At 9:00 Mrs Daniels entered her office with a young girl. The girl looked like Tatenda, shy and intelligent.

“Miss Shumba, I have brought the little girl you asked to see,” Mrs Daniels said.

“Thandi, how are you?” Tatenda asked tentatively.

“I am fine and you Miss?” Thandi answered with a scared voice.

“I am fine,” she answered.

“Thandi, this lady is your biological mother,” Mrs Daniels said.

Thandi began to cry. Tatenda stood to give her a hug but Thandi shied away from her.

“She left me at a park, how can she be my mother?” Thandi asked with tears in her eyes.

“Thandi, she is still your mother. Just listen to her,” Mrs Daniels said comforting her.

Tatenda sat down again wondering how she could get her daughter forgive her.

“I am sorry, I was young. I didn’t know what to do,” Tatenda said with tears in her eyes too. “My parents would have thrown me out, I couldn’t even finish school. The truth is that my heart hasn’t been at peace ever since the day I abandoned you at that park,” Tatenda continued. “I am sorry,” she said covering her face with her hands.

“Thandi, she is your mother. Don’t you want peace?” Mrs Daniels asked the little girl.

“I will forgive her, but I need some time,” Thandi said.

Mrs Daniels sat on the chair in the corner of the office and watched Tatenda cry.

“She needs to recover from what had happened to her,” Mrs Daniel said as she held Thandi’s hand.

“Are you leaving me with her?” Thandi asked in a low voice.

“You know I love you, Thandi, take your time, you can choose as you grow up,” Mrs Daniel answered her.

Tatenda stood up and hugged her daughter. Thandi was afraid of being taken away from Mrs Daniels, her family. Tatenda understood that. Mrs Daniels had been looking after her very well; she fed her, gave her a good quality education, she slept on a lovely bed and her siblings loved her.

Ray entered the office and was not surprised to see that Thandi still remembered him. She stood up and hugged him.

“Are you well?” He asked her. They spoke like old family members normally did and hugged each other affectionately.

Thandi eventually agreed to spend the weekend with Tatenda. But she told her that it was only for the weekend and that if in that time she wanted to return to Mrs Daniels, then Tatenda had to take her home.

Tatenda watched Thandi while she was on the phone inviting her parents, Rudo and Anesu over to meet her. Later that day, Thandi was bonding more with Mrs Shumba and Chipo than with Tatenda. This was the toughest journey Tatenda ever had to go through; at least she was at peace now.

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