Two days after that we were writing Maths. My mind was so confused, stressed and worried. I was not that very good when it came to Maths, but I always tried by all means to do my best. But this time it was the other way around. I was reluctant to do my best as my mind was elsewhere.

I kept on thinking about what my dad had done, and I felt guilty as if I was the one who had done this.

Mpumelelo and Thandeka, who were in my class, were one of those who had lost their relatives during the fire. And after finding out that my very own father was responsible for their death, I was ashamed to even pass my eyes at them! I felt sorry for them, especially for Bongani.

Losing him was the worst thing that had ever happened into my life. It was like a very huge burden had been placed into my shoulders, like a part of me was lost. And it was all thanks to my father for being a cruel imp that he was.

When I came home I found my mother sitting on the couch, as usual. And because there was tension between us, I just headed to my bed without even greeting her.

“Khensani, come here,” she called and I ignored her. “Come on now Khensani, I’m asking you nicely. Please come, so we can talk,” she added.

“I have nothing to say to you!” I replied.

“Damit, Khensani, it’s urgent,” she argued in a loud roar. I shambled my way next to her, waiting to hear what she had to say.

“Your father is in trouble,” she began. “It turned out that the interview was just a scam! The guy who called him for an interview happens to be the guy your father had once betrayed by promising him a job. He trafficked him to another province to enslave him so your father could get money. And now he is after your father,” she said worriedly. I only sat there and listened without any pity for my father. I was more disgusted.

“Your father was only desperate and did what he did only to make sure there was food on the table, so that you’ll never go to sleep in hunger!” she added.

I wasn’t shocked at all as I heard this. By now I understood how cruel, selfish and wicked my dad was. What angered me was how my mom defended him.

“And how is my dad in trouble?” I asked coldly.

“Your father promised this guy a job in Johanessburg. The guy told his wife to meet him at the bus station, but when she came there your father did something very terrible. But again, he wasn’t intending to do it, he was only trying to back her off,” my mother paused.

Oh my God, the story sounded very much familiar.

“What did he do? What did he do to her?” I asked concerned.

“He… he killed her,” my mother said as if there was nothing big about it.

“What?! How? Did he knock her car or something?” I spat my words fast.

“Did you just guess that?” my mother asked confused.

“No, no please don’t tell me it’s true!” I shouted in tears.

“What’s wrong, do you know anything about it?” my mother asked confused.

“Just answer me!” I argued.

“Yes, yes it is true!” she shouted back

“Where is he right now?” I asked terrified.

“He is meeting the guy where he usually holds his Power-to-the People meeting. And I’m afraid he took a gun with him,” she said distressed.

I ran out of the house in desperation.

This could only mean one thing, I thought as I ran, my father also killed Bongani’s biological mother. And he was also the reason why Bongani’s father disappeared for years. I had to do something to stop this. To stop him from destroying people lives!

I had to tell Bongani the truth.

*****

“I’m glad you came, Dingani. I really want to sort things out between us,” Jet said sitting down on the one chair on the table. “I know there is nothing I can do to bring back your wife, but forgiveness is the only thing that could heal the wounds that I have put in your life. I used to be a bad person back then, I was a cruel person who thought only of himself. But now I’m a changed man. When I was young, my father used to abuse me and my mother. He came home every night drunk and he’d beat her hard. He detained me from going to school, and that disturbed me so bad. Not going to school made me to learn all the bad things. And that is why I did all the cruel things I have done. But I have learned that life is about the decisions that you make and it was only when I decided to forgive my father that I got healed and changed! Now please won’t you just forgive me and let us move on with our lives?” Jet said.

He was always a good speaker; a good deceiver. But Dinagani wasn’t buying any of it. He had lost too much; his wife and his son.

“Oh no, I have long forgiven you. And if I didn’t, I would have killed you right now. But because I’m an educated person, and educated people have a deliberate way of solving their problems, I have decided to make you rot in jail for what you have done!” Dingani said.

“You really think you can put me in jail?” Jet said, laughing. “You must be a big fool. You have no evidence and everyone is innocent unless you have evidence to prove them guilty,”

“I have been researching about you for a very long time, Jet Bulawayo! I have researched about every bit of information about you. I know about your bad news association. I know about how you made pregnant woman to drink poison during their pregnancy. I know about your selling drugs, I know about you killing the foreigners and I know about how you burnt the shacks. And I have evidence of it all in this file!” Dingani tossed the file across the table.

Jet took the file and opened it. It was filled with pictures of dead foreigners. Jet had kept them to prove to the people that the foreigners would never bother them again. It also had DVD. Jet knew what was in the DVD; meetings with his association members.

“How did you get hold of that file?” Jet shouted confused and angry.

“As I said, educated people have a deliberate way of solving things. And right now I’m going to call the cops!” Dingani said with a smile.

“You must be very intelligent but then again you can’t arrest me that easily. Because I have connections, even with the police!” Jet said confidently.

“You mean Alex?” Dingani asked calmly.

“How do you know about him?” Jet asked, confused.

“It was all part of my plan,” Dingani said laughing loudly. “I paid him to deceive you and make you to trust him. He’s the one who’s been letting me know about every move you made and he’s the one who gave me these documents. So before you create any hopes, Alex has been working with me to bring you down!” Dingani replied excitedly.

“You bastard!” Jet said pulling out the gun was carrying.

“Whoa!” Dingani said pulling himself backwards.

“You don’t scare me, Dingani! To me, you’re just some piece of shit, and like every other ordinary shit I’d have to flush your life!” Jet said, aiming his gun.

“You think it will be easy like that to kill me? I know you have killed a lot of people, but by killing me you will suffer all the consequences of the evil deeds. I guarantee you!” Dingani said.

“Consider those your last words!” Jet said pulling the trigger.

“That’s him!” Khensani, Jet’s daughter shouted, pointing at her dad.

“Drop your weapon sir, you are under arrest!” the police she was with shouted as barged in.

“What have I done?” Jet asked in mockery.

“You are to be silent till you get a lawyer!” The police replied!

*****

My dad, along with the three men he worked with, was charged for murderer. Bongani got too see his father again, Dingani. It turned out that the day of my father’s arrest, was the last day I would see Bongani. But I often heard from him; he would call every now and then and we would update each other about what we have been up to.

Bongani moved to Jo’burg with his dad. And we finally moved into the RDP houses. Things were starting to get better. I had received a bursary to study at a proper school, which meant all my school needs were taken care of. Bongani’s father later sent some money in return for what I did for him and Bongani. Since all my school needs were taken care of, I gave the money to my mother to invest in a small business that would keep us financially stable.

But I was amazed when she wanted to use the money to go back to school.

Honestly I was happy that she finally made a good decision in her life.

Educated people have two things on their lips; a smile and silence. A smile is for solving problems, and silence for avoiding problems. My teacher always said, only now do I truly understand him.

***

Tell us: Do you think people who have done bad, deserve a second chance? What wouldn’t you forgive?