“Ah, you’re awake,”

A young nurse said noticing that my eyes were open. I had been trying to figure out how I got there. I saw from the machine and the drip on my arm that I was in hospital. But I don’t remember much before that. Just the beating I got and the pills I had taken.

“Is there anything I can get for you?” the nurse asked smiling.

“I’m… I’m okay,” I answered, my mouth feeling dry.

Honestly, I was anything but okay. I wanted daddy. I wanted to tell him that I was sorry for making him angry and that I was sorry for trying to kill myself. I had felt I had no other choice; there was no reason for me to live anymore.

“Where… where is my d-dad?” I asked hesitantly, still struggling to speak.

“You were brought in by a young couple. They said they picked you up on the side of the road yesterday night. Do you know who your parents are?”

I shook my head. I couldn’t say more.

I knew for a fact that I was brought in by sis Londi and Daddy. I remembered Dad taking me to the car as everything became blurry and then blank. But why would he not tell them he was my parent? He too had abandoned me.

I swallowed hard as I thought of the turn for the worst that my life had taken. Here I was with no hope at all. Why didn’t I just die? It would have been better for me and everyone else. But why had God let me live when I didn’t deserve to?

I had wanted out of this life. I no longer wanted to be a punching bag or Sis Londi’s slave. I didn’t want to be a constant reminder to dad that he lost my mom… the woman that he loved. But being here alone, I wanted my dad.

“How old are you?” the nurse asked almost pitying me.

I pitied myself too. I was just a weak excuse of a human being and I didn’t deserve to live.

“I’m eleven,”

I said holding back tears that were already forming in the corners of my eyes.

“You’re still young. If you don’t have anywhere else to go we will leave you under the care of social workers. They will find a home for you, so don’t you worry,” she patted my shoulder.

Tears made their way down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop them and neither could I hold them back. This meant that I had to make a clean start with no one to call my own flesh and blood. I had to start to a new life; only God knew what it entailed. I was going to be a stranger in a strange home with strange people and none of that to me made sense.

“Can I please make a call?”

“Follow me to the reception,” the nurse said as she helped me stand up.

***

Tell us: Why do you think the characters father did what he did?