THE BROODER

EPISODE 22

THE BROODER

22

THE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

DOCTOR SANDILE: "so where's my character going to go from here? I am willing to take you anywhere. I happen to be in my off day today. So name your place of destination."

CONNIE: I don't want to be a burden doctor, you have done enough for me already.

DOCTOR SANDILE: don't say that miss Connie, I should be doing more considering all what you went through here at the facility.

CONNIE:But doctor Sandile, the hospital has given me a huge monetary compensation for all that. So it's good.

DOCTOR SANDILE:" It can never be enough for all the years you spent here unjustly. Get in the car, Milady.

CONNIE: Doctor Sandile, you...

DOCTOR SANDILE:"Can you please call me Sandile only? Plus I am not a doctor outside these walls. Now get in the car, it's getting cold. I think it'll rain soon.

CONNIE:" Okay Sandile, you win."

DOCTOR SANDILE: " sooo, where are we heading to?"

CONNIE:" Home. I need to see my mother and my siblings.

DOCTOR SANDILE:" Will they still be in the village?"

CONNIE:" I don't know. I can't tell, it's been three and a half decades since I last saw them."

DOCTOR SANDILE:"That's a starting point. Let's go there. Everything will be fine Connie"

SOME HOURS OF DRIVING LATER...

DOCTOR SANDILE: Here we are.

He opens the car for her and she steps out teary. It has been years since she saw her family. She rings the doorbell for the fourth time...

" Who's there? I am coming..."

A few things have changed around the house. When they moved here years back, her grandmother had a little garden just at the front here. The house has been extended to the front. The grasses were replaced with gravel and flowerpots. It is a neat and tidy house. The door opened and a young woman comes out.

Woman:" Who are you and what do you want?" She's definitely cooking.

" I'm Connie moloi and I'm looking for Patricia moloi."

Woman:"Patricia moloi doesn't live here anymore. She had returned to her husband's house in Sandton years ago."

" Okay dear, thanks for that information. I will go look for her there."

Woman:" you look so similar to her. Are you perhaps related?"

" Yes, she's my mother. I'm here first child."

Woman:" oh my god! Come inside, my husband will be so thrilled to meet you. He's out to work but he'll be back soon.He's your uncle mashesha."

I thought as much cause he's the only sibling of my mother.

" No, there's no need. I'll visit next time. I really need to see my mother. It's been long I saw her."

Woman:" oh dear, I wish you could..."

She turned and walked back to the car. Doctor Sandile was still dishing out pleasantries with the woman while she tapped impatiently.

DOCTOR SANDILE:" She's a nice young lady and she happens to be your uncle's wife. We could have waited for your uncle you know. She's ready to even serve us scones and tea but my impatient character was in no room for pleasantries.

CONNIE:"She talks a lot. And she's so nice and stupid. We could have bad guys and she would been hurt.

DOCTOR SANDILE:"That's not what I think. I think she saw the similarities between you and her husband's sister so she felt at peace knowing you're family.

CONNIE: Hmmmmmmmmm.

If there's anything Sandile has to learn about this woman, it is her dislike for long talks. He could see she's more of a thinker. She gave him directions to her father's house and they drove straight to Sandton. She didn't want any snacks or breaks. She just wanted to embrace her mother. They got to Sandton city at sundown. Her father's house was rebuilt from scratch. There's no familiarity about the building. She could only locate it through the neighbourhood. Some houses close to their house were still the same. There's a huge black gate at the entrance. She rings the doorbell once and a man's voice was heard.

" who's that?"

CONNIE: my name is Connie and I'm looking for Patricia moloi.

Voice: "Connie?"

The gate opens and she saw the owner of the voice, her not-so-little brother, Jamie. He's very old now. He was only fifteen when she last saw him. Now, he's an old man with some gray hairs here and there.

CONNIE:" Jamie?"

The two siblings hugged at the gates with Connie crying and her brother teary. Doctor Sandile had to return to the car and give the family time to bond. Jamie took his sister inside the house.

CONNIE:" Where's momma Jamie?"

JAMIE:"She went to the hospital with your niece for her routine checkup. She's diabetic."

Woman :" Jamie, so this is the bvtch you want to replace me with? This skinny bones? What did you even see in her? She's so ugly and disgusting. Nxa!" She's breathing fire!

JAMIE:" Martha, that's my sister you're referring to! How dare you?"

He's pissed at his babymama. This is the reason she's still his baby mama after twenty years. He couldn't make up his mind to marry the louse mouth even after three children.

Martha:" Sister? I thought all your siblings are late and you are the only child."

JAMIE:" Apologize to my elder sister right now! or get the Fvck out of my house"

Martha:" I'm so sorry aunty. Please forgive my manners mah"

CONNIE:'" what she said about our siblings... where's Catherine and Jamal?"

JAMIE: We lost Jamal two years after your disappearance, he got in an automobile accident and died instantly. Catherine died two decades ago, she had chronic tonsillitis and it wasn't dictated earlier so she died. We are all we have now."

The door opened and a old lady comes in with a young teenage girl.

MmaMoloi: There's a weird man standing outside a car just outside the gate. Call the cops now. I don't like that man. He's looking at the house.

CONNIE:"Momma, he came with me." She's tearing up...

MmaMoloi:" Is she your friend, Jamie?"

JAMIE: Mama, she's Connie... your Connie has returned to us.

MmaMoloi:" Connie is dead Jamie. And y'all said I'm the old lady. Connie died a long time ago. "

CONNIE:" Momma, it's a lie. I was locked up in the facility for years. It's me Coco, your Coco"

The old lady staggered to her and they meet each other on the way crying.

MmaMoloi:" my baby, my Coco is alive. Coco..." She cried out.