Incencethe insimbi eyayisho ukuthi isikhathi sokudla sesiphelile. Basukume oSinenhlanhla noThando baphinde bagaxe izikhwama zabo bayongena ekilasini.
Isahluko 2
Yanele yakhala insimbi yokuphuma kwesikole, abafundi baphuma kanyekanye. Basakazeka nxazonke. Bakhona abaphuma beshesha bephuthuma emakhaya. Kanti abanye babehola izinyawo, bezihudula nje. Babenyathela kancane sengathi ubungafunga ukuthi baphikelele endaweni abangafuni ukufinyelela kuyona. Kuyaxokozela nje. Kubona lobu buxokoxoko nangu uBhejasi eyophuma ngesango. Uyakhabuzela. Ngemuva ulandelwa yisixongololo sabafana bakhe bezikhothane. Bazibiza ngamaDiamonds. Indaba egudwini ngeyokuqhudelana kwezikhothane okwakuhlelwe ukuba khona. Njengoba abafana laba bekhabuzela kanjena nje, baphikelele kudekude eJabulani Mall nokuyilapho kuyoqhudelwana khona. Impahla ababezoqhudelana ngayo isiyothengwa khona ezitolo. Namhlanje kufanele kucace ukuthi amakhosi obukhothani angobani lapha eSoweto.
“Sne, kufanele nathi sihambe siyobona laba bafana bezikhothane ukuthi bakhothana kanjani.” Kuhlongoze uThando. Babukane benoSinenhlanhla. Kuthi lapho amehlo abo enqwamana kuvele kucace ukuthi sebevumelene. Hhayi-ke, nabo babe sezithendeni zoquqaba lwabafundi ababelandela oBhejasi. Bonke bafuna ukuwubona lo mdlalo wokukhothana. Balandelwa kanjena nje abafana bezikhothane, nabo abayivalile imilomo. Uzwa omunye wabo esethi nje: “Khotha!” Omunye umuzwe esethi: “Phela siyashisa thina!” Bese ekhipha imali yephepha ezisula ngayo ebusweni. Uyasuka uyithi fonqofonqo, aphinde ayifake ekhukhwini. Kuhlekwe.
Kuhanjwa kanjena nje abafana bamaDiamonds balokhu bezikhombe njalo izicathulo zabo ezibizayo. Baze basho nokuthi zazibiza malini. Abanye baze bakhumule namahembe esikole, ngaphansi kuvele amanye amahembe anemidwebo yezimbali. Nawo amahembe lawo basho ukuthi awemali eshisiwe. Abafundi abalandela ngemuva kwabo bezwakale sebenanela. Abanye baze bashaye ihlombe. Kodwa kube khona obuzayo: “Kodwa nithi niyabazi ngempela abafana bamaTaliyana, ngisho phela amaBlingstas, ukuthi bagqokani?”
Lapho kuvele kuphendule uBhejasi mathupha: “Abafana bamaBlingstas babanda mpo.” Baqhumuke bahleke abafundi. Aze asho nokuthi abafana labo babegqoka amayikayika nje. Bayihambe indlela eqonde khona ngaseJabulani Mall. Yize iyibangana nje kepha ngenxa yengevu kanye namancoko ingezwakali.
Batheleka emagcekeni enxanxatheka yezitolo zaseJabulani Mall, nazi izikhothane zendawo sezilindile. Zime zafola ngasepakini yezimoto. Zonke zisonge imikhono ziyababuka. Zifake izibuko ezimnyama. Eceleni kwalaba bafana kumi inqola egcwele phama izibiliboco. Enqoleni kulunguze wena jusi, wena namanedi, wena khekhe, wena shokoleti, wena yogathi, kanti nekhasitedi ayisalanga nangephutha. Abawufakile umfaniselwano wesikole kodwa bashaye amahembe abo amibalabala. Amabhulukwe kube ngaluhlaza sasibhakabhaka. Onyaweni kunyathelwa ngesicathulo esibomvu esifanayo. Kuthi lapho oBhejasi namaDiamonds sebesondela kubo, kusuke ubungqayingqayi. Kukhonjwane ngeminwe. Kubhuqwane. UBhejasi ayalele abafana beqembu lakhe ukuthi make nabo bayothenga. Bala bangene ezitolo. Bathenge bese bephuma nenqola egcwele phama. Bayidudule nayo ize izokuma epakini.
Nabanye abathengi bahogele umoyana wokuthi izikhothane zendawo zase zizoqhudelana manje. Basondele ukuzobuka. Abanye basondela benethenjana lokuthi kungenzeka abafana laba baphonse okuthile emoyeni bese bezicoshele njalo okucoshekayo. Kulaba bantu ababezobuka kukhona nomfana owayengundingasithebeni owayewuhlwibi nje. Uma usumbukisisa wawuvele uzibonele ukuthi wayebhuqwe yiwunga. Uzwakala elokhu ethi: “Bengicela ningiphe phela leyo khasithedi kengizizwise nami!” Kanti zike zamnaka yini izikhothane zakomhlolo? Kwasuka isidumo lapho sekuqhudelwana. Umfana wamaBlingstas avule ibhodlela likajusi. Basondele ngaphambili oSinenhlanhla noThando ukuzobuka kahle. “Thando, kanti kwenziwani ngempela lapha? Futhi yini lena abazoyiwina?”
“Sne, thula ubuke wena. Uzozibona kahle izikhothane namhlanje ukuthi zinemali kanjani.”
Ijusi imthele ihembe abe manzi phici uBhejasi. Akathule umfana, ulokhu ezwakala ethi: “Uyabanda wena. Yini yona lena oyigqokile?” Abafana bamaBlingstas bafe yinsini.
UBhejasi ahlomeke enhla nasezansi. Agcine esefike qathatha enqoleni yabo. Kube ngubugunqugunqu lapho esekhuculula. Usemanzi phici manje lapha esufubeni. Naye adonse eyabo ijusi yakwaWoolworths. Ayivule. Babaze abantu. Abanye bakhale ngokoma kanti abanye bakhale ngokubiza kwale jusi.
“Hawu, bantabami uthi kodwa ningadlala ngokudla silambe sinje, bheka nenyanga ayikapheli? Kungani kodwa ningasiphi khona lokho kudla uma kunehlula?” Sekubuza omunye nje unguboziyeweni. Bake bamnaka yini? UBhejasi naye ayithi chithi ijusi kumfana wamaBlingstas kwenanele isixuku. Abe manzi te umfana. Bayibuke abantu ijusi yemali ichithekela phansi. Abancela izithupha banyiphe lapho bebona kudlalwa ngokudla. Iqembu lamaDiamonds lenanele kakhulu. Abanye baze bezwakale sebethi. “Mbhabhathize mfana. Mgeze izono zakhe zobufongukhongo!” Lapho-ke uBhejasi uke wathi ukuthwala amahlombe kancane, esebona ukuthi isichwensi lesi samaBlingsta usesibeke endaweni yaso.
Kanti wayekhe phansi uBhejasi. Umfana wamaBlingsta athathe ikhekhe bese esakaza uBhejasi ngalo ebusweni. Ikhekhe livele lithi phahla ebusweni bukaBhejasi. Ubuso bukaBhejasi busale bunamfuzela ikhekhe elimhlophe. Bafe yinsini abantu lapho sebebona uBhejasi ezama ukuzesula. Abanye bezwakale sebethi: “Khotha! Awulikhothi ngani ikhekhe we sikhothane?”
“Uyabona nje ukuthi ubanda kanjani wena? Awuzibheke ukuthi usunjani manje.” Amcunule ngokunye la magama alo mfana uBhejasi. Aqonde ngasenqoleni yabo esekhabuzela. Namehlo awasaboni kahle manje. Kuthi lapho ethi ususa ikhekhe ezinkopheni, kuvele kube sengathi uzixhopha kakhulu ngalo. Omunye weqembu lakhe aze amlamulele ngokuthi amesule. Kuthi lapho isitaputapu sekhekhe sesisukile ebusweni aphindele empini. Sekwelakanyene izinhlonze ebusweni, usemubi ngokunye umfo kaKhoza. Ukungahlonishwa ukuphela kwento angekwazi ukuyibekezelela. Abafana bamaBlingstas laba okuthiwa bathola imali ngokuqola abantu ufuna ukubafundisa namhlanje. Yena Bhejasi akaveli khona emndenini ontulayo. Uyise unamatekisi amabili.
Abuye esephethe elabo ikhekhe. Ulivulile. Aqalaze abantu. Kube khona abancincizayo kanti abanye benanele. Kuso lesi sixuku usebona nobuso obuhle bukaSinenhlanhla. Ukuba khona kukaSinenhlanhla kube sengathi kumfakela omunye umfutho. Uthe esuka wayeseshintsha nohambo. Nango esenyathelisa okwesigelekeqe esimidwayidwa, eqhwashaza kancane. Athi ulijikijela kumfana wamaBlingstas ikhekhe, ashone lena umfana ikhekhe livele lithi daxa lapha eceleni kwakhe. Nalapho baphinde bahleke abantu.
“Angeke usenze lutho wena. SingamaTaliyana thina. Bheka nje ukuthi ngigqokeni. Bheka neselula engiyiphathayo. Yi-iPhone lena, baba.” Aze ayikhiphe umfana ukuze uBhejasi ayibone. Bese eyiluma nangamazinyo. “Nina niyizilambi. Aninamali. Nigqoka impahla eyodwa njalo nje.”
“Hhayi bo, nina zingane, ngiyanikhuza njalo.” Kusakhuza unguboziyeweni ngezwi eselithanda ukudondobala. “Uthi amakhanda enu asebenza kahle nje nina? Nakubonaphi ukuthi abantu bashayane ngamakhekhe ngale ndlela? Anazi yini ukuthi ukudlala ngokudla ngumbangandlala? Niyokukhumbula lokhu kudla ngolunye usuku.” Nalapho bangamshayi mkhuba abafana. Omunye wabafana owayethi makabe ngumdudla nje eze azokuma phambi kwalo ikhehla. Alibuke ngamehlo ayethi ‘ake uphinde uthi nkente phela khehla ngikubonise’. Kuvele kuhlwe emini kunguboziyeweni. Kuthe lapho ikhehla lingabona ukuthi amagama alo ayefelwe ngamathe, livele lithi qala qala maqede libone elalize ngayo. Umqhudelwano usale uqhubekela phambili. Umfana ongundingasithebeni abonakale esezicoshela ikhekhe eliphaxazwe phansi. Alifake emlonyeni adle.
“Hheyi, suka lapha wena Mazaza!” Abafana bamaBlingstas basho ukumqeda undingasithebeni. Naye anyobozele adede nezandla ezigcwele izimvuthuluka zekhekhe. Usale uqhubeka umqhudelwano. Kuchithwe wena ziphuzo, wena khasithedi wenani. Onogada baze baqhamuke sebephethe izinduku zabo. Nabo sebebizwa ngumsindo wabantu.
“Hheyi, nina bafana! Aniboni ukuthi niyangcolisa lapha?” kubuza omunye unogada oyisiguqa nje. Bathi abafana bazama ukuchaza abakhombe isango leJabulani Mall.
“Niyangcolisa ngale nto yenu. Nisuke ningekho uma sekuqoqwa lezi zinto zenu.”
Omunye unogada ezwakale esebuza: “Kodwa lo mdlalo wenu wokudlala ngokudla nawufundiswa ngubani?” Kanti ukhona yini umfana oke waphendula? Bonke abafana babonakala beqalaza isikhala sokucela empunzini.
Kube yilapho isixuku ebesibuka izikhothane sihlakazeka khona. Nabafana bezikhothane babone abeze ngayo.
Bahlakazeka