I went to where we used to stay; at our burnt shack. I covered myself with cardboards and tried to sleep. The next day I got up and went home. I waited till my father left the house. I knew my mom would be sleeping; she woke up much later and did the chores. She said she had the whole day to do them, so why rush?

I took a pair of jeans and some tops, a jacket and some toiletries. I changed into my school uniform and left. Every night for the rest of the week I slept in the burned shack. In the morning I would go at a nearby river to bath for school.

I ate nothing, and had no padkos to carry to school.

*****

“There you are!” Bongani called after me one day as I walked from school. “Until when were you planning to hide this from me?” he asked concerned.

“What, what are you talking about?” I couldn’t look at him.

“So, you thought I wouldn’t find out why you are no more coming to my house for our study sessions?” he said, and I kept quiet.

Could it be that he finally found out. But how? I asked myself terrified.

“Why are you doing this to your parents? Your mother told me you had absconded from home for days now! And she was worried as she told me. Is there something wrong at home?” he asked concerned.

“It has nothing to do with you!” I shouted, although I knew that it has everything to do with him. “I have to leave!” I said and went away.

“At least hear me out,” he said as he pulled me back by my arm. “I love you, and I care about you. And I know you feel the same way too. So, why can’t we be together?” he said, solemnly gazing at me with his angelic eyes.

I couldn’t believe my ears. This is all I ever wanted; to date Bongani. But how would I live with myself knowing my own blood had something to do with the death of his adopted parents? How could I pretend not to know anything about it while I knew all about it?

“No, we can’t be together. Not now, not ever!” I shouted and ran away immediately.

“I don’t understand you girls! First you pretend to care about someone and the next thing you do is hurt the ones who loves you the most! I thought you were different!” Bongani shouted in tears as I went away.

It pained me to see him this way, but I thought it better for us not to be together than for us to be together and live a lie.

It was in the afternoon the next day when I went home and found my mom sitting on the couch alone.

“Look, the lost sheep has found its way home!” my mother said. “Where have you been? Your father and I have been worried about you,”

“Oh really? If you did then you would have called the police!” I replied rudely.

“Hey is that a way to speak to your mother?” my father shouted as he appeared from outside. “Is this your house? You think you can just leave for days and come back when you feel like it? Today you will know me well!”

My father took off his belt and beat me with it. My mother was watching as I cried. My father beat me so hard that there were bumps all over my body! My body was sore and it turned red from my father’s hard beating.

I slept at home that night, although I didn’t feel like it.

The next day my father looked elegant and excited. It had been years since I saw him with a smile on his face. His smile looked like that of mockery.

“Where are you going baba?” my mother asked.

“I’ve been called for an interview at Transnet!” my father sang his words.

“But you don’t have any CVs! How is that possible?” my mom asked surprised.

“Let’s just say I have connections. Maybe one of my association members hooked me up,” my father said with a grin and headed out the door.

As I watched my dad leave I wondered if the interview was real or was it just a way of leaving for his wickedness. It was hard for me to trust him again let alone to accept him as my father.

What he did was unacceptable and unforgivable.

*****

“How did the interview go?” my mother asked, the moment my dad appeared.

“Well,” was all that my father said. He left the briefcase he was carrying and walked out the door without informing anyone where he was going. My mother was used to his mood swings so she never took any interest when he was moody. But after what I had heard, I puzzled about every move he made.

***

Tell us: Should Khensani report his father to the police? Should she tell Bongani?