At the table where they are eating, words are scarce. Only the noise of the cutlery can be heard. Dudu, who is sitting on his mother’s lap, is also making a lot of ‘ba ba ba’s’ and following all his mother’s movements with the food.

“Tell us, Sylvie. Tell us, where were you this afternoon?” her uncle asks.

“I went to see Yonela. I hadn’t seen her in a while.”

“And you leave like a thief?” Maman Brigitte turns on her.

“I thought that if I told Uncle, he would stop me from going.”

“Sylvie, we’re not bad people here,” Maman Brigitte hastily answers. “Next time, don’t do this.” Her voice is sickly sweet now. But how can Damascene not see straight through her? Sylvie thinks. She is such a fake.

She looks at her uncle for help, but he is getting ready for his night shift. She will be left alone with his wife. A few minutes later, he waves goodbye to the family.

“This evening, you are going to wash the dishes,” Maman Brigitte tells Sylvie, as soon as her uncle is gone.

“No, it’s my turn, mom,” Nadia says.

“No, Sylvie is going to wash them.”

“Mom, she cleaned the fish and helped with cooking.”

“She didn’t wash the clothes, remember. Nadia, are you also learning to be disobedient now?”

Nadia feels so bad for Sylvie, but she’s caught in the middle of the fighting.

When all the plates and cups are empty, Sylvie collects them and takes them to the sink. She starts washing them. To try and block Maman Brigitte out, she puts her cellphone in her jeans pocket, puts in her earphones and listens to music.

Maman Brigitte brings her a fork that has been left on the table, and she yanks the phone out of Sylvie’s jeans.

“This! This is what’s making you crazy. Tell me, do you have boyfriends? I’m going to read all your messages. I am your mother now. I can do that.” She rips the earphones from Sylvie’s ears and takes the cellphone to her and Damascene’s room.

Sylvie feels like her social life has come to an end. She does not have the energy to finish doing the dishes. She goes straight to her room, then straight into her bed. She covers herself completely with her bedspread. Her head is like jammed traffic. She cannot even communicate with Yonela now! She is a caged bird!

After she has finished washing up Nadia joins Sylvie in their room. She feels sorry for her, but she cannot find a proper way to show her sympathy. Her mother does not want her to be friends with Sylvie. Without saying a word, she also slips under the blanket.

Maman Brigitte washes Dudu. Then she breastfeeds him and lulls him to sleep. Now she sits and starts going through Sylvie’s messages. But she can’t understand the SMSes. It is like a foreign language the way these teenagers talk, she thinks.

Sylvie calm down cum ova 2 my place W8tin 4 u.

Ah, this one she can understand. She feels avenged. This is the evidence she has been looking for. This is what she will put a stop to. She rushes to the girls’ room, rips away Sylvie’s bedspread and shouts at her.

“I know what you are doing! Talk, talk, talk about me, behind my back – after all we have done for you. Not even a thank you. Well not anymore. Forget your cellphone. Forget ever calling your boyfriends again. I am keeping this. I don’t know why your uncle ever gave it to you.”

And with that she takes away the only escape route Sylvie has.

***

Tell us what you think: What can Sylvie do to get her phone back?