It’s been 4 days since my big brother Kotatsi died and I miss him a lot. My father was a big drunkard who usually stole money from people and always went to jail for days or months then he came back but I really never expected my own father to kill my brother.
I remember cleaning up my room when I heard my brother and my father arguing and the sound got louder and louder but when I went to check up on them… There laid my brother stabed in the stomach and his blood flowing down that kitchen made me scream.
I remember my father threatening to stab me too if I did not keep quite and I ran to the room and called the police and my father was sentenced for 10 years in jail. My mom recently lost her job because my dad said something very bad to her boss when he was drunk and my brother Kotatsi just started a business of his own in Which did not get us much but it helped. Now that he was gone it’s like he left with everything – my joy, my life and my heart. He was pretty much my everything.
**********
It’s now been a month since Kotatsi died and I wake up early to make breakfast for my mother and siblings Kagiso and Koketso they are twins and they are 14 years old. I go give my mother her breakfast in bed and I am very happy to see that she is starting to come back to her normal self again.

“Morning mama”

“I see you are coming back to yourself again” I say trying to make her smile

“Oh yes I am trying, I am trying but….eish … It was really hard at the beginning but having you, Kagiso and kotetso with me always made me happy”
She says as she then smiles and hugs me. Kagiso and Kotetso come in the room and joined the hug.

*********
It’s the afternoon and I quickly dress up to go to a shop nearby to see if I can maybe start working there. I see my mom staring at me through the door.

“Mama you are here?”

“What do you think of this skirt? Is it maybe too short or too long?”

I say as I look at myself in the mirror not feeling sure about what I was wearing.

“It’s okay but it’s definitely not better then your heart. Wena just go there and I am sure you’ll get the job”