“Teboho, my neighbour was just here telling me that you were fighting at Lemon Twist.”

Teboho ignores his mother, takes off his T-shirt and sits. Pontso looks at him to check that he isn’t hurt, but there’s no sign of him being beaten badly.

“You know people are talking. They think you went to Lemon Twist to spend all the money you won at the competition. But I know my boy would never do that. You just have to tell me what you were going to do there and what happened that you ended up fighting with those boys.”

Teboho thinks about the rumours people are spreading. “How will Temba think of me? Should I tell her that I went to Lemon Twist to look for her because I thought she took my money? But then, where is my money? He checks Pontso: no sign of alcohol.

She watches him as he goes to his T-shirt which is fallen behind the bed. He’s thinking that maybe he misplaced the money.

“Mama, I went to look for Kedibone, then these boys attacked me. I think maybe they’re jealous of our group and of me and her.”

“Stupid boys,” answers Pontso. “Did they hurt you, Teboho?”

Teboho finds the T-shirt and shakes it to find his money, but no money falls out. He answers Pontso, “No Mama.”

“Teboho, if you are looking for your money, it’s on top of the cupboard, under that newspaper you see there. It was on the floor when I was cleaning. You know when people hear you have been in hospital, they come to check how you’re feeling. I want them to find our shack clean.”

Pontso dishes up food for her son. Chastised, Teboho takes it and instead of eating he stares at the food. Thank you God she didn’t steal my money, he prays silently.

Looking at him Pontso asks, “What’s wrong my boy? Is there something that happened at Lemon Twist that you’re not telling me?”

“She’s angry at me Mama. Kedibone tried to stop me when I was defending myself from those boys. I didn’t listen to her.”

Pontso looks at him and smiles. “But you should’ve listened to her. I understand that you must be feeling unhappy about your quarrel with her.”

“I am Mama.”

Teboho takes his plate of food and covers it with another plate. Sadly he unrolls his sponge mattress and prepares to sleep.

“You remind me of your father, Mohau. When he knew I was angry with him, he would tell me later that he’d slept without eating – just like you. The following day he would come with gifts and ask for forgiveness. You see, a man who realises he’s wrong and apologizes is a good man.”

Suddenly alert, Teboho listens to his mother as he lies on his mattress. At last, he’s hearing something about his father! Mohau?

He remembers he promised Kedibone a surprise gift. “So what shall I buy her?”

“When I was your age, Mohau would buy me chocolates. But the one gift I’ll never forget is when he went to Maseru. He gave me a stone as a promise to marry me when he came back from Johannesburg where his aunt had found him a job. It was instead of a ring. I loved Mohau. I didn’t think he would leave me, but then they say that when people go to Jozi they forget about home and what they left behind.”

Pontso rises to take her medication after eating.

Teboho hangs onto her words as if they are hundred dollar bills. So his father left his mother? He came to Jozi before her?

Watching Pontso’s slow, painful movements he can tell that she has lost hope, she is getting worse, and the medication is finished and the date that she is supposed to go back to the doctor is still far in the future.

“Now I must sleep.”

He knows she will say no more tonight.

*****

The next morning he washes his porridge dish and prepares to go to school.

“Mama I’ll see you when I am back.”

“Ok Teboho, utsaya hanhle lewena. Please go well.”

Teboho walks slowly to school and as he is walking he hears a whistle behind him. He looks back and it’s his friend Zama, who looks at him with surprise.

“Teboho are you good my friend? From what I heard I thought maybe your leg is broken or you have blue eyes.”

“It’s Phumlani and his boys. They were taking chances but it’s nothing to talk about. I’m good. It’s just my mother; she is becoming worse again. And you Zama? How are you my friend?”

“I’m good! You remember Zinhle Mkhize, the girl we met at the competition? I searched for her on Facebook and yesterday I was talking to her.”

Whilst Zama is talking of how he found the girl on Facebook Teboho suddenly thinks of Mohau. Does he perhaps use Facebook?

“Maybe you can help me to search for someone on Facebook?”

Zama looks at Teboho confused.

“But Teboho … you have Kedibone. You see, if I had Kedibone, I wouldn’t be looking for someone else. Kedibone is beautiful.”

“She is beautiful but maybe not for me; maybe I should be looking for my Zinhle Mkhize too.”

“Huh? What’s happening between you and Kedibone?” Teboho looks at Zama’s incredulous face and laughs.

“It’s nothing serious. I’ll try and phone her. Look man, I want you to help me search for my father on Facebook.”

The school bell rings as they arrive at school and their first period is maths, but the teacher is absent. This is an opportunity to search for Teboho’s father. As they come across several profiles and photos of people with his father’s name, Zama downloads them all.

After school they go to Teboho’s home where Pontso is lying on the bed. Teboho shows her the photos to see if she recognizes Mohau.

“Please try!” he urges her.

Weakly, Pontso squints at the pictures, then points to two, slowly. Zama looks at one, then looks back at Teboho to see if he resembles the man in the picture.

Pontso coughs and they can tell she is about to vomit. Zama leaves the room and Teboho holds a bucket for her, then empties it outside, puts clean water in it and wipes the rim.

Zama is concerned: “Your mother is very weak Teboho. I think I should call my father to transport her again to hospital.”

“Yes, please Zama! Even her medication has finished and I don’t think she’ll be able to hold out until the next doctor’s appointment.”

Zama runs off and returns with his father and together they take Pontso to Baragwaneth hospital, where she’s admitted.

Zama, Teboho and Zama’s father return to Zama’s home. Teboho thinks about making contact with, confronting, the two men his mother pointed to in the photos that they downloaded. Zama looks at the pictures again.

“Teboho I think we should start by looking at this one. It might be Mohau. I think I even recognise him from somewhere. I’m not sure … but maybe he is the manager of a nearby petrol station. Dad, please look here. Do you recognize this man?”

Zama’s father peers at the photo. “It’s hard to tell. He might be the manager of the garage in Newtown. Why not go there anyway?”

*****

Teboho wakes up the following morning having dreamed of a man who he believes is his father. In the dream the man was waiting for Teboho but this time Teboho saw cars and high buildings behind the man. He asks himself, “Why is this dream returning?”

After bathing he decides that he is not going to school. Things are in too much of a crisis. Zama whistles outside and soon sees Teboho coming out – not wearing his school uniform.

“Are you not going to school, Teboho?”

“No Zama, I think I should look for my father.”

“But can’t you do that after school? I can go with you!”

“I have to do it now Zama, before anything … serious … happens to my mother.”

“Hey man, I understand. Good luck!”

Teboho watches Zama as he walks to school, thinks about his kind father.

“I have to find my own father,” he says to himself aloud. “Without him I’m likely to be an orphan. I won’t give up, no matter what.”

***

Tell us: Have you ever used Facebook to successfully find important, long-lost relatives or friends?