Home For The Holidays

Part 4

4 am I hear my door open and soon a hand touching my arm. I slowly turned it was Nombuso. “What are you doing in my room sis?” I asked. “shhh follow me “ she said. “ where are we going ?” I asked. “Just follow me and stop asking many questions” she said. Without a doubt I got up wore my robe and my glasses, I was curious because earlier she had been crying now I was wondering whether she was ready to open up about what she was crying about.

She led me outside as we walked I asked “where are you taking me Nombuso I would rather be in bed that be walking in the middle of the garden at 4 am honestly.” We got to the end of the garden where there was a heap of soil. “Nombuso what is that?” I asked. “That is where my baby lies. Your niece is resting there.” she answered. “I am confused what do you mean my niece?” I asked.

 She took a stone and she put it on the heap of soil as she knelt she said “ Molo mtanam(hello my child) today I am not alone I am visiting you with your uncle Nqaba I miss you very much I love you and continue resting my angel. Don’t you want to say something Nqaba?” I stood there my tongue was swollen with words but I just had no voice. I was choking on words. But my eyes were filled with tears because I had come to realize that I did not know my sister as I thought I did. She wasn’t just a jokester but she was trying to mask her pain, she was hiding her wounds from us. “Nombuso I can’t say anything I’m so sorry sis”, I responded. I sat down in the dirt as she sat next to me I could tell she was about to relay the story of how all of this happened.
 
“About two years back I had fallen in love well at least that is what I thought he was tall, very handsome too he knew just what to say to me at the right time. He was saying all the right things talking about living together once we had jobs, get married and live our best life. I felt secure and I saw the future it was beautiful till one day when we decided to start trying for a baby and we said we would face the music we would face the heat that would come from our families. So we started trying for a baby and it did not even take that long from when we started about a few weeks later I was pregnant I was excited about it he was too but suddenly things in our relationship fell apart. He left me and I was ready to be a single mother and raise this gift, this blessing God gave me.

“I did everything right I was prepared to even run away from here because I know how our parents are but the morning I was supposed to run mom raided my room for some reason and she found the pregnancy test I hid. Oh her face it was not happy she dragged me out to their room with dad. I thought I was there for discipline but the man we call our dad said I was a woman now and he needed to be taken care off since mom was failing id take her place. I was confused when he put me in bed and took off his clothes. He raped me Nqaba! That man raped me! (Sobbing).

     I cried so loud for mom to come and help me but she did not and when I came out crying I went to her she was in the sitting room she pushed me to the floor and told me I deserved it. She told me I was going to abort that baby and be a good girl that I once was and I shall never tell anyone or speak of this ever again or my life would be hard”.

 As she cried I could feel rage building up in me as I hugged her to calm her down all I wanted was to go in that room where this monster of a man slept and kill him in his sleep. My world was crushing down my reality had changed. I could not believe the people I called mom and dad all these years were such cruel human beings. Nombuso had gone through enough and I wanted to end all of it. I wanted the truth, were these people really our parents? We sat there with Nombuso till it was sunrise because the pain of her truth was so paralyzing. I was even dreading going to that hospital to see those people but we had to because we are family and family sticks together right?

As we walked back to the house I could feel rage bubbling up again because I knew that I was going to face that culprit and I wanted to castrate him so bad but I had to hang in there till I got to the bottom of this. By the time we got to the door I saw Nkosiyabo sitting on a chair by the veranda. “Brother where did you go you never came back last night”, I asked him. “She just showed you the grave right? Did she tell you the truth?” he asked. I just stood there I started crying again when he held my shoulder and said “Now you know why I can’t stand these people that is partly why I left because I could not stand this and I know I failed our sisters because I should have stayed and protected our sisters but now I am back and I am going to fix that okay brother? I will fix it.”
 
We walked in the house Jabulile had cooked porridge and as always she was humming. “Where have you guys been? Nombuso why is your robe full of mud? You too Nqaba? Nkosiyabo didn’t you leave? “, Jabulile asked. We stood there we couldn’t say anything because we could see that she had been crying her eyes were puffy. “Why were you crying? What happen? “, Nkosiyabo asked Jabulile.

“It’s nothing wethu (you). Come sit down guys the porridge will get cold”, Jabulile responded. At that moment I could only think of one thing, that she had been a victim of that man we call father. We refused to sit down till she told us what had happened why she was crying. She refused as she sat down to eat I noticed a face she made , a face that showed that she was in pain and Nombuso knew that face.

“He raped you didn’t he?” Nombuso asked Jabulile. She dropped her spoon and her face shocked that it was so easy for us to figure it out. Nkosiyabo bolted into the parents room before Jabulile could even answer he was full of anger correction it was rage but that bastard had left already and went to the hospital, he was lucky because Nkosiyabo was thirsty for his blood.

Jabulile was defending him saying he did not mean it I think she was trying by all means to get our parents love again and their approval of her. She was overcompensating. My world had a different reality and I was ready to kill for a better one.