𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐃 (18+)

08 | bruises and control

Chapter Eight | bruises and control

"Accept the past, Own responsibility for the future, and prepare for the changes in the future."

Third Omniscient Point Of View

______

⚠️WARNING⚠️

He sat in the corner of his room, half-naked except for his underwear which was torn on the butt. His body was littered with bruises, purple and to the point of green. His back was red, with welts from his mother's sjambok, crying.

"Lethokuhle! If I come there and you are still crying, I will give you a reason to cry. Voetsek!" His mother yelled and he covered his mouth with hands and sobbed in them. His daddy was on a vacation and he couldn't wait till he came back. His daddy never hit him, he'd shower him with gifts and love.

The door burst open and Lethu didn't look up as he knew who it was. His mother was the cruellest person he'd ever met. She couldn't feel sorry for him. Her own child. He felt his hair being pulled and he let out a scream. Amukelani slapped him across his already bruised face.

"Voetsek! Shut up! Shut up! You are making noise and I swear if the neighbours come here ever again because of you, I'm going to show you who I really am!"

Lethu couldn't stop his cries and it fueled Amukelani. She continued dragging him by his long hair and put him in the bathroom. She opened the tap and watched impatiently as the tub filled up. She then closed and held Lethu by his hair again and put his head under the water.

Lethu panicked and started kicking and trying to pull away but his strength was no match to Amukelani's strength. She let go off him and he ran to the corner of the room coughing profusely. There was a puddle of golden water that had formed by her feet and she scowl, disgusted and horrified.

"What is this, Lethokuhle? Sies marn! Who is going to clean this up? Me? Huh?! Who is going to clean this, Lethokuhle?!" She went to him and he cowered away, sobbing.

"I'm sorry, mama." He said in between his cries.

"Hey!" She gripped his hair once again and banged his head against the wall. Lethokuhle got dizzy for a few seconds. "Don't call me that or I will kill you Lethokuhle! I will kill you with my bare hands!" She pulled him to stand on his own feet with his hair again and slapped him again because he couldn't stop crying.

"Thula marn Lethokuhle!" She scolded in frustration. She shook him by holding him by the shoulders. "Look at me! Hey, look at me!" Lethu drowsily looked at her. The fear in his eyes was very much evident. It made Amukelani feel even more powerful. "Shut up. Shut up!" She shook him violently to emphasise her point, "or I will put you in the water again."

He shook his head timidly. "No mama, I'm sorry."

She flicked his forehead, resisting the urge to slap him. "Don't call me that. Now you will stay here and I will open for you when I feel you've earned it." She switched off the lights and closed the door. It was cold and Lethu was underdressed. He drained the water from the tub and opened the one with hot water and neutralized the heat with some cold water and then got inside.

The water warmed his body for the first few minutes of the hour before it turned cold. He was slipping though and that would help him not be aware of his surroundings. The moon outside provided some light, though minimal, it helped calm him down until he fell asleep.