UPetunia wayezizwa sengathi uyichashazi phezu kwedwala elintaza emoyeni. Wayemncane. Emncanyana. engabonakali. Engento yalutho. Uma elokhu ebuyekeza leligama emqondweni wakhe, lalivele lizwakale selijwayeleke kakhulu. Kwakuyindawo yakhe emhlabeni ngobubanzi bawo. Abantu ayesondelene nabo babezibona beyizidlakathi. Babembukela phansi futhi bemcwasa. Wayemncane ngokungenakulinganiswa. Ukumamatheka kwabo ngokubhuqa nokumbuka kwabo ngokudideka kwakuwuqinisekisa lo mbono. Nesibuko sasiwenza ujule lomuzwa. Ingabe wayenele? Kwakuyiwo kanye lombuzo owawumenza ukuthi azibuze nokuthi ungowabo na. Sengathi wayengeyena owomdabu kulelizwe futhi nabazali bakhe bangempela bamlahlile. Ukucabaga kwakhe ngaleyondlela kwakungam’fanele ubaba; wayazi ukuthi uyam’thanda. Kodwa ngokungabibikho kukanina wayezizwa elahlekile. Sengathi akanalo ilungelo lokufuna lokho ayengakwazi.
Nokho wayezizwa ephephile uma eseduze kolwandle. Kwakuyilapho amachaphazela akhafulwa yigagasi elingisa ukumqhweba esihlathini kanti namatshe abushelelezi ayeyizipho ezicatshangelwe kahle nangokukhulu ukucophelela. Wayesingethwe wumoya omnene. Futhi kwakunovalo olubuhlungu esifubeni sakhe uma sekumele abuyele ekhaya. Usuku olulandelayo lwalulindelwe ukucwaswa okwesabekayo. Kungani kwakumele kube nokukhetha? Ezinye izinto bekungadingeki ukuthi zikhethwe. Wayefuna ukuba yikhokonke ayeyikho. Lapho ilanga lihlangana nokwanga kwamafu okuhehayo, kwase kuyisikhathi. Ubaba wabiza igama lakhe, kepha akazange aphendule. Uzungezunge lovalo lwalumsinda kakhulu esifubeni, kulokhu wakhetha ukubaleka.
UPetunia wabaleka waphela endaweni njengomoya. Wayengafuni lutho olumhlanganisa nomhlaba ayebhekene nawo. Ukuba wayemncane, wayeyovele anyamalale. Inhliziyo yakhe yashaya ngamandla lapho umoya ugijimisa imilobo yezinyawo zakhe esihlabathini solwandle futhi udlula phakathi kwamajika ezinwele zakhe eziminyene. Wayengazazi nokuthi ulibangisephi, kepha nje wayenesifiso sokubaleka.
Phambili, kwakukhona ucingo lwensimbi. Emasangweni avulekile, UPetunia wabona amathuna akudala angcolisiwe, namakhanda awo ayembozwe wubulembu namagama awo esefiphele. Waguqaphansi ezama ukufunda lamagama, kepha kwakulukhuni. Iminwe yakhe yayithe ngqi ehembeni lakhe. Waba lusizi ngalaba bantu abalahlekile nezinyembezi zakhe zawela esihlabathini esingaphansi kwakhe. Naye, wayengumuntu, olahlekile.
Kwathi lapho inyanga izembula nokukhanya kwayo kukhanyisa amathuna, kwavele kwathushuka ifu elikhulu lentuthu emnyama. Yazungeza isihlabathi yazeyaphenduka isiphepho. UPetunia wathula, ephazanyiswa isimanga esingachazeki esenzeka phambi kwamehlo akhe akhazimulayo.
Khande lapho intuthu inyamalala kwakumi owesifazane omuhle onesikhumba esinsundu esikhazimulayo. Wayembethe ingubo ebubende efaniselana neduku layo. Bekungathi akamboni uPertunia ukuthi ukhona, ezidansela ngenkululeko phakathi kwamatshe amathuna, izingalo zakhe zazihamba sengathi ulingisa amagagasi olwandle. Kwakungacacile ukuthi inhloso yakhe yini, kepha uPetunia wayethathekile. Kuthe lapho ephenduka okokugcina phambi kokuba aqede umdanso aphenduke ahefuzele, uma ehlehlela emuva amehlo akhe amakhulu ansundu awela kuPetunia.
“Mtanami,” kusho lona wesifazane, “asikafiki isikhathi sakho.”
“Isikhathi sami?” uPetunia wesula izinyembezi zakhe.
“Umsebenzi wami ukwam’kela abangasekho ekupheleleni kwempilo, kepha akusiso isikhathi sakho.”
Owesifazane waphenduka ukuze anake amatshe amathuna.
“Ungubani? Kungani udansa ematsheni?”
“Ngingu Yewa. Inkosazana youkufa.”
“Imidanso yami ikhumbuza abangasekho ukuthi ngiyabavikela. Amathuna ayisibopho sami. Ngisho nalabo abalahlwe yilabo abake baphila ngaphambilini.
“Uvamise ukuza kangaki lapha, Yewa?”
“Ubuza imibuzo eminingi, ngane.” Waphefumulela phezulu waphephula isihlabathi samatshe ngesivunguvungu somoya. Lamagama abefiphele emizuzwini edlule, egwinywe yisikhathi nesimo sezulu elinesiphepho aphinde avela. UPetunia wabuka ngokumangala, emangazwa yindlela uYewa ayeyinakekela ngayo le ndawo yalaba abangasekho. Wabaphatha ngomusa senathi basadla anhlamvana. Kuye babengekho bancane futhi babebonakala.
UYewa wabubula ngokucasuka, kepha akazange am’xoshe UPetunia. Wayenganyamalalela emhlabeni wabangasekho uma wayefuna, kepha akazange, wayegxile ekuhlanzeni amatshe.
“Yewa, ucabanga ukuthi ngingahamba nawe?” Kubuza uPetunia, izwi livevezela. “Ngi, ngi…cabanga ukuthi sengikulungele ukuhamba.”
Wahlahla amehlo uYewa. Wayengakaze ayizwe into enjalo ibuya kumuntu ngaphambilini. Kakhulukazi emtwaneni oneminyaka engaphansi kweyishumi. Wayesaphile okwesikhashana kepha wayesezimisele ukunquma iminyaka yempilo yakhe.
“Ngane, kungani ufisa izinto ezinjena? Asikafiki isikhathi sakho.”
“Angicabangi ukuthi kukhona lapho ngamkeleke khona,”Kusho uPetunia. “Kubuhlungu uma bengibukela phansi sengathi mina angilutho. Ngizizwa ngilahlekile. Angizizwa sengathi ngenele. Mhlasimbe umhlaba wakho kukhona onganginikeza kona.”
Inkosazana yama nsi ngoba yayingenalo ulwazi ekuqeqesheni abantu abaphilayo. Yayincamela kakhulu abangasekho emhlabeni; kwakungena kuphela kwethemba okwakumele kubhekanwe nakho. Okwabo kwakuphelile. Lentombazanyana, yayinezinsuku eziningi phambi kwayo. Kepha kwakungekholula ukuyiyeka ukuthi ikhinyabezeke yodwa.
UPetunia aphefumule ngovalo ngoba nakhu esecasule uYewa. Akabange esachiphiza zinyembezi. Umzimba wakhe wase ukhathele ngenxa yalom’zwangedwa owawumhlupha mihla namalanga.
UYewa wathula wasondela kuye. “Mntanami, ungaphezu kokwanele. Ukuxhumana kwakho nenkosazana kudala kungaphakathi kwakho. Umama wakho angase angabi owakulelizwe, kodwa njengendodakazi yakhe, unelungelo lokuba yilokho oyikho. Uzalo lwakho lwanele.”
Waphakamisela amehlo enkosazaneni, okomzuzwana, wawungafunga ukuthi uyibone imamatheka kancane. Ingcosana yamazinyo ayo amhlophe njengobuhlalo obumhlophe ecwebezela ngaphansi kwenkazimulo yenyanga.
“Uyingxenye yabantu baseYoruba naphezu kobudlelwane bakho obunqanyuliwe. Zikhona izindlela zokuxhumana nabo. Uyilomuntu onguye kungakhathaleke ukuthi utshelwa okwehlukile.
UYewa welula isandla, wadonsa uPetunia ukuba amengezinyawo, wam’bamba izandla ngesineke waziholela olwandle. Umoya wolwandle wawuphole kamnandi wawushaya kamnandi ekhanda lakhe nasesikhumbeni sakhe. Waphakamisela ihlo kuYewa. Izizathu zenkosazana zazingaminiki mqondo. Yini lena yayizama ukuyiqinisekisa? Khona-ke, umzimba wakhe washayisana nesithiyo esingabonakali sokushisa. Sam’zungeza ngokuthokomala okwejwayelekile ayengena kukuchaza. Kwehla unyembezi esweni lika Petunia lapho eseqonda ukuthi siyini.
“Noma ungamboni kepha uyaluzwa uthando lwakhe. Vumela lokho ukuthi kukuhole futhi kukukhumbuze ukuthi ungubani. Uyinzalo yabantu baseYoruba.”
UPetunia waphelelwa ngamagama. Umoya kamama wakhe wawungasolwandle sonke lesis’khathi. Lokho kwamenza ukuba aqonde ukuthi kungani ulwandle lwalumenza azizwe esekhaya. Kepha kwakungokokuqala ukuba intokomalo yakhe izibonakalise, futhi inyamalala ngokushesha njengokufika kwayo. Waphakamisela amehlo akhe acwebe izinyembezi kuYewa wazibuza ukuba umama wakhe uyamuzwa na. Inkosazana yanqekuzisa ikhanda ikuqinisekisa lokho.
“Mama, ngiyakuthanda,” kusho uPetunia. “Ngifisa ukuthi awuzange usheshe ungishiye. Ngiyethembisa ngizophilela wena. Ngiyethemba umhlaba wabangasekho ukuphethe kahle, futhi ubaba unginakekela kahle.” Umoya ofudumele waphinde wabuya futhi phambi kokuba unyamalale unomphelo. Waphefumula ngokukhululeka. Umama wakhe wayem’thanda. Kwakuyikho kuphela lokho ayedinga ukukwazi.
UPetunia wajeqeza emuva ethi ubonga uYewa, kodwa wayesenyamalele. Elinye ithuna elidinga ukunakekelwa, phela kwakungumsebenzi wakhe lokho. Wathintitha isihlabathi esikhindini sakhe wabuka ulwandle okokugcina. Wamamathekela umkhathizwe ngaphambi kokuba ezwe izwi elinomsindo likababa wakhe lim’memeza. Wafulathela amathuna waqhubeka washona phambili.
Buqamama, isithunzi sikamama wakhe savela phakathi kwamatshe amathuna. Amehlo akhe ansundu anokuthokomala ayibuka indodakazi yakhe iqhubekela phambili ngothando futhi ayegwele uthando olukhazimulayo.