Asakhe came closer to Sipho’s home. She was worried, seeing all the doors closed. However, the gate was open. She progressed forward and was relieved when she saw that the front door was kept ajar. The worst that may have befallen her is finding out that Sipho ran away. He wouldn’t have dared. She made it clear on the phone they had a sensitive issue to talk about. Knowing he was alone she swung the door with all the force she possessed, dashing inside. He jumped on his feet shocked.

“Asakhe…it’s you.”

“Yeah…were you expecting someone else?”

“No, but you must learn to knock. You can’t just barge inside people’s homes like that.”

She ignored his remark and sat herself opposite the sofa he was seated on.

“So,” he pursued, “you said there is something urgent we have to talk about.”

He took a cooldrink and filled a glass for himself. He displayed no interest in filling a glass for his guest.

“Yes…there’s something I need to tell you.”

He gulped down the full glass and filled himself another one. Asakhe knew his gluttony and stinginess. She used to date him after all. He never gave her food on those occasions she came to sleepover in his room. Instead, he always claimed to be going to the bathroom, but only return after a couple of minutes with fat in his hands and mouth. Sometimes as they smooched, exploring each other’s mouths with their tongues, Asakhe felt bits of meat in his mouth, evidence that he had left her in bed and went to eat alone. But if anything, she was glad he wasn’t the biological father of her child. Sipho seemed he would be the kind of a father who’d let his children watch him chew whilst they are without anything to eat and starving to death. But his parents were a little rich and seemed kinder than their stingy son.

“Out with it out then, Asakhe. What are you waiting for? The return of Jesus?”

She gave him a disapproving look. But it was time to drop the bomb.

“Sipho, I am pregnant.”

His face was expressionless. He put the empty cooldrink bottle on top of the table. Finally, his voice returned.

Manje mina ngixhumaphi nokuzithwala kwakho Asakhe? Noma ufuna ngikuhalalisele? Ngiyakuhalalisela ke. What have I got to do with your pregnancy Asakhe? Or you want me to congratulate you? Congratulations then.

She was enraged.

“Sipho can’t you be serious for once in your life! I am pregnant and it’s your child.”

“Who said so?”

She was stunned. Out of all the boys she dated or momentarily consorted with Sipho was the only one whose personality she still couldn’t figure out.

“Don’t look at me like that Asakhe,” he said. “It’s been quite a while since we broke up. And even during our relationship I wasn’t the only one kuwena to you.”

She felt like grabbing the empty cooldrink bottle and squash it on his head.

“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“Exactly what it means. And should your elders bring you here along with your pregnancy I will tell them the exact same thing. I will say I wasn’t the only one and the only confirmation that the baby is mine can be made after it has been born.” Although he spoke with assertiveness his voice was shaky, obviously shocked by the possibility of being a father.

Dumbfounded, she rose to go but just before she disappeared Sipho uttered what were supposedly his last words on the matter.

“Asakhe, if I were you, I’d tell who the real father of the child is to avoid unnecessary humiliation. And by the way, it will help you a great deal to knock before you enter into people’s homes.”

Having gazed at him whilst he spoke, she turned to go. She slammed the door behind her and strode out of the gate.

“Fuck!” she cursed having hit her shoe against a stone. In her earlier childhood, when she had hit her shoe against a stone, she used to call the word “mama” instead of a curse word. Growth has spoilt her. Once her mother heard her curse and lamented it’s impolite and unladylike to curse for a young belle like herself. That was when she was still ignorant and innocent. Now here she was, looking for a young man who impregnated her.

Asakhe was tempted to take heed of Sipho’s advice and inform the real father about the pregnancy. She felt for a moment that it was a dangerous game she was playing. However, when she saw Hloni, she was rejuvenated to persist with her plan. It didn’t bother her that he was walking with another girl. They were headed towards her direction.

Asakhe was confident she had Hloni in the palms of her hands. This she had discovered during their short-lived relationship. She always henpecked him because of his excessive ignorance. He was a pushover who agreed readily with whatever suggestions she had of their relationship. Therefore, she never had to compromise as is the expectation of any good relationship. And whilst she didn’t dislike his overflowing kindness, she hated that he didn’t place any boundaries. So, in her eyes, Hloni remained a pushover with excessive kindness and ignorance, a complete polite fool. In fact, she wouldn’t have dated him. During his initial stages of pursuit, she vehemently rebuffed him. However, her two besties, Nosipho and Palesa, liked him. Hloni used that to his advantage by urging them to throw some sweet words to Asakhe on his behalf. Asakhe thought many girls in the township of Lawley to have a prejudice against her. So, she didn’t need much persuasion by her besties to give Hloni a chance. After all, he was one of the most popular boys in the township, a charmer. He smartly and fancily dressed and, for a young man, rather paid a lot of attention on his looks. He bedded many pretty girls. And generally, all the girls in the township wanted him for flattery and to flaunt about being in a relationship with a guy that some girls can only fantasise about. Therefore, Asakhe dated him to further annoy her haters.

“Hloni, I have something important to discuss with you,” she said.

Hloni put his arm around the waist of his girlfriend. He then kissed her. Although uncomfortable to be doing this in front of another girl, Hloni’s girlfriend merely reciprocated.

“Well,” he said, “whatever you want to discuss with me you can discuss in front of my lovely girlfriend, Ntando.”

She knew this was his way of trying to get back at her. He was attempting to make her jealous, but she didn’t give a damn about him and who he was consorting with.

“I think it’s better we talk in private.”

“No…what’s meant for my ears is meant for my babe’s. And, Asa, you better speak up because Ntando and I have something we urgently want to do.”

She was becoming impatient now.

“Alright suit yourself with your Ntando. I am sure she too will be very pleased to know I am pregnant with your child.”

He froze. Ntando freed her waist off his hold and slowly walked away leaving them together. What had further repulsed her was their mentioning of her name as if she were not there.

“What did you just say, Asa?”

“Mxm…I won’t repeat myself to you.”

His silly behaviour was gone. He now was as serious as a thief in action.

“I can’t believe it, Asa.”

“Can’t believe what Nyasa (a translation of her endearment denoting exasperation.)?”

“That I am going to be a father.”

“Well, you better believe it.”

“But Asa…”

“But Nyasa what??”

“We…we…you know…we used protection.”

“Eish…umntu onjengawe uvelaphi Hloni? where does someone like you comes from Hloni? A condom may burst during sex. But why do I even expect you to know that…”

Hloni, thanks to his ignorance, didn’t bother recalling whether the condoms had burst during the intervals where he went to throw them in the bin after each round when he and Asakhe were entertaining themselves for the night.

“Prepare yourself then, Hloni. In the next few days my family will be coming to report the pregnancy. Don’t you dare embarrass me with the issue of us having used a condom. Otherwise, how am I to explain in the presence of your parents and mine that a condom may burst during sex.”

She then left him without having said another word.

Indeed, after two days of their informal meeting Asakhe’s family (her uncle and brother) and Hloni’s (his father and uncle) finally met. Asakhe had come along with hers. Prior to the commencement of the negotiations, Hloni was asked whether he knew Asakhe and he admitted. The negotiations of how the damages are to be paid started. It was of no importance that Asakhe consented to her ‘damaging’, or even worse, that she might be the one who instigated or yearned for the damaging. Culture and tradition don’t care.

The damages were paid. Asakhe’s grandmother looked after the baby. Her mother lived in Pretoria where she worked and came to Lawley on some weekends and when on leave. She and Lwando, her older brother, were still at school. The only man who played a fatherly role in their lives was their Uncle Velile who resided in Pimville Soweto. He came to visit them on special occasions or when there were family matters to be resolved, like Asakhe’s pregnancy.

Within a year of the baby’s birth, Asakhe’s grandmother died. The family travelled to the Eastern Cape to the small town of Qumbu for burial. When they returned, they were faced with a dilemma. There was nobody to look after the little baby boy as Asakhe was still a schoolgirl and her mother worked far. The little baby was still very young and timid to start attending creche, and Asakhe’s mother struggled to find someone who would be a helper. She would have to pay her of course. She was willing to sacrifice a portion from her salary so nothing could distract Asakhe from her studies. That’s how far she was willing to go for the security of her children’s future. But luckily for them, Hloni’s family offered to take the child with them. They were very fond of the little boy even when it was still under the care of its maternal grandmother. They bought all the stuff it needed and ensured its mother was alright for its sake. Asakhe agreed to give it to them so long. Not that she was ditching her baby, but since nobody will have time to take care of it, and her mother struggling to find one, she thought it was better off with the family of its ‘father’.

Hloni’s family was thrilled by the presence of the little one. They all embraced the little baby boy, especially Hloni’s grandparents. However, there was one person who instinctively thought something was amiss with this whole baby saga. Uncle Thabile, who was with Hloni’s father during the day of the damage negotiations, failed to keep his doubt of the baby boy not being his nephew’s.

“Hloni,” he said, whilst the family was seated around the dinner table, “I must say it that your child is of the first generation to not resemble any of us. And even if that’s the case, I always see a part of the body that will identify any child as one of us. I can’t say the same about this little baby. And, my goodness, where the hell does he get such a big nose.”

There was awkward silence. Hloni didn’t bother formulating a response to his uncle’s blabbering. Although he was incurious, he had for once listened when his Life Science’s teacher was teaching genetics and actually understood the topic. But he wouldn’t bother try to explain genetics to his headstrong uncle who never went to school.

Problems emerged within a month of the little boy living with his father’s family. The baby cried a lot. Of course, it’s a normality for babies to cry, but its cry exceeded what is perceived a normality for its age. The little baby boy spent more time crying than quiet or asleep. The entire family was anguished except Uncle Thabile. The baby was taken to different expensive clinics and hospitals but on all occasions was found to be perfectly healthy and normal. Those closest to Hloni’s family suggested they consult with izangoma traditional healers to find out what could be the matter with the baby. But Uncle Thabile vehemently opposed the idea saying as a family they’ve performed all the traditional and cultural procedures to welcome the baby and introduce it to the ancestors. The family agreed with him. And, if anything, they were generally a family of devout Christians and didn’t believe in any of that ‘traditional stuff”. Hloni’s father let his brother take the lead on such matters. For him neither Christianity nor the traditional belief system made sense. He believed in neither. He declared himself an atheist.

One afternoon Uncle Thabile found Hloni sitting in the dining room with the baby on his lap. He sat next to them. He opened the palms of Hloni’s hands and compared them to that of the baby. After a while he shook his head disapprovingly.

Malome bothata ke eng? Uncle what is the problem?” Hloni asked.

“Are you sure this is your child, Hloni?”

The question wounded him. Tears just flowed as he gazed at the baby acting as if he hasn’t heard his question. Of course, Hloni knew the baby was his. The condom had mistakenly burst leading to the formation of this baby boy whom he loves so much.

“Uncle, it’s alright if you don’t like this baby. But please don’t you be asking these hurtful questions.”

Moshanyana boy don’t be foolish. What reasons could an old man like me have for hating a child? Don’t be silly.”

“You seem to never have welcomed ngoana enoa this child from the beginning.”

“Nonsense…I have no discrimination against this baby. But I am sure even yourself can see something is the matter.”

Hloni wiped the tears off his face. He was fidgeting pitiably.

“What do you think must be done uncle?”

“That’s why I was asking you if you’re sure this baby is yours. I want to help you out, but I have to be certain the child is yours.”

“Asakhe o itse ke ea ka. Asakhe said it is mine.”

“But what do you think?”

“I don’t know what to think, uncle, because she and I always used protection.”

“When she disclosed the pregnancy to you didn’t you remind her that you guys had used protection?”

“I did but she said condoms sometimes burst.”

“Well then… there’s a way we can use to find out if the baby is yours. Come on, Hloni. You know what it is because unlike me you know the scent of desks and books.”

“You mean paternity testing?”

“It must be that.”

Hloni agreed with his uncle’s counsel. Firstly, when the idea was brought to her attention Asakhe vehemently opposed it. She warned them to rather give her baby back if they no longer wanted it. However, Uncle Thabile would have none of that. Instead, he threatened the more she delayed doing the tests, the greater the chances of the baby passing away from an unknown diagnosis, which could be as a result of a spiritual or ancestral problem. She eventually agreed, and automatically knew hers and the baby’s ride on the gravy train was over. Hloni’s sample was taken, the baby’s and, because it’s possible for babies to be mistakenly swopped at birth, Asakhe’s sample was taken also. The results came out as she expected. The baby was hers but Hloni wasn’t the father. Hloni’s family immediately returned the poor baby back to its mother’s family.