Oh, I couldn’t wait to get home and just enjoy the luxury life of being in lalaland.

When I got home I was in for a surprise, the door was wide open. Only me and mother have the key, I thought, braking at the gate, my hopes of being in lalaland shattering right there.

I dragged my feet all the way to the house, being on a mission to find out who exactly was in the house.

I found mommy sitting on the couch, her eyes revealing that she was in deep thought. And when she saw me she gave me a weird look that was hard to figure out.

“Afternoon mommy,” I said rushing off to my room, remembering I didn’t pick up her call.

“Come back here missy,” she called after me.

I reversed and sat down, “Ma?”

“Why didn’t you pick up your phone when I called you?” she said in an unusually calm tone.

“Oh, my phone shut down, sorry,” I said relaxing. Maybe I wasn’t in deep shit after all.

“Mhm…” she said with a sound of disbelief in her tone.

“I see you’re on holiday,” I said trying to lighten her up a little.

“Wish I would say that, but unfortunately my body is on strike,” she grinned.

Her body was getting too comfortable, I thought, remembering it was a replay of the day before.

“It’s making life difficult for me,” said mommy, sad that her body had turned against her.

“Don’t you worry, you’ll be fine,” I said trying to console her, she was far from fine.

“You know I’ve been thinking about your future,” she paused, “if ever I get to die before you are old enough to take care of yourself,” she continued.

What was that? A death talk? I wasn’t liking it at all. Mother never spoke about death and the fact that she was suddenly thinking about it then, considering she was sick made me wonder.

I mean was it a coincidence that I was reminiscing my moments with her like she was about to die and there she was giving me the, ‘Death Talk’? Something wasn’t right.

“Mommy, you’re scaring me,”

“Oh, don’t worry baby. I’m just being realistic,” but she wasn’t being realistic, she was scaring me.

“Don’t be afraid, Mihloti,” she said as she saw the horror in my eyes.

“You won’t die, will you?” I asked stupidly as if it was up to her.

“Only God knows, my child,” she said. But then if she couldn’t simply say she wouldn’t die, did that mean she was going to die? Die and leave me in this cruel world on my own?

“But mommy…” I didn’t know what else to say.

“And I think it’s about time you let your father be a part of your life,”

“No! I don’t have a father!” I snapped, she was ruining my day. Hearing her talk about that excuse of a father made me really angry.

This is starting to sound like a will, I thought.

“Please Mihloti, do this for me,” she pleaded, as if it meant something to her.

“How could you ma? How can you sit there and ask me to fix things with that… thing?” I didn’t know what to call him. “He abandoned me, why should I care? He knows where he left me so if he cares he’ll come here,” I was hating the conversion.

“But Mihloti…”

“No!” I stood up, turning to my room.

“Mihloti!” she stood up, forgetting her body was on strike.

Right there, she collapsed on the floor.

***

Tell us: What do you think will happen next?