LOVE'S BROKEN HINGES

CHAPTER 7

Ntandokazi

I'm bored out of my mind at this thing. These accountants' speeches are long and drone on and one about the same thing. And all of them have this habit of using 3 words where one would have sufficed. Grrrrr. I am on the toilet now, scrolling through Instagram when I heard the door open.

Girl #1: Did you see here? "I'm a med student nywe nywe nywe". Nxxxx.

Girl #2: I wonder what Thandolwethu saw in her for him to marry her so soon.

Girl #1: I'm sure she used some potion of some sort, you know how these village girls are.

I was fuming. Hay ngam mntaka Bawo. I flush the toilet even though I wasn't doing anything and calmly opened the toilet stall door. The giggling stopped immediately as they saw me. I started washing my hands and did not look at them as they glared at me.

Me: No please, continue. Continue to berate a woman who you could never be and really that's what makes you bitter. Nithuleleni ngoku? That's the problem with you 'city girls', you talk big shit in private but you could never have the guts to say it to someones face. Mna ndizonibhanqa nobabini kulol'donga ngoku. Instead of fighting me for a man that's not even yours, fight your stylist for enolace yakho that reaches your eyebrows. Nxxx.

I grabbed my bag off the sink after closing the tap and left the bathroom. I walk back to the main hall and see that Thandolwethu is now up there making a speech. I try to follow along, the Lord knows I tried but I honestly just found everything to be depressingly boring so I just zoned out until everyone started clapping. I clapped along with them and then saw Thandolwethu talking to those girls I had seen in the toilet. He looks over at me with an amused look on his face before he turns away to look at them. Sigh. He's walking towards me now with a very grave look on his face.

Thandolwethu "Masambe"

I don't need to be told twice, I grab my bag and stand, taking his offered hand. We say our goodbyes to Peter and Ivana then Thandolwethu goes to get our car. He pulls up right in front of me and I get in.

Me "Nice of you to open the door for me"
Him "Huh?"
Me "Yeka"
Him "Fezeka and Lesedi told me you insulted them in the toilet"

I'm not even going to reply because I don't even know what I should say.

Him "Am I speaking to myself?"
Me "No"
Him "So, wathula"
Me "Ndithini?"
Him "Explaining yourself would be a great start"

I sigh before telling him what happened, sans the part of me scrolling through Instagram on the toilet seat.

Him "You do realize that you can't just threaten to beat people up, right?"
Me "It's worked well so far, no?"
Him "I'm serious, their father is one of the board members at work"
Me "Their dad could be the president of the country and I don't care. They don't get to bash me and think I'll take it laying down."
Him "I don't care about your spat with them. What I care about is the image of my company and me! I can't have a wife who threatens women in bathrooms!"
Me "Well don't have me as a wife then!"
Him "Do you think I want to? I hate this! I don't want this or you!"
Me "Wow"
Him "Ntandokazi, I didn't mean it like that"
Me "Like what?"
Him "Don't be difficult ngoku you know how I feel about you"
Me "Do I though? One minute you're all smiles the next you hate me. It's hard to not cross lines when they are blurred"
Him "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leading you on-"
Me "You're not leading me on, don't flatter yourself"
Him *sighs* "Okay, how about this so we don't blur any more lines. Let's not try this friend thing. I'm working on something right now. But give me about a year and after that you can even divorce me"
Me "Whatever Thandolwethu"