As soon as she buried her mother, Mahlatse was kicked out of her late grandparents’ house by her aunts and her uncle. She had nowhere else to go. She couldn’t understand where this sudden hatred came from and what made it worst was there was no one to tell her where these feelings came from. She spent days on end missing classes, she eventually had no shelter and was out on the street.

One of Mahlatse’s teachers, Mrs. Mphogo was in her forties. She loved teaching, you could see the passion she had for it. She treated all her learners with love, like each of them were her very own. Mrs Mphogo was a teacher who wanted to see all her students become successful and reach that next level. Every learner that she had in class appreciated her and her love for her job. She taught English in grades ten and twelve for over sixteen years, but in all those years she never met a child who was as academically gifted as Mahlatse.

Mrs. Mphogo was married to a lawyer. They met each other young and have enjoyed a very happy and successful life with one another. The only thing she ever felt was missing was having her own child. She treated each of her students like they were her own, but never actually had the chance to enjoy a baby of her own. When Mrs. Mphogo learned that Mahlatse had been not coming to school, she tried looking for her. She hoped she could get her back in school because of her bright future.

Mrs Mphogo found Mahlatse under the bridge ready to put an end to all her pain. In the nick of time, Mrs Mphogo stopped her and encouraged her to fight through her pain and to never give up. From what Mrs. Mphogo could see Mahlatse was in a very dark place, there was no hope in her eyes.

Mrs Mphogo invited Mahlatse into her home to stay with her and her husband. She saw this as an opportunity to help one of her best students who was going through a traumatic time. After some time, they built a strong relationship and Mrs Mphogo became a motherly figure to Mahlatse. Of course, she knew she could never replace her mother, but she was happy she still had someone left who cared about her like her mother did. Overtime Mrs. Mphogo and her husband adopted Mahlatse as their own daughter.

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Tell us: Has someone ever cared for you in your time of need like Mrs Mphogo?