I was busy digesting all that had just happened when I heard a boy shouting, “Hey, slow down with the running already!” I stopped. I hadn’t realised I was even running. I stopped and tried to catch my breath as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out and answered.

“Hi Lukhanyo,” I was still breathing heavily.

“Where are you?” he asked.

I looked around. I was in an area I had never been before.

“I’m… well I don’t know,” I answered still trying to figure my whereabouts.

“What?! Get yourself home now! I just have a bad feeling, like something’s going to happen to you, something bad.”

I panicked. The last time he said something like that we were just chilling, and out of the blue he couldn’t wait to call his sister. He said he couldn’t rest till he talked to her. He finally called and told her he had a bad feeling. I was curious about after he dropped the call. But thirty minutes later I wasn’t anymore. He received a phone call telling him that his sister passed away in a robbery gone wrong.

So after he ended his phone call with me, instead of finding my way home, I just stood the like a zombie. I heard a hooting car and when I looked up, BOOM was the last sound I remember hearing.

I woke up in a strange place. My brain was numb, I was unable to think or remember anything. I heard voices, but they sounded far from me, like they were in a choir learning to sing practising good volume. And then it went quiet for a good five minutes.

“Here, drink this,” an old woman said. She had a drink in her hands and a friendly face. I took the cup of tea from her.

“Thanks Gogo,” I said trying to sit up. She gave me a very warm smile that said ‘You’re welcome’.

She took a sit opposite me. I checked out the house I was in; it was white. She noticed I was amazed and laughed softly.

“My great granddaughter, what’s the rush all about?”

Did she just say great granddaughter? I was surprised but since she said that, she looked a bit like my grandmother, only she was light in complexion; a yellow bone. Her voice was just so angelic, so pure and loving.

“What do you mean Gogo” I felt so good calling her Gogo like I was doing the right thing.

“Drink your tea, you’ll feel better,” she ordered. I took a sip not taking my eyes off of her. The weird part was that I never drank tea before, I disliked it. But here I was enjoying every sip. The way she looked at me made me feel like I was five again, like I can run in her arms anytime, any day, and she’d embrace me till I was OK.

“You still have your life ahead of you, we’ve got great plans for you. How’s Zamokuhle?”

Who is she? I asked myself. Why was she talking like I was dying?

Gogo looked at me with concern and said, “We love you and we care especially now that you’ll give us a gifted baby girl.”

“A what?”

No man the whole thing was freaking the heck out of me. We both seemed to be in different worlds. I obviously didn’t know what she was on about. Just then I heard a baby crying. I had thought we were the only ones in the house. I watched her disappear. Probably going to the crying baby, I thought. I put down my cup and touched my tummy. I rubbed it gently; I don’t know why I did that.

I looked up to see the old Gogo with a cute little baby in her hands. I looked at the little baby.

“This is… could this be… who’s she?” I asked with a shaky voice.

The baby looked like me when I was little. If God came and told me what was going on, I promise I’d be up every Sunday morning to praise Him and be early at church. I’d practically be his best friend of all time.

“Yes, she looks like you. She can feel you, she feels your pain, she shares your pain more than anyone. And she hopes from now on you’ll be able to make the right choices and look after yourself,” she said still not answering my question.

“Who is she?” I asked again feeling defeated. i mean i could feel the power of this little baby feeling these white walls.

“What’s your name?” Gogo asked instead. I could tell she already knew by the way she asked me, but I answered her.

“Bukeka Somathuba,”

“Well, this little angel in my arms is Bukelwa Somathuba. I hope that tells you something, since your mother is secretive.”

Tell us: Who do you think this Bukelwa is?