Jolene awoke to the sweet scent of Mabele porridge. It was the only thing that reminded her of her father, who had left them when she was young. He would wake up early in the morning, cook Mabele porridge, and prepare her school uniform for her. He would tell her that that was how his Grandmother raised him in Lesotho, which explained his fluent Sotho. He was a good father, which was why she was baffled when he left them when he did. He often left for a while, but he always came back. On that horrid day, he did not, and they never heard from him again.

Jolene sat up on her bed with a smile on her face. The thought of the wonderful night she had had on Friday and her father’s fond memories put her in a happy mood. She got up, opened her curtains, and the sun kissed her and hugged her skin. She melted to its warm embrace and took a deep freeing breath.

“Happy Saturday,” she sighed and skipped out of her room in her Queen Liberty pajamas. She hurried down the stairs and landed at the bottom with a loud thud. “Good Morning!” she yelled amiably at her mother and older brother.

The two did not return her enthusiasm, which broke her heart. Her mother had a deadpan look on her face, and her brother wore one that was hard to pin down. It was a mixture of concern and contentment of some sort.

“Oh come on guys, you’re killing my vibe,” Jolene stomped and crossed her arms.

“Come take a seat, honey,” Jacqueline called to her and pulled out a chair.

“O-kay,” Jolene responded, and tentatively went to take a seat next to her brother, who was doodling on the porridge in his bowl. Jacqueline then went to dish up some porridge for her as well. “Hey bro, what’s up?” Jolene said, nudging him in the bicep.

Jolene’s brother forced a smile and sat straight. “Nothing, just uh … having breakfast I guess,” he said.

“Psh, gloomy much,” Jolene said, as her mother set her porridge in front of her. “Ah, my favourite, Dad used to make the best Mabele porridge.”

Jacqueline looked at Jolene’s brother, Jaden, and sighed. “Jolene, ons moet prat,” she said to her daughter, who paused from sprinkling sugar on her porridge.

“Wat is it, ma?” Jolene said, and then she looked at her brother and back at her mother. “Is it about yesterday? I didn’t come back late, did I?”

“No, baby you’re not in trouble, but we do have to talk about yesterday,” Jacqueline said, and then looked at her hands and intertwined them nervously. “Honey, who were you with yesterday?” she asked.

Jolene felt the pressure drop from her shoulders. She chuckled and kept pouring sugar on her porridge. “Is that it?” she said, putting a spoonful of porridge in her mouth, and swooning at the sweet soft texture of the porridge. “I was with Sive.”

Jacqueline straightened up with disbelief beaming in her dark brown eyes. Her yellow skin had gone pale, and she was starting to sweat under her doek. “Is that who Yolanda at the eatery and people said they saw you talk to?” she said tentatively. Jolene’s brother leaned in, tightening his fist, and suppressing some strong emotion.

“Yes, is there something wrong with her? She was being weird to us yesterday, especially with Sive,” Jolene said, but her brother got up and left after she said ‘Yes’.

Jacqueline still held the look of horror in her face, but she composed herself so she would not scare Jolene.

“Mamie, what’s the matter?” Jolene said, now scared.

“Babakie, please go upstairs and prepare yourself, I have to show you something,” Jacqueline said, holding Jolene’s hands. “Jaden, dress up and get the car ready!” she called out to Jolene’s brother.

“Already on it, ma!” Jaden responded from his room upstairs.

“Mama, what’s happening?” Jolene asked, her skin crawling.

“Jolene, please do what I say and you’ll get your answer, baby,” Jacqueline said, now dead serious, and Jolene slid off the counter and went into her room to prepare herself.

**********

The car ride was both quiet and awkward. Jolene kept asking where they were heading, but he received no answer. Her brother kept driving and her mother kept switching from silently praying, to looking at her and trying to appease her. They then stopped at the hospital and walked in. Their mother went to the desk and signed a couple of papers, and they walked to the Intensive Care Unit hallways.

The three of them reached a point where they found Nombulelo, Sive’s mother, sitting on a bench, praying. She raised her head to the sound of footsteps and almost cried when she saw Jolene. She shot Jacqueline a questioning look, to which she nodded. They all met in front of a door, and Jacqueline held Nombulelo’s hands trying to comfort her. Her eyes were puffy and red because she had been crying a lot.

“Ma Mvelase, what’s going on?” Jolene asked, dreading the answer.

“Joe, you know Sive loves you right?” Nombulelo said with a snort.

“I love him too ma, but you have to tell me what’s happening or I’ll lose my mind,” Jolene said, tears forming up.

“I spoke to your mom, she said you saw him,” Nombulelo said, smiling mid-cry. “That means he really cares for you my love.”

“Who? Sive? Yes I spoke to him on Monday, and yesterday we went to the last day of the festival,” Jolene said, subtly crying. “Ma, what are you saying?”

Nombulelo let go of Jacqueline’s hands and wiped the tears from her eyes. She snorted and moaned to shake the jitters off. She looked at Jolene again and held her hands. “Honey,” she said, hesitating. “Siveluthando has been in a coma ever since you had the accident.”

“No,” Jolene said, pulling her hands free.

“Jolene!” Jacqueline chided.

“It’s okay, Jacqueline,” Nombulelo said, then paused to cry a bit. “The Doctor said he had active brain activity on Monday and on Friday, and that he had a steady one on the rest of the days he’s been there,” she said, looking at the door and trying to smile.

“Nooooo!” Jolene said, screaming her lungs out and dropping to her knees.

Nombulelo moved her eyes from the door to the crying Jolene with Jacqueline rubbing her back. “The doctor said since there had been brain activity, he might come out of it fresh as a daisy,” she said and bent to brush Jolene’s silky dark hair. “But it’s a slim chance, so you have to pray for him my love, okay?”

Jolene got up and ran towards the door. From the window, she could see inside. Sive was lying on a hospital bed with IV drips and a machine attached to him. He had bandages from his chest up, and his right leg had a cast and it was held up. He was breathing out off a tube, his head was bandaged, and he was barely noticeable.

“Sive! Siveeeeeee!” Jolene cried out until she hurt her throat, but she did not stop. “Sive!” she said, banging and clawing the door until her brother pulled her away.

***

Tell us: What do you think is going to happen next?