Nathi was a superb soccer player, but his anger issues always got in the way. If his peers played rough and hurt him, that turned into a quick boxing match.

Months went by and Ntandozi got used to her new school and had settled in quite fine. Nathi on the other hand showed no signs of being book smart, so school for him was such a drag. That meant pushing himself harder in order to accomplish his dreams of being an officer of the law.

To learn meant Nathi had to be extremely patient because his mental state was never the same after finding his mother in bed one morning, dead. She had gone to sleep the previous night complaining about a headache and did not wake up the next day.

Nathi’s behaviour intrigued Ntandozi and she was forever protective of him. As young as she was, she had the ability to detect what her cousin was feeling. She would try to understand his behaviour and actions.

Life for them proved to be absolutely hard, especially after their uncle who was paying for their home couldn’t afford to pay for electricity. Staying in a suburb and living in a house with no electricity was challenging for them. Other kids would make fun of their living condition and that affected Ntandozi’s. She had low self-esteem, but that didn’t stop her from being one of the top students in her class.

She would always tell her friends about her dreams of helping children, especially orphans and abused kids. This was something she was absolutely passionate about. Her heart was too big and she aimed at improving the lives of the underprivileged.

Ntandozi became good friends with Rachel and Fezeka. The three of them were quite close especially since their lives were somewhat similar.

Rachel was absolutely smart, but her background was very sad. Her mom was also a single parent taking care of Rachel and her siblings, along with an uncle who couldn’t walk or do anything for himself. Life for her was a huge challenge, having to look after her siblings. She made sure they were sorted before they went to school and would come back from school and do all the house chores. Her school work was neglected.

Rachel was a true definition of strength and that is what drew Ntandozi’s to her. Fezeka on the other hand did not have it difficult like Ntandozi and Rachel. But the common factor to their relationship was that all three of them were being raised by strong, resilient and God fearing single mothers.

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