2011 was the year that Amzo had a new life experience. He was a young guy; artistic minded. He became vulnerable after he found out the truth about his father. Sadly he found the truth through a fight he was involved in. One of the neighbours in his area radically told him that he was denied by his father. This 18-year-old boy got confused. At home he was told that his father died when he was 4-years-old and he was told all sorts of good things about his late father.

That day he went back home and straight to his room. He started to play music loudly without care or consideration to anyone else in the house. Furiously, his mother called him several times, begging him to lower the volume. But Amzo was furious and ignored her, making her think that he could not hear her. His mother decided to switch off to the main power switch.

Amzo got out of his room and rudely shouted at his mother. She told him that she had been calling him. But before his mother finish talking, Amzo cut in.

“You’re going to lie again and tell me that I was loud as you lied to my face about my father’s death?”

His mother was shocked. She didn’t know that the young man had grown enough to know the truth. So she decided to lay everything down and tell him. But the young man was no longer interested. He asked why it took so many years. “Why have you kept this a secret?” He shouted.

He didn’t allow his mother to explain and he went out. He was so angry. He went to the closest tavern to drink his stress out. He was drinking like no body’s business while back home his mother was losing it because of the stress she was in.

Amzo’s friend, Lunga had gone to check on Amzo. He had head from his girlfriend that Amzo was fighting in the street and that he went home and fought with his mother too.

Lunga went to see Amzo. When he got there he knocked continuously but no one answered. The door was open so he decided to enter, maybe they were at the back, he thought.

“Mama! Mama!” he shouted. “Amzo! Amzo?! But there was response. He entered in the sitting room and that’s where he saw Amzo’s mother, lying on the ground.

“Mama! Mama, why you sleeping here? Mama?!” he called but she was not replying.

Amzo’s mother was a drinker and so Lunga thought that maybe she had had too much alcohol. He bent down, picked her up and took her to her bed. As Lunga laid the old lady to bed, he noticed that Amzo’s mum did not smell of alcohol. This was strange.

Just then, Amzo’s uncle entered in a rush. He found Lunga in the room and his sister lying there.

“What is happening here?” he asked in shock. Lunga explained what had happened when he got inside. “Where is Amzo?” Uncle asked.

Lunga didn’t know so he shrugged.

In his mind he thought that his sister was drunk too. But what was confusing him was that on the phone she didn’t sound like she was drunk. She sounded like she was crying and she was complaining that Amzo was angry at her. But he ignored the feeling and they both went out of the house.

On their way to the gate Amzo’s uncle was complaining that his sister was drunk. He thought she had decided to call him, threatening that she was going to die because of Amzo, all because she couldn’t hold her alcohol.

“Maybe it is because Amzo was fighting with another guy in the street,” said Lunga. “He was swearing at everyone, and he even continued fighting with his mother too.”

And Lunga went home to take his phone so that he may call Amzo. He told Uncle Siphiwo that he would be back soon; he lived two houses down the road. The thought that Amzo’s mom didn’t smell of alcohol really bothered Lunga. He decided he was going to tell Siphiwo when he got back to the house.

***

Tell us: What do you think happened to Amzo’s mom?