LEAP - The journal of a street kid

Miracle House.

Aphiwe continue telling her story to Sisonke:

She brought me a bowl of carrot soup with two thick slices of bread with butter and cheese. 'You must be very hungry; here, have something to eat' she said with a concerned look on her face. I grabbed the red tray placed right in front of me and started eating. The taste was really good, I haven't heard of hot meals in a week, I just indulged with my head buried deep into the soap bowl, all you could hear here was the sound of a spoon hitting against the inside of the bowl. 'Uhm honey. If you want more, there is more than enough in the kitchen,' she said, trying to get my attention. I looked up and saw that she was giving me a strange look. I wanted to say I needed more. I probably knew that was not the right thing to say. I looked at her without saying a word and continued eating.

Look, you can stay here tonight, but tomorrow we need to get you home. Where do you stay? ' she asked. ''Dokathole'', I responded. "Oh, honey, that's far, how did you get here? Aren't your parents looking for you?" she asked. "No!"  I responded. "why is that?" reaching a hand out to touch me. I looked at her. "My mother is in Johannesburg." "And what about your father? He must be worried." "No!.. I said,  feeling embarrassed at answering the question. "....my dad? Uhm, I don't know who he is". "So who are you staying with?" she continued asking. "my uncle!" "Is your uncle not looking for you?" "No!!!.. He, ..he hurts me!" "How is he hurting you?" gently squeezing the question "....At night, he makes me do staff," I responded. "Oh, sweetheart, what staff he makes you do?" "He takes off my clothes and makes me sleep next to him." "... oh no, oh God no!, did you tell anyone about this? There must be someone whom you can talk to?" with a concerned look, she asked me. I gave her my last glance, placed my eyes back on the bowl, and continued eating. There was silence for something that seemed like minutes. Before I could hear her clearing throat. "You must not be scared, you can trust me; you are safe now; you are at home" I Quickly lift my head up to look at her, and met my eyes with a soft smile across her face. For some reason, those words were comforting to me.

"So see Sisonke, since then I stayed in Miracle House, and not even once I ever felt unsafe. We had a lot of food and   we celebrated Christmas; um, we would decorate a tree and receive presents."

"... Sisonke, I know things have been rough lately with your mom drinking and you missing school. Have you thought about trying Miracle House? It helped me a lot, and I think it could help you get back to school too."

"Yeah, Aphiwe, I think it's a good idea for me to move to Miracle House. But the problem is that I don't know what is needed me to get there. I mean, isn't that a home for street kids?"

"And what if these people do a background check on me and they find out that I do have a mother and I do have a home?"

"Don't worry, Sasonke. Miracle House isn't just for street kids. They help anyone who needs it, no matter what. They'll understand your situation and help you out. And being there can really help you with school and stuff. We'll figure it out together, okay?"

Sisonke brimmed with excitement, unable to contain himself any longer. The next morning, he rose with the sun, eager to begin his adventure. After exchanging greetings with his mother and his sister Cindy, who was preparing for school, he carefully gathered his belongings, ensuring his departure would go unnoticed. Silently, he packed his clothes into a large, black plastic bag. Once Cindy had left for school, Sisonke slipped out of the house, embarking on his journey to Miracle House.