"One, two, three... one, two, three!" yelled Nandi's dance instructor Miss Marie in a thick French accent. She's this Parisian woman who moved to South Africa after her husband's death and came here to live with her sister who married a Zulu man. She the inheritance she got from her husband to open a dance school in Durban.
Even though Nandi was tired. She still pushed herself to fi nish this set. Dancing is all she's ever known. Her mother always admired dancers but never got to learn it so when she f i nally gave birth to a girl after having fi ve boys, she took advantage of this. Even before Nandi could even crawl her mother had people come help train her body in preparation for all the dancing she would do.
At the age of 1, Nandi could do splits and a little bit of gymnastics. By the age of 5, she had mastered the Don Quixote which happens to be a strenuous dance even on an adult, but she could do it perfectly. That was a year ago.
Now here she is training even more, not for a performance but because those are her mums wishes. "Mademoiselle, be upright... yes, yes. Now the left... good," Nandi continued listening to her pointers until Miss Marie said it was enough. She was dog tired. Just as she sat down on the ground due to exhaustion, a knock on the door was heard. "Come in!"
yelled Miss Marie. 'She is really loud' thought Nandi as her head kept pounding.
The door opened to reveal Mrs. Alberta Dlamini. The moment Nandi saw her mum, she jumped right up and stood at attention. Both Nandi and Marie greeted Alberta. It's only on rare occasions when Alberta would personally visit the studio.
"Well, I'm assuming you are done for the day. Nandi go sit in the car, let me have a word with Miss Marie." Commanded Alberta. Nandi grabbed her bag, hugged Miss Marie and said goodbye then left. Outside she found her mom's car in front of the studio with Frank her driver standing sentry.
"Hello Miss, hope you had fun today."
"I did," Nandi entered the car and waited for her mother who came 10 minutes later. Her mum ignored her for the whole ride. Only after reaching the house did she acknowledge her. "Go and bath, dinner will be soon," Nandi nodded and rushed up the stairs, running from her mother's scrutinizing gaze.
The maids were waiting for her, as always. She fi nished her bath and dressed in a cute dinner dress. In the Dlamini's house no one is allowed to go to dinner unless dressed formally.
Every day, every action Nandi does is always under extreme scrutiny. She's never had a chance to just be a kid.
Her parents had some tutors come and teach her how to talk, walk and act not just in public but even at home. Everything has always been a test. Dinner has always been an activity to display her table manners and small talk capabilities. Even at 6 Nandi can hold a proper conversation with adults be it on the recent changes in the world, politics, sports or even art.
Moreover, her family is very traditional. Nandi can already hold her own in the kitchen as every Sunday after church, her family gathers at their house and as a girl she's expected to help in the kitchen whilst the men have a drink. Her family is very strict but that is slightly understandable as they are Jehovah's Witness and are involved in politics.
"Image is everything because everyone is watching, waiting for a chance to bring us down.
Never give them the chance." Her parents would always tell her.
There was a scandal earlier in the year, Nandi's cousin Maya got pregnant. Maya was a 16 years old, obedient girl who almost always volunteered at church, got high grades in school, had an angelic voice and was in the church choir. She was prof i cient at dancing, event planning, cooking, her table manners were on par, she was well read and kept on with times.
Everyone loved her, her parents' friends were all hoping to have her someday marry their sons. She had what Alberta would call the perfect fi gure, she was slender and tall. What one would consider a dancers build. This is how Alberta wants Nandi to look like.
She was perfect.
A new boy from England came to the high school Maya was attending, he had your typical bad boy persona. A contrast to everything Maya knows, he introduced her to a whole new world.
A world of relaxation, of Imperfection. This felt like a breath of fresh, away from the rules and obligations.
She fell in love, with not just him but his family too. His Dad was a Lawyer whose law firm was opening a branch in Durban, his mum a Gynecologist. They had what one would consider a perfectly imperfect marriage. They loved each other, truly. They didn't secretly hate each other or marry for connections but because they loved each other.
Maya knew about the secret deal her father and uncle (Nandi's Father) made with one of their friends, who's fi lthy rich and happens to have a few government of f i cials in his pocket, to marry her of to his son but she hated the guy. Typical pervert and jerk, whose had his father use his connections to bail him out of trouble.
Everyone at their school has heard stories, rumors that are most likely true, of how his raped some girls. The pupils just watch how those girls and their families move out of town either with their silence bought or 'tragically' die.
Maya ended up spending a lot of time with him and his family, she got attached. Life with him was much dif f erent from home, she begun to wish this was her home. No over the top dinners, extreme scrutiny, tests and perfection. Just to be. Maya and her boyfriend took their relationship a few steps higher and she later on found out they were going to have a baby.
Maya finally came clean to her parents about her boyfriend and the pregnancy during their Sunday gathering. They went ballistic, a family meeting was called and everyone found out.
They all looked at her with sheer disappointment and disgust. She had once thought that it would hurt not being admired or praised by them but she found out she didn't even care.
She couldn't wait to leave and cut of f ties with them, 'though it will hurt not being able to see Nandi' she thought because Nandi was too young and innocent to be stuck with them, that's why over the past years she's been advocating for her to go to boarding.
Maybe there she could breathe.
Obviously, her family could never just let go of their 'chess pieces' in peace.
"She could have an abortion, no one needs to ever fi nd out," said one Aunt and this shocked Maya.
As they, as Jehovah's Witness, have always been Anti-Abortion so for them to mention it now and by the looks on most of their faces, they seem to be considering it made all this even more insane. But she wasn't worried because it wouldn't work, she and her boyfriend's family had prepared for this.
"Sorry to burst all of your bubbles but that won't work," she said with conf i dence. Her father looked up to her with contempt because he couldn't help but wonder how this girl could have the audacity to look at the all smug after the disgrace her actions have brought on the family. "And why is that?" asked her grandmother calmly.
"I am a little over 5 months pregnant, meaning I'm a little too far along for an easy abortion that won't cause any harm to my womb and my boyfriend and his family have proof of our relationship and pregnancy. If you don't sign the documents stating you relinquish custody of me, that you won't try to cause us any harm or any form of backlash and return me back to their house without so much as a scratch, they will release this information to the public because I'm not ashamed of my relationship or pregnancy but you are. Moreover, we do not want any of your money." She said whilst bringing out the document.
This seemed to shock everyone as they realized they were caught against a wall and a hard place. Either face scandal or just let Maya go peacefully. Her father got the document and read through it, it seemed uncomplicated and straight forward. He could tell that it was drawn up by a really good lawyer.
The contract prohibited any contact from the family or their friends, how neither Dlaminis or their contacts are allowed to affect or cause any of them harm. If they do, the Dlaminis will have to provide compensation of 1 million Rands.
He couldn't help but sit back and think on it, he looked up at his brother for help.
"Come on, decide already with how you all just had to come and congregate here, time isn't with us. Because if I'm not back at their house by 6 pm on the dot, well goodbye support from the people. 'How could a man who can't even manage his own household hope to lead a country.' Doesn't that sound like a pretty good headline?" Maya instigated excitedly.
She'd been waiting for this time for so long, a time when she could finally be free.
"Why are you looking so smug you bitch!" yelled her older brother Samuel, who went rushing towards her with the intent to hit her but their cousins stopped him before he could do any damage. "What the fuck man? Were you going to hit a pregnant woman? Especially one who's your sister?" they asked him.
Samuel just like Maya's ex betrothed has had his fair share of cover ups. He has anger issues and has badly beaten up some of his ex-girlfriends to the point of them being admitted in ICU.
"Man, are you forgetting we can't touch her?" said Jasper, one of Nandi's older brothers.
"What do you expect me to do? This girl needs to be taught a lesson. She just can't do whatever she wants, what will we say to the Hlongwa's? Her betrothed? We can't just let her go like this," whilst looking at her blood lustily.
"We can," said her father said just after he finished signing the contract. This displeased everyone as they didn't want Maya to get away with disgracing the family name and they also feared her getting away with this would lead to the other girls becoming rebellious too but as the head of the family Nandi's father shushed everyone as he had already given his brother the go ahead to sign the contract. He then had the driver drop her off at the door step of the house.
From then on, Maya lived happily with her boyfriend and his family. She fi nally gave birth to a bouncing baby boy whom they named Charles. She was happy, truly happy and this fact irked her brother and cousin who tried to retaliate but Francis' dad was prepared.
Everything didn't go smoothly at fi rst.
Whilst Maya and Francis' mum were out shopping baby clothes, she was 8 months pregnant at the time, a black van pulled up on the side of the road and grabbed. Her boyfriend's mum tried to stop them but some men in masks prevented her, soon the car was gone.
She didn't stress but informed her husband first, Francis was with his dad when she called. So, when he heard, Maya's been kidnapped he was angry and in his emotions was going to do something reckless but his dad had prepared for this.
The previous month he had gifted her a necklace, the catch was it had a tracker in it. So, with the help of the police, they went to the location which happened to be a warehouse in the outskirts of Durban.
"You slut! What made you think you could get away with this, huh?" snapped Samuel as he backhanded Maya.
Before he could do anymore damage, his friends called out to him saying his dad was calling.
"Yes," he answered the phone. "Whatever you do leave that place right now!" yelled his father on the phone. "Why?" he asked confused because all he had on his mind was his retribution on his sister.
"The cops are on their way there! Apparently that son of a bitch Lawyer called in his contacts in the police and they've dispatched a unit. Leave the girl and come back NOW!!"
said his dad. He looked at his friends but his ego and pride wouldn't let him accept it.
He cockily responded, "There's no need to worry Dad we were very careful in getting her here. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get back to business," "Samu...." He had already cut the call before his father could fi nish. His phone rang some more but he ignored them contemplating his next move.
Just as he walked towards Maya and grabbed her by her hair, of f i cers burst in.
"Police, stop where you are and put your hands up where can see them!" said an of f i cer.
Francis came rushing in with his dad and they went to check on Maya who was going into labor prematurely due to the stress.
Samuel and his friends were arrested and with the help of one of his clients, the Dlamini family weren't able to get above it so the whole country heard about it.
This ruined the family's image and led to the family having to publicly denounce Samuel in hopes of recovering.
Samuel was charged for kidnapping and assaulting his sister, his friends were charged for being accomplices.
After the scandal the family went through some loses and in preventing it from happening again, they became even more strict and controlling. This incident is what led Nandi to have an even more dif f i cult life.
Anytime she didn't do anything up to par, her parents would remind her of Maya and the disgrace she brought on their family. How it was her fault Samuel's in prison.
Her parents not only monitored her food, weight, books, education and daily schedule.
They were hoping to have her replace Maya as the family Belle but that would be dif f i cult as Maya has an angelic appearance with her huge doe eyes. She is like a ray of sunshine or breath of fresh air whereas Nandi has a feline and catty appearance. Serious and unapproachable. She is like night.
As Nandi came down the stairs for dinner, she walked as elegantly as she could muster despite how much her body ached from the extreme session she had today.
She walked into the dinning room and she greeted her parents, sat down, put her napkin on her lap and avoided putting her elbows on the table as waited for her older brothers to come.
As usual they were late, all her dad did was give them a displeased look and signal to the maid standing in the corner for food to be brought in. The food was brought in by some maids. When everyone had their food, he begun to pray.
As they ate, everyone talked whilst Nandi sat quietly and observed. Until her mum brought up the conversation she had, during the luncheon hosted by the First Lady early, in the afternoon.
During this luncheon, the women's conversation some how steered towards their kids and one of them happened to ask what school Nandi is going to.
When she had explained that Nandi doesn't go to school yet, all the women looked at her weirdly and asked why because she's already 6.
One of them proposed taking her to Sterling Group International School, that she had heard a rumor that the Sterling heir will be attending in the coming year and he will be going in grade 3 as he is 6 years old.
Another said that Mrs. Dlamini is lucky for having a 6 years old child as by sending her to SGIS and her managing to befriend him would prove profitable to the Dlamini's.
When her husband heard all of this, he couldn't help but agree that it would be a great idea. So, the very next day he decided to apply Nandi to the school.
Nandi was asked to go to Zambia for an entry exam which she aced. She was accepted in SGIS and before she knew it, it was time to leave but as her family would have it, she couldn't leave in peace or without instructions. Her father called her to his office the morning of her flight, they wouldn't be escorting her. She'll be travelling alone and the school has arranged for someone to pick her up from the airport.
She found her father going through some documents. "You sent for me, sir." She said and he looked up from his work.
"Nandi, where you are going you need to get close to and befriend the Sterling boy. It is of utmost importance. Remember the family motto and if you are to break it, it should only be with the Sterling boy and no one else. You can go now."
After giving her his instructions, he went back to his work.
Nandi left without anyone saying goodbye to her, it hurt but she was used. The only people who cared for her were Maya and Miss Marie. Even though it was scary, she was excited.
Excited to finally be free from her parent's control and actually live. On the plane ride to Zambia, she made a promise to herself. A promise to live vicariously, finally make friends and have fun as much as possible because knowing her parents and their love of control, this might not last for long and she will be back for the holidays, unfortunately .