Azalea The Queen

Azalea

"Oh baby, look at you. I missed you so much," I hugged my little brother so tight he started to hit my arm to let go. I chuckled and let his body free.

"Are you trying to kill me because of that?" He scowled, but I saw the tiny little smile playing on his lips. I loved him.

I decided to visit my home, my family, or the part of it that still cared. Father was nowhere to be seen as usual, because some things just don't change. Sigh! My mother upon seeing me had asked "Why are you back? Don't tell me they kicked you out, because I don't have a place for girls who can't keep a simple thing as marriage in my house!" She sneered.

Yeah, definitely don't change. "I'm visiting ma, am I not allowed to come see my family?" I was truly hurt by her harsh words but I learned to never show how affected I was by her from a young age. "Anyways, where's your sister?" I turned my attention to Abongile.

"She is also your sister, and I don't know where she is." He shrugged and started peering at the bags I had brought with. "So what are these?" I rolled my eyes at him. A small smile appeared on my face. I loved the look my brother would get every time I would come home and he would see the bags I brought. Even if he knew I didn't get him specifically anything, he was always overjoyed.

I didn't have many bags with me, just a definition of what a small gift Samkelo thought it was to buy for my little brother. I had protested against buying something as expensive as that when he insisted that he get something for his brother-in-law.

"Take a look inside, it's yours." I smiled at him. He looked so excited as he quickly took out a box from the bag and gasped. He gave me a look that said I wasn't serious. "I know, just a small gift from the prince," I dragged the word out.

"Small! Did he say this was a small gift?" my brother shrieked. I nodded my head. "Oh, my God! I can't believe this...oh Alungile look! Sesi's husband bought me a fucking Ps5 and even said it was a small present." At that moment, Alungile walked through the door.

"Sesi!" She immediately flung herself at me and hugged me. I was taken aback by that. "I missed you so much, when did you get here?" Okay, what happened to my sister, and who was this nice child? Because I was sure that this little girl didn't just say she missed me.

"Really, I mean yeah I missed you too." I was still puzzled hence the fumble of words. "I just got here actually," I smiled at her. And if I was being honest, she looked sincere, like she was genuinely happy to see me. I felt happy to see that I was missed.

Alungile sat next to Abongile as he gushed about his new toy thing. Meanwhile, I took another gift bag and handed it to my little sister. She looked at the bag and then looked at me. She looked surprised that I got her something. The sister I knew would've long taken the bag from me and jumped for joy.

"Take it, Samkelo also bought you something small." I chuckled. She hesitantly took the bag and opened it, taking the small box. Her eyes went wide when she saw what it was.

"An iPhone Aza?" She started to unbox the box hastily, she was so happy and eager, it bought a content smile to my face. "Oh fuck!" Okay, when did my younger siblings start to cuss?
"An iPhone 13, I think I'm hyperventilating!" The melodramatic sister I knew surfaced. I rolled my eyes. Samkelo!

When he purchased these, he did it like it was no big deal in his bank account, which I see now it probably wasn't. Alu squealed and ran to my parent's room and came back with a confused mother.

"What is this I hear about gifts?" My mother looked annoyed that she was dragged out of her cocoon for family time, some parents!
The children started showing her their new things. I was glad they didn't let her sour attitude bring them down.

"Samkelo decided to buy small gifts for everyone and said it was his way of apologizing for not being able to make it today." I held the gift bag to my mother. She eyed it, and with a sigh she took it. This woman! "That's yours,"
I gestured to the gift.

She eyed it wearily before taking out the contents inside. "And what am I supposed to do with this? What is this even?" She flipped the iPad on both sides before putting it back in the bag. Alu chuckled.

"Ma, that's an iPad, like this iPhone but bigger like a tablet." She tried to explain. "Cool!" She said looking at her now switched-on iPhone," I shook my head.

"Ma, you can watch anything from that. You don't have to fight with ubaba for remote." I gave her a look. She looked away because she knew I was right. "I know you're always irritated when he takes the remote while you're watching TV. So now you don't have to, just use that." I smiled.

She hummed. Then she left for her room. I rolled my eyes, nothing satisfied that woman.

"Are those for ubaba and Azola?" Abo asked. I nodded. "It's a shame ubaba won't care about his present." He said shaking his head. I sighed.

"He'll probably sell it for alcohol," Alu said with disappointment. That saddened me. My little siblings didn't have a father they would be proud of and boast about to their friends, instead, they had a drunk of a father. The accuracy in their words was piercing.

"Well, it's his because his son-in-law bought it for him so," I shrugged as I took the bag and put it on the table. "And this one," I took the last bag and held it close to my chest. "Is for Azola," I said while looking at it dearly. I could tell from their faces that she hadn't been home since that day.

"She'll come home one day and find this," I said while putting it next to my father's. "I will make sure she comes back home," I was determined to look for my sister and bring her home.

"There is one present missing though," Alu said. I stilled. My whole body stiffened. Why would she say that? "I'm sorry sesi, I was just- ngiyaxolisa," She said while looking down. She knew that he was never to be mentioned ever again. I took a breath and let it out.

"It's okay, you were joking." I dismissed it. "It's not like he's ever getting out right?" I chuckled stiffly.

Little did I know that my mother's first child would be seeing me soon.