ZwiLife 66-Finale

Zwi a Penga – Life As We Know It
Chapter 66

EUGENE

I followed Stacy as she walked away. She started running and I ran after her and grabbed her arm
Stacy:” leave me alone Eugene” she was trying to fight me but I held her tight and hugged her, she still tried to fight me but obviously she wasn’t strong enough
Me:” I am sorry…mom….i am really sorry” I said as I hug her tight…she tried to push me so I let her go
Stacy:” I have a daughter who don’t know me…a biological child that knows nothing about me and I haven’t been in contact with her since everyone thought I died but I am here with you Eugene…I am here because I want to look out for you…you don’t get to push me around” she was screaming at me and I looked away in embarrassment, I couldn’t believe that I actually did that to her, I was feeling bad
Me;” I know that and I am sorry” I really felt bad for what I did to her…I was seriously losing control and it was not good at all
Stacy:” I understand that you lost a baby and it hurts, I do okay? I am hurt too” she said that with her one hand on her hips…she sniffed and looked away from me…she quickly wiped off the tears with her other hand
Me:” Andani said she wants to have her womb removed”
Saying it out loud ripped me apart, my mouth was even trembling as i said the words. This meant that I wasn’t going to be able to have kids of my own, I never planned on being with anyone else or sleeping with another woman, Andani was the one I wanted and after everything she had suffered because of me she didn’t deserve me cheating on her for any reason so if she remove her womb then it meant that my dreams of having kids were shattered. I know I could always get someone but I didn’t want a baby with just someone, in fact I didn’t want a baby with anyone else, I wanted a baby with her, only her
Stacy:” what?”
Me:” she just told me the news” I said as my lips tremble, Stacy looked at me and shook her head
Stacy:” she won’t do it”
Me:” she said her mind is made up. I really love her Stacy, I still want to have a baby with her..., not with anyone else but with her…bu-“
Stacy:” but she is not going to do it, I won’t let her”
Me:” you’re gonna talk to her?”
Stacy:” sort of”
Me:” Stacy you can’t threaten her or anything like that, she’s been through a lot”
Stacy:” you are in no position to tell me what to do and what not to do right now Eugene…I am still not okay with who and what you’ve become…with all that said, I am just going to talk to her” I breathed, I was really hoping that Stacy wont threaten Andani, the poor girl had suffered enough already, she couldn’t take any more suffering.
Me:” I am really sorry for what I did back there” she looked at me and then away and then back at me
Stacy:” Rod was a cruel man Eugene, you are nothing compared to him and sometimes I get why you act the way you do because he was the only father figure you had but there was always a line. A line he never crossed. He never raised his hand to me or his mom or his sisters” I looked at her and breathed
Me:” but he abducted girls and used them as sex slaves” she turned around and gave me her back…she turned back at me and looked at me again
Stacy:” you have a problem with that? you’ve been running the operation for years now” I imagined Ndivhuwo's daughter being one of the girls in the brothel and the thought of it just finished what was left of my heart, i even thought of Tshililo being in the brothel unwillingly and it pained me in a way that i couldn't explain
Me:” exactly and Andani doesn’t know about it Stacy, do you think that if she finds out she’ll accept it? She asked me about it but I told her that I let women do it willingly but you and i both know that it’s a lie” i said that with my panicking voice, she breathed
Stacy:” wow, so that little fight with Ndivhuwo really hit a nerve huh?" i looked at her and frowned
Me:" you were listening in?"
Stacy:" i was only looking out for you"
me:" he has a daughter, i think she is about 12 years old now....thats nearly the age group that we prefer and for the first time since i started the businesss i am seeing things differently"
Stacy:" you are being human and right now i am not sure if it’s a good or bad thing" i breathed
me:" there is nothing wrong with doing the right thing every once in a while"
stacy:" that Ndivhuwo nigga is also cruel, he is not really innocent so i dont understand why he has to judge you because i dont see anyone else judging him, do you know that he had a twin?" i nodded
Me:" has"
Stacy:" no, it’s 'had', the dead twin brother is dead" i looked at her in horror
stacy:" yes he didnt tell you and here you are, about to give up one of your businesses because the cheese boy aint happy about it"
me:" what do you mean his twin brother is dead?" she smilled
Stacy:" his late brother V Boy killed the twin brother, but it was before they found out they were a family. That boy is so messed up so he didnt report the brother as being dead. He decided to take up both identities because letting the world know about his twin's death was going to be too much of a threat. Those boys were cruel, Ndivhu still is but he is alone in it right now. So do you really think you can trust him?" okay i started pacing around the room trying to make sense of everything that Stacy just off loaded to me right now
Me:" are you sure this is all true? Uhm wait a minute, how do you even know so much about him?" she went to sit on the sofa
Stacy:" when you partnered with him i had to know the kind of person you were associating yourself with. It wasnt easy gathering everything about that boy but i took my time and he became my assignment. So i found out things about him, i listened in to his conversations and that’s how i got to know about the dead brother. I also asked most of his past business associates...he is the devil" i breathed
me:" so you think i should be scared of him?"
Stacy:" no, more like you are in the same level of darkness so i am not sure who is more evil and cruel and powerful between you two" well that wasnt new information, Ndivhuwo and i both knew that
me:" so you dont think i can trust him?"
Stacy:" he has everything on you and by the look of things he might threaten you or use some of your deals against you so tell me if you can trust such a friend? What kind of a friend bury your dirt with the aim of digging them up again whenever the need arises?"  i looked at her and breathed
Me:" i need time...if everything you are saying is true then it means that Ndivhuwo might have killed Thembuluwo and if that's true then it means that the boy is really heartless"
Stacy:" more heartless than you can ever imagine, he is the definition of darkness. i am not going to choose who you do business with Eugene but i am just saying that if you continue partnering with this boy then you shouldn't relax, you should forever look behind your shoulder, he is not capable of love. The only person he has ever trully loved is his twin brother and his death broke him. I suspect that everything that's been going on with that family so far is all him trying to make them pay for his twin's death" i shook my head pacing
me:" I dont think he would go that far, he love that family, he loves Tshililo" i said with my hands flying in the air, there were parts of me that trusted Ndivhuwo, i didnt want to believe that he was this crazy lunatic that Stacy was telling me about, i wanted to believe that our friendship meant something and that we had an argument and that somehow we could fix it. The things he said to Andani in the hospital didnt draw the picture of him that Stacy was painting right now
Stacy:" the exact same way that you loved Lusani and what did you do to Lusani after finding out what he did to you? He also loves them the exact same way that Lusani loved you and what did Lusani do to you when you wronged him? He is psychotic, and people like him love playing games, mind games is his greatest weapon" i threw myself on the sofa and covered my face with my hands
Stacy:" i know you are a strong man Eugene and i trust that you will treat everything that i told you with confidentiality"
me:" yeah thank you"I just wanted her to stop talking. i didnt know what to believe anymore, i knew for a fact that Stacy always had my back and that she would never lie to me but maybe she was just mistaken, maybe she was just reading too much into Ndivhuwo's actions. Stacy stood up
me:" so, why did you tell me all this?"
stacy:" so that you dont let him manipulate you into taking the business decision he want you to take, i wanted you to know that he is as heartless as you and that you are not the devil you think you are. Yes you abduct those girls and make money and run a business but so does he. He kill people too? Make drugs and distribute them"
Me:" he used to"
stacy:" even though i dont have proof, i dont believe that he left all of it behind, men like him dont do this for money, it’s their life, always remember that Ndivhuwo is your equal and you need to be extra careful around him okay?"
me:" okay, uhm I am apologising again for what I did, it will never happen…uhm I have to get that room cleaned up and then I have a trip to take…I might have to see you tomorrow, that’s if you’re still around” she gave me a fake smile
Stacy:” I have overstayed my welcome, I have to disappear again” I honestly didn’t want her to go
Me:” but i-“
Stacy:” I know you don’t want me to go but we cant risk everyone knowing that I am still alive Eugene…you know that Rod and I were the number one wanted couple by the most vicious people in the world so if the word gets out that I was seen alive somewhere, they might even suspect that Rod is also alive and will threaten everyone in order to get me” I breathed
Me:” yeah you are right”
Stacy:” coming out here was risky enough so I have to disappear, immediately after my talk with Andani I will leave”
Me:” I am sorry”
Stacy:” I understand that you are sorry Eugene….i know you are hurting right now, I really do. Maybe Rod didn’t tell you this but we’ve also lost babies Eugene…not just one pregnancy, we’ve lost a few to this life…I lost my whole family too….mom and dad and sisters…they all got murdered because I choose a life with Rod. But I lived through all that pain. I finally managed to carry one child full term and it’s the reason why staying away from her doesn’t worry me because I know that one look from me might earn her a bullet on the head. Isabella survived and that’s why I stay away from her because I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her, it’s the reason why I stayed far away from you even when you made mistakes I didn’t show myself because I ddint want to endanger you so this one appearance should be enough Eugene. I will be watching over you as always. I love you” I hugged her
Me:” I love you too” we broke the hug and she walked out of the house. I walked after her and stood at the door and watched her get into her car and drove off.

ANDANI

I was shocked and happy to see Vhusani walked in. my stomach jumped in excitement, I didn’t know that I needed her this much. She slowly walked in and opened her mouth to say something but she closed it again
Me:” you can say it” I said that trying to sit up on the bed, it was a bit painful but I managed to sit
Vhusi:” say what?”
Me:” that I should have listened to you and leave him” I said that with so much pain within me
Vhusi:” that’s not what I want to say to you…I have no words Andi, simply because no words will be enough to take you out of this miserable…I feel like a sorry wont be enough, no one in their life deserve to suffer this much” tears started coming out, I honestly didn’t want to cry anymore, I felt like crying was overarrated, I’d been crying ever since I found out that i lost the baby but I found myelf crying once more.
vhusi:" what happened?" she stood beside my bed with her hands holding mine, i really couldnt explain what happened, not to Vhusani, she didnt deserve the gory details of everything that went down
Me:" stomach cramps" i said that and looked away
Vhusi:" i am so sorry friend"
Me:" dont say anything else Vhusi, just sit here with me please"
She nodded and sat on the bed with her hands holding mine. Sitting there with my best friend was the kind of remedy i needed.  i wanted to ask who told her that i was here but i knew the answer to that, it could only be Eugene, he knew that i would need my friend here with me. I dont know how long i stayed there with my best friend in silence but after an awfully long time someone knocked and then opened the door, i was hoping that it wasnt Eugene because i didnt want to continue the conversation about my womb. Thank God it wasnt him, it was Stacy. She smiled as soon as she saw me, Vhusani looked at her and then at me
Me:" uhm Vhusani this is Stacy and she is Eugene's uhm...its his-"
Stacy:" his mom, i am Eugene's mother"
Me:" yes his mother" well, it was hard to refer to her as Eugene's mother, she was too young plus i knew what happened to Eugene's real mother so it was a bit hard for me. Vhusani was in total shock
me:" and Stacy this is my best friend Vhusani"
Stacy:" hi" she said looking at Vhusani with a smile
vhusani:" hi"
Stacy:" uhm Vhu...uhm vhu....uhm whatever your name is....just give us a minute please" Vhusani looked at me and then at Stacy
Vhusani:" ow...uhm"
Stacy:" now" Vhusani got up from the chair and walked out of the room. Stacy looked at me and folded her hands on her chest, okay this wasnt a friendly visit, she looked pretty pissed
Stacy:" i hear you want to have your womb removed" oww my God, i should have known that the grown up Eugene will go cry to mommy
me:" it’s my choice"
Stacy:" no its not"
Me:" you have no idea what i am going through okay? You have no idea how painful it is to feel this empty after i have spent months trying not to lose the baby" i said that crying
Stacy:" i am not Eugene and your tears are definitely not going to make me weak, not even slightly. So i want you to be quiet so that you dont miss a single word i am going to say to you" there was an authority in the way she spoke, like she really meant those words and that if i dont obey i stand to lose something. I immediately went quiet and she walked to me. She stood by the bed looking straight at me
Stacy:" i had five miscarriages, five Andi and i finally got one living child...i got her after the five miscarriages. i lost my whole family to this life. Tt this moment i have lost a husband and never had contact with my daughter in years, she doesnt even know that i exist but look at me...i am strong because i dont look back and cry and wish i did things differently because we cant undo the past. You have to stop sitting on this bed and feeling sorry for yourself and blame my son. Yes he messed up and so did you. He poured his heart out to you, told you his deep darkest secrets and what did you do? You didnt leave and never look back. You stood there and gave him hope. Eugene was never going to want more in life if you never told him that you could give him more. You made him want to have kids, you made him want to be better, you are the reason he got better and you are the reason he ever wanted to have his own family and his own kids. So no Andani, you dont get to take that away from him, not after you flaunt it infront of him and show him that its possible, you are going to sit here and finish what you started. You are going to be a strong woman because the path you chose is not for the weak. Yes you lost a child and you can cry about it for a year but you are not going to have your womb removed and one day you will have a child with my son. he still loves you and wants only you and he wants to have a baby only with you so you made him want all these things and you are going to give them to him" i looked at her and couldnt say a word, i was terrified and most of all i hated myself for ever agreeing to all this
Stacy:" do we understand each other?"
me:" what if...i...i...d..dont do w...what you are saying?" my mouth was trembling
Stacy:" i dare you....if you think Eugene is heartless then you dont know what heartless is....my husband and i made him remember?" i swallowed and blinked and then she walked out of the door

ZwiLife

Chapter 67
TSHILILO

It felt good to be home, i was happy to be here with the kids again. I woke up in the morning and went to my son's room and he wasnt there. I walked out and walked to the kitchen and i found him standing in the kitchen with a slice of cake on his hand
Me:" morning boy" i said with my smiley face on, i was happy to see him. He got a fright and ate the slice immediately and then looked at me...he gave me a wide smile and ran to me, i bet he was stealing that cake
me:" how are you my boy?"
TJ:" excited" he said with a giggle
me:" mommy is excited too" i carried him and then walked outside with him. I knew that Nndwa spent the night with Zoli and Xolani so i couldnt wake them, i had to wait until they wake up. i had no idea what time it was but it was still early because everyone else was still sleeping. The only reason why TJ was up was because of the cake. I sat in the stoep and put him beside me
me:" my little boy" i pulled him to me and kissed his forehead
TJ:" i am not little anymore" i giggled
Me" ow yeah thank you for reminding me, my big boy" he giggled.
So i sat there with my son for a while as he gave me an update of what's been going on. I then decided to start cleaning the house. God i missed the normality, i missed being a mom or a wife instead of a robot that's all about the mission. I told TJ to play outside so that i could clean, he took his bicycle and went outside. i started in my room. There wasnt mush to do there because i wasnt home for a couple of days so the room was spotless. i smiled as i cleaned. It felt good to be normal, to feel normal and to do something as normal as cleaning other than guns. When i was done with my room i went to Rendi's room which was being used by Rotondwa, Roto wasnt there, well i didnt panic because i figured that maybe she went outside while i was cleaning my room. i was busy cleaning there when Zoleka came and stood at the door
Zoli:" hey Nndwa here is mommy" she said to the boy who was in her arms, i smiled when i saw my boy. i let go of the vacuum cleaner and went to her
me:" Ow my God Zoli i miss him so much" i said while taking Nndwa, the boy giggled as i took him. i gave him several kisses and I couldnt stop myself from giggling
Zoli:" so all went well?" i smiled
Me:" yeah, it’s not over though, we still have enemies roaming around so its not yet over" she breathed
Zoli:" as long as we are okay for now"
Me:" yes we are"
Zoli:" let me start cleaning the lounge"
Me:" nahh dont worry about it, i will clean the whole house" she looked at me and smiled
Zoli:" mhm i wonder what happened out there"
Me:" a lot happened but there was definitely no cleaning so let me" she giggled
Zoli:" i will make something to eat then"
Me:" okay" she walked away and i kissed Marshal once more, the boy kept giggling and talking to me. This little boy had a little bit of Thembu and also a little bit of Bonita in him. I decided to take him outside so that he can play with others while i clean. i ran into Ndivhuwo and Roto in the passage
Ndiv:" morning" he said with a smile, he was walking hand in hand with his daughter. i dont know if it was loneliness or horniness or maybe the devil was just playing tricks on me but hell people, Ndivhuwo kept getting hotter by the day. The nigga was walking around the house with the same outfit that he had been wearing for few days now and he didnt have shoes on his feet but he still looked hot. His beard were clearly unshaved
Me"morning" i said that looking from him to his daughter
Roto:" owww aunt Tshili" she gave me a hug
Me:" hey sweety...how are you doing?"
Roto:" with daddy home? i am super excited" i giggled
Me:" i can clearly see your excitement love" she let go and walked away. i looked at Ndivhuwo who was looking back at me, i shook my head while bottling up a laugh
Ndiv:" what?"
me:" no offence okay" i smirked
Ndiv:" just say it"
Me:" when are you taking a shower and change these clothes? And maybe shave as well?" he smiled
Ndiv:" oww am i not hot enough?" he was trying to be sarcastic and it worked because i laughed
Me:" Ndivhuwo please just go shower...God, you are a hazard on your own, like a health and safety risk bruh...i can’t breathe while i am close to you" he burst into a serious laugh
ndiv:" wow....uhm let me go shower then and please clean my room too"
Me:" i will do it after you get out of the shower, other than that i am not going in there"
Ndiv:" cool enough, i will take that shower now" he winked at me
Me:" hahh thank God...we will finally be able to breathe around here" he shook his head and walked away. i looked at him as he walked back to his room and couldnt stop laughing. This right here is how normal smelt like....whatever the cost, we had to try and get our lives back on track, we had to try and be normal again. I loved the fact that Ndivhuwo and i were back to laughing and making jokes again.

Xolani walked up to me as well, i dont know man, my heart just jumped when i saw him...i was happy to see him again
X:" madam Tshi"
Me:" X" he came to me and gave me a hug
X:" you made it home safe"
Me:" yeah we did and thanks for keeping things under control this side"
X:" nothing happened so it was all good....did anything else happened other than your update via the phone?" we broke the hug
Me:" well, Eugene is not just a thug X, he also do human trafficking so Ndivhuwo found out about it and he wasnt really thrilled so they are not tal-"
X:" wait a minute, so Eugene is in Diesel's same whatsapp group? Like he does the same s*** they did to you?" i nodded
X:" i knew it, i knew there was something about him"
Me:" but we still have Daddy on the lose, we need him and Ndivhuwo is stubborn as you know, i think at this point it shouldn't matter what Eugene does, we need him" Xolani looked at me and breathed and then smiled
Me:" what?"
X:" where is that girl? The girl we went to NMMU with? i miss that girl" i giggled
Me:" okay lets stop talking business, now you have that girl back" we giggled. Xolani was more like a brother i never had, me and him come a long way, he was there from the very beginning, he was there through it all and even though he couldnt save me from this life...he was always the one to talk some sense into Thembu when he was rebellious
X:" thank you and ow...if it makes you feel better, we will discuss this Eugene issue okay? i might have to smooth things up with Eugene without Ndivhuwo knowing of course"
Me:" thank you" he squeezed my shoulder and walked away.

My phone rang just when i was about to start cleaning again. Okay the cleaning was clearly going to take the whole day. I checked the caller ID and to my surprise it was Eugene. i didnt understand why he would be calling me. i picked up the call
Me:" Eugene"
Eugene:" Tshililo are you alone?"
Me:" yes i am"
Eugene:" i want to tell you something and i want you to relax and not react....you need to be strong for your whole family" my heart started racing, was Daddy here already?
Me:" okay" i walked to my room slowly
Eugene:" how sure are you that after Thembuluwo was taken to hospital he then died from the injuries he sustained during the accident?" i frowned and looked around in confusion
Me:" what do you mean?"
Eugene:" i know about Ndivhuwo's twin and that Thembu killed him. How much do you know and trust Ndivhuwo?" my heart was now beating out of my chest, i could already see where this was going. How did Eugene find out about the twins?
Me:" how do you know about his twin being dead?" i walked into my room and sat on the bed
Eugene:" that's of less importance right now. Do you really know him? What if everything that’s been happening was him making the whole family pay for his brother's death? What if he finished Thembu off huh? What if he knew about Katherine and was actually working with her? Ndivhuwo is very clever; do you honestly think that he failed to see Katherine coming? What if they plotted this together and everything was just a game to him? What if this is all just a game?"
me:" it can’t be, he...he killed Katherine himself, he tortured her as a way to avenge Thembu's death"
Eugene:" just think about it, think carefully about everything, how he easily forgave Thembu, does he seem so forgiving to you? Does he easily forget? How cruel is he?" i thought about the day he tried to kill me and how he mercilessly squeezed the life out of me, i was now totally confused
me:" no he wouldnt" i said as tears gushes down
Eugene:" if what i am saying is all true then you are all in danger. He will finish you all and he will use different tactics to do that. Maybe he didnt work with Katherine but he definitely let her have all the power, she couldnt have outplayed him. Remember how you chose Thembu over him? How you chose to save Thembu's life over his? Do you think he has forgiven you for that? i honestly think that he killed Thembu on purpose to purnish you for loving Thembu more" my heart was exploding, there were part of this whole story that Eugene was insuniating that made sense. Ndivhuwo was different, usually he wouldnt think twice before taking me back but now he was playing hard to get...he was making me fall more and more in love with him and then pull back...he wanted to see me suffer, this was definitely his revenge
Eugene:" Tshililo you really ne-"
Me:" Eugene stop....please i want you to stop" i said that while i cry
Eugene:" i confronted him about killing Thembu yesterday and he didnt deny it, instead he threatened me saying that if i think he killed his brother then what makes me think that he won’t kill me too. Tshililo you've been good to me and Andani and i want to do something to save you so you need to do something about this, talk to Xolani and then do something, i will be here to help you" i shook my head
Me:" i dont know what to believe"
Gee:"  just take some time and think it through, you know him better than me and you can then decide if what i am saying makes sense"
Me:" oww no...uhm i have to go" i dropped the call and threw the phone on the bed.

The whole thing hurt. How could he do this to us? To the whole family? My heart hurt so much. i didnt want to believe that he would hurt me like this, that he would be this heartless, that everything had been a lie. Oww my God it hurt so bad. i loved him, i loved Ndivhuwo, well i still do, more than anything and knowing that he might have been playing me was painful. I got out of my room and went to his. I was battling to breathe, I got to his room and he wasnt there, probably went to the shower. I followed him to the shower and the water was on. I coudln’t wait outside so i opened the door and stood there looking at him with my whole body shaking. I didnt care about him being naked, at this point i didnt care about him being hot or whatever. I looked at him and he scared me, i was terrified. I was not sure whether to believe Eugene or not, i guess i didnt believe him, if i did i wouldnt be standing there infront of Ndivhuwo wanting to confront him, if i believed Eugene i would be out there talking to Xolani and planning Ndivhuwo's death. I was there because i wanted t believe that he actually cared about us, i wanted to believe that this family meant something, i wanted to believe that there was something good in him and that he wasnt just a darkness. He switched off the water and looked at me
Ndiv:" what's wrong?" the panic in his voive made me feel warm and loved and it gave me the kind of hope i needed
Ndiv:" Tshililo?" he got out of the shower and grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, he was dripping wet
Ndiv:" what happened?"
Me:" i don't even know where to start" i said that and just broke down, i always thought i was strong, well i always tried to be strong but at this moment i was failing, i couldnt stay strong
Ndiv:" love what happened? Just start from the beginning" i walked out of there and he followed me. I walked back to his bedroom and he still followed me. He got there and closed the door behind him
Me:" uhm...do you still miss him?" i guess that's where it should start, his brother's death was the root, if this was Ndivhuwo playing mind games with all of us then his brother's death was the beginning of everrthing
Ndiv:" who?"
Me:" you know who"
Ndiv:" he was a part of me, i will always miss him"
Me:" and did you forgive Thembu for his death?" he gave me a confused look
Ndiv:" where is this coming from?"
Me:" did you forgive him? Yes or no?"
Ndiv:" of course i forgave him, if not then his death wouldnt have been caused by an accident because i would have ripped his heart apart by my own bare hands"
Me:" we are not even sure if the accident caused his death" he raised an eyebrow
Ndiv:" okay i better let you talk...Tshililo what is going on?" he stood far apart from me with his hands folded on his chest and looking straight at me
Me:" I dont know, all i know is that everything started going horribly wrong when you came into our lives. How could you easily forgive someone who killed your twin brother? How could you easily forgive me for everything i have done to you? Is this a game to you? Everything we've been doing, has it been a game to you? Seeing me cry and declare my love to you...do you reminisce over it in private and have a laugh of your life at how pathetic i look? Is this all part of your revenge plan?" i was crying. He looked at me in complete anguish, like he couldnt believe a word i was saying
Ndiv:" who have you been talking to?" he was so calm and it scared the s*** out of me
Me:" no one" i didnt want to mention Eugene's name just in case
Ndiv:" i am not stupid, you were okay just 15 minutes ago and now all of a sudden you think i killed my brother? And that i've been playing everyone? You talked to Eugene right? You’ve been talking to him?"
Me:"no"
Ndiv:" you dont have to lie to me" he took out his phone and dialled a number and then put the phone in his ear. Ow no, who is he calling now?
Ndiv:" i dont know what you are hoping to achieve by this Eugene but i honestsly thought very highly of you. i dont understand why you are doing all this, or maybe its all because i am not happy with your human trafficking s***? But either way i dont care. I didnt kill my brother, i dont care whether you believe me or not but i didnt kill him. Forgiving him wasnt easy but i did it for me becasue i knew i needed a family....its one of the reasons why i am choosing not to come after you for this little stunt you just pulled because for the time being i considered you a friend so consider your life spared. As for the s*** i have against you...i will create an account on the cloud and put all your s*** inside and then give you passwrds...i wont keep copies and i wont use them against you if thats what you are afraid i will do. I am doing this because i want you to politely do one thing for me in return...Stay away from my family and stop poisoning them against me...they are all i have right now and you really dont want to know what i will become if i lose the only thing that i hold dear. So i will pretend like your call to Tshililo never happened. Do you have any questions or clarity about my life?.....okay sure then" he finished talking on the phone and threw his phone on the bed and turned around and looked at me...i was ambarrassed, i should have known better. He looked at me with his hands on his hips
Me:" i am sorry" he charged at me so fast and i walked backward until i reached the wall...he got to me and just looked straight into my eyes
Ndiv:" look at me and tell me what you see? Do i look like i am playing games to you?" there was too much sadness on the way he talked and it made me want to just runaway. i shook my head. He held both my hands and pinned them against my chest
Ndiv:" ever since i've been part of this family i've been all about saving all of you, i've put you first Tshili...even when ya'll act like i dont exist at times i stuck around because i knew i needed a family, you of all people know that i never had a family except for Roli and with him gone then i had no one. It’s the reason why i am here will all of you. How can you think for a second that i would play games with you? That i would kill Thembuluwo and his mother? Do you think that i am that evil? What have i ever done to you to make you doubt me this much Tshili? I've done everything for you....i dont even know what to do anymore to prove to you that i am real. Do you honestly think that my feelings for you are not real? And that i am being distant because it’s a game? f*** Tshililo i am being distant because i am afraid you will hurt me again....cant i be afraid?" he let go of me and went to his bed and sat there, he covered his face with his hands
Me:" i am so sorry"
Ndiv:" just leave"
Me:" Ndivhuwo i am sorry"
Ndiv:" okay you can stay....but i am taking my daughter and i am getting out of here" oww my God no.  Hauwa Ndivhuwo can’t really be this dramatic, did he really had enough of me?
Me:" Ndivhuwo dont do this" i ran to him and went down on my knees and held his hands
Ndiv:" do what? How do you even know that this is not me playing yet another game huh? How do you know that i am not doing this on purpose because i want you to beg me"
Me:" i just know" i held his hand but he yanked it away
Ndiv:" you should have known better than to confront me about this"
Me:" i know and i am sorry"
Ndiv:" just get out Tshili"
Me:" but i dont want you to leave...please" He gave me his deadly look and i knew i had to leave.

Zwi a Penga - Life as We Know It

Chapter 68

TSHILILO

I got up to leave and asked myself if leaving him like that was the right thing to do? What if he leaves us for real? Wouldn’t i regret it? Apart from him always protecting us, I knew for a fact that I was in love with him and lately I had been envisioning life with him and the kids, I couldn’t lose him. I mean Ndivhuwo was the type to disappear and leave no trace so letting him go might mean that I would never ever meet him again. I turned around and looked at him and decided that if he decides to kill me for doing this then be it. i went to sit on him with my legs on both side of his waist. i tilted his head so that he can look at me. i expected him to tell me to f*** off but he didn’t. That led me to think that he liked what I was doing to him.
Me:" i am sorry....i am just scared too"
Ndiv:" but why? I have never hurt you"
Me:" i know, it all kind of made sense when he said it, you've been too good to us and you punishing us would make a lot of sense than you being this good" he wrapped his hands around me and i finally relaxed...he then rested his head on my shoulder and held me tighter
Ndiv:" i will never ever do anything to hurt you or this family and i don’t hate Eugene too, i just want him to stop abducting women...is that too much to ask?" he raised his head and looked at me, he was really sad
Me:" no its not and maybe you should just talk to him nicely, make him think carefully about this...you and Eugene are both powerful and you are always throwing threats at each other just to prove that you are both strong...put your pride aside and talk to him...i am sure he wants to talk to you too...the same way you talked to him now, you didn’t threaten him...you just made him see what's more important to you"
Ndiv:" okay…for now let me enjoy this" he held me even tighter and I did the same. This is what I wanted and this is where I deserved to be
Me:” I am really sorry for ever doubting you” he didn’t say anything but just continued hugging me.

EUGENE

I was not sure who to believe anymore. Why would Stacy want to ruin what I shared with Ndivhuwo? Why would she plant a seed of doubt in my head if she wasn’t really sure? Ndivhuwo sounded sincere, like he really meant what he was saying. I mean everything he had done so far proved that he cared about his family but Stacy’s story also made sense too so I was confused. I received a call from Andani in the morning. She wanted to see me. I was about to drive to Katlego’s place when I received a call. Katlego’s home was in North West. That’s where she stayed. I got my guys locating her and it was confirmed that she was actually at home. I decided to drive to the hospital before going for Katlego. I got there and parked my car and then went to Andi’s ward. I was panicking. I kept on wondering why she would want me. Could it be that she decided to do the operation today? I got to her and walked in and closed the door
Me:” I came as soon as I could, are you okay?” I was standing behind the closed door with my back against it
Andi:” yeah” she was calm and still looked sad
Me:” uhm it sounded a bit urgent on the phone”
Andi:” I am not doing the procedure anymore, I won’t have my womb removed anymore and yes we will try for another baby” she said while looking away from me, she sounded like she wanted to cry, like she wasn’t doing this willingly
Me:” what? What changed your mind? Andani I don’t want babies right away, we just lost a baby and it still hurt so I get why you didn’t want to try again”
Andi:” I get that but whenever you feel that you are ready then we can try again” I frowned and then shook my head
Me:” Stacy threatened you right? Well, you don’t have to be afraid because she is gone for good and I will never hurt you, you know that right? If you still want to do this procedure then go ahead and do it”
Andi:”I mean what I said; we will try for a baby whenever you feel ready and no this has nothing to do with Stacy. I promised you things, a better life, I promised you babies and a real family and that’s what I will give you. I don’t get to run away from it all, I don’t get to be free off all this because this is the choice that I made. I chose to love you and this is what I am getting for that choice” she wasn’t crying, she actually looked brave. I looked at her and decided not to say anything, I couldn’t say anything, all I know is that I was exhausted, I had so much on my mind right now and I couldn’t deal with this
Me:” I don’t know why you feel like reminding me once more that I am the biggest fucked up fucker in the world. I don’t know why you always see the need to remind me that I am the cause of your misery” I said that and walked to the door. I turned around and looked at her
Me:”Lusani is dead by the way, Stacy killed him. I am going to pay Katlego a visit right now…she was also behind this” I didn’t wait for her to say anything because I knew that she was capable of hurting me further and I couldn’t take it anymore. I got out of the hospital and drove to Katlego’s place.
By the time I got to Katlego’s place it was already late at night. I went straight to her house. I parked my car at the gate and tried opening the gate but it was locked. I gave her a call and she picked up immediately
Katlego:” hello”
Me:” open the gate” she went quiet for a while
Me:” Katlego open the damn gate. You do know that I can open it if I want to so do the polite thing and open it”
She opened the gate without saying a single word. I got in my car and drove in. I didn’t take anyone with me. I don’t know why I didn’t believe that Katlego would shoot me dead. I mean the girl obviously  knew that me escaping from jail meant that I knew the truth and knowing the truth meant that she was definitely about to meet her maker. I didn’t get out of the car until she walked out of the house. Katlego had a beautiful home, she got paid good money when she was still working for me so she could afford living in the suburb and owning a house. From what I heard, she was staying with her kid in this house. Her sister also stayed here but she was now studying at some university. I got out of the car when I realised that she was unarmed
Me:” you tried to kill me” she just looked at me with her hands folded on her chest
Katlego:” and I am not dead yet, I know you could have hired people to do it but you didn’t…why?” her eyes were teary
Me:” I wanted to look at you first so that I can understand why you’d want me dead” I was standing in front of her and I was trying my best to keep calm
Katlego:”you also wanted to kill me when Andani asked”
Me:” what? Is that why you did this? I left you alone to live your life and you decided to do this s*** to me? Me? Katlego you tried to take everything away from me?” I was shouting
Katlego:” yes to you Eugene, you haven’t really been good to me and I had to make sure that you are out of the picture so that…so that….i mean you made my life a living hell” I smiled
Me:” hell? Now you are about to go to an actual hell” I said that and grabbed her by the neck and squeezed her neck tight, I wanted her dead. There were parts of me that actually cared about her but there were also parts of me that actually hated her for everything she had done to me.
Kat:” Eug…Eug….” she pointed over to the door…I looked over at the door and then I stopped strangling her and looked at the beautiful girl standing at the door and almost fainted. Katlego coughed holding her neck
Kat:” when I am gone just…just….just take care of her please” I focused on the little girl standing on the door, she looked terrified. Here is what really took my attention, this was Katlego’s daughter, itmust be her even though I had never met her. She had Katlego’sskin colour but then…she….she…well she looked more like Tebogo, looking at her I swear I felt like I was looking at my sister when she was still young
Me:” Katlego?” I said that and looked at her with my most murderous look
Kat:” Eugene”
Me:” Katlego what the hell is this?”
Kat:” it is what it is” I looked at Katlego with my eyes almost in tears
Me:” but why didn’t you tell me?” my hands were now shaking
Kat:” really? You hated me so much at the time and when I realised that she was yours then I knew I had to stay away from you because you were going to take her away from me and I knew that her life wouldn’t be safe with you. So I had to stay away. I tried coming back into your life and hoping that me and you can be a family and that I would introduce you to her and that maybe she could make you a better person but you never gave me a chance and after you met Andani it got worse” she was shaking as she said all that, I just looked at her in total shock
Kat:” please don’t take her away from me please, I didn’t know about Lusani doing what he did to Andi, he did that on his own so please don’t hurt my baby” I looked at her still in shock, how could she think that of me? That I would hurt a child? My own child?
Kat:” I know that what I did was heartless and that I shouldn’t have kept you from her but it was for her own good” I looked at her and at the copy of my sister and then back at Katlego
Me:” you did the right thing” she looked at me in shock, she couldn’t believe what she heard
Kat:’ what?”
Me:” yes you kept her away from me and now she is safe so continue doing that Kat. I know I am supposed to kill you right now or torture you or get you back into business as a way of punishing you but she needs you more than I need to punish you so I will let you go so that you can take care of her. I will give you money, organise passport for you and her and organise a safe place to stay in Mexico. I don’t want you anywhere near me because I can’t risk anyone looking at her and put the pieces together…you need to leave the country” even though I just found out that I was a father, getting to know the little girl would be a foolish thing to do…it would be like I wanted her dead. I couldn’t do that to her, not to my own child, I had to be brave and choose her over my own selfish happiness
Kat:” but I- “
Me:” but nothing, she is my child and she has my blood running through her veins and I am not going to be selfish and want to get to know her knowing full well that I can get her killed within a month so I want you to be as far away from here as possible”
Kat:” okay” she was still in shock, I guess she couldn’t believe that this was actually happening
Me:” uhm I am gonna leave” I said that and turned around to walk
Kat:” you don’t want to hug her? And maybe introduce yourself?” I stopped and didn’t turn around to look at her
Me:” she don’t deserve to know me…just like you said…I am too bad for her, she is better off knowing that I don’t exist”
I said that and got inside the car and drove out of the gate. At that moment I fully understood why Stacy stayed away and why she chose for her child to be adopted and why she chose not to let her child be in her life. It was for the safety of the kid and even though I knew that I wanted to get to know that little girl and I also wanted to hate Katlego for keeping her away from me I also wanted to keep the poor girl safe. I would hate myself more than I do now if anything happen to that girl and it’s my fault. I would rather have her live happily somewhere without me than endanger her life. I thought of how I declined hugging her and introducing myself. The thing is I don’t think that I would have been able to let go. I don’t think I would have been able to let her go if I got so close to her so I didn’t want to risk driving back home with her.

I stopped on the side of the road and breathed. I was feeling so emotionally overwhelmed. I was a father…I had a child…I laughed and cried at the same time. It was during this moment when I noticed a paper that was neatly folded and put on the front seat. i wondered if the paper was here when I drove to the hospital because I surely didn’t see it. I took the A4 paper and opened it. There was something written on it and it read:
“My Darling Eugene, coming back wasn’t something I wanted to do willingly, I was forced to come out and help you. The enemies that you and Ndivhuwo have are very strong, they threatened to kill Isabella if I don’t obey. The plan was to come out and help you guys out and in the process I would get more insight on Ndivhuwo’s abilities since I already knew yours. Now they know just how powerful you both are and they are coming for you. The biggest goal for my return was to ensure that you and Ndivhuwo start doubting each other and start fighting so that they can hit you when you least expect it. Your phone and Andani’s phone are both being tracked and they are listening in to all your calls. They couldn’t do the same to Ndivhuwo and his family because he has put up a wall of some sort to prevent anyone from hacking their phones or listening in to their conversations. Please you need to find a way to tell him the truth and pretend to be foes for now. I trust that you and him will save yourselves and everyone who you love dear. My hands were tied and I couldn’t find time to tell you the truth because you were so broken and I knew they were listening to every conversation I was having. For now I have done everything they wanted me to do so please save our family. Ndivhuwo is the best man to do this with so forget everything I said about him…it was all a scene I had to play for them and you bought it…which is good because I am in the clear now and Isabella is in the clear. Use this information wisely…Love Stacy”
After reading the letter I sat back on the car and couldn’t believe that the enemies were already coming for us…I thought they were going to give us a little more time but it seems like time was the only thing we were running out of. I looked around the parking lot and got out of the car. I had to get someone’s phone right now and call Ndivhuwo. I walked inside the hospital nearby and found a reception lady and asked for her cell phone. She tried to refuse but I took out a R200.00 note and asked to make one phone call with her phone and she smiled and gave it to me. I searched for Ndivhu’s contacts on my phone and gave him a call
Ndivhu:” hello”
Me:” Ndivhuwo its Eugene”
ndiv:” what can I do for you?”
me:” forget everything that happened please, everything that I told Tshililo just forget about it”
Ndiv:” if this is you apologising then you really suck”
Me:” okay I am sorry okay? Everything that I said was all a game from Jug and Daddy, they made sure that I come across some information about you so that I will doubt you and that we will start fighting and then they will come for both of us when we are vulnerable”
Ndiv:” say that again?”
Me:” this was their plan…us fighting was their plan Ndivhuwo. They are coming for us and I have a feeling that they are already close. They know us, they know everything about us…they know what we can do and they are willing to use that against us at this moment”
Ndiv:” but I didn’t see anything”
Me:” that’s the thing, you are not supposed to see anything…you are a computer geek and they are well aware of that so they will make sure that you don’t see them coming…they also hacked my phone so I am using someone else’s phone right now”
Ndiv:” f*** uhm…so…well, I have to keep my family safe”
Me:” I know, I have to do the same for mine too”
Ndiv:” so what’s the plan?”
Me:” It’s the reason why I called…we need to come up with a plan”
Ndiv:” and we have ghosts, I failed to see them coming meaning that they may be everywhere”
Me:” exactly”
Ndiv:” f***”

Zwi-Life
Chapter 69

NDIVHUWO

After the phone call with Eugene I needed to talk to Xolani and Tshililo. It was late in the evening and the kids were busy watching TV, Tshililo was also watching with them. I went to the lounge and looked at how happy she was with the kids and I hated myself for what I was about to do. I was about to ruin this moment for her and for them. But I didn’t have a choice; I had to interrupt it somehow. I couldn’t believe that this was happening now and to think that I didn’t see anything suspicious? I’d been tracking them for a while now and nothing seemed suspicious. Eugene was right, they studied us very well and they knew our strength and our weaknesses. Our weaknesses were obviously our family; we would do anything to protect them. Even though I didn’t know much right now I knew that they were surely going to come here. They had no idea that we knew the truth so this is where they were going to start attacking…they were surely going to do the same to Eugene too. I shook my head looking at my family
Me:” uhmTshili can we have a moment?”
Tshili:” uhm okay” I walked outside and she followed me. Xolani was outside washing his car
Tshili:” I didn’t know we were this broke” Xolani was in his shorts only, no shoes and no t-shirt, Xolani laughed looking at us
X:” I am tryna be a cheese boy and it just aint working Tshili, I am a township man and sometimes you just feel like doing these things” Tshililo also laughed
Me:” we need to have a serious talk guys…all three of us” I saw their happy faces changing
X:” what is it now?” Tshili and I walked to Xolani
Me:” the long awaited revenge for Katherine and Diesel’s death? Well it’s here” they looked at each other and then at me
Tshili:” you mean like now?”
X:” f*** this can’t be happening now”
Me:” yes I mean now…the whole fight between me and Eugene was their doing, they wanted us to fight so that they can find a way in”
X:” so what’s the plan?”
Tshili:” the first plan has to be about the kids, we have to keep the kids safe no matter the cost” she started pacing with her one hand on her hips
X:” and we have Thendo and Rendani out there….God they need to come back home as in yesterday”
Me:” yes…uhmXolani call them” Xolani took out his phone and dialled a number. Tshililo was just pacing looking all terrified. I went to her and held her shoulders and she stopped walking
Me:” stop okay?”
Tshili:” you don’t understand, I am a mom and this isn’t about us. We can die for all I care, we’ve already lived but the kids….Ndivhuwo we can’t lose the kids” she was already panicking
Me:” I know and I won’t let us lose them okay?” she nodded looking at me. I pulled her to me for a hug…Xolani gave us a killer look and then looked away
Me:” do you want to know what I am thinking right now?”
Tshili:” yes?” we were whispering so that Xolani don’t hear
Me:” I wish I had made love to you before all this started…just once” she broke the hug and looked at me
Tshili:” we will do it when it’s all done…we have to make it out alive so that we can finally do it….we owe it to ourselves” I smiled and pulled her to me”
X:” Thendo you need to come back home now….i am not asking you bruh I am commanding you to get into your little ugly cheap car right now and drive back home okay? F*** Thendo actually it’s your choice, you can choose to stay there so that you can write some stupid test and die before you even see the results or you can drive back home now and you’ll re-write the damn test….i don’t have time to explain what is happening but you of all people should understand that when we say s*** is about to go down then s*** is really about to f*****g go down….get your ass back here….sure” after that call he looked at us and breathed
Me:” wow” Xolani shook his head, Tshili and I broke the hug
X:” that boy is busy telling me about a test…a test? Like what am I supposed to do now? His life is in danger and he is telling me about a shity test?” Xolani’s hands were even shaking, he was scared…he dialled the second number and put the phone in his ear
X:”Rendani….s*** is about to hit the fan little sister pack whatever you can and be on the road within a minute….yes now Rendi…sure” he dropped the call and looked at us. Tshililo went to him
Tshili:” X?” he covered his face with his hands
X:” it all just remind me of Thembuluwo…like who else are we going to lose now? Him? Thendo? Rendi? Or me? or even you Tshili….God and we were all stupid enough to make babies in this house, we have kids running around the damn house…I am worried about the kids and about all of us but mostly about the kids”
Me:” this type of stress is what will make us lose the focus and end up dying, so Xolani you need to pull yourself together okay? You need to live through this. Thembu would want you too…you promised him that you will take care of his kids right? You can’t do that when you are dead X….so please my brother we need to be clever about this”
X:” okay what’s the plan?”
Me:” the first thing to do is to keep everyone in the basement for now…the whole family has to go there and then we take out as many machines as we possibly can to keep our place safe.
Tshili:” but most of the riffles, your computers and everything are in George”
Me:” I will use my laptop for now if the need arises and I will contact someone to go to George right now to get me what I need….plus we have enough guns and bullets for all of us here”
X:” okay….who is going to talk to the kids? We have to make them understand why they are sleeping in the basement….i mean they don’t even know that the damn thing exist”
Me:” I will do it” Tshililo looked at me and frowned
Tshili:” ahg no come on…I will do it”
Me:” why not me? You think I can’t make the kids understand?” she rolled her eyes
Tshili:” that’s not what I am saying but you are a little ….well…I don’t even know how to say it”
Me:” well until you figure out how to say it…I am talking to the kids”
Tshili:” Xolani talk to him, he will make the kids panic” Xolani gave me a questioning look
Me:” of course I won’t, stop listening to her” Tshililo gave Xolani a questioning look
X:” well, he said he won’t” she rolled her eyes again
Tshili:” wow, and you believe him?”
X:” I don’t have the reason not to” I smiled and walked back to the house. Dad was also watching TV with the kids plus Zoleka.
Me:” uhm uncle…uhmXolani wants to have a word with you in private please and you too Zoleka”
Dad:” Ndivhuwo what’s going on?”
Me:” just go have a word with Xolani, he will fill you in” the old man shook his head and walked out with Zoleka. I looked at the kids who were eagerly watching TV. I switched the TV off and stood in front of it…they all made a noise in disappointment
Me:” okay guys I have something more important than watching TV”
Roto:” you are flying us on an airplane?”
TJ:” no dummy...we are all going to eat out” I rolled my eyes
Me:” no guys we are not doing any of that….do you guys know that we have a secret room in this house?” they looked at each other and then at me…they shook their heads
Me:” well we do and today we have decided that you should see it for the first time…not just that, you actually get to sleep in it and since everyone loves new things…you are all sharing the room…grand pa too and aunt Zoleka”
Roto:” we have a secret room? Where?”
TJ:” why can’t it be my room alone”
Roto:” because everyone wants a piece of it” she said with a smile
Me:” I will show you guys the room shortly and that’s where you will all sleep…for now I want you to continue watching TV”
Roto:” okay dad” I switched on the TV and walked out. So the kids were sorted. I stepped outside and X and Tshili were busy talking to Thembu’s dad and Zoleka
Dad:” I thought you guys had this whole thing sorted out. Who am I losing now? I have lost a son and a wife, I can’t lose anyone else” the old man was really beside himself…Xolani looked at me and shook his head
Me:” we won’t lose anyone else this time around, I promise”
Dad:” I don’t know what type of a curse this is….i don’t know why you all had to be criminals, all of you? God what did I do to deserve this?” he was shouting
X:” ow God…dad you did nothing okay? And no you are not cursed….just go inside the house please, we will make all of this disappear” the old man breathed and walked away. He was pissed
Me:” the kids are good…so we need to get them all in right now”
Zoleka:” uhm okay let’s do that immediately” she looked scared too
So we all ran to the house. Tshililo and Zoleka were busy trying to get the kids into the basement and to prepare the sleeping arrangements and taking the blankets and everything they were going to need into the basement. Xolani and myself were busy taking out all the hidden weapons we had hidden in the house. I went to my bedroom and took out two guns, one riffle and one 9mm small gun. I looked under my bed for a bag full of bullets. I then went to Xolani’s room and he had taken his guns and bullets
Me:” uhm I will go to the kitchen, take these to my room”
X:” okay, I will take the ones in Tshili’s room as well”
Me:” sure” I ran to the kitchen and to the hidden safe and took three guns we had hidden there. They were all fully loaded. I then went to the lounge and took one gun. I then ran to my room where Xolani was waiting for me. We had several guns on my bed and one bag full of bullets
X:” will this be enough?”
Me:” it has to be…or let’s hope they give us a little more time” Xolani and I were still standing in my room when we heard cars outside. Xolani was still shirtless, so he ran to my closet and took out a t shirt and wore it immediately. We all took two guns each and made sure they were loaded. We took extra bullets and put them in our pockets. Tshililo burst inside the room, she was breathing heavily
Tshili:” they are here”
X:” are you sure that i-“ he couldn’t finish because suddenly we heard bullets flying in. We all went down and I gave Tshili my guns and managed to take two more from the bed.
Me:” I have to see what’s happening out there”
Tshili:” Ndivhuwo?”
Me: “I will be fine” I crawled out of my room.
I got to the kitchen and stood up slowly and managed to peep through the window….i couldn’t see anyone outside and the gun shots had died down. I switched off the lights inside the house so that I can easily see the outside. I looked around and still couldn’t see anyone. I was still looking around for someone when a 4x4 Rover came and drove into the gate and made its way in. f***. The car stopped and someone threw something that looked like a stone towards the house and I heard an explosion, I was still shocked when they threw another one to where I was and a big explosion occurred and everything became a chaos.

ZwiLife
Chapter 70

NDIVHUWO

The first thing that came to my mind when I realised that the house was on fire was my daughter and that she was in the basement. They were safe from the fire but were they safe from the smoke? Smoke inhalation is just as dangerous as the fire. I then thought of Tshililo…I quickly got up from the floor because I fell when they threw the second grenade. I ran to where I left Tshililo and Xolani. I ran into them in the passage, they were all coughing, Tshililo could barely walk
Me:” are you guys okay?” I was screaming
X:” yes but I have to go down to the basement” the whole house was in smoke and by now we could hardly see anything
Tshili:” are they not safe down there?”
X:” not at all”
Me:” they are safe from the fire but not the smoke”
Tshili:” oww my God, Xolani I am coming with you”
X:” no I am doing this alone…Tshililo you need to get out of here and call the emergencies now…please call the emergency now….we need this fire to be put down and we need paramedics just in case”
Tshili:” my kids are in there”
Me:” and he will do his best to save them….go Xolani…I am trusting you to pull this off”
X:” and where are you going?”
Me:” I have to deal with them”
I said that and pulled Tshililo and we stumbled upon the burning furnishers and hit the walls on our way out. As soon as we made it outside Tshililo started coughing. I looked at the burning house and realised that the fire was too much. I was caught in between…I wanted to go back there and help Xolani to save the family but I was also worried about the enemies who ran off. I had to follow them….it was now or never. Tshililo was about to take out her phone to make a phone call when one of the neighbours ran to us and said
“I have already called the emergency, they are on their way” with that said, I knew I had to follow whoever tried to burn my whole family to the ground…I only had two guns with me and few bullets, I was not sure if it was enough but someone had to keep track on them because if I don’t do this now then they were surely going to attack us again. It was never going to stop until they had ended us all so I had to prevent that from happening.
I ran to my car and got in, Tshililo ran after me and she got in too
Me:” Tshililo not now”
Tshili:” I am coming with you”
Me:” the kids are s-“
Tshili:” the paramedics are on their way and I can’t be of help to the kids right now so please let me help” I looked at her and then out the window
Me:” it’s going to be dangerous”
Tshili”I know and that’s why I am here” I looked out the window and then started the car and drove out of the gate. I hit the Punda Maria road and took the Thohoyandou direction. i was in my Ferrari and I stepped on it bruh…it took me about 10 minutes to get to Thavhani mall and that’s when I spotted the Rover that broke our gate
Me:” there” I said to Tshililo when I spotted their car few miles away from mine
Tshili:” what’s the plan?” she was adjusting her gun
Me:” we follow them”

EUGENE

After the call to Ndivhuwoi knew that I had to get back to Cape Town within a blink of an eye. If these people were watching me then it meant they were also watching Andani. I then called a friend of mine who had a Chopper to give me a quick lift to Cape Town. He agreed and said that he will pick me up in about 30 minutes. I waited for him somewhere in the sports ground and he came to pick me up. I had just landed in Cape Town when I received a call from Ndivhuwo
Me:” Ndiv:”
Ndiv:” they are here Eugene….so if they are not there yet then you need to brace yourself” he was panicking and he sounded like he was driving
Me:” what do you mean?”
Ndiv:” they burned our f*****g house down and they are trying to kill all of us…I am following them as I speak so my man brace yourself for a big one”
Me:” uhm …if that’s the case then we will talk later”
Ndiv:” sure”
Me:” Ndivhuwo”
Ndiv:” yes”
Me:” we have to make it”
Ndiv:”we will”
Me:” and if one of us don’t make it then-“
Ndiv:” whoever survives takes care of both families”
Me:” see you when it’s over”
Ndiv:” see you then”

ANDANI

It was late at night and I was supposed to be sleeping but for some odd reason I couldn’t sleep. The first thing I noticed was that the hospital suddenly became awfully quiet and then the electricity went off and then on again. I was not sure what was going on but my instinct told me that something was about to happen and I had to protect myself. I heard one gunshot and then I knew that I had to do something. My stomach had stitches all over and my body was still recovering but I knew that I had to do something or else this was going to be the end of me. I know it was crazy for me to be thinking of such at the hospital but I could feel that something was up. So I got out of bed and went to the door. I opened the door and peeped outside and that’s when I saw two guys wearing black and carrying guns….they walked into the 3rd room from mine. I quickly closed my door and started shaking. I called Eugene right away
Eugene:” cupcake”
Me:” someone is here, some men with guns Eugene”
Eugene:” f*** uhm…Andi bbe…You need to get out of there as soon as you can….get out of there and hide somewhere” he was screaming
Me:” they are in the passage”
Eugene:” then jump off the window” he was panicking
Me:” what?”
Eugene:” please baby if you don’t do this they will kill you….do what I am telling you now and I will be there shortly….please cupcake”
Me:” okay I will call you later”
I dropped the call and wanted to cry but I knew that crying wasn’t going to help me or save my life right now, I had to save myself and crying wasn’t the way to do it. I went to the window and opened it….the window had burglar bars so I couldn’t possibly get out of there. My brains were working fast and I was trying to figure out a way to save myself. I quickly went to my bed and quickly laid the bedding and made it look like no one was there. When I was done I got inside a big blue plastic container that looked like a bin and I put some papers, plastics and medications on top of myself. I made sure that the container was out in the open…hiding it was going to make them more curious so I decided to just put it close to the door and hide in there. I switched off my cell because I didn’t want to risk my phone ringing when they were close. A minute after hiding inside the big container a door opened and I started praying silently.

TSHILILO

After Ndivhuwo’s call to Eugene, we drove after the guys. We were not sure where they were going or where they were going to end up. They took a left turn to Tswinga and we followed them there.
Me:” do you think they have noticed us?”
Ndiv:” they have been following us for a while so they know my car and I think they are trying to lure us in”
Me:” you have back up?”
Ndiv:” yes but not too much, I have someone tracking this car so they will follow us, they just have to make sure that the enemies don’t see them…they have to think that I am alone”
Me:” I love you” he looked at me and smiled
Ndiv:” I love you too”
Me:” no, I mean I really do…like all this time it’s always been you”
Ndiv:” I know”
Me:” you do?”
Ndiv:” yes, you had a child with him and I was his brother so you did what was expected of you and let’s not talk about this because I feel like you are about to die on me or me dying on you and we are not about to do that to each other” I looked at him and nodded. We drove for about an hour until we were somewhere in the middle of nowhere. That’s where the Rover stopped
Ndiv:” get ready love” he said that getting his guns ready and I did the same to mine
Me:” I am” Ndivhuwo’s phone rang, he looked at it and then at me
Me:” what?”
Ndiv:” it must be him”
Me:” then don’t” he shook his head and took the call and put it on speaker
Ndiv:” yes”
“So you’ve delivered yourself huh?”
Ndiv:” somehow this has to come to an end”
“I am sure the family have burned into ashes now and all I have to do is finish you and your brother’s wife off”
Ndiv:” let’s see how you do that….you’ve heard how I killed Svig, Diesel and your little Katherine? Well I am sure you are no different”
“How about we fight like real men? No guns or any weapon? Just you and me….out here in the open…let’s fight like men”
Ndiv:” I am game” I gave him my most terrified look, he can’t do this, this was a trap, I started shaking my head. A man got out of the Rover that was in front of us
“When you are out for a real fight you don’t bring an army, you only bring one person you trust the most…just like how you did it”
Ndiv:” I see you’ve adopted my strategy”
“Now let’s do this” he threw the phone back in the Rover and walked towards us with his hands in the air. He stood in the middle of the two cars and looked at us
Me:” Ndivhuwo don’t do this, just kill him and get it over with…shoot him now and it will be over”
Ndiv: “ this is why I didn’t want you to come. We are settling this like men Tshililo, you have to trust me”
Me:” I do, I jus-“
Ndiv:” you just nothing, let me do this” he left both his guns in the car and got out with his hands on his head. Oww my God no…I looked at the other guy and put my finger on the trigger, one mistake from him and I was going to shoot
‘

Ndiv:” this is me” the guy looked at Ndivhuwo and laughed
“ So you are the boy who killed my family huh? You killed my brother and his son and his daughter”
Ndiv:” the one and only”
They got to each other and started fighting. I kept on looking at them with my gun ready. I was scared for him…with every punch I closed my eyes in fear. They fought for real. I saw punches being thrown around from both parties, then a lot of falling and getting up from both parties…a lot of blood from their mouths and noses. It was a chaos. I sat there with my whole body shaking. One mistake and I lose him for good. They fought like real man indeed and their fight was fair. The guy from another car wasn’t getting involved and I wasn’t getting involved too. The fighting went on for about 30 minutes and then Ndivhuwo started having the upper hand. He beat Daddy senseless…the poor guy couldn’t really see what was happening anymore. Ndivhuwo was on his game. I started jumping off my seat and calling out his name in excitement. Daddy was down on the floor and Ndivhuwo sat on him and was about to finish him off when I heard a gunshot and then a bullet going through Ndivhuwo’s arm. I screamed and was about to get out of the car when another one went to his chest. God I took out my gun to try and shoot and then the third one hit him on his head and he collapsed. I went numb and for a second the universe went quiet, like awfully quiet and nothing made sense anymore. I regained my consciousness and realised that nothing was really quiet. I got out of the car with my guns and started shooting towards the Rover. The guy in the Rover got out of the car and he was about to shoot me when I got him on the arm, he tried again and I shot him on his chest and he collapsed. I ran to him and shot him five times on the head. I was crying by now. I then ran to Ndivhuwo and Daddy, Daddy was still lying on the floor with blood everywhere. I looked at him once and then shot him three times on the head. I threw the guns on the floor and looked at Ndivhuwo and screamed. I went down on my knees and held his head
Me:” Ndivhuwo please…Ndivhuwo don’t do this to me please” I said that and sobbed

Zwi a Penga – Life As We Know It
Finale

EUGENE

I was seriously impatient, after Andani’s call I drove like a maniac. I wanted to get to the hospital. I was really hoping that Andi managed to run away because I was in no state to handle losing her. I was stepping on the accelerator when I heard the cops sirens behind me. I guess it had something to do with my reckless driving, I decided not to stop, time was not on my side and I couldn’t really deal with a speeding ticket right now. I was busy speeding through the Cape Town CBD to the hospital when someone threw something on my car and it immediately caught fire. I lost control of the car as I felt the fire burning and the car spun out of control and then chaos.

ANDANI

I literally stopped breathing while listening to every movement in the room. I was silently praying for God to save me and for Eugene to get here right away. I started hearing police sirens and then the footsteps walking out and then I heard them disappearing into the passage. Even though I was suspecting that the guys were gone and could also hear that help was here, I couldn’t honestly get out of my hiding place. I was shaking in fear; I couldn’t risk getting out of there and find one of them and get shot. I mean killing me could only take few seconds so I decided to stay in there. I started hearing noise and chaos in the hospital. I heard people shouting and calling each other. I suspected that it was safe for me to get out. I braced myself and got out of that container. I took a sigh of relief when the room was empty. I then walked to the door and peeped outside. People were running around trying to help those who were shot, the police were running around the place and I suspected that maybe they were still looking for the criminals and hoping that they’ll find them here. I stood at the door and switched on my phone. I tried calling Eugene immediately. His phone didn’t ring, I tried him again and nothing, I tried again and it still sent me straight to voicemail. I started worrying about him, what if something happened? I didn’t even know who to call; I didn’t have any of Eugene’s men contact details. One Doctor came and asked me if I was okay, I told him I was fine. After what happened here I wasn’t going to stay another day. I planned on leaving right away. I walked back to the ward and took my clothes. I took off the hospital gown and wore my own clothes and walked out of the room.

I walked outside the building and tried calling Eugene again but I couldn’t find him. I sat on the bench outside looking around, I was scared, I kept thinking about the incident that just occurred at the hospital and what if it happens again. I was sitting like that when an ambulance arrives at the hospital and they took out a stretcher with someone lying on it. I wasn’t really paying attention to the person on the stretcher until I saw the t shirt he was wearing. I got up and got a little closer and I almost had a heart attack when I realised that it was Eugene. Tears started coming out immediately.
Me “Eugene….cupcake” I said with my hands shaking
“Sorry ma’am do you know him?” the paramedic asked me
Me:” he is my fiancé” Eugene opened his eyes and saw me
Eugene:” wait” he said looking at the paramedic…the paramedic stopped walking
Eugene:” cupcake you made it?” I nodded. He looked like he was on fire…his clothes were torn and his face and clothes were almost black
Me:” what happened to you?” I said with my hands grabbing his
Eugene:” nothing we should worry about…uhm sorry sir but I am gonna have to go” he said that while trying to get up, he looked terrible and I honestly didn’t want him to leave the hospital but then with everything that just happened, the hospital was also not safe for any of us
Paramedic:”what? I am afraid that’s not possible sir, you’ve just been involved in a car accident and it’s a miracle that you are alive and in this condition so we need to check you up”
Eugene:” I actually didn’t ask you if it’s possible for me to leave, I said I wanna leave and that’s all”
Paramedic:” but sir-“
Eugene:” don’t” he dismissed him and climbed out of the stretcher and gave me a tight hug
Eugene:” you have no idea how worried sick I was about you” he broke the hug and kissed me on my forehead
Me:” I was so scared Eugene”
Eugene:” I am sorry” he kissed me again and took my hand and walked towards the gate
Me:” what happened to you?” I asked as we walked to the gate
Eugene:” my car was bombed but as you can see I am okay”
Me:” what? Ow my God so what now?”
Eugene:” we end it once and for all” there was a car that was parked outside the gate.
Eugene let go of my hand and walked towards it. I stood in one position and hugged myself. I was still petrified. I had no idea what was happening and I didn’t know if Eugene would tell me but something was really going on. Someone tried to kill me at the hospital, even though I wasn’t sure but I knew that the people who came to the hospital were there for my life. And then Eugene’s car also got bombed, it was a miracle that he was alive…the question I had was who was behind all this? I rubbed my nose and looked at my top and realised that it had blood in it…I never noticed the blood until now. Looking at the blood reminded me of what I had lost and who the blood belonged to. This was my baby’s blood. I hugged myself again and wanted to cry but I stopped myself. Eugene didn’t need me to cry right now, he had to keep us safe so he couldn’t deal with calming me down so I had to be strong and wait for all this to pass.

After few minutes he walked back to me
Me:” your people?”
Eugene:” yeah”
Me:” how did they know because I’ve been trying to call your phone and is off”
Eugene:” I was going to meet them here before the accident occurred”
Me:” ow” You know when situations are bad you don’t even feel the pain? For the past several minutes I had forgotten about my stitched body and the pain I was in, all I cared about was my life and Eugene’s. Another car came and Eugene took my hand and walked towards it
Eugene:” we are using this one” we got inside the car at the back and at the front there were two guys, Eugene greeted them
Eugene:” how are you feeling?” he was looking at me and I just shook my head
Me:” I want to know what’s next, Where are you taking me?”
Eugene:” I am not leaving your site again Andi…I know where Jug is and I just have to get there and kill him and that’s it….my guys gave me an update of where he is, someone is following him so I want him dead and that’s all” I rested my head on his chest
Me:” are you sure you are okay?”
Eugene:” yes I am”
We drove for what seemed like forever and finally we stopped somewhere. I sat up straight and looked around
Gee:” relax cupcake, it will be over soon” he said that and kissed me once more.
Gee:” he is here?” he said that looking at the guys at the front
Guy1:” yes boss, Spider has him but he is keeping him alive for you” Eugene smiled
Gee:” Good….and his guys?”
Guy 2:” all gone”
Gee:” perfect” Eugene opened the door
Me:” I want to come too” he looked back at me and frowned
Me:” please I want to” he looked at his guys and then at me. He shook his head and got out of the car. He held his waist and winced
Me:” you’re okay?”
Gee: yeah” he said with his eyes closed as if he was in pain
Me:” Eugene”
Gee:” I just have to finish this off and everything will be okay and no you are not coming with…you can wait out here”
Me:” but I want to see him…I want to see the man who almost had me killed please”
Gee:” I don’t want you to see me killing people Andi, I don’t want you to have that in your mind” I forced a smile
Me:” but I am your woman and I want to know you, I want to know all of you” he smiled
Gee:” you’re becoming strong huh? After everything you’ve been through I expected you to be angry and not want anything to do with me” I smiled
Me:”Stacy talked to me” He frowned
Gee:” are you sure it was talking and not threatening?” I shook my head
Me:” no not threatening” he took my hand and we walked towards the building. We were in a place that looked like an industrial area; there were big buildings all over the place.

 We got to the building and walked in. We proceeded to walk to the last room in the building and that’s where we found a man tied to the chair.
Eugene let go of my hand and looked around the room; there were two of Eugene’s guys in the room
Gee:” thank you guys” he said that and gave them a nod, they seemed to understand what the nod meant because they all immediately walked out. Eugene took a chair and put it closer to the man tied up to a chair and sat on it. I stood against the wall and looked at the show
Gee;” so this is you?”
Guy:” in flesh”
Gee:” how does it feel to have spent months planning a revenge and then it turns out to be an epic failure” the guy said nothing but instead he spat saliva on Eugene’s face
Gee:” wow okay” Eugene looked around the room and went to take a knife that was on the floor
Gee:” this will work just fine” he then drove the knife deep into the man’s thigh…I screamed in shock, he turned around and looked at me
Me:” why don’t you just shoot h-“
Eugene:’ stop…you said you wanted to see this, you can always walk out but there is one thing you won’t do…you won’t tell me how to kill him okay?” it was the way he talked and the look on his face that really scared me, I just nodded and then swallowed
Gee:” good”
He looked back at the man and then the game began. He removed the knife from his thigh and stabbed him again on the thigh; I winced as he stabbed him again. Just when I thought it was over then he removed the knife and stabbed him again on his face. I wanted to leave the room and walk out of there but my feet were glued to the floor so I stood there and watched it all. it was like a movie, I lost count as to how many times the man got stabbed, he stabbed him everywhere…he stabbed his whole body and I was standing there watching…the poor guy screamed his lungs out but Eugene didn’t stop…he didn’t shoot him…the guy eventually bled to death and even when we could see that he was gone…Eugene continued stabbing him. When he felt that he was satisfied he threw the knife on the floor and looked at me. I really couldn’t look him in the eyes so I turned around and ran out of the room…I felt the stitches on my stomach tearing up when I ran so I stopped and put my hand on my stomach and walked slowly, it hurt so much. Eugene caught up with me
Gee:” you’re okay?” I looked away and said nothing, I looked at my stomach and I was bleeding
Gee:” f***” he said that and carried me…he had blood on his hands and I flinched when he touched me
Gee:” I am sorry” he said while looking at his bloody hands, I just looked away and said nothing
Gee:” you’re angry?” he was calmer
Me:” no”
Gee:” scared?”
Me:” maybe”
Gee:” but I will never hurt you and you know that”
Me:” but you are cruel”
Gee:” but it’s not like you didn’t know that…the fact that I enjoy inflicting pain on people should mean that I am cruel but that’s something you know very well so why are you all of a sudden scared?”
Me:” because seeing you doing it is different from hearing you saying it”
Gee:” ow” we got to the car and we got in, he put me on the seat and sat beside me”
Gee:” it’s done, we can go” the driver started the car and we drove off. He opened up my top and looked at the wound
Gee:” s***…uhm I will get you a Doctor okay?” I nodded. He pulled me to him and held me…I could feel the smell of blood lingering in the atmosphere and it was nauseating. We finally got home. Eugene carried me out of the car and he walked inside the house with me in his arms. He took me straight to our bedroom and then to the bathroom. He helped me out of my clothes without saying a word, he then put on warm water into the bathtub and when it was almost full he helped me to get inside the tub
Gee:” let me go make a phone call okay? I wanna call you a Doctor and then I will clean you up as we wait for the Doctor”
Me:”okay” he walked out of the bathroom and about 10 minutes later he walked back in. He came and knelt close to the bathtub
Me:” you are also in pain” I said looking at him
Gee:” I will be fine…you are my first priority right now” I nodded and looked away
Gee:” are we okay?”
Me:” we will be” I said looking at my tummy, Eugene put his hand on it
Gee:” I am really sorry”
Me:” I know”
Gee:” so you say we will be okay?”
Me:” yes” he smiled and I smiled too.

TSHILILO

6 MONTHS LATER

It’s been a peaceful and yet chaotic 6 months. After the revenge incident from our enemies we had to clean up the mess and move on from everything. After the house had burned down we all went to stay in Xolani’s house for a while but then we decided to move back to George full time. So yeah we were all staying this side. Xolani and Zoli were staying in their old house and I bought a new house…well I didn’t really buy it…someone bought it for me and I loved it. The old man was staying with Xolani and that’s where Rendi and Thendo were staying as well, although they don’t stay there full time because of school.
Well the revenge night wasn’t easy on us. I mean even though the kids didn’t see the guns or anything suspicions they couldn’t understand why or how the house caught fire but hey we had to make up a story. The good news is that Xolani and the paramedics managed to save everyone. Although some inhaled a large amount of smoke and passed out but no one died so that’s great news.
And then there was Ndivhuwo…his team arrived on the scene immediately after I shot everyone and we rushed him to the hospital. He was in a coma for a week and on the second week he broke through and made it. It was hard seeing him in the hospital bed and knowing that I might lose him anytime but I survived it. Ndivhuwo spent a months and a half in hospital and when he got discharged he came up with the idea that it’s better for all of us to move to George. He wanted to be closer to his machines and his everything. He is the one who bought me the house anyway. So I was staying with him and our three kids. Even though we’d only moved here two months ago…it’s been great and it’s been peaceful and everyone seemed happy.

It was on a Sunday and we decided to have our usual lunch immediately after church. Oww yes we were all church people now. Andani, Eugene and his sister Nthabeleng also came to visit…Andani brought her son with them and they looked happy too. They’d been visiting us every weekend ever since we moved to George
Ndiv:” you finally got it” he whispered to me as we were all sitting outside in the garden and eating. We were in our house, last week we were at Xolani’s
Me:” what?” I whispered back
Ndiv:” happiness” I giggled and nodded
Ndiv:” uhh Eugene pass me the salt please” Eugene smiled and took a bottle of salt and threw it at Ndivhuwo and he caught it
Ndiv:” thanks”
Eugene:” I have a proposition” everyone looked at him…the kids were sitting a little bit far away from us
X:” what’s that?”
Eugene:” how about spending the Easter week in my house”
Andi:” I mean we’ve been coming over here every weekend so we want all of you for at least a week in Cape Town”
Dad:” are you sure you have enough space for all of us?” Eugene laughed
Andi:” we actually have four houses so we will make sure it works”
Ndiv:” so chances are that we won’t stay in the same house all of us?”
Gee:” we might only get to use two houses”
Zoli:” as long as we get to eat every meal in one house every single day then I am game” everybody laughed
Andi:” we have three women in this team and endless money I am sure we can make it work”
X:” Cape Town it is”
Gee” yessss”
Ndiv:”wow so this is how peace smells like”
Eugene:” oww yeah…this is the smell”
>>>>>THE END<<<<<
>>>>>CURTAIN CLOSING<<<<<
>>>>>A BIG THANK YOU<<<<<
>>>>>MUAHHH<<<<<