Weeks go by. Mpho misses her father so much. Her mother is distracted the whole time and Mpho hears her crying at night. Then one evening Mpho comes home and finds her father in the lounge, staring into space – faraway in his thoughts.

“Daddy are you finally coming back home?” she asks him tentatively.

“Not yet honey. We are still working things out. I am just visiting your mom to talk things through. We are still battling through this,” says Joe, getting up to leave.

Mpho can’t hold back the tears as he opens the door. “Daddy life is not the same without you. This home is so cold, lonely and miserable.”

Joe hugs Mpho. “It’s going to be alright, I promise,” he says, kissing her forehead.

When he is gone Mpho runs to her mother in the kitchen. “I hate living like this. When you kept this secret, what were you thinking? Look at us now. Are we any better? What were you hoping to achieve?” she says angrily.

“Honey, I am sorry. I did not mean for things to turn out this way. Please believe me,” Basetsana pleads.

Mpho ignores her mother’s excuses and storms out of the house, banging the door behind her. She has her bag with her wallet and cellphone. She needs fresh air and to get away from this mad house. Things have been really crazy lately. Her mother doesn’t talk to her anymore. It’s like she is lost in her own world of pain.

Thoughts whirl around Mpho’s head as she walks the streets, not noticing where she is going. As much as Joe reassures Mpho of his love, she can’t get over the fact that he is not her biological father.

She decides to try to forget about everything for a while. She has walked a long way and hears music blaring from a local club. Mpho wonders if she can even find her way back home. But she can’t go back yet. The club sounds inviting. She has never drunk alcohol before but she wants to now. She needs to forget everything. She needs to de-stress, and feels that dancing the night away is all that can help her now.

***

Tell us: Why is this a risky choice from Mpho? Do you blame her for wanting ‘forget about everything for while’?