Our Parents Pain Came With Love

Prologue

-YANGA BESS
“You are one to talk when your husband raped you days after you buried your daughter Yandiswa! You the last person to give advice on abusive husbands” 
Aunty Sinovuyo says and walks out bumping into me, she’s as shocked to see me as I’m shocked to hear what I just heard
“Yanga…” 
She says unable to hide her shock, mom turns and sees me standing in front of Aunty Sino
“Is it true?” 
I ask
“Yanga you home early” 
She says quickly wiping her tears and walking over, Sino excuses herself and walks out
“Mom”
Aya says walking in behind me, mom fakes a smile and embraces her daughter. I walk up to my room leaving them together. What did Sino mean dad raped mom? How is mom still with him after that? Does this mean I’m a product of rape? So many thoughts cloud my mind right now, I don’t know whats what. I’m disturbed by a knock on my door but I don’t respond, her perfume fills the room before I even turn to face her. She sits on the couch after closing the door and looks at me
“Honey about what you heard… Can we keep it between us? It happened a long time ago and your father and I got over it and we good with each other”
She explains and I look at her unable to hide my shock, she cannot possibly be serious right now
“He raped you Yaya! How could you stay with him?” 
I ask angrily gritting my teeth, the thought of my father doing such a despicable evil thing to my mother while she grieved the death of her very first child
“Honey please come sit down” 
She pleads and I just look at her, she walks up to me
“I was the result of the rape…” 
The statement leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, she pulls me into her arms trying to comfort me but I fight her, I cant do this with her. She should have left him, she should have aborted me
“Yanga a lot happened during that time, we were both not in our right mental states and as you can see your father and I fixed things and we had you and your siblings” 
She says and I pull away from her embrace
“Why did you stay?” 
I ask and she sighs walking to the bed to sit
“I don’t know, because I loved your father then and I still do. I could have left, I could have aborted you but Yanga I didn’t want to. I wasn’t ready for another child but you were what I needed then and still are. Your father paid for his mistakes. Back then he and I hurt each other so much because of the grief” 
She says and I chuckle in disbelief
“He raped you. Nothing you could have possibly done to him could have been that bad”
I yell and she shoots me a look, I’ve never raised my voice at my mother before
“I think that’s enough! I am your mother and you will not talk to me like that do you hear me!” 
She says sternly but I don’t respond to her
“I’m glad to have you home”
She kisses my cheek and walks out leaving me with my thoughts. I don’t think I’ll ever understand why she would stay with a man that raped her. It makes no sense to me. What news to come back home to.
I’m Yanga the son of Yandiswa and Melokuhle Bess, I’m 21 and I just got home from university, I’m furthering my studies. We just finished writing our finals and I cant lie I was excited to be coming back home but I don’t know anymore. I don’t know how I’ll face my father after what I’ve heard today.
I decide to just sleep it off, what other choice do I have anyway because those two love each other and nothing I say to any of them will make them separate. I mean they my parents and they love all my siblings and I equally. I wake up later and head downstairs, my little brother Miso just got back from school. He’s in Matric.
“Hey stranger” 
Miso says excited to see me
“Hey little brother, how are you? How are finals?”
I ask as we share a brotherly hug
“You know I’m smart so I got this”
He says breaking the hug, I look around and I don’t see mom around. Its just him and our sister Aya.
“Where’s mom?” 
I ask directing the question to Aya
“She went to meet up with aunty Ase”
She says and I nod
“Kids” 
Dad says walking in the lounge and I cant control the anger I’m feeling towards him right now
“Hey daddy” 
Aya says throwing herself at him, like me she also just got back from school. We both furthering our studies in our fields. 
.
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-KYLE BESS
Its not often that a woman accepts a 3 month old baby into her life and loves him as if he were her own. Yaya met me when I was only 3 months old and she’s loved me as her own since, I always feel like she loves me more than my own mother does. I’m Kyle, son of Kate and Derrick Melokuhle Bess and I’m 26 years old. I have 2 brothers, 21 and 17 and a 20 year old sister.
My mother lost her first child when she was 24 years and it was painful for all of us because we all loved Yasy but I have bits and pieces of memories of her because it was just so long ago though we still have pictures of her which serves as a reminder that she was once with us before we lost her to a tragic accident.
“Kyle when are you coming?” 
Mom says on the other side of the phone, I haven’t seen her in a while. Mom being Kate in this case.
“I’ll be there when I’m off at work” 
I say, I work for my father’s company and like him I studied law, she sighs
“Kyle I’m still your mother” 
She says hitting me with emotional blackmail
“I know that and I will come and visit you guys when I’m off at work” 
I say dismissively
“Your siblings miss you. You do remember that you have other siblings either than the Bess one’s right?” 
She says and I roll my eyes, she always does this when she calls. I have 2 sister, 16 and 13 based in Cuba. I live in Carli in my own apartment but I visit home most weekends if I’m not busy with my girlfriend and I haven’t seen mom’s kids in a while.
“I know that mom and I will come and visit you guys next month. I just need to ask for leave”
I explain
“Fine”
She says coldly, I don’t even understand why she wants me to visit so badly when her husband doesn’t like me. Everytime he and I are together we like fire and ice, we just don’t get along one bit.
“I have to go, I’ll talk to you again”
I say not even waiting for her response. My brother Yanga is calling anyway
“Little brother” 
I answer
“Can I come spend the weekend over at your apartment?”
He says, judging by the tone of his voice its safe to assume something’s wrong
“Wanna talk about it?” 
I ask
“Not over the phone”
He says dismissively
“Ok, should I fetch you or?” 
I ask, also because I miss mom and haven’t seen her in a while
“Nah, I’ll drive over”
He says
“I was thinking of coming over to see mom, its been a while”
I say 
“ayt, see you then” 
He says and we end the call. I take my essentials and drive to my parents house. Aya is also home and she’s the first face I see as I walk in through the kitchen
“Hey brother” 
She says hugging me tightly
“Hello little one. How are you?” 
I say, I know how much she hates it
“KYLE!” 
She says shoving me making me laugh
“Where’s the family?” 
I ask
“in the lounge, theres tension between dad, mom and Yanga for some reason” 
She warns, its strange because he and the parents get along so well. We’re a family that gets along in general so its rare that theres ever tension in the house.
“Why?” 
I ask and she shrugs her shoulders
“I think it has something to do with mom arguing with aunty Sino, she was here when we got back and I think some things were said”
She says, I nod and head to the lounge
“Family” 
I say walking in and mom smiles meeting me half way
“Yaya”
I say hugging her tightly
“Hey baby, how have you been?” 
She asks breaking the embrace
“I’ve been good mom, and you guys?” 
I say shaking dad’s hand
“We good son” 
I sit next to Yanga and we share a handshake, the tension Aya was talking about is definitely there.
“where’s Miso?”
I ask
“probably talking to some girl”
Mom says and I chuckle
“How’s your mom?”
Dad asks
“she’s nagging me about visiting them in Cuba”
Dad cringes cause he knows how much I don’t like going over there
“You have to have a relationship with your Siblings Kyle”
Mom says
.
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-AYANDISWA BESS
I am the only princess amongst boys, literally the only daughter my parents have and I wont lie I’m probably the most spoilt child there is. My brothers have all made me the centre of their lives, even their girlfriends know they need to impress me in order to stay with my brothers. Okay maybe not all of them considering I’ve never met any of Miso’s girlfriends ever. I walk up to check on Miso, he just got back from school, I knock on his door and let myself in
“Why you locked up in your room?”
I ask throwing myself beside him on the bed
“Because I’m talking to my friends. Why are you here?”
He asks
“Because I miss you dummy”