Ngesikhathi uGogo ehambisa uThoko emtatsheni wezincwadi ukuze ayokhetha incwadi yakhe yokuqala yasemtatsheni wezincwadi, uThoko unesasasa kakhulu. Umsizi wasemtatsheni wezincwadi ukhombisa uThoko lapho zikhona izincwadi ezinezithombe bese uThoko ekhetha incwadi yezindaba emfanele. Lapho eya esikoleni nencwadi ukuze uthisha wakhe ayifunde ithandwa yizo zonke izingane. Zifuna ukuyizwa ziphinde ziyizwe futhi! UThoko ubuyisela incwadi esikhwameni sakhe futhi, kodwa makhathaleni uma efika ekhaya, ayikho! Ngabe ikuphi? Ngabe uzophinde ayithole futhi? 

UThoko waya ngezinyawo emtatsheni wezincwadi noGogo. Wayekuthanda ukunuka kwesakhiwo esisha. Wayethanda amashalofu ezincwadi kanye namatafula akhazimulayo. Namhlanje, wayefisa ukuthola okuthile okukhethekile azokufunda. Incwadi yezindaba … enezithombe!

Wabamba isandla sikaGogo esifudumele base beyongena egumbini lapho okwakugcinwa khona zonke izincwadi zezingane. Ileti elalingemuva kwedeski laphakamisa amehlo lase limamatheka. Laligqoke ibheji elincane. Kwakubhalwe kulo ukuthi, “Li-bra-ri-an” (UMsizi wasemtatsheni wezincwadi).

“UThoko angathanda ukuboleka incwadi emtatsheni wezincwadi,” kusho uGogo.

“Ngabe uThoko unalo ikhadi lasemtatsheni wezincwadi?” kubuza umsizi wasemtatsheni wezincwadi. UThoko wanikina ikhanda. “Empeleni, ungalithola ikhadi lasemtatsheni wezincwadi lokuthatha izincwadi ngemva kokuthi wena noGogo senigcwalise ifomu,” kusho umsebenzi wasemtatsheni wezincwadi.

UGogo wahlala phansi esihlalweni esincane esiphuzi eduze kwetafula eliluhlaza okotshani wase eqala ukugcwalisa ifomu. UThoko wahlala esitulweni esibomvu waqalaza. Kwakukhona amatafula nezihlalo eziyimibala eyahlukene okuningi. Odongeni kwakukhona izithombe kanye namaphosta okuningi okuyimibala eyahlukene. Emashalofini kwakukhona izincwadi eziningi kakhulu.

“Ngiyakuthanda ukuba lapha,” kunyenyeza uThoko. UGogo waphakamisa amehlo wase emamatheka.

“Nawe ungazitholela incwadi emnandi ozoya nayo ekhaya,” kusho uGogo.

UThoko wazungeza indlu ehamba kancane. Ezinye izincwadi zazisemashalofini aphezulu kakhulu engeke akwazi ukufinyelela kuzo. Ezinye wayekwazi ukufinyelela kuzo, kodwa zazinamagama amaningi, kodwa zingenazithombe.

“Ake ngikubonise ukuthi zibekwe kuphi izincwadi zezithombe, Thoko,” kusho umsizi wasemtatsheni wezincwadi onomusa, ogama lakhe kwakunguNadia. UThoko walandela uNadia ukuya emashalofini ayewubude obumlingene.

“Thatha isikhathi sakho,” kusho uNadia. “Nginesiqiniseko sokuthi uzozitholela incwadi ekufanele.”

Ngesikhathi uGogo efaka ifomu, uThoko wayesezitholele incwadi emfanele – incwadi emayelana negundane, impungushe, isikhova, inyoka KANYE nenunu embi enezimpondo namazinyo aphumele ngaphandle.

“Ibukeka yethusa kakhulu. Ake sibone ukuthi ayikho yini engeke ikwenze ube namaphupho amabi,” kusho uGogo. UGogo wathola incwadi enekhava enhle. Yayinesithombe sikaferi ogqoke ingubo yebhaleyi ephinki kanye namaphiko akhazimulayo.

“Ibukeka iyinhle le ncwadi,” kusho uGogo. Kodwa uThoko wanikina ikhanda. Wayazi ukuthi yini ayithandayo futhi wayazi ukuthi ufunani. Ngakho-ke, wankonkoshela incwadi yakhe.

“A, wonke umuntu uyayithanda leyo ncwadi,” kusho umsebenzi wasemtatsheni wezincwadi lapho ebona incwadi ekhethwe uThoko. UThoko wabukisisa ngesikhathi kugxivizwa incwadi yakhe ngosuku okuzomele ayibuyise ngalo. “Nanso-ke!” kusho uNadia, enikeza uThoko incwadi yakhe yokuqala yasemtatsheni wezincwadi kanye nekhadi lakhe lokuqala lasemtatsheni wezincwadi.

“Manje usuyilungu lasemtatsheni wezincwadi,” kusho uNadia. Uthoko wayejabule kakhulu!

“Iphathe kahle-ke incwadi,” kusho uGogo sebehamba.

Hawu, leya ncwadi! Leya ndaba! Izithombe ezinjani pho! NoGogo wathi kwakuyindaba enhle kakhulu yezingane ayeseke wayifunda. Kanti kwathi lapho uThoko etshela ezinye izingane esikoleni ngendaba, zonke zafuna ukubona nezithombe zakhona.

Ngakho-ke, ngolunye uLwesihlanu, uThoko waya nencwadi yasemtatsheni wezincwadi esikoleni ukuze uNkosikazi Rhode, uthisha wakhe, ayifunde futhi abakhombise nezithombe. Izingane zahleka futhi zayithanda indaba, ikakhulukazi uThemba, owayelokhu efuna ukuthi indaba iphindwe njalo. Kodwa uNkosikazi Rhode wayivala incwadi wase eyinikeza uThoko ukuze ayibuyisele ngokuphepha esikhwameni sakhe.

Kusihlwa ngalelo langa, ngesikhathi sokulala, uGogo wathi, “Thoko, kusasa wusuku lokubuyisela incwadi yakho yasemtatsheni wezincwadi emtatsheni wezincwadi. Ngakho-ke, namhlanje ebusuku kuzoba usuku lokugcina lokuthi sifunde leyo ndaba ehlekisayo.” Ngesasasa, uThoko wavula isikhwama sakhe, kodwa incwadi yasemtatsheni wezincwadi yayingekho lapho!

“O, Thoko,” kusho uGogo, “kusho ukuthi uyishiye esikoleni!”

“Cha,” kusho uThoko, “Ngiyifake esikhwameni sami lapho uNkosikazi Rhode engibuyisela yona!”

UThoko wayesefuna ukukhala. Uzothini umsizi wasemtatsheni wezincwadi uma engasayibuyiseli incwadi yakhe emuva ngosuku olulandelayo? Wase eqala ukukhihla isililo!

“Ubani obengayithatha esikhwameni sakho?” kubuza uGogo. Uthoko wayelokhu ecabanga.

“UThemba Nombela!” kukhala uThoko. “Uyithande kakhulu indaba kangangokuthi ubefuna ifundwe ngokuphindelela!”

“Ngabe uyeba uThemba?” kubuza uGogo.

“UThemba ngesinye isikhathi uthatha izinto engazange azicele, kodwa uhlale ezibuyisa,” kuphendula uThoko.

Ekuseni ngakusasa, uGogo noThoko baya kwaNombela beyobheka ukuthi ngabe ikuThemba yini incwadi yasemtatsheni wezincwadi.

“Yebo,” kusho Themba, “Bengithi ngizoyibuyisa, kodwa uLinzi Dube uyiboleke kimi.”

Ngakho uThemba wakhombisa uGogo noThoko kwaDube. Lapho befika endlini, uLinzi wayekhona … kodwa ingekho incwadi!

“IkuBaba,” kusho uLinzi. “Akakwazi ukufunda, kodwa ubefuna ukubuka izithombe.”

Basuka-ke, uLinzi, uThemba, uThoko noGogo baya endlini kaBaba. Bamthola ehleli ngaphandle komnyango wakhe wangaphambili ehlekela phezulu.

“Ha, ha, ha! Linzi, le ncwadi ihlekisa kakhulu! Ngiyithokozela kakhulu,” kusho ikhehla. UGogo wachaza ukuthi incwadi yayingeyasemtatsheni wezincwadi nokuthi babesalelwe imizuzu embalwa ukuba bayibuyisele emtatsheni wezincwadi ngesikhathi.

UThoko wayengakaze abone uGogo ehamba ngokushesha okungaka. Kodwa bathi uma befika emtatsheni wezincwadi, umnyango wase uvaliwe. UGogo wafunda isaziso wase ethi, “Uzovula ngoMsombuluko futhi.”

“Kodwa Gogo, umsizi wasemtatsheni wezincwadi uzosithukuthelela ngoba incwadi bekumele ibuye namhlanje.”

“Ungakhathazeki ngalokho,” kusho uGogo. “Ngizochazela umsizi wasemtatsheni wezincwadi ukuthi kwenzekeni. Nginesiqiniseko sokuthi uzoqonda ukuthi kwenzekalani uma incwadi imnandi njengale. Wonke umuntu ufuna ukuyifunda! Sisengayithokozela kakhulu futhi kuze kube ngoMsombuluko.”

Lapho kufika intambama yangoMsombuluko, uGogo noThoko bahambisa incwadi emtatsheni wezincwadi. UNadia wabona ukuthi seyedlulelwe yisikhathi. Kodwa lapho uGogo echaza ukuthi kungani bengakwazanga ukuyibuyisa ngesikhathi, uNadia wamamatheka wase ethi, “Zamnandi lezo zindaba! Thoko, ngokuzayo, woza nabangani

bakho ukuze bazobhalisela ukuba ngamalungu asemtatsheni wezincwadi … kanye nomkhulu kaLinzi futhi. Sifundisa abantu ukufunda njalo ngoLwesihlanu ekuseni.”

Yilokho-ke okwenzeka.

Akusiye kuphela uThemba othanda ukuboleka izincwadi, kodwa noLinzi kanye nabangani bakaThoko abaningi basesikoleni babhalisela ukuba ngamalungu asemtatsheni wezincwadi. Ngisho nomkhulu kaLinzi imbala! Uyawathanda amagama amasha afunda ukuwafunda njalo ngoLwesihlanu. Kodwa izincwadi azithanda kakhulu, yilezo ezinezithombe ezimenza ahleke!