HEART MADE OF STEEL

Elder Solo

The wind was picking up again.

The leaves and dust were swept up and whirled around the Kanye homestead.

However this did not cause the people around to stop their work. Senelisiwe or better known as Sene, rushed to close the windows to their four roomed house.

She was happy she had not opened the windows of the three huts around the homestead. Two of those were her children’s rooms and she rarely went inside except to clean from time to time.

The other was a traditional kitchen that she built when she first came to the Kanye family.

She loved cooking in there, over an open fire. She noticed that the boy they hired to care for the cattle was back and herding the animals inside the kraal.

“Musta! How was it today?”

“Good afternoon ma’am. It was good today, no fights" he laughed.

She shook her head with a smile on her face. The boys were notorious for fighting and losing livestock.

“When you are done rounding them up, eat your food. Its in the kitchen same place like always”

“Thank you ma’am”

Sene took the food basins with the food she and her husband would eat for dinner.

Before she entered the four roomed modernised house, she saw elder Solo walking in a distance. He seemed to be coming for their home.

Her face immediately turned sour.

‘What does this old man want now?’

She quickly went inside, placing the food on the kitchen table.

“Kanye! Guess who is coming over right now"

Her husband was in the bedroom changing into sleeping clothes after his shower. He felt tired from the day's hard work in the fields.

A bath and the delicious food his wife prepared would cure his fatigue.

He smiled when he heard her shouting.

“Is it Gerald’s wife?”

Gerald’s was his older brother who had a homestead nearby. Acres of land belonging to the Kanye family was divided among the three brothers after their father passed on.

The older brother had the first portion nearer the tarred Road. Then his second older brother Mosa was next. Then lastly him, Dino.

They had two sisters after him, Bina and Lineo who stayed in different cities with their families.

“Its worse. Its the old man Solo" she said opening the door to their bedroom. “Are you done getting dressed. The food is getting cold" The man got out of the room and they sat down in their small sitting room.

“I thought it was Gerald’s wife. I heard Sofie is coming back from that fancy island she stays overseas.”

She chuckled as she placed his plate in front of him.

“I am expecting her any day soon. She will pretend she wants to see how I’m doing, ask about Ian. But she would have come to tell me her daughter is coming back”

“Thank you my wife. This looks good"

The man rubbed his hands ready to devour the samp with peanut butter. There was chicken stew and some vegetables on the sides.

“I’m glad you like it"

There was a knock.

“Mr Kanye, ma’am old man Solo is at the gate" Mutsa shouted from outside

Sene looked annoyed causing her husband to laugh.

“Let him in" Dino shouted.

“Why are you looking like that for. That old man is harmless”

“Argh he talks nonsense. Have you ever heard the things tat come out of his mouth? Pure rubbish”

“Hes not that bad"

A second knock alerted them the visitor was now outside their four roomed house.

Dino personally went over to open the door.

“Elder Solo. Welcome”

They went to the sitting room where Sene continued to eat.

“Mrs Kanye" the old man put his hands together in greeting.

“Elder Solo please sit down. I will dish up for you. How come you are walking around in this wind"

She got up then went to the kitchen which was the next room. The house was small. Everything the men were saying from the sitting room she could hear.

“I had to come. Good news is just too difficult to keep to oneself”

Dino chuckled. “What good news, elder Solo. Have you found your family?”

Sene smiled to herself while carrying the food back to the men.

“That would be great news indeed”

What she meant was that it would be great if someone claimed him. As it was, no one knew his family.

He stayed alone in a single hut far at the outskirts of the village. He had his meals by rotating different homesteads at meal times.

He managed to come at meal times whenever he visited a home. All the time.

Dino had said it was mere coincidence when Sene had complained about it.

However even when she changed their meal times, old man Solo always came at the right time.

The old man smiled and clapped his hands to show gratitude for the food placed before him.

The old man always eat quietly.

According to Sene it was quietly and too slowly.

He never spoke while eating. No matter how interesting the conversation was or how chaotic it became around him.

He kept his head lowered until his plate was wiped clean.

When he was done he was handed a small basin for washing his hands.

When he was done eating, belly full and teeth picked. He sighed.

“Thank you so much Mrs Kanye. The Lord has answered your prayers”

Sene looked at the man like he was crazy.

The last time he was here he had filled his belly then said to her “Cry harder to the Lord. Its almost done"

His words always managed to anger her. They didn’t make sense.

The old man looked at her with a smile missing two front teeth.

“They will envy you. Your laughter will fill the whole village”

She only gave him a polite smile while looking at her husband.

‘See what I mean' she thought.

...

A week had gone by. A whole week.

Ian was proud of himself. For the first time ever. He managed to put out the raging fire called his kids.

The day after Danika had left, the kids were waiting for her to walk in through the door and give them hugs and kisses.

Ian was told by their nanny that they kept asking for their mother. He had sighed suddenly apprehensive.

Were they going to throw a fit if he told them that she wasn’t coming back again.

There was no other way, he had to tell them.

So he had sat them down and told them that Danika was not their mother, she was a stranger that wasn’t coming back again.

The two kids had been upset. The little girl cried. Being a quiet child she did not make too much noise.

The next day while Ian was at work the real effects of his words manifested.

The nanny had been so stunned when she had walked into the house.

The whole place was a mess. The cushions were scattered all over the place. The plates in the kitchen were smashed against the floor.

Ona had stood at the door dumbstruck.

After Ian came back from work she had explained to him what had happened.

What she didn’t understand was why they spoke of someone, calling her their mother when she as dead.

She knew this because she had been briefed on the dynamics of the family.

She was impressed by her new boss. He was patient and spoke to his children in a very calm way.

He was quite handsome too.

After he had spoken to them it seems they understood. They were sad, both Ona and Ian could see that, but nothing could be done about it.

On Saturday morning he had plans with the guys from his work. They were going out, drinking and having some fun.

He was hoping he would meet a babe and finally get laid. If he told his friends when he last had s*x they would laugh at him.

He could feel that he needed release, all the s****l frustration that had miraculously been intensified needed to be dealt with.

He had not called Noli yet.

He did not know what to tell her. She was going to ask alot of questions, some of which he had no answers to himself.

So he kept stalling. When she tried to call he would let it ring and thankfully she never left any messages.

He got into some shorts, sneakers and a simple tee. In the kitchen the kids were waiting for their breakfast.

Ona was a sweet girl. She was respectful and seemed to care about the kids. He was satisfied.

“Ona. I will be home late. I’m going out, take care of them"

“Yes sir. Good morning sir"

“Morning” he grabbed an apple from the fridge.

“I.J take care if your sister alright. I will bring you something nice"

“Okay dad"

Ian was happy, since the previous day his kids were smiling, seems they finally understood the situation and were moving on.

Ayana wasn’t talking and had returned to being mute. He wasn’t happy about it however she was walking so he was grateful.

“Alright I’m off. Bye"