Chapter 10
My mother thwacked my face almost out of necessity. I touched my face and hot tears spewed down my face.
Nanny came to my rescue, showing obeisance to my Mother she carried me away from her, who had a euphemistic face on. I knew she didn't mean to punish me with people watching, she was probably shocked from my previous performance, but how can her hitting a frightened ten years old help anyone.
Her handmaiden brought her outer garment and covered her. We left the Gondwe river in a solemn mood, the atmosphere and the tension choked me. No one said anything to the other.
I peered fearfully at my mother who looked sad and confused. I began to feel bitterness and indignation towards Kuku. She was primarily the reason, we where all like this right now. It was her fault...But yet I couldn't fully hate her, she was my grandmother. I didn't understand a lot of things that had been happening to me lately, but i knew for a fact that Kuku was no more. I couldn't cry, more so because i wasn't sad. I calmly looked at the different shapes of the trees we passed on our way to the palace, I noticed the little things I would normally not pay attention to. The journey that took little time on the road seemed like an eternity. I felt like I had sat on the carrier for days.
when we finally reached the palace, uncle Landa Mwane's two messengers had just left the king's study. Mother went straight to her chambers, bathed and changed into clean, dry clothes before going to the king's study. She had gone to tell him about what happened at the Gondwe river, But he spoke first.
"You must have heard about your mother?"
"Yes I d...what? what about my mother?"
The queen started to cry because deep down she had known, what I had told her was true, now was the confirmation she was waiting for to finally breakdown. She was moaning her mother and daughter at the same time. Who would take a royal oracle for a wife, unless they said I was possessed by some spirit, at ten I was basically ruined.
She fell to the floor together with the etiquette, she had possessed as a Queen for years and gave out a wailful sound.The king was startled and dumbfounded.
"My queen, what's the meaning of this behaviour, I know it is the loss of a mother, but royal etiquette is essential"
"She is ruined, my king, she is ruined." My Mother cried.
"Who" my father demanded.
"Who is ruined?"
The king ordered for his aide to leave so that he can hold the Queen who was starting to hyperventilate. He carried her to the couch in the study and put her head on his lap and caution her to breathe.
She eventually calmed down and sat erectly on the couch.
"Two messengers from your brother where here, they said your mother died in her sleep this morning" he finally said looking at the expressionless face of the queen.
Don't get me wrong, my mother loved her mother, but when she found out I was going to lead the same life she did, my mother despised her. Because she knew it was no one else but Kuku's doing. She couldn't tell my father about what her mother had done to his only daughter because that would put all of her family members in a difficult situation.
All the women at the river probably thought I was possessed because non of them had actually heard me say I performed the last rite for my grandmother. You can only perform the predecessor's last rites if you are the successor. My mother knew that and she was going to make sure only she knew.
"I have already sent people to take care of the necessities, since it's already late, you can go there tomorrow with Princess Zae."
My mother wanted to tell the King, she didn't want me to go to the funeral house at Landa Mwane's house, but she kept quiet because that would arouse suspicion in this intelligent King's mind. She left without telling the king any thing relating to the happenings at the river.
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The following morning, we left for Landa Mwane's house. As a traditional and sign of grief, all the deceased's kin are to wear the animal skin cloaks inside out, my mother being a Queen had worn her lioness skin cloak while I, wore a cheetah cloak...both worn inside out. My mother cried the moment she reached Landa Mwane's house, she went and sat with the moaning relatives and women of the village who also started moaning upon hearing the queen. The couches in Landa Mwane's living room where taken outside for men to sit on while women sat in the living room on the reed mats. We slept in the living room for five nights. Kuku was to be buried the following morning. The whole five days I was literally playing with Dalo Nandi, and little Lugi. Because Lobe and Thabo where older than us and fully knew the impact of the death Kuku meant they will be without a guidian and homeless. Lobe sat with the men while Thabo sat with the women. That morning the grave diggers had dug Kuku's grave in the outskates of the village, and because she was a person of status being the Queen's mother, her grave was situated to the side of the commoners' cemetery and surrounded by grass and branches. Her house roof was placed in the grave and the house was burnt so as not to attract her ghost coming back to the house. Traditionally her eyes and mouth where kept open and as a woman she was placed facing the west. They placed Kuku's body wrapped in the reed mat and placed her and the possessions she can use in the afterlife. The royal priestess ask Kuku to watch over our kingdom and help our ancestors to protect us, since no one knew her successor, the priestess performed the last rites again. We watched as the grave was filled with dirt, until it was was all covered up... When we went back to Landa Mwane's house, five calfs had been slaughtered to celebrate Kuku's life. I asked the queen to allow Lobe, Thabo and Lugi to come with us, They can stay with Nanny in the servants' premises and have both a home and a guaidian. The queen agreed and allowed them to come with us even without so much as begging from me. She wanted to make this child who in her eyes lost her childhood to the wishes of the gods happy.
