H O R I Z O N

Departure♡💤

Light.

Damn like the light was blinding me when my mom opened my bedroom curtains.

"Rise and shine, honey! Time for school!" My mom's voice booming enthusiastically.

"But mama!" I whine, my hands blocking the light from entering my eyes.

"Hmm-mmm, Thando, you gotta wake up kaloku (meaning: at some point)!" She whips the blanket from me that was keeping me warm from the freezing weather of December.

"MAMA!" I whine again.

"That's me." She winks at me with a devious smirk. "Now come on, we have to hurry, we going to be late for our flight to South Africa."

"W-why do we have to go again?" I ask while trying to get out my drowsy state by rubbing my eyes.

"We have to visit umakhulu wakho (meaning: your grandmother)." She answers with her hands on hips. "Umakhulu is getting more sick, her diabetes is getting worse, we have to be there if she dies."

"For how long are we going to be there?" I ask anyone another question.

"Ummm.... I don't know. Probably the whole of December?" She answers unsure of her answer while picking up my blouse that was lying on the floor.

"What?! No! We can't!" I object to such an action like this of spending the whole of my winter holiday in SA.

"And why not? Is there something more important than going to support your grandmother dying?" She turned her head sharply at my direction.

"Ummm....w-well, I promised Brendon that I would spend some time with him....so..." I stutter in fear of my mother screaming in my face.

"So your boyfriend is more important than family?" Her facial expression a bit disappointed. I, somewhat feel guilty about having a boyfriend, even though my parents told me not to, but over a few months they surprised Brendon and I by accepting our relationship.

Brendon and I have been dating since the beginning of senior year. There has been some difficult obstacles through relationship but we conquered them, especially the obstacle of dealing with Brendon's parents getting divorced. I supported him through his emotions of having his mom and dad split up. Brendon was extremely mad at his father because he was the cause of the divorce, because of abusing his wife physically, emotionally and cheated on her with his fling.

It has been really tough on our relationship because of his anger that he was lashing onto me and our friends. But hey, no relationship is perfect you know.

"Ma, I didn't mean it in that w-"

My mom interrupted me. "No no bhabha (meaning: baby), it's ok, I know you didn't mean it in that way. She gives me a crooked smile of reassurance.

"Sorry mama." My head hanging a bit in disappointment.

"You don't need to, bhabha." She walks to me and places my blouse she was holding next to me then tilts my chin up and kisses my forehead. "Now hurry up and go shower. Our flight is in an hour!"

I quickly slip into my kitty slippers and sprint to the bathroom. But I come to a sight something so disturbing and not something you see everyday: my 11 year old brother with shaving cream on his face, a razor in his hand.