Bless was wrapped in emotions that he couldn’t hide. These emotions held him like a marionette; a puppet for love. All because the one he loved was drifting away from him. He had been so faithful, so patient. The last thing he expected was this.

Nineteen year old Bless Thlorisho had been in this relationship for three years. And now time was proving its mortality; everything that begins has to end. He never believed in true love until he met Faith Marulela and gave it a try.

“Brother, you don’t have to worry about him,” his sister, Goitsemang said reading his blank stare. “One day everything will be okay,”

“Worry about who?” he asked, his deep thoughts distracted.

“Ntate, I mean he was worse last night,”

“I got no time for drunkards,”

“Don’t call him that! Even though he doesn’t deserve to be called ‘Dad’,”

Bless lived in a four roomed house with his little sister, mother and his alcoholic father. His mother, Gertrude worked in a community clinic as a domestic worker. His father, Eric had lost his occupation, as a Lecturer, six years ago, after allegedly beating up a student who accused him of sleeping with his soul mate who was a student in a same college.

After his dismissal, Eric couldn’t afford the life that he and his family had been accustomed to. They had to move from Sunny Side suburb to a semi-rural area. But that was the least of Bless’ worry.

“Yes I know, but a man has to be a man. When he falls, he must stand tall and dust off that led him to pity,” Bless said to his fourteen year old sister.

“True that, but an emotional wound is much deeper than a physical one,” she said with tears filling up in her eyes.

“Believe me I’m in that state now,” Faith’s face flashed in his mind. “If it was possible I’d kill every gene that resembles him,”

“I don’t know but I feel pity for him. May the God of heaven bring a lamb to show him right path again,”

“Yeah right! Can’t wait to finish my Grade 12, get a bursary and get the hell out of here,”

“You will. You have worked much harder this year, it’s obvious that you are doing Grade 12 next year,” she encouraged with a smile. “So…,” she broke the silence. “How is Miss Faith?”

“Let’s drop the subject,” he growled

“Are you okay?”

“Goitsemang, I said let’s drop the subject,”

“Is she giving you problems?”

He gave no answer.

“If she is, you need to leave her. I’m telling you, the girl is just trou-ble.”

“She loves me, and I’m tired of everyone telling me how she’s bad for me,”

“But Bless, the girl…”

“Ag! drop it,” he stormed out of the room.

On Sunday afternoon he was sitting in the kitchen with his mother and sister. They were wrapped in those conversations that left grins on their faces.

His father entered, drunk as usual.

“What are we eating today?” he slurred rubbing his beer-belly. “Woman, I’m talking to you.”

“The meal is not yet ready,” his wife replied.

“What?Motho has been gone for more than four hours, and the meal is not yet ready?”

“Akere that’s all you do? You walk in and out, have nothing to do but drink!”

“Watch your words lady,”

“Eric, you have to change for God’s sake, for the sake of your daughter and son.”

He looked at his children. “You got all my support guys, isn’t it?”

“What? What support?” his wife disputed. “Every cent you get from your useless piece jobs is spent on alcohol!”

“The support is not about the coin only,”

“Oh! What else? You hardly speak to these children,”

“Ey! Woman jy mot nie praat like that to me,” anger grew rapidly in him.

With only a few steps, Eric hit his wife with a fist. Goitsemang left the room, Bless stood up ready to fight him. “Give me respect for God’s sake,” he shouted at her. “What are you going to do boy? Beat up your father and disrespect me like your mother?”

He kicked his wife and she fell. Bless took a few steps from the table and pushed him. He stumbled and hit his head against the floor. The alcohol in him perhaps led him to a deep nap. As Bless was about to kick him his mother pulled him back.

“Don’t my son. Don’t let him grow any devil within you.”

Bless ran out, down to the streets. His father had never laid a hand on his mother in their presence before; this was way too unusual to him and his little sister.

***

Tell us: How do you feel about how Bless dealt with his father? How would you have handled the situation?console.log(‘ThelmsSurveyLink::GetLinkArray() returned ‘, false);