I remember the wait, the anxiety as the last bit of paperwork was being finalised. Waving good bye to my long life friends. And then, the car ride. To be honest, I was more nervous than excited. The car ride felt so smooth; something I was not used to. Tension filled the leather seated Sedan.

“Let’s just hope the cooking at home will be better than you had there,” my new Dad said humorously, as he turned his head to my new mom with a little grin on his face.

She did not seem to get the joke. A few minutes later we pulled up in front of a tall gate which slid open automatically. As we slowly rode in, my eyes widened at the neatly trimmed lawn and the magnificent house that stood behind it. I could not believe that this was going to be my new home.

I waited for my new parents to slide out of the car for me to take the first step in the lush lawn. I could not help smiling as I looked at the double-storey, contemporary house with a trimmed yard, double garage and small water pond as the centre piece of the exquisite home.

I definitely was not used to such luxury.

I came from humble beginnings; being born to a single mother in Khayelitsha. I had just smelled her, then she was gone, dying of HIV when I was three. As for my dad – he left my mom when she was pregnant, which therefore led me to being put in an orphanage for ten years.

Back at the orphanage, I must admit, I occasionally imagined being adopted by a family and the thought of it would often make me feel weary at night. I always thought it a privilege to experience the warmth of a loving family. Not that the orphanage was bad, especially with the friends I had made there, but I still felt I missed someone to call dad and mom. And here I was, as if by magic, with my dream family.

“So Thando, much more cracking than that foster home yea?” my new dad smiled.

“Better? It’s the best home I’ve ever seen,” I answered excitedly. I could see from the corner how happy my new dad was for me.

“Well don’t just stand there lad, come in!” he yelled, opening the front door as he did so.

“Don’t worry about the bags, your mom and I will take care of ’em.”

My new mom half smiled sarcastically and walked straight into the house.

“No don’t sweat it, I’ll get my luggage. It’s the least I can do,” I smiled.

The inside of the house was even better than the outside. There was an earthy theme going on, with all the furniture and walling being a dark, woody brown. My new dad then followed me through the front door.

He most probably was of English origin due to the noticeable British Cockney accent he articulated himself in. He had black, short hair and had a pair of thick framed, rectangular spectacles, masking his dark blue eyes. He had a slim face yet had a bit of a pot belly which was kind of ironic. He looked in his late thirties.

I turned to the brown leather couch that stood before me with my mom sitting on it. One of the first things I had noticed about her was that she was very attractive. If it were not for her height, she probably would have been a model in her earlier days.

“So the name Thando, does it have a meaning or something?” she asked, running her hand through her fringe. Her hair was jet black and cut a bob. She had black eyes and wore bright red lipstick. She walked me up the stairs, with my new dad carrying the rest of the little luggage I had behind us.

“Love – it means love. It’s quite funny because back at the orphanage the other kids…”

“Thanks, I only asked what that name meant,” she interjected. There was a long period of silence.

“Elena, why don’t you show the boy to his new room then?” my new dad asked.

“As you wish,” she replied with a sarcastic smile. We made our way up the stairs and opened the first door to our right in the corridor. I dropped my bags and let out a breath as I glanced around the room.

“Wow, I’m really not used to having a room all to myself.” I said. The room was a simple one room but it was mine and I loved it.

“Do you know the school we’ll be sending you to?”

“No, not yet,” I replied.

“Yes, it’s one of the best and most expensive in Cape Town.”

“Oh wow! Thanks so much, dad,” this last word seemed to surprise me. It was still stranger to my vocabulary.

It finally looked as though my history of bad luck had run its course. Ever since I can remember I have always had a knack for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Even back at the orphanage I was dubbed ‘bad luck Thando’ by my friends.

“Well, I’ll go over the rules of the house,” my new mom stated.

“Rules of the house?” I repeated.

“You heard me right. One of them is not to make noise. Sam, your little brother, does not like it,” my new mom said, with a stern face. This was followed by an awkward silence.

Just then I realised I was yet to see my foster mom smile. She had almost always seemed in a constant state of petulance during the car ride. Perhaps she was worried about the adoption procedure and how I would settle in a new home. This time, I felt like I wanted to initiate a dialogue, ask her if she was OK, but the words did not come out.

Then her cell phone began to vibrate ferociously through her jeans. She reached into her pocket and checked the number.

“Um, we’ll talk more later but right now I have to take this,” she went to take the call outside the room. I assumed it was a business call.

A few seconds later, a little brown headed boy, about five or six-years-old walked in through the open door.

“Hi. My name is Sam,” he greeted shyly, waving his hand. Then he stared at me, quietly.

“Hi, I’m Thando,” I said, waving back. “I guess I’ll be your big brother from now onwards,” I muttered. Sam did not smile. Instead he slowly opened his mouth while his eyes widened.

“Sam, are you okay?” I asked. He did not seem to register my question and dropped straight to the ground while beginning to spasm uncontrollably.

“Sam!” I shouted. “Sam, are you okay!”

Suddenly my foster mom ran into the room.

“Oh no,” she shrieked, dropping to assist the still face down Sam. Slowly she lifted her head up to meet my gaze. “Thando, what have you done?” she screeched.

“Nothing, I-I-I don’t know,”

***

Tell us: What do you think happened to Sam? Will Thando be happy in his new home?