After three months she came back. I saw her going into a shop. She was surprised to see me.

Later we met up. At that time I already owned my own room outside at home. She came later on and we talked.

“Simphiwe, I know you are mad at me for not contacting you but I’m sorry. I lost my phone at school.” She explained.

“It’s OK.” I said simply because I was happy that she was back.

We had sex more than once that day with a condom, without a condom, with a condom. It happens to everyone; you forget whether you did use a condom or not. But as we had sex there was something fishy and she was crying her eyes out.

She took my phone and played ‘When I was your man’ by Bruno Mars. She told me that she didn’t deserve me and that she had done a lot of bad things. I was sleepy so I never responded. She left and I went back to school.

She called and told me that the reason why she doesn’t come back was because of her father. He was becoming much more abusive. She was planning on running away from him. I told her that I understood. After six months of not seeing her I heard from a person who was with her in same class that she was pregnant.

I started losing hope. Life looked like it was not meant for me. I started having suicidal thoughts. She came back and she was really pregnant. Everyone, including me and Mom, were sure that I was the father. I was frustrated but I was not sure if it was my baby. Her family had already come to my house and discussed the pregnancy, but I hadn’t asked Wandisile anything.

I had to go back to school without knowing what was happening. After a while I got used to the fact that maybe everything happens for a reason. Maybe it was the time for me to be a father and start to be happy, knowing that Wandisile was going to be mine forever.

On the seventh of February 2008 I got a message from Wadisile.

I’m really sorry but the baby is not yours. The time I was away from you I broke all the promises that I made to you. I don’t think you can ever trust me but I still love you.

I felt like God had deserted me. My heart felt the worst pain that I had ever felt, for days and weeks. My relationship with Wandisile was hectic and will always be hectic because everything happens for a reason. The baby was born on the sixteenth of June. I was also born on the same day.

My mom realised that I was dying and spoke to me one day.

“Simphiwe, are you sure it’s not your baby?”

“She told me that I’m not the father and she’s the one who knows.” I replied.

Days passed and my Mom noticed that the baby looked a lot like me as she had seen the baby once or twice. She decided to ask Wandisile to do a blood test with me. Wandisile accepted. I was so angry that I refused to do the blood test. But my Mom didn’t give up she did it with her blood sample and they matched. The baby was mine.

Wandisile told my mom that she cared a lot about me and that she doesn’t want me to carry stress; that she was going to tell me after I finished with school. She said that I could be the best dad ever without having any fear of responsibilities.

My mom wasted no time and told me immediately that I was the father. It was relieved and joyous when I held my first born for the first time. He smiled as if he was missing his daddy. Still, a part of me was angry at Wandisile but she was trying to be the best mother who cares for her son and the father.

Our second born arrived when the first born had already grown. My mom had passed away and so did Wandisile’s father. We were left, just us as a family. I succeeded in life and achieved my goal of working as a writer of short stories .Wandisile is now a teacher. All the kids love her and say that she is the best and teacher.

Zizipho had died in a car accident the day my second child was born.

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Tell us what you think: Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?