Beckoned Through The Dark

54 // Lesego // The Syndicate

I sat there, not knowing what to say.

Abigail was Bridgette's daughter, and she was stolen from the hospital after birth?

That explained why she didn't look anything like the Dube's.

"Nomalanga, whom you know as Nomalanga Dube, was a nurse at the Green Hospital. She was also part of syndicate that sold new-born babies," Bridgette explained while staring blankly at her now cold tea. "They stole babies, switched babies, and separated babies for money. Nomalanga wrecked my life, ruined my marriage. She stole my baby and made me believe that she'd died. I never recovered from that, neither did my marriage."

I could feel her pain from the tremble in her voice.

"I'm sorry." Something sparked in her, it looked like pity and it unsettled me, but I didn't want to read too much into it.

"Fast forward to two weeks later, the man whose wife had taken my baby came forward after running a DNA test. They'd returned the baby to Nomalanga, but she took the baby and ran off. That's when they started investigating and discovered the syndicate. They arrested everyone involved, but Nomalanga was nowhere to be found."

That's messed up! Surely this syndicate had been operating for years, which means that most children were with the wrong families, and some parents buried the wrong children.

I shook my head in disbelief. "I wonder how many lives they ruined, it's just so sick."

I mean, I get it, women go through the most out there when it comes to pregnancy.

But to steal someone else's child.

I could only imagine how Abigail found out her entire life was a lie. Like mine.

As if reading my thoughts, Bridgette said, "She hates me." A sad smile crept up on her face, but her lips trembled. "She says I ruined her life, because if I hadn't barged in with all the lies, it wouldn't be miserable." She gulped, blinking away her tears. "And in a way, she's right."

The tension in the house was palpable.

"Would anyone like some tea?" Mrs Martins asked and walked to the kitchen.

I also followed suit. "I'm gonna go and check up on Abigail," I said hastily and left the room.

Abigail was sitting on a bench in the backyard.

"Came here to play pity party?" She snarled as soon as she saw me.

I didn't beat about the bush or take a step back, I joined her on the bench and remained silent for some time.

We just sat there and stared at the long plain wall.

I had so many questions to ask, especially about myself. Why did Abigail take a sudden interest in me? Obviously, Karabelo and I were both victims of this syndicate, but why take a particular interest in us two when there were a lot more other families impacted?

"How did you find out?" I asked.

"My calling," she muttered under her breath. "I became so sick that she couldn't hide it any longer. No doctors or hospitals could help me, Lesego." A cold shiver hit me to the core of my bones, why did that scenario feel so familiar? "Are you okay?" Abigail asked. "Lesego?" She shook me, and I jumped in fright.

"Huh?" I frowned at her.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded and cleared my throat. "You were still talking about your calling..."

Abigail nodded and continued, "I was having these strange dreams and saw strange people. There was an old woman in particular, she would always tell me to come home, because my people are waiting for me." At this point, I wanted to run away. "My mother kept trying to convince me that everything would be okay, she locked me in the house until eventually I lost it." She threw her head back and groaned.

"What happened next?"

"I don't know how I ended up in the Free State, it was as if I was not in control of my own body. All I remember is that I disappeared from home for more than six months. I ended up in this other compound that housed a community of Sangomas. That's where I was trained and initiated and introduced to my ancestors. By the time I returned, I was a different person...my life just took an unexpected turn. I met Bridgette at the hospital after she brought her sick daughter in. That's where I learned about the syndicate."

My stomach hurt as if somebody had unloaded a ton of bricks in me.

"What's gonna happen to me?" I whispered, tears streaming down my face.

It felt like she was predicting my future.

"Have you been sick?" She asked.

I nodded. "And I've been having dreams!" I choked. "I'm confused, Abigail, and I don't know what to do. I'm scared!"

Abigail scooted closer and put an arm around my shoulder. "I know. Lucky for you, you have me, Bridgette, the old lady, and Clay."

I tensed at the mention of Clay. I'd completely forgotten about him, how was he going to react when he discovered that I had a calling. "Clay can't know about this."

"He's been worried about you, Lesego. Clay loves you," she said.

"I'll meet you inside." I got up and left her there.

I didn't need her to tell me how he felt about me, if he really loved me then he wouldn't have betrayed me.