A Mother's Pride

Chapter 30

Mmampho's POV

"Don't you get tired of it?" Mavis' voice startles me. I had my palm against my forehead, leaning on the counter when her voice made me jump.

Did she hear my conversation with my son? I really did not know that Lesedi had so much to let out. If his speech did not make me furious, I would probably be analyzing it now but instead I am looking for pointers so that I can be able to justify myself.

"Tired of what?" I ask back.

"Our friendship. It is the most boring friendship there is. And I mean in the whole wide world." She moves to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water and by that I know that I am about to receive the lecture of my life.

"Why do you say that?" She takes a seat next to me.

"It has the same routines. You mess up then you pour me a glass of water so that I can advise you. It's the same thing all the time and I am sick of it."

"Oh?" I say it in a form of a question. I mean, if she wanted to end it, she could have just said so instead of indirectly telling me how much I need patching up in my life. That I can't steer the wheel of my life without asking for help every turn of the way.

"Yes. I advise you all the time. Our conversations are always the same and I want you for once, to learn something from what I tell you. I hate wasting my breath. I have advised you on like two relationships of your life if I am not wrong, can't you at least pick up a few points from what I said and use it on this thing with Lesedi? Mmampho we have been through this before and you don't seem to learn.

"And I thought parenting came naturally, like it was a superpower you know? Just like messing up and being crazy in your teenage years, nobody teaches you, it just... happens." She shrugs her shoulders and I still do not get her point here.

"Nobody teaches parenting, you just need to know. And sometimes you have flaws here and there but everybody knows, kids first Mmampho. Oh dear, I am doing it again aren't I?"

"Doing what?" I squint my eyes in confusion.

"Advising you. I don't want to advise you. That never works. This is getting old and boring. I want you to figure it out this time. It's useless telling you what to do anyway. Maybe if the advise comes from yourself, you will listen. Lesedi did say you are self-absorbed anyway and right now you need to use it in a good way. Goodness! I think it's in me because I just advised you and I cannot stop." She hits her palm against her forehead and we laugh.

"What was I supposed to do?" I ask.

"Give. your. son. a. break. If you are making him feel small now, how is he going to cope with the possible bullying he's going to get? Peers tease each other for repeating a grade and he is probably going to go through that. You will drive this kid into depression." She points at me like she is warning me. I would not want that for him.

"I was hard on him wasn't I? But isn't that how you push children to be the greatest version of themselves? Isn't that what they mean by "tough love"?"

"There are certain things that need a push and certain things that don't. Like this one. He has never failed before, he is probably freaking out and you made him feel worse instead of supporting him and encouraging him. I really don't get how you can be a parent of two children and be horrible at it." She is loaded with insults isn't she.

"Hey! Okay I get it now. And that is why you are here I guess." I smile and she rolls her eyes.

"I cannot believe that I am a domestic worker and a teacher, and I'm exploited as a teacher." I laugh at her. "I am only going back to work tomorrow. It has been a while, I wonder what--"