SILENT CRIES

chapter 1

Being misunderstood and misguided, Onika felt trapped in a world that only saw her family's struggle. The youngest of three siblings, she lived with her mother, Linda, in a cramped one-bathroom apartment in Cape Town. Poverty weighed heavily on them, their financial hardships seeming impossible to overcome.

Linda worked as a maid in a wealthy neighborhood, striving to provide for her children. Yet, the crushing weight of debt bore down on her every day. She often turned to family for help, but the responses were harsh and unforgiving. They reminded her of the mistakes she made, becoming a young mother to twins, Niki and Kiki, followed by Onika, all while raising them alone after her boyfriend left.

When Linda’s first boyfriend, Jason, left her, the crushing reality of being pregnant with twins hit hard. They had met in their late teens, full of youthful dreams and promises of a future together. When she found out she was pregnant, she was scared but hopeful. Jason had reassured her that they would figure it out together, that love was enough to get through anything.

But love wasn't enough. The pressures of fatherhood proved too much for Jason. He started staying out late, avoiding conversations about their future. The fights grew more frequent, sharp words replacing the warmth they once shared. Eventually, he drifted away completely, leaving Linda alone with two infants, no job, and no direction.

One morning, after another night of him not coming home, Linda found a note on the kitchen table. It was short and cold, filled with excuses about needing space and being unable to handle the responsibility. He promised to come back, but the days turned into weeks, and Jason never returned. Linda waited at first, calling him endlessly, hoping he would change his mind. But each call went unanswered. The weight of being abandoned settled in, and she realized she was truly alone.

The note, crumpled and torn from being read too many times, stayed tucked in her drawer—a constant reminder of his betrayal and the shattered promises that once kept her hopeful. After Jason left, Linda poured everything into raising Niki and Kiki. It was hard—she had no support and barely enough money to scrape by. But she was determined to survive for her children. She started working as a cleaner in the wealthy neighborhoods of Cape Town, spending her days scrubbing floors and polishing silverware in mansions far removed from her own reality. Every night, she came home to her cramped apartment, exhausted but proud she could provide for her twins, even if just barely.

A few years later, during one of her jobs, she met a man—David—one of the wealthy clients' relatives. He was charming, successful, and seemed so different from Jason. Unlike Jason, David seemed to understand her struggles. He was older, confident, and promised to help her escape her life of hardship. He told Linda everything she longed to hear: that she deserved better, that he could take care of her and her children. After years of surviving on her own, Linda allowed herself to believe in those promises again.

For a brief moment, it felt like things might finally turn around. David was generous, buying her small gifts and giving her hope that her life could change. But soon after Linda found out she was pregnant with Onika, David’s interest began to fade. The promises he made disappeared with the same ease as Jason's had. He distanced himself, making excuses for why he couldn’t see her or why he wasn’t ready for the responsibility of raising another child.

One evening, after months of avoiding her, David told her that his life was too complicated for a family. He offered her money to “help” with the baby but made it clear he wasn’t planning to be a father. He was gone before she could even process what had happened, leaving her to once again face the burden of raising a child alone.

The heartbreak and betrayal weighed heavily on Linda. She felt foolish for trusting someone again, for believing that someone could rescue her from the cycle of poverty and struggle. She didn’t have the luxury to grieve for long—Onika was on the way, and Linda had to find a way to keep going. The weight of raising three children, now completely alone, pushed her deeper into despair.

When Linda’s second boyfriend, David, left her, the crushing reality of being pregnant again while struggling to raise her twins hit hard. But what broke her even more was the reaction from her family. After Jason had abandoned her years ago, they had already been critical, constantly reminding her of the “mistakes” she had made as a young mother. But this time, when they found out she was pregnant with Onika, the scorn was even sharper.
Her mother was the first to react, her face twisting into a frown as she glanced at Linda’s growing stomach. “You’re pregnant again?” she spat, disbelief and disgust in her voice. “Haven’t you learned anything from the first time? Raising two children on your own wasn’t hard enough for you?”

Linda’s heart sank. She had expected disappointment, but the venom in her mother’s words stung deeply.

Her aunt, always quick to join in on the scolding, chimed in, shaking her head. “Linda, I don’t understand you. This is the third child. Do you think we’re made of money? Who’s going to take care of them when you can barely take care of yourself?”

Linda felt the walls closing in on her, but before she could respond, her cousin—who had always looked down on her—sneered from the corner of the room. “So what now, Linda? Another father gone, another child without a dad? You’re making a habit out of this, aren’t you?” Her voice was laced with sarcasm and cruelty.

The room fell silent for a moment, and Linda wished she could disappear. She had always been seen as the black sheep of the family, and now she felt it more than ever.

Her mother’s voice cut through the silence, harsher than before. “I don’t want to hear another word about needing help, Linda. You put yourself in this situation. You always do. Don’t expect us to come running when things get tough. You should have been smarter.”

Tears welled up in Linda’s eyes, but she blinked them back, trying to maintain some dignity. She stood there, listening to the harsh criticisms, feeling more alone than ever. Every word spoken was a reminder that her family had written her off, that her mistakes—her “failures”—were all they saw in her.

As Linda left the house that evening, her family’s cruel words echoed in her mind. The weight of their judgment pressed down on her, deepening the isolation she already felt. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape the cycle of abandonment and hardship that had come to define her life.

Despite her efforts to remain strong, Linda's facade was crumbling. On the outside, she seemed resilient, but inside, she felt hopeless, drowning in despair. One rainy evening, she returned home exhausted to find there was nothing to eat, and Kiki was ill. Linda had no money for her medication. She ventured outside, hoping to find support from her family, but they rejected her once more, shouting and humiliating her for always asking for help.

Heartbroken, Linda tried to cry, but no tears came. Once, her pillow had been a river of sorrows; now, it was a barren desert, devoid of hope. Desperate and tired, she made a choice that transformed her into a tragic figure in the eyes of those around her.

That night, Linda returned home with food and medication for Kiki, then went to bed, saying goodnight to her children for the last time. The next morning, the landlord knocked on the door. He had come by to remind Linda about the overdue rent and expected the usual exchange—her apologies, promises to pay soon, and perhaps a pleading request for more time. But today, there was only silence.

He knocked again, louder this time, but still, no one answered. His brow furrowed. Linda was usually home by this hour, and he found it odd that no sound came from the apartment. He stood there for a moment, debating whether to leave, but something about the stillness made him uneasy.

Concern growing, he tried the door. Finding it unlocked, he hesitated, then pushed it open. What he found inside shattered his heart.

Linda and her children lay still, their small, quiet apartment now a haunting scene of tragedy. The landlord stumbled back, choking on his breath, as the horror of what had happened set in. Linda had taken poison, and her children lay beside her, victims of her desperation.

Onika was the sole survivor, but her condition was critical. The shockwaves ripped through Linda's family and the community. News of the tragedy spread quickly, with the media sensationalizing the story of the mother who chose this path with her children. Linda's family claimed they had no idea how dire her situation truly was, insisting she never asked for help, despite her desperate pleas for support.

In the end, Linda died trying to be a strong woman, leaving behind a legacy of silent cries and unanswered struggles. Her family and community were left to grapple with the aftermath, questioning how they had overlooked her pain.