Londiwe was feeling sad because her best friend — her sister — was about to finish school. Asanda was doing Matric in 2023 and Londiwe was in Grade 10.

“Londiwe,” Thando, their brother, who was in Grade 8, asked, “why do you no longer sit with your sister during meals at school?”

That question was tough to answer. Tears flowed down Londiwe’s face. The bell rang, announcing that they had to return to their classrooms. Londiwe wiped the tears off her face so that the other learners would not see that she was crying.

Although there were some learners in her classroom with whom Londiwe used to keep company, they were not as close to her as her sister. The sisters’ mother once asked, at the beginning of the year, what they would do when one of them went to university or went to work overseas. They had ignored that question because the possibility of their separation seemed like a dream. They did not realise that the years were moving along and the event they were ignoring was just about to happen.

At home, they referred to each other as “my friend” or “chommie”. This amazed their mother because this was not common. She and her sisters were close, but they were not friends like Londiwe and Asanda were. This kind of relationship between her daughters was good – but now there was so much sadness as Asanda was about to leave.

Their mother had bought a house in Johannesburg, “the place where meat is so abundant that men who want to finish it will lose their teeth instead”. They lived in an upmarket part of the city where people minded their business. The practice of borrowing things from one’s neighbour was frowned upon. The roads were quiet and deserted. The only time you got to see your neighbour was when you left your house in your car and you met at the gate. You just greeted each other and continued on your journey. No one wanted to know the neighbour’s name and surname. You may only get to know each other when you were invited or when a death had occurred and you had to go and pay your respects. This meant that the family felt very much alone, just the four of them.

Asanda was a very intelligent child. She had consistently earned a merit certificate for top performance since arriving from rural KwaZulu-Natal. She also attended weekend classes at a school for top mathematics and science learners. Even there she was a top achiever among a group of high-achieving learners from different schools.

“I am blessed indeed to have such brilliant children as you,” Asanda’s mother used to say.

Their mother was a teacher at a primary school and she was studying for a doctorate in languages at the university. She always said, “My children, I am studying at my advanced age because I want you to follow in my footsteps. You must know, also, that education is important. It is a weapon with which you will succeed in this world and you will have a brighter future than mine. When you study, you must do it so well that companies, and even the government, will headhunt you to offer you bursaries and employment. You will even establish your businesses instead of waiting for employment.”

“Asanda!” her mother shouted.

“Yes, Mama,” responded Asanda.

“I am asking you, my child, to be a good example to your siblings. I know I am burdening you with a heavy load, but I am doing this because I trust that you can do it.”

“I hear, Mama. I will do what you are asking me to do, but I do not understand Londiwe these days. Since I got to the Matric class, she shuts herself in her bedroom and speaks on her cell phone. She no longer pays attention to me like she used to. I wonder what is happening.”

“My!” exclaimed her mother. “Have you also noticed that? When I come home and find her watching television, she gets up and goes to her bedroom. Hmm, what could be the problem?”

The sisters no longer had time to sit together and talk, laugh, and make plans for their future, or just go out. Time was really in short supply. The only time they had now was for studying. Everyone was concentrating on how many level 7s they would achieve at the end of the year.

Londiwe often cried in her room, alone.

Tell us: What do you think will help Londiwe cope with the prospect of being separated from her sister who is also her friend?