The Lost Kingdom

Chapter 2

THE LOST KINGDOM
CHAPTER 2
PULANE

"Pulane Adams!" The nurse call out my name. I stand up and wake the little boy next to me. I've brought him here because he has a fever. It's not a good sight to see because he keeps sneezing.

I hold his hand and we walk inside the examination room. I sit down before placing him on my lap.

"What's wrong with the child?" The nurse ask chewing a gum.

"He caught fever. His temperature is too high and he can't stop sneezing." I explain to the nurse. Zayn's nose is even pink because of how light skinned he is.

"Where are your parents?" She must be kidding me.

"I don't have parents. I'm the parent." I mentally roll my eyes. I'm turning twenty one in two weeks so why is she treating me like I'm a teen mom? Maybe I was but it's none of her business.

"You're too young to be engaging in sex." She says before writing something down. Well she's too late with her advice because he's the living proof of my mistake.

She takes Zayn's temperature and make him stand on the scale. She write all of that down and gives him the meds. I excuse myself from her office and walk out for another patient to walk in.

"Zayn baby do you want a piggyback or you'll walk?" He raises his small arms indicating that he wants me to place him on my back.

I pick him up and put him on my back. I take the towel and wrap it around him. I make sure it's secure before going home. Home is not far from the clinic so I take out my umbrella and proceed with my journey.

Home is not the same anymore. Three years ago I took the worst decision of my life. I left my sick mother with my fourteen years old little sister and went to a club with my dad's child. That night my mom died in the hands of a fourteen years old. I woke up in a hotel room with a throbbing clît and no memory of what had happened the previous night. Helena started ghosting me after my mother's funeral and my relationship with my sister was never the same.

I was doing my matric so I passed without knowing I was pregnant. I was the only adult in the family since we have no other family members. My dad visit once or twice but he has his family. He only helps out with the money.

Now I'm turning twenty one soon, I'm a parent to a fatherless little boy and my sister is doing her matric. Somehow we are surviving because of the money my dad send every month. At least he's not deadbeat but he's also not emotionally available.

I feed Zayn some instant porridge before giving him his meds and taking him to bed. I start with the pots while watching TV.

My sister walks in wearing her school uniform. She sit down on the couch next to me.

"Where's Zayn?" I think the birth of Zayn is the only thing that brought us close.

"He's sleeping." I tell her.

"Did they give him the meds?" I nod. I just wish I had enough money to take my son to real doctors not nurses who have attitudes. Who knows if they are giving him correct prescriptions?

"Yeah. I feel sad when I see him sick." I sigh.

"He's going to be okay and run around the house like he usually do." She comfort me.

"Let me go check on the pots. Don't change the channel." I stand up and walks to the kitchen.

I'm not cooking anything heavy. It's just a tin fish and some spaghetti. If my mom was here she would demand pap. Sometimes I feel guilty for not being there when she died but I know she would want me to forgive myself. It's not easy though.

I dish up for the two of us and take the food to Melo. Her full name is Melody but we call her Melo. She's really beautiful and looks more like both dad and mom. I look like neither of them and I'm a bit dark skinned despite all my parents being light skinned. If it was not my eyes looking exactly like my dad's then I wouldn't believe I was his.

My dad is coloured while my mother was a beautiful Tswana woman. I'm nothing like her and I always wish I looked like her. She was both beautiful inside and out.

"Next year when I go to varsity I'll miss your cooking." Melo pulls me from my thoughts.

"And I'll miss you. Who's going to help me look after Zayn? Dad may not even send money because you'll be gone."

"How's your search coming along?" I know she's referring to hunting down Zayn's father. If Zayn's wasn't born I would have thought I imagined my night with the stranger.

I don't know his name or where he lives. I only have a vivid image of how he looks like in my mind. I don't know where to search for him. Zayn is coloured so I at least know his dad is a coloured or maybe it could be from my genes even though I look nothing like a coloured except for my surname.

"It's like he doesn't exist." I sigh.

"You just remember his name being Zayn or something like that?" I nod.

"It's the reason why I named Zayn Zayn. I don't think I'll ever find his dad. He could be dead or even worse refuse Zayn. I got my baby under unfavorable circumstances but I'm not letting anyone hurt him."

"Zayn is lucky to have a mother like you. You're not perfect but you're a great mother." She affirms me and I smile in return before continuing eating.

"Mama!" I hear Zayn's small voice calling from the bedroom. He's awake and scared of being alone.

I rush to the bedroom to fetch him. His temperature is still high but a little better. I carry him to the lounge.

"Hey boyza how are you? O sharp?" Melo ask him and he nods and place his head on my left breast.

"Are you hungry?" He shakes his head. I make a quick reminder to make him a banana sandwich and milkshake after eating. I brush his curly hair off his face.

I've never cut his hair since he was born. He only do hair cuts and they just cut the hair on the sides so he has long curly hair for a two year old boy. I love this boy with everything in me but I'll never stop searching for his father. He at least deserve to know his name.