Hilda woke up on Tuesday morning before her alarm rang. She was not hungover or panicking. She stayed in bed until the alarm rang. Hilda jumped out of bed and went to take a shower. She washed her hair, which she last did a while ago. Hilda looked at herself in the mirror, perplexed by what she saw. Her face was rosier, and her eyes had no dark circles. A knock on the bathroom door interrupted her reminiscing.

“Hilda, can I use the bathroom, please?” Hilda opened the door with a smile on her face.

“Good morning, baby sis,” rejoiced Hilda. She was happy because she could speak for the first time that day. Lily could not believe her ears.

“Good morning, Hilda,” mumbled Lily, who was not used to being treated like a decent human being. Hilda wanted to say more. She wished to apologise for calling her little sister a pig and all the nasty things she had called her over the years, but with the word limit, she could only stare at her little sister.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Creep,” snickered Lily as she shoved her sister from the doorway.

Hilda saw her mother in the kitchen, who was busy preparing breakfast. She greeted her happily. Her mother looked up and replied with a smile. Hilda took time to choose her attire for the day. She even combed her hair and placed it into a neat bun. When she looked outside her window, it was sunny. Hilda didn’t change her outfit today to suit the weather. It was going to be a good day; she felt it.

A few minutes later, she went out of her room. Zanele was astonished. She had never seen her daughter look so put together when going to work. “You look beautiful, baby.” Hilda smiled and sat down to eat. She gave her mother a thumbs up and then left for work. She greeted everyone she met. People had mixed reactions, but it didn’t deter her. Hilda focused on her work without any disturbances from anyone.