Chapter Fifty Two

Two: Gift

The day started out like any other day. It was a hot day in Awelima village. Everyone had their summer outfits on. Kids were playing games on their way to school. While young adults were arguing about one thing or the other. This was all normal.

But what happened next was not. In fact it was all quite jaw shattering to all.

"God heavens what have I done to deserve you as a son?! What is all this?!" These were the wails of Xolo's mother as she herded him along the path. Everyone who was either close to them or was just curiously watching them. Everyone knew whose house they were headed to just by the direction they headed to. They were going to the priest's house.

All the gossiping parties of the village were already on toe with them ready to know what drama it was this early morning.

MamXala held her son by his ear as she dragged him along. He just silently followed her. Without any fight. It was like he had already submitted himself to the punishment or whatever would follow. MamXala had tears running out of her eyes. She couldn't stop shouting at him. "How could you do this?! Why are you so unreasonable?! Can't you just listen to all the rules your father and I place for you?" She threw him to the doorstep of the house the minute they got to the Maseko household. "This is your new home now! I'm no longer your mother! Stay there! Stay there until the owners come back. Then you shall tell them what you told me! Shameful child!" She wiped her eyes and spat on the ground. Her sobbing could not be held in though. It was evident to anyone who was watching that she had the mind to just take back her words and hug her son. Her only son. Her only child. The one she had suffered for twenty long years of marriage for.

She had been insulted and called names by many when she had no child. She had cried,prayed and begged anyone who could grant her wish to be a mother. Finally she was answered. She had her beautiful baby boy. She named him Xolo. Because to her he was her peace.

She had finally gotten her gift from God . Even though her gift was a little troublesome than the rest she loved him. She would support him even though he was wrong. Maybe that was why he was so spoilt. Because he never got no for an answer. Only meaningless shouting and yelling from his mother and grunts here and there by his father. Nothing more than that. He never knew what true punishment was. Or what a strict parent was like.

This was Xolo's first time seeing his mother actually get angry. This was his first time being really shouted. Not those shouts he had shared before with his mother. Now this was real. Every word from her was both sad and extremely angry mixed with disappointment.

MamXala didn't look at her son. Instead she matched away. With tears immediately rolling down her eyes the minute she got away from the house's view. She held onto a streetlight pole. She didn't care if she seemed like a big baby as she cried right now. She was in pain. And people who were in pain cried as much as they wanted uncaring of the people that looked at them.

Xolo too didn't care about his audience. He placed his head to his knees. Crying and sobbing all at the same time. This was the very first time Xolo was seen like this. Xolo has always been seen as a person who always has a mean spirit to release. He was always angry about this and that. He always complained about everything. Even the weather was not safe from him. But this...this was a new one. Not only did they just witness his mother walk away from him but now they were also the witnesses of his tears.

Everyone right now just wished they could know what had caused this and why Xolo was on the doorstep of the Maseko household. Why had his mother left him there? Did this have something to do with Lindani? Did Xolo accuse Lindani of yet another crime?

If there was something called clear opposites it was Lindani and Xolo. They were just like morning and evening. Day and night. Cold and warmth. One was hot tempered as a volcano while the other was chilled like snow.

•

Students stood in a crowd as they listened to Lindani's song. It was Monday meaning MM. Music Monday. It was a day that the school has always used to just try to drag the quiet and more reserved students into the stage with the other students.

"He sings sooo good!" Bianca Willows complimented talking to Ruby. Who only smirked closing her eyes as she listened to the song.

Lindani played his guitar and sang the song he just woke up knowing the lyrics to this morning.

"Why are we cursed to love? They say rainbows never change colours but why do you? They say melodies are only made by the heart but why does my heart beat in a different tune? They say love is beautiful but why is ours so ugly? They say red is blue but why is white and black still the only tolerated colours? They say I can't love you because you're wrong for me but why do I love you so much then? Why does my heart beat only for you? Why! Why...why...why...why....why...why...why...WHY?! Were we cursed to be in love. "

Lindani walked away from the front after he was done with the song. He didn't even wait for the teacher's feedback. He was still unsettled by not seeing Xolo at school today.

They didn't have the same classes but he knew that Xolo would have been long been chased out of the class by miss Flamingo. He always came there Monday days just to gloat to Lindani how he could sing so much better. That and drooling over Ruby.

Today he wasn't doing any of those things because he wasn't here.

Lindani looked at the door with a frown. Where was he?

"Good thing he wasn't here right?" Ruby said making Linda look at her.

"Hm?" He questioned still half really concentrated at her. He was still focused on hearing the door open and hearing Xolo's annoying voice.

She gestured at the door. "Xolo isn't here. If he was he'd surely caused drama here. The first time he doesn't come it's the first time you sang such a deep song. What was it about? I mean who were you singing for?"

She kept on playing with her ponytail. Lindani turned almost immediately when he heard the door open. Thinking that finally it was Xolo. But it wasn't.

Just miss Sharlot. Who was here for her period.

Lindani rolled his eyes going to his seat. His entire thoughts were on Xolo. Did he really not come just because of the fall? He only fell and Lindani caught him. What was the big deal there?

***

Xolo sat up from the ground wiping at his tears when he saw Mamfundisi come to the house. "What is this? Who am I seeing in my house?"

Xolo tried to open her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Only tears seemed to flow out of him. He fell back to the ground. Sobbing even more than before.

"Hayibo! Yintoni kele nkosi yam?" She asked holding her hands out. She went to help him up. "Masambe. Let's get inside."

Mamfundisi got Xolo a glass of sugar water to calm down his nervous state. "Drink this and then tell me what is happening."

Xolo drank the mixture. He didn't want to really say anything but he would be forced to explain anyway. No one just took in someone who wasn't their family member without proper explanation. The he downed the mixture.

Mamfundisi was already all eyes and ears open. She was quite the gossip herself so to her this felt like the news coming to her for once.

"Mh thetha mntana'm. Umama umamele. Thetha nje" she encouraged trying to get him to talk faster. Xolo tried to talk again but still no words came out of his mouth. Only tears started to run from his eyes to his cheeks. This only served to annoy Mamfundisi.

Before she could even say a word though pastor Maseko came into the house. His eyes immediately seeing Xolo. "Hayibo nyana isokolo sona? Xa ulapha" Xolo only continued to cry even more than before.

The pastor looked at his wife who shook her head,"Hayi nam tata andiyazi. Ndifike enje. Akafuni nokuthetha. Mna I'm very confused ngoku."

Pastor Maseko sighed. "Show him Lindani's room. Let him rest a little. Maybe after he will be calmed down and he'll be able to talk to us then" he went to sit on his armchair.

Mamfundisi came back she sat on a couch opposite to Maseko's. "My husband uthi yintoni kele? Lomntana avele sele ekhala apha yintoni ingxaki?"

Maseko shook his head. "Hayiwethu NoKhaya we are mother and father to all apha. Noba yintoni this was the right place for him to come to. "