– Yintoni onamathele kuyo?
– Ipapasho kunye namaqanda!! waphendula elila iinyembezi emehlweni akhe. Wayesindisiwe wathumela ukuba acoce indlu, eyayingenazifestile. Ngokuchasene noko, ndaye ndakhanyela, ndisithi ukuba ndingabuphelisa ubomi bam ukuba bayaqhubeka nokwaphula amalungelo abo omgaqo-siseko kwaye bandinyanzele ukuba ndisuse isuti yabo yangasese. Baye bahleka uMgaqo-siseko kwaye endaweni yokohlwaya isohlwayo sabo ngokundibetha ezintso, emveni koko ndaqala ukubayipiss ebusuku, ekuqaleni ngegazi emva koko sapheka isoda. Kodwa indlu yangasese khange ihlambe!! Kwaye mna, ngeyure, ndilima i-expanses yobusuku i-Nevsky Prospect, ekukhangeleni ubomi…
inqaku 4
UMethodius
Isiphelo sondizisela okwethutyana esixekweni ndiliqhawe. I-St. Petersburg, kwihostele yesisa, ibizwa nje ebantwini njengomntu ongenakhaya. Baye bandinika i-shkonar, oko kukuthi, ibhedi, endayibetha kangangesiqingatha senyanga kubanxila baseburhulumenteni, bebeka ishumi elinesihlanu esibhedlela ngaphambi kokuba bandishiye. Iigorila yayingumatrasi. Ndiqokelele ezisithoba zazo. Ndibabeke bade bancama enye enye ndalala phez’kwe sofa. Kwakukho izinto ezithile eziphazamisayo: ukufuthana kwakuzenzekelayo, kwaye ndaye ndayezame kwizitepsi ezenziwe ngomthi. Ubomi bathathe ikhosi yakhe eqhelekileyo: Kusasa- ngokuhlwa, isidlo sasemini – indlu yangasese, njalo njalo. Bandihlawulele mna kunye nomhlobo wam osebenza naye uLyokha Lysy, owayegqibe izifundo ezibini eziphakamileyo kule ndawo iminyaka elishumi elinesihlanu, bezolile ngemigangatho yethu yesibini. Wayengafani ngamehlo kwaye wayeneshumi elinesibhozo ebomvu ngamazwi akhe. Kwaye ekubeni kwakunzima ukufumana iiglasi ezinamahlo anjalo, wazisongela ngokufumaneka, ngokongeza, iifreyimu ezintathu ezineglasi wazidibanisa nocingo lobhedu. Ke uzuze umbono wekhulu elinye. Kwaye ndaqala ukumnika isidima ngokuhlekisa ngamehlo asibhozo. Sasihlala naye kusapho, njengakwi-zone, ngokufutshane, sasineengcambu kwaye sabelana ngesonka ngokubhaka, nangona kunjalo, ngesizathu esithile wandinika iqhekeza elikhudlwana, nokuba uyandihlonipha okanye ondinike ukutya ukulungiselela ixesha lokujikeleza ukuze bandise ubomi bam ngokuthunyelwa yinyama yam. Ntsasa nganye, ndivuka, ndifumana etafileni izibonelelo zosuku lonke okanye nangaphezulu. Abantu abadala kunye nabemi bezinye ubudala, bonke bahlala kwiindawo ezingakude kakhulu kwaye zifutshane kakhulu: omncinci wayeneminyaka elishumi elinesihlanu ubudala, ngokuzithandela babelana nathi izibonelelo zabo, bafumana ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo zobusela obuncinci kunye nokunikezelwa kwamacandelo atyebileyo abantu, indawo ebizwa ngokuba likhaya. Bendihlala ndixhathisa kwaye ndiyibuyisa le nto, kwaye ke babehlawula umrhumo xa ndilala. Enempandla yavuya yile nto kwaye yaqala nokutya amanqatha.
Ngenye intsasa eqandayo ndivuke. Ikhephu laliwela ngaphandle kwefestile. Ukuvuka njengesiqhelo bekungamavila, kwaye bekungekho zicwangciso zokuthenga imali, ngakumbi izolo, intloko yam ibime. Indoda yempandla, njengesiqhelo, yafunda okuthile engqondweni, ihamba kuphela ngemilebe yayo esezantsi. Kwaye konke oku bekuya kuqhubeka, ukuba bekungabonakali ukubonakala kwendala eneminyaka engama-70 ubudala, umqhubi wenqanawa, umgama omde, umqhubi wepenshini kunye noMthodius ongenakhaya oneengcambu zaseFinland. Ndifuna ukuqaphela ukuba amabanjwa ahlala enxibelelana ne-castes, njengakule meko. Kwaye wayethetha kakhulu ngeCaucasian kunesimbo saseFinnish.
– Kulungile, iiparadise, sinerhasi? waqala egxalabeni. Ndaguquka, uBald wayibeka phantsi incwadi. Kudlule umzuzu.
– Ufuna ntoni, mdala? -ambuza uBald wazingcwaba kwinoveli.
– Yima ujonge i-dossier, thatha iigolide, oko kukuthi, kum, kwaye uye kwi-plump. Kwiminyaka emine ndifumene ipension.
Emva kwentetho yakhe, kudlula malunga nemizuzu emibini kwaye ikhephu elitsha laliqala phantsi kweenyawo zethu. Kumgama, bekukho ivenkile enendawo yokulala eluhlobo oluthile lwesiGeorgia. Siye sangena kuyo sa-odola amakhulu amabini. Kwifreyimu etyheliweyo kunye nethosi Methodius:
– IiTatar azihlali ngaphandle kwesibini! -siyalele elinye ikhulu. Okulandelayo, emva kwethayile endala:
– UThixo uyayithanda intatu! -sikhuphe iiglasi nathi. Emva koko sincokola sithe cwaka, elowo enaye kwaye engowokuphela kukaMethodius engazange athule kwaye wazixelela ukuba ikota yokuqala yafunyanwa njani kwaba bahlanu babekhona. Sasingengobaphulaphuli abakhululekileyo.
– Inqanawa yethu yeza kunye noKyuubi. Ndaya kwilali yomntakwethu. Sisele iveki yonke. Ke ekuseni sahlangana kumnini ndlu, emva kwento ebonakalisiweyo kwaye sadlula kwindlu apho umtshato wawukho. Ndabancoma, bandithumelela iileta ezintathu… ndajonga ecaleni ndabona imfumba yezitena emva kwam, ngelixa umninawa wam esiya enyangeni kunye nesembe, ndathatha onke amatye kuloo ndlu, kukho inxeba, ewe umakoti ngqo ebunzi. Emva, waqala ngokukhupha iifestile. Le mfumba ayinalo kwaphela ixesha lokuphela xa ndandisele ndivalelwe iminyaka emithathu. Yintoni enye oza kuyisela? -Ugqibile ke waya kwikhawuntara yeempahla zabathengi.
Siphuze kakhulu kwaye ixesha elide, nokuba sinesidudu. Ngokuhlwa, uphahla lukaLysy lwaludilike kwaye waqala ukubaleka wangena kwabanye. Ndijonge esi bespontovoe isifundo ndakhokelela sidekick enxilisayo endlini. Kwaye uMethodius ngeli xesha, efumene ku-Lysy, ngamathuba okanye cha, phantsi kwamehlo akhe, wayelele etafileni, emi emgangathweni.
Ekuseni ndivuswe sisandi esindindisholo kunye nomqhushumbisi weBald. Kwavela ukuba xa elele, uMethodius owayenomsindo wabalekela kwigumbi elinomngqungqo waza wabetha uLokhalela owayelele ngesikhuhli ngqo ebunzini lakhe. Watsiba ebhedini, wawa phantsi, waphakama ephethe istixo, waxhuma kuleya indala. Ke ndiyakukhumbula ngokutyibilika, bekukho umlo, bada bohlukana. Kwavela ukuba xa ndisusa uLysy kwigumbi lokuhlamba, uMethodius waphulukana nengqondo. Wayephoswa ngaphandle ngokwesiko esitratweni ngaphambi kokuba avale, kwaye wakhasa ekhaya, exhomekeke kwimvelo yakhe.
– Undiphose, Bald!! -Ubhengezwe njengegrama kunye nokuyeka ukurhala kunye nokuamba, utat’omkhulu, sele elele phantsi, umqolo wakhe phantsi.
– Njani? -abuza, ebambe umqala kaMethodius kwaye ehleli enjengengulube, Bald enamathambo akhe ezandla zakhe.
Ngeli xesha, i-cormorant yakudala, izama ukukhwela iphuma phantsi komntu ophakathi, ogama lakhe lingasasebenziyo, engazange avingce indlebe yakhe yasekhohlo kwaye inyibilikise impumlo ngeempumlo. Indoda yempandla yaphendula ngaphandle kokukhulula izandla, yayibetha entloko entloko.
– Kulungile, kuhlobo. -Ndizamile ukuzolisa iicormorant zabo, ndiyathetha. -Hayi, bantu bangenamakhaya, zichithe kwiibhedi. Ndixelele, Methodius, yintoni eqale ukubhuza?
– Me!! -ukungavumi ukuhamba kwe-Bald, utat’omkhulu waqala ukuzithethelela. -Ndilala, ngohlobo, ndiziva umntu othile ukuba uthatha, ndivula amehlo am – ikhephu. Ndashukuma ndaqala ukuphakama. Ndiyajika, kwaye phambi kwam kukho u-anti kunye netram, iipesenti ezilishumi ukusuka kum. Ubusuku buyabanda, kunye ne-hangover, kunye ne-Lysy, iinkomo, ziyiphose, ah!! Yay!! Yay!! -aphinda kathathu wakhwaza uMethodius.
– Yep!! Yep!! Yep!! -Uphindwe kathathu uLysy wambetha esweni.
Emva kwesiqingatha seyure, sasisele siyalele iigram ezingamakhulu amabini kwaye sasizokucacisa ukungavisisani kwethu. Kwaye njalo inyanga, ngelixa uMethodius engazange ahlwempuzeke. Into elungileyo ikhadi lebhanki. Ngezoqoqosho…
inqaku lesi-5
Ikhephu elimthubi
– Kwakukho, kula maxesha akude ngaphandle kwamaxesha asemthethweni, xa i-tundra yayingumntu. Phakamisa i-armpit ye-tundra-indoda, isiqingatha semini, yehlisa i-armpit ye-tundra-ndoda, isiqingatha sobusuku. Iintwala bezihlala kuwo. Kwaye ukujonga ngokusondeleyo ikhulu lepesenti umbono, ezi yayingezontwala konke konke, kodwa iimmonys, iibhere zepolar, deer ekugcineni kunye neehagu. Kwaye ke wonke umntu wabiza i-Chukchi – abantu, kuba yayikukuphela kohlobo oluhlala kwi-tundra. Ngandlela-thile indoda ye-tundra ihamba ne-armpit ephakanyisiweyo kwaye iyikrwece, ngelixa i-Chukchi kwi-yaranga isinda kwisiphepho esibi. Umkhosi wamisa ukukhuhla i-tundra-ndoda, kwaye isaqhwithi sathamba. Kwaye u-Chukchi washiya amakhaya abo e-tundra kwaye ngoko nangoko wambulela ngekhephu elimhlophe elihlambulukileyo nomchamo wakhe omthubi. Kwaye i-tundra yaba njengokusweleka kweevithamini emzimbeni, njengamalungu asebusweni. Kwaye konke oku kwavela kwaye wonke umntu waqalisa ukudanisa, kodwa ngokuthe cwaka ii-icicles eziphuzi zaqala ukunyamalala, umntu othile waba kwaye washiya imingxunya. Kwaye ke, uSerezha wasekhaya ongenamakhaya waseChukchi,