Dlani Phephetse, kubekelwe wena

Indzaba yaMhlupheki Vilakati uma ingathulwa kute lokungalunga. Netitukulwane impela tingasisola.

Kusuka bantfu la, basukela uMphephetse angakaphoci muntfu, atihlalele ngekuthula. Bayamsukela utihlalele phansi kwesihlahla lesikhulu semgungumence, bayomfaka ehhotela. Ngisho mine kumsusa phansi angakaceli, kwa hhodle ekhatsi ehhotela, batsi utawube ahlala khona emalanga lamatsatfu. Phela angisho lihhotelanyana mine, ngisho lihhotela lakanokusho. Kunemhlangano kulamalanga, manje kutsiwe akube nguMphephetse loya kuwo.

Nango-ke uMphephetse ayotikhandza asebuntofontofeni bembhedze lomkhulukati, emashidini lamhlophe ngenjesitfwatfwa. Kuyacala ngca kutsi uMphephetse atikhandze alele embhedzeni lomkhulu kangaka. Impela kusha uyakucabuka! Kulombhedze wakhe lowatigugela kadzeni le ekhaya, uhlala alengelwa tinyawo uma alele, kodvwa kulona wasehhotela impela uMphephetse uyatimangala kutsi kantsi ikhona imibhedze lemenelako naye. Kulona wenaba ngekukhululeka, phindze kusale sikhala lesikhulu.

Utse uMphephetse wetfu, lesimntsandza kakhulu sonkhe, utsi nhla, wabona emashidi kusecitsi-sakalala, akhetsa nje kutsi nguliphi lalifunako uma ayogeza. Lapho ke uMphephetse ugeza kabili ngelilanga, intfo langatange nje sekayente emphilweni.

Yonkhe lentfo leyentekako akayati uMphephetse. Abeyibonaphi vele? Phela lomnumzane lona wale etulu etintsabeni, le etimfeneni kwendlula ngisho kaNcosho ngaseMakhungutja, lapho bantfu uma kuluma umhlane batenwaya ngesagila sekutingela timpunzi, bahambe bahlafuna lutsi. Lentfo lentiwa yona nje impela unekumhlukubeta ekhatsi, ngoba akayati nje nekuyati. Impela nalomtimba wetfukile.

Kodvwa-ke lamuhla lilanga lakhe lekugcina ehhotela. Sewulibuyisela emuva, etulu etintsabeni. Nango aphuma emnyango welihhotela nesikhwama sakhe lesikhulu lesesigcwele kwendlula lesikhatsi asefika. Engabe sekugcwele ini manje, ngoba phela akusiko nekutsi kukhona lakutsengile edolobheni?

Ake sichubeke sibuke, sinakisise kutsi kutawentekani manje. Nabaya labasebenta kuhlobisa lihhotela befika lapho bekulele khona uMphephetse. Njengenhlala yenta, babuka tonkhe tintfo kutsi time ngemumo yini, bese batsatsa loko lokufanele kuyowashwa, bagcebe kahle imibhedze.

Atsatse emashidi lona longene kuleli leMphephetse, awabale kodvwa tibalo tingahlangani kahle. Asho ngenhlitiyo abala, “1, 2, 3, 4…, hhayi maan, 1, 2, 3, 4…, hhayi maan, 1, 2…” Amemete lomunye zakwabo, “Hawu, Ntombi, abemangakhi lamashidi la?” Ayisho inombolo zakwabo, kucace kutsi sengatsi kushoda emashidi lamatsatfu kunalawa bekakhona. Kodvwa ngabe sekashonephi emashidi? Noma vele bekunguwona lawa lakhona, mhlawumbe itolo abakawangeti? Akucaci kahle kwanyalo.

Lomunye ke losebenta ehhotela emehlo akhe abuke ngaphandle efasitelweni lelihhotela. Ubona indvodza ilapha ngaphandle yetama kuvala ziphu wesikhwama sayo. Sikhwama sicumbe singubani na, impela wena lowabona imphungushe seyesutsi kakhulu ingasakhoni nekuphuma esibayeni setimvu ebusuku. Kodvwa-ke, lona lobuke efasitelweni akati kutsi nguye uMphephetse lona, lona bekalele le ehhotela labo. Yena utibonela nje indvodza iphishaneke ngaziphu wesikhwama sayo longasavaleki. Atibute kutsi engabe sikhwama-ndzini ugcwele ini lapha ngoba sengatsi lentfo kufanele ifihlakale, uMphephetse uloku uyayihlohlobetela esikhwameni.

Ake sesibuyele emuva nje kancane. Kuloko kusa, angakaphumi ehhotela, uMphephetse uke waya kuyawutikhwankhwasa ngesidlo sasekuseni. Kusukela efikile ehhotela, soloku abambe wangentansi umangele kutsi kudla kucitsiwe embikwakhe, kutsiwa angadla noma ngabe yini layifunako. Nalamuhla ekuseni uphindze watelula ekudleni lebekubekwe ematafuleni. Kodvwa-ke lamuhla watile kutsi lilanga lekugcina asehhotela, mhlawumbe futsi akaphindzi abuyele. Uvele watitjela nje kutsi ufuna kukufuca konkhe lokudla esiswini sakhe lesesatayela emagusha nemibhidvo – netinkhobe. Ngoba besekaphuma lamuhla ehhotela, uye ekudleni aphetse sikhwama sakhe lesikhulu lesimnyama lesibhalwe “FILA” lomkhulu emhlubulweni waso. Abakati-ke laba belihhotela kutsi ngabe kwente njani uMphephetse aphatse sikhwama lesingaka endzaweni yekudlela, ngoba ngabe usishiye ekamelweni lakhe lekulala, abese usitsatsa sekahamba. Kodvwa uMphephetse akayenti lentfo ngeliphutsa. Abati bona, kodvwa uMphephetse lomuhle uyati kahle nje.

Loku uMphephetse sekangaphandle kwelihhotela, sekahamba, umphatsi welikhishi nyalo ubite bonkhe labasebentela ekhishini nasekudleni. Kudzingidvwa indzaba lematima kabi. Uyamangala umphatsi kutsi kwentiwe yini lamuhla kutsi kudla kusheshe kuphele, kwadzingeka kuphekwe lokunye, ngoba akusiyo intfo leyake yenteka leyo phambilini. Kute lowatiko kutsi kambe vele kudla kusheshe kwaphela njani lamuhla.

Munye kulaba lababitelwe umhlango lophutfumako uloku alungute njalo efasitelweni, uyambona uMphephetse lapha ngaphandle umatasatasa ngesikhwama sakhe. Kancane, kancane ingcondvo ibuye kutsi sengatsi uyalati lelichawe. Utse makabona lesikhwama, ingcondvo yenta sakubuya kutsi sengati nembala lelichawe lela belilele kulo lona lelihhotela labo.

Lona lobuke efasitelweni abone kutsi sengatsi uMphephetse kukhona lakuhlohlako lapha emakhikhini esikhwama sakhe, kodvwa akaboni kahle kutsi ngabe yini. Uma abukisisa abone kutsi ngatsi kusamabhanisi lokunye kwako. Asho ngenhlitiyo atsi, “Haaa, indzaba yekushoda kwekudla nayiya lapha!” Atsi ufuna kuvula umlomo abikele umphatsi nganasiya sigameko lasibona lapha ngaphandle, aphindze atekhute, ngoba vele phela ngekwati kwakhe kudla bekudekiwe etafuleni, nguloyo anelilungelo lekudla konkhe lokufunwa yinhlitiyo. Yebo-ke kudla akukafanele kuphume ehhotela, kodvwa aphindze atitjele kutsi akayekele umuntfu webantfu ngoba leticatfulo takhe letitjekile tiyasho nje kutsi lona ngumuntfu weluhambo loludze; ngako-ke endleleni utawudzinga umphako.

Kusakhulunywa, labanye bahle bamtjela umphatsi kutsi kute lokungentiwa ngoba uma ngabe bantfu badle kakhulu ngalelo langa phela vele bekubekelwe bona. Badlile-ke bantfu, batenetisa, noko lamuhla badle bagabudzela. Kusho kutsi tisu tabo betivuleke kakhulu kulaba bebakhona ngalelo langa.

Bacinisile labasebenti. Vele bekubekelwe bantfu lokudla. Naye uMphephetse watsi efika kulo lihhotela wakhandza kudla kucitsiwe etafuleni, kumele yena kutsi ente matsandza. Wabuta lomunye labasebentako kutsi kambe ngukuphi langakudla kuko konkhe loko bekudekiwe, ngoba phela yena wati lekubo kutsi kukhona kudla kwalabadzala langakafaneli akutsintse. Wavele waphendvula ngekumamatseka lodzadze lambutile, “Dlani Phephetse, kubekelwe wena.” Watsi makeva lamagama lamnandzi uMphephetse weva ematinyo akhe acala akhalipha kakhulu kunakucala.

Nanguya manje uMphephetse wetfu lomuhle, lesimntsandzako sonkhe, ajakele kuyongena ebhasini letamtsatsa igudle naye tintsaba busuku bonkhe ate ayofika ngasekhaya. Ake simlandzele, sibuke kutsi engabe uhamba njani, futsi engabe mdumbadumbane-ndzini ucumbe kangaka nje yini.

Lesikubongako nje kutsi uMphephetse soyati kutsi ehhotela kwahlala kudekiwe. Kwakhe kutsi ente siciniseko kutsi sisu sivulekile, ematinyo akhaliphile. Hlaba udle Phephetse. Dlani Phephetse, kubekelwe wena.

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