A Parent's Sacrifice

01: The Sacrifice

"She'll love when she's ready"- Sabrina Claudio

Growing up, I always knew what was expected of me. At the age of sixteen, my family sat me down and told me that I was not allowed to date nor sleep with anyone because 'I have been chosen'.

I had no say in the whole situation. My father's word is final. At that time, I was still in a relationship with my first boyfriend Andile. I had to call of the relationship because my father was paying an anonymous student to keep an eye on me in school, I went through his phone and saw the texts.

Let me introduce myself, my name is Phiwokuhle Maphumulo. I am the only child at home and I was raised by my strict father and stepmother.

I am now twenty-seven years old. I was currently on a taxi back home because my father wants to hold a family meeting. I work as a waitress at this high-rated restaurant in Hillcrest. I dropped out during my first year of university to pursue my catering business because food is my passion.

Of course, my father did not approve of this and he called my business a hobby and told me to get a real job, hence why I have the waitressing job in Hilcrest. The tips were incredible.

"After robot." I shouted as soon as I reached my stop, I got out of the taxi with my hands full of groceries. My stepmother was already waiting for me with a wheelbarrow because it was quite a distance to get home.

"How are you my princess," she said giving me a hug and a kiss on my cheek after we offloaded the groceries on the wheelbarrow.

"I'm good ma," I said.

I was not good. I already knew what this meeting was about. My father even requested that I try to get a few days off work so I know that this is going to be a lengthy meeting.

I haven't been in contact with my family for over a year now. I do call my stepmother sometimes but either than that, my father chose to cut me off completely. My family is well off I must say, I'm the struggling penguin.

I wasn't even intending on coming here but uMa sweet talked me into it. You must be wondering where my biological mother is? I don't even know myself. All I know is that my father won the custody case many years ago because he planted drugs in her purse.

When we got home, my father was sitting on the verandah on his rocking chair. I rolled my eyes before I knelt before him and gave him a handshake.

"Mashimane, uyaphila?" I greeted him.

"Siyaphila ndodakazi. Asingabe sisapholisa maseko. Ngena endlini basendleleni omalume bakho." he said coldly.

See that's the person my father was. There was no emotion during our interactions. Our relationship was purely transactional until he cut me off because I dropped out of university. What he doesn't know is that I was currently in the process of buying my very own van. I'm going to start off small of course and buy a second hand Nissan NP200, I was just waiting for the bank to approve my loan.

I went to my bedroom and placed my overnight bag on the bed. There was a huge change in my bedroom, the covers and the curtains have been changed. It now looks like a guest room, there is nothing tying me to this room. The pictures and posters I had up on the wall have been taken down.

I miss this life, I had everything I wanted. The downside of living at home is that it gets depressing, I was not able to live my own life and do what I want. That's where I got into a huge argument with my father and decided to start my own life with just R10 000 and no job.

I sent my flat mate, Thandiswa, a text informing her that I have arrived. After that I took a quick shower and wore a long grey skirt with a white vest. I found uMa cooking in the kitchen so I decided to join in and help her. We were very close, she would sometimes come to the flat when she's in town and drop off some groceries and cash. I honestly don't know what I would be without her. She beats the 'all step-mothers are mean' stereotype.