“Mama. I don’t know if you could help me with his funeral.” Qhawekazii began pleading in desperation for money.

“Didn’t he have a funeral cover?” she asked out of curiosity, a surprised expression forming on her face. Qhawekazii closed her eyes, looking down and shaking her head with embarrassment on her face.

“Qhawekazii, you know my only income is my pension. With it, I have to buy groceries for my grandson and his mother.”

Her daughter was also in the same school with Qhawekazii. Only she was behind her, doing grade ten. She got pregnant when she was doing grade eight. She quit and repeated the following year, failing grade nine and ten twice.

“I understand, Mama. I will figure something out,” she said after a deep, disappointed sigh. She stood up from the bench and Mam’Mngomeni said her condolences and wished her the best for the future.

After she left Mam’Mngomeni, her next journey was to go up at KwaDayeni to her father’s close friend. Another a long distance she took without having any choice, because she needed help.

She walked on the road and big trucks of sugar canes kept passing by, leaving a horrible and strong dusty wind behind them. Taxi drivers on the other hand, seemed like they were drunk driving as they drove past the yellow line, leaving Qhawekazii to walk on the bushes.

She finally arrived KwaDayeni, at Bab’Khawula’s house. He had an RDP house and a hut in the yard. She knocked twice at the RDP house before he opened, he fired a question.

“Who is it!?” His voice was brutal.

“Hello, Baba. It’s me, Qhawekazii. Mthethwa’s daughter,” she replied in a cool manner.

Bab’ Khawula opened the door harshly. His left eye looked like it has been beaten shut while his mouth was swollen. Qhawekazii’s heart took a shock seeing him in that state.

“Baba, I’m hearing about my father,” she said softly.

“What about that asshole?” he blurted in an agitated tone with a serious glare.

“Baba?” she was confused by his rudeness towards his best friend.

“Can you see my face?” He pointed his face with his finger. “Your heartless father did this to me. He has the nerve to send his daughter to come and apologise for his actions!” He was furious by the looks of it.

“No, Baba. I’m not-”

“Save it!” He cut her off with yell. “Tell him to go to hell.” With that said, he shut the door in her face.

Now cold fear pierced her heart as she walked back home. Her only two options were not a success and there was nothing she could do about her father’s burial.

When she was back in the hut, in the late evening. She screamed out in frustration and threw everything upside down around the hut. She sat down on the floor, tears stung her eyes until she noticed an envelope that was written her name with a big bold writing on it.

She frowned with anxiety, she also noticed that it was still sealed. She opened it, her tears threatened to reform as she saw the letter was sent by her mother four years ago.

She closed her eyes once more and took a deep breath before she read it. Afraid of what was written.

She began to read her mother’s letter, she was ready to read her mother’s side. Maybe she’d find all the answers she didn’t find from her late father.

‘Qhawekazii, Ntombi Yami (My Girl). Not even a second goes by without my mind wondering how’re you doing. How grown have you become. All I could remember about you is your beautiful baby face and your crying after I gave birth to you.’

Her mother’s tone in the introduction made her eager to read more as she felt the love and care her mother felt for her when she was a little girl.

Tell us: What do you think Qhawekazii’s mother is going to say in the letter?