She sat amidst her cheering classmates, feeling a pang of sadness wash over her. While they eagerly unwrapped their gifts, she had nothing. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she tried to hold them back, but it was too late. “why am I not getting mine? Whoever did this thing does not really like me” those negative thoughts started roaming freely in her little depressed mind and of course she burst into tears.

Her Auntie, who had raised her, had no idea that gifts were a part of the graduation tradition as this whole “graduation culture” was foreign to everyone . They had always been supportive, but this was a cultural norm they weren’t familiar with because no one is really educated and interested enough to know about such, innocently so. And also her 5 years old sister Isenathi was overly excited about graduating, but they had no expectations of receiving gifts.

As she looked around at her classmates, she envied the excitement that was evidently written in their faces, she remembered the countless hours they had spent together, walking to school, going for a swim at the river, basically learning and growing “Who came up with this whole gifts thing? Why am I not getting anything, Why’s is it only me?” She continued wondering. In her little mind it was as if someone decided to exclude only her intentionally. There was Lethu, who had always been her partner in crime during school break time. There was also Mrs. Jacobs, their beautiful dark-skinned teacher, who had guided them through the ups and downs of primary school.

Just then, her former principal, Mr Jabavu was fortunately observing the whole occurrence, he stood up and approached approached her with a warm smile. She handed her a small envelope containing a generous gift. “Congratulations mntanam” he said gently. “I’m super proud of you please don’t cry, big girls don’t cry”.As she opened the envelope the R100 note sprang into view, defying belief! In that exact moment, Mr Jabavu’s kindness and generosity touched her heart. The gift was more than just a present – it was a reminder that she was seen, heard, and valued and most importantly understood .

As much as it wasn’t announced as loud as other gifts , she felt a sense of pride and accomplishment wash over her because she finally got something just like her other fellow learners . She knew that she’ll finally brag about something too , and she was excited to see what was in the envelope. Her caregiver beamed with pride as they took photos together. ”I’m so sorry and so proud of you sisi, I really have no idea you know how much I was happy for this day,” the aunt said, hugging her tightly.

As they walked home, her younger sibling chattered excitedly about the ceremony. ‘ Auntie can you please cook a chicken stew for dinner”? they asked, looking up at her with big, hopeful eyes. She smiled, feeling a sense of joy and gratitude. ‘Of course ntombencinci she said, hugging her sibling tightly. ‘We’ll get some biscuits too, and we’ll celebrate in style.’

In that moment, she knew that this was a day she would never forget – a day filled with love, kindness, and the promise of a bright future.