smiled
"Do you have to be super crazy so early in the morning?"
"Whenever I am with you,craziness flaws effortlessly without any restrictions"
He kept quiet taking my bag from me he was long gone in a moment I snapped my fingers
"What are you thinking of Mhlongo? " he smiled revealing his dimples
"That one of the good days you will be putting on your make inside our car. I wouldn't want to get to church late."
"I see anyway let's hurry up I don't want brother Peter to shout at me I'm not Thando who gets special treatment" he laughed
"So you have started with your morning gossip,so early in the morning it is better for you to repent now before we enter the gates of the holy temple"
"God pleaee forgive me for gossiping so early in the morning" he laughed until tears came out from the corner of his eyes
"My queen you such a comedian"
"You suck Mhlongo" he laughed even more.
We got to church he wiped my seat and his. He later placed my bible on my seat. I went to the stage and joined other singers.
We prayed and prayed singing . It was now 11 O'clock people were getting inside the church one by one. Thando and her crew started singing their praise songs making the church dance.
I walked in front of them and took the microphone
"Good morning congregation, tell your neighbour that it's now time for worship (the congregation spoke) I will sing,
uyalalelwa uSomandla noma isimo singavumi"
when I looked at my aunty she was already in tears. I kept on singing things were happening some people were rolling on the floor others were crying .
After a wonderful and an amazing worship I looked at Lizwi his eyes were red he was a prayer warrior. By the way my church was Assemblies of God. Women were not allowed to wear trousers it was only skirts and dresses . We got off the stage as the Pastor went ascended to the pulpit
"Its nice to be here" the congregation responded
"Kumnandi ukuba lapha" the Pastor continued
"Sister Gugu may God keep on increasing in you with the rest of your team. I would like you to open the book of 2 Corinthians 6:14 it says Do not be equally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?" He kept on preaching about how we should marry people who are Christians. Lizwi kept on brushing my finger he acted like a baby sometimes.
When the Pastor was finished with his sermon he spoke "zinsizwa zebandla (young men of the church) please don't forget that today we are meeting kunenkonzo yezinsizwa zikaJesu (there is a service for young men of God ). To the rest of the church have a blessed week. May God protect you until we meet next Sunday" we went to the stage to sing the last two songs. Thando sang while the whole church was dancing and clapping their hands.
I waited for Lizwi outside the church he came back after an hour. The following Saturday was the youth service I loved it alot.
"You have been waiting for me my queen. I feel blessed right now" I laughed hugging him
"I couldn't leave you behind let's go get you fed"
"Mhmm I love the sound of that. What are we having today? "
"A home cooked meal let's hurry up before aunty calls her crew to destroy the kitchen"
we rushed home laughing
I dished some Sunday Kos(rice with seven colours different types of salads and meat) for him it was a family tradition if not the whole country of South Africa.
We got inside the house I made him sit on the couch, I washed his hands with warm water "so she knows when my hands are sticky"
I laughed
"I should have given you a cloth, look at you now uyaphapha" he laughed
I gave him his plate
"Did you cook maNdaba? "
"Yes Mhlongo what do you think?"
"I have been ticking you are already at 97%"
"Why am I still close to you? You are a burden shame ngigeza izandla zami(i am giving up )"
He later helped me to wash dishes. I walked him to his house.
When I got back home I found aunty and my sister crying
"What's happening Busi?aunty who died?"
I asked panicking wondering if my other sister was safe
"No one died my child it's Busi's husband, he cheated on her and brought a child home" I was shocked
"Busi why don't you leave him? he clearly doesn't deserve you"
"It's not easy Gugu you are still young you will never understand such things" I clapped my hands slightly laughing
"I don't believe you Busi really now? If I was you I would have long left" aunty coughed a bit
"Gugu my child marriage is not a child's play Busi will do what is right"
I couldn't believe my aunty I felt like my ears were deceiving
"Aunty by right you mean to say that Busi has to accept the child of a home wrecker(aunty nodded) you see I Gugu Ndaba will never accept this craziness. I will pack my bags and leave that very same day without looking backwards. These men think that we are play grounds" my sister cried even more
"It's so easy to say that because you are not in this situation you are only seeing it from far. I have been with him for 13years I can't throw those years away because of a child "
"It's still wrong Busi leave him and start afresh you will get a good man,13years is nothing if you are not at peace " my aunty shouted at me angrily
"Hey wena Gugu get out of here stop meddling in the old people's matters" I walked out angry.
I am not saying that men from church are saints but I wish I had married one. Maybe he was going to use the teachings he got from our church. Again it was going to be easy for our Pastor to intervene and help us if we were facing challenges or problems.

To be continued..