58.

Xander

Lobola Day

 

“Shit,” I mumble to myself.




I was standing outside the gate to Nikki’s family home, and I was nervous. Shaking even. I didn’t know what to expect. Xlanti had told me everything that I needed to know but still, I was nervous. I wanted to make a first impression, a good one.




“Don’t worry Xander, we are here for you. just let me do the talking and everything will be fine,” X says.




I nod. Damien places his hand on my shoulder, and I let out a shaky breath.




A few moments pass and two men and a woman step out of the house and stand by the gate. Xlanti puts an R200 through the gate.




“Siyanibulisa badala bam,” Xlanti says.




“Molo nyana wam,” one of the men greet.




“Silapha ukuze sithethe nabadala malunga nelobola kaNikiwe,” Xlanti says.




The three elders look at each other.




“You can speak in English, for the sake of understanding each other.”




“Thank you,” X says and places another R200 through the gate.




One of the uncles comes to the gate and opens it, we walk through the gate. We are ushered inside, where one other man is seated.




We are told to sit.




“Siyanibulisa badala bam,” X greets.




“Molo mfana wami, how can we help you?” the man with the blue fedora says.




X looks at me and then back at the elders, “We are here to pay lobola for your daughter Nikiwe, Malume Kekana.”




“What do you have to offer?”




X opens the money bag and pulls out a stack of R10k and places it on the table.




Mr Kekana shakes his head, “Clearly you are here to play games.”




X pulls out another stack of R10k and then tells Damien to hand over a bottle of Glenfiddich whiskey and he places it on the table.




Nikki’s representatives whisper to each other and then the Aunty looks at us.




“Nikiwe is a highly educated woman. Her parents raised her well, she’s been abused, and she’s lost a child and now she is expecting another child.” She says.




“As you had already given us the lump sum prior to this negotiation for the event, what about damages?” another one of her uncles adds. Who was seated at the other end of the room.




Xlanti had told me to keep my cool no matter what and I was trying to. I understand their culture and why they do what they do but I cannot be paying for another man’s sin.




X doesn’t respond but he lets the money do the talking. He pulls out five more stacks of cash and all the alcohol is pulled out and placed in front of them.




They all look at each other, thoroughly impressed.




“Go and call the girls,” Mr Kekana says.




The lady gets up and goes into another room, minutes pass, and she returns with three ladies behind her. They were all dressed in the same traditional outfits with their faces covered with a blanket. I didn’t even have to look twice, I recognized Nikki, she has a wrist tattoo of a sun.




The three women sit on a mat on the floor, and they greet the elders.




“Which one of these women is your bride?”




X gestures for me to pick one and I point at Nikki who was in the middle. They ask her to reveal herself and she pulls down the blanket.




Mr Kekana grins, “Indeed, you know your wife. You may go back my children.”




“My son, we would like to thank you for choosing our daughter. You have also proven to us that you are a respectable man and that you indeed value our traditions. For that we welcome you to the family,” Mr Kekana says, he reaches over the table, and I reach over and shake his hand.




Everyone cheers.




After that, we are escorted outside of the house, and I go and change our outfits across the street from Nikki’s family home.

“Charles’ says everybody is ready, we can go back now,” Damien says as he puts his phone in his pocket.




My heart was doing backflips, I couldn’t wait to see her. We had spent almost two days apart and I was craving her presence. We step outside and we are greeted by what I assume is the entire village. People are cheering, singing, and dancing as they escort us to Nikki’s house. Their joy was so infectious I couldn’t help but join in and dance along with them.




We get to Nikki’s house, and we wait outside. Mr Kekana steps out and starts doing clan praises. A few moments pass and Nikki steps out of the house with my mother and her mother on either side of her. The crowd goes wild, she looked angelic, in her traditional Xhosa gown, beads and headgear. A true queen.




They walk towards me, and Mr Kekana stands in between us, he takes our hands. He places mine with my palms facing up and then he places Nikki’s hands on top of mine.




“The ancestors have approved,” he says, “You may take your bride.”




I waste not as a second and I pull her into my arms, and I kiss her. The ululating and songs break out and all I see is the flashing of lights from the cameras. Nothing else mattered at that moment but her. With her soft lips on mine, the whole world melted away for a moment.




 We pull apart for a moment and I whisper I love you and she whispers it back to me.




I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.




The celebrations commence and go well into the night. The whole ceremony was perfect. Charles and Chantel really outdid themselves and made our day truly special. Nikki and I had agreed that the traditional wedding was going to be it for us. We were going to go to court right after and then we were going to have a white wedding after two years of marriage.




We are standing outside Nikki’s home, waiting for everyone to leave. Charles, my mother, Nikki, and I are standing together.




“We did it baby,” she says, “We are married.”




I smile, “I can’t believe it.”




“Neither can we,” Charles adds, “You’ve come far Xander, and you deserve this happiness.”




“My baby boy. You’re a husband now, everything you do from now on is to protect your wife and your child. I love you and I can’t wait for us to grow as a family.”




“Thank you, mama,” I say, and I give her a hug.




Nikki smiles, “Thank you everyone for coming and celebrating with us. We couldn’t have done this without you.”




“Our pleasure sweetie and the next surprise we have planned for you, is the gender reveal,” Charles says as he pulls out an envelope.




Nikki gasps, “Wait, you know the gender already?”




Charles shakes his head, “It was delivered this morning.”




Nikki squeals, “I’m so excited.”