Pretoria is a new vibe for Nolwazi. A far cry from KZN, where she grew up in Osizweni Children’s Home until she was adopted at thirteen, and moved to Witbank. Pretoria is noisy and fast-paced, filled with young hustlers making money, parties everywhere, beautiful women, hot men.
Nolwazi hasn’t made friends yet in Mabopane Block C, where she is renting a room. The only friends she has, she met through her Unisa studies, and they live in town. Her parents wanted her to find a flat in town but she refused – the rent is very high there.
Nolwazi has always been grateful to the Sibisis for adopting her and feels guilty for spending their money. She feels that they have done enough for her already.
Nolwazi loves her studies. She buries herself in her books on International Development. She doesn’t mind being alone but she knows she has to go out and find a job to pay her way.
It’s late in the afternoon and Nolwazi stops writing her CV to make herself supper, then she goes on working. She’s decided to deliver her CV to twenty companies in the morning, and cross fingers that one will have a job for her.
When she’s done she lies on her bed staring at the ceiling. She misses home and loves the Sibisis. But, sometimes she wonders about her biological family. Her mother abandoned her in the hospital after giving birth. That is all she knows.
At times she thinks she will try to track her mother down, but part of her feels that she is better off not knowing. How would the Sibisis take it? Would it be fair on them? But what if she has brothers or sisters somewhere? She would love to meet them!
All that thinking is making the hole in her heart bigger and deeper. She gets up and switches on her music to distract her thoughts. She chooses her favourite CD: Emeli Sandé’s Our Version of Events. She starts singing to the lyrics. Emeli’s beautiful voice always puts Nolwazi on a high.
After dancing briefly in front of the mirror, Nolwazi brushes her teeth and puts on her pyjamas. The music is still playing; she lowers the volume and climbs into bed. Still humming to the music, she gently drifts into sleep.
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Tell us: Do you like this new character, Nolwazi? Why or why not?