Aunty Musa took her as her own child even though Timothy never held her with his hands. Ray and Tinotenda would play with her. She learned to sit, crawl and walk faster than her other children had. Aunty Musa loved her to bits.

Five years passed and then all of a sudden Aunty Musa started seeing her as a stranger. She began to change her attitude towards Thandi. Thandi was a naughty girl as a toddler; Aunty Musa became short-tempered and would beat her for simple and small things.

Thandi grew up believing Aunty Musa was her mother. She was present from her being a baby to her growing up to be a toddler. Thandi started calling her ‘parents’ Aunty Musa and Uncle Timothy. Uncle Timothy took advantage of her by sexually abusing her. She hated it and was scared to tell Aunty Musa because she too her treated her badly. Sometimes she spent days with no food, had worn-out or torn clothes, nobody wanted her now.

Thandi believed that her parents hated her, she felt like she didn’t belong there. Ray was always the only one fond of Thandi; he would even give her his own food. By that time, Ray was in secondary school. Tinotenda couldn’t see what was happening in their home, it only happened when they were at school and while they slept. Thandi sat on the floor while the rest of the family sat at the table for dinner.

The children believed that their parent’s attitude towards Thandi would pass. However, it continued till Thandi turned seven-years-old. She wanted to be loved, but felt isolated. She wondered if Aunty Musa and Uncle Timothy were really her parents. She also asked herself: Why would a man who’s supposed to be her father hurt me like that?

She was too young to understand that he had abused Tinotenda the same way. Was it their culture to have sex with their children? She wondered. Thandi was confused, but she had no one to answer her. Her abusive Uncle Timothy didn’t stop, she had tell Ray.

“He touches my privates and puts his thing inside me,” she told Ray. He is hurting me Mukoma Ray,” she cried quietly.

“Don’t cry baby sister, I love you as my own sister,” he comforted her. “I’ll talk to mum about this,” he said consoling her. His hand was on her shoulder rubbing it so that she could stop crying. Ray always comforted Thandi. He loved her as a sister. He was hurt to hear that his own father abused Thandi. He went to his parents’ bedroom and asked his mother to come outside. He told Aunty Musa everything Thandi had told him but Aunty Musa wasn’t shocked.

“That bastard must go, she wants to tear my family apart,” she said angrily.

“But ma…” he said sadly and stared at his mother who seemed like some sort of animal. She had become a cruel, heartless and evil mother to Thandi. Ray then went to Thandi, who slept on the floor with one blanket. He saw her sleeping and woke her up quietly.

“Thandi wake up,” he said quietly.

“What did she say?” she asked stretching her hands.

She sat up then Ray finally told her about her being abandoned in the park as a baby. Ray told her that their mother was fond of her when she was a baby. He wondered what had changed.

“I am sorry, sleep well Thandi,” he said and hugged her.

Thandi sat alone in the dark room; lights had been switched off.

***

Tell us what you think: What do you think Thandi should do now? What would you do if you were her?