Esihle wakes with a start, her brother is playing gqom at full blast on his speaker right outside her door. She springs out of bed and yanks her door open to find Sibusiso’s speakers on the floor.

ESIHLE: (shouting) Sibusiso, we did not agree on you using gqom as an alarm!

Sibusiso pokes his head out of the door next to Esihle’s, their mom’s room, grinning.

SIBUSISO: (amused) You said I should wake you up for work, you never said anything about what method I should use.

ESIHLE: (annoyed) Fine! Next time, no loud music or screaming my name.

SIBUSISO: If this is how you’re going to start your first ever night shift as a doctor, I fear you might not last a week, let alone the whole month.

ESIHLE: (rolling her eyes) What time is it? (She rubs her eyes and stretches.)

SIBUSISO: It’s 10 past five. You have one hour to get ready and get out of here, or you won’t make it to Tembisa hospital by 7pm.

ESIHLE: I really wish I could avoid night shift all together. This whole being a recently graduated, real-life doctor has been hard enough without having to oversee sick people at night.

SIBUSISO: Come on, Esihle, you’ve wanted this for as long as I can remember, you can do this. You’ve done the training, you’re ready. And you’re a Khumalo and we’re not quitters.

Esihle smiles at how Sibu is being a supportive and caring brother.

ESIHLE: You can be such an amazing brother sometimes. (smiles) Makes me think of how Baba would talk about the day we were born.

SIBUSISO: Oh, I remember that story. He always had this twinkle in his eye as he told the story. He’d say: (mimicking their father) the day you were born, there was a bad storm, it just came out of nowhere. My mother, your gogo, had to help your mother bring you into the world because the hospital was far away.

ESIHLE: And he’d always have this weird expression as if he was watching the events replaying in his mind’s eye as he told the story.

SIBUSISO: He made our birth sound like a scene from a movie, talking about: (mimicking their father again) then Sibusiso came out screaming louder than the thunder. And then you came along, Esihle, the sweetest little girl, I swear you smiled at me that first day. Go on, smile for uBaba just like that first day. (chuckles) And you would always give him your widest smile, which would make him smile.

ESIHLE: And then he’d say: Sibusiso, when I held you in my arms, I thanked God for blessing me with another son, but when I held Esihle, I wept because you were so beautiful, my child. And when I looked out the window, the sun was out, and I was sure God was smiling down on my beautiful little blessings. (sighs.) I miss uBaba so much, but I see so much of him in you, Sibu, that sometimes it’s like he is still here with us.

Esihle’s words make Sibusiso a little uncomfortable.

SIBUSISO: You should start getting ready or you’re going to be late for work.

Esihle checks the time on her phone and realises she is almost out of time.

ESIHLE: I need to bath and get out of here.

She rushes to the bathroom.

***

At quarter past six, Esihle is running around like a headless chicken trying to find her name tag and jacket. When she gives up looking in her room, she rushes to the kitchen and finds Sibu standing by the door with her jacket and name tag in one hand and her bag and flask in the other.

SIBUSISO: (seeing the surprised look on her face) I think the words you’re looking for are, what would I do without Sibu?

ESIHLE: Shut up and walk me to the corner so I can catch a taxi.

They walk in silence for a couple of minutes, then Sibu starts to say something, then stops himself. When he does this for the third time in a row, Esihle locks her arm around his and stops walking. He does too. She waits for him to speak but he doesn’t. Her impatience gets the better of her.

ESIHLE: Oh, for heaven’s sake, would you just spit it out?

He looks at his feet for a second before he speaks.

SIBUSISO: (stammering) Remember how I told you that I was considering going back to school to complete my Architecture degree?

ESIHLE: Yeah, I remember.

SIBUSISO: Well, a while ago I applied to the University of Pretoria, and I got in.

She flings her arms around his neck and holds him tight. She is so happy, she could burst.

ESIHLE: I can’t believe you did all this and didn’t tell me first.

She pulls away and looks at him, unable to speak.

SIBUSISO: Esihle, stop staring, you’re creeping me out.

ESIHLE: I’m just so proud of you, Sibu. You have no idea how happy this makes me. Mom is going to freak out when we tell her.

He looks away then starts walking when Esihle mentions their mother. She quickly catches up to him.

ESIHLE: I promise uMama is going to be just as excited as I am.

SIBUSISO: I know Ma thinks I am going to turn out to be a huge disappointment like uZuks.

There is tension between them at the mention of Zuks.

ESIHLE: You could never be like our brother, you are so much better than he is.

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