Be Loved

Chapter 5

Despite the call ending negatively, Molatlhegi has a smile on his face. He feels invigorated after hearing the voice of a daughter he feared he would never meet again. This was better than nothing to him.

"I'm sure you have a lot of feelings about that call" comments Leko The Activist. She continues to struggle to read the room, as she seems to speak when she should rather allow the silence to organically end.

"What happens now" asks Molatlhegi.

"Leko and I will go to the address we believe she lives in. We will ask for you to be given access to her. Perhaps later she will find it in her heart to ask that you be released on parole, seeing that she is the victim that put you in prison in the first place."

"I am uncomfortable with that idea. I don't want to use her for my freedom. You have to find another way" comments Molatlhegi, showing his selflessness.

"Listen Molatlhegi, we have done a lot to find your daughter. What was the point, if we cannot use this to your advantage?" Leko The Activist is making a point with her statement, as she is detached from the emotions that Pearl and Molatlhegi have regarding his case and the way forward.

"How did you find Tshegofatso" asks a curious Molatlhegi.

"Technology! I can't tell you everything, but we used social media, algorithms, and old birth certificates and hospital records. And then we used some magic, catfishing to confirm our suspicions and now we have her." Leko The Activist couldn't hide her excitement when explaining the process they followed

"And you are sure it is her? Don't you need DNA test or something?" Molatlhegi struggles to comprehend how Leko The Activist could perform such a miracle in a short time.

"That is why we will go to the address she stays at. I want to look at that family in the eye and see how they dispute the facts. Our research suggests that they made her believe that you are a runaway father. There is no recollection of your existence. Looks like once you were put in prison, they moved away to a township that no one knew them. They began a new life" replies a confident Leko The Activist.

Time runs out and Molatlhegi says his goodbyes. He hides the picture of his daughter in his pants, ensuring that the prison wardens do not confiscate it from him.

The last embers of Keeya's sixteenth birthday were holding on tightly. Keeya has been walking around to the different cliques, thanking the people for coming to her birthday party, taking pictures with them, and saying her goodbyes. All the attention was draining to her and she ended up hiding in her room. Sharon notices that Keeya is nowhere to be found, so she goes to check on Keeya in her room. As Sharon stands outside of Keeya's room, she can hear music playing softly. She doesn't bother to knock, and instead comes in and scolds her friend, "Keeya, how can Ms party leave her own celebration and hide in her room?"

"I have never smiled so much in my life. I needed to get away from all of that. I'm glad you only have a birthday once a year. I don't have the strength for more than this" replies a jaded Keeya.

"Isn't it crazy to think that you spent a whole year dreaming of your sweet sixteen, and when it arrives, you can't wait for it to end?" Sharon was good at highlighting uncomfortable truths when you did not want to hear them.

"Eish can I breath tle. It's my birthday Sharon"

"Sorry then. So any more contact from that Mpho guy, seeing that you are still glued to your phone?"

"Do you have Thabo's number, friend?"

"Why?"

"Just answer my question"

"Yes I have it"

"Ok read it out loud for me"

"Eish ok"

Sharon takes her phone out and finds Thabo's phone number

"Its oh eight four, six fifty-three seventy-nine eleven"

"Are you sure that is Thabo's number?"

"Yes. What is this about friend?"

"Does Thabo have another number?"

"Not to my knowledge. Keeya, why are you asking me all this?"

"Someone... someone called me... Sharon, you have to keep this secret. You can't tell anyone"

"Keeya, you are scaring me now"

"Promise me"

"Ok, I promise. Now tell me what is going on"

"I think my father called me. Well someone called me, saying that I am his daughter and he is my father. Molatlhegi Molefe. I've never been told what my dad's name is, so I'm not sure."

"Friend, this is big. Why would he call you after all these years?"

"I think it's a joke. Plus he says that he and I share a birthday. I am sure my grandparents would have told me about it. Right? Why else would they have kept that from me?"

"Why would anyone try this joke with you? This kind of joke would be difficult to pull off. I don't know my friend. I think you should ask your grandparents. They can confirm this or put you at ease that is a lie."

"But what if they have been lying to me all along? Why would they then admit it now? I wish there was a way for me to figure out the truth without them knowing."

"Friend, don't be that person. This isn't Blood and Water. Just ask your grandparents. You have to trust them to tell you the truth"

"You are not helping here Sharon."

"Ok fine, let us call that number. We can ask him all your questions"

"I'm scared"

"Fine, hand me the phone then. I will make the call". Keeya hands her phone to Sharon and she takes a deep breath and makes the call. She puts Keeya's phone on speaker and they hear the following

"This number you have called does not exist".

"Try again Sharon."

Sharon calls the number again and puts the phone on speaker.

"This number you have called does not exist".

Sharon tried this another five times and nothing changed.

"I'm not crazy Sharon. That phone number called me. It existed. You can see on my call logs."

"I believe you, friend. And I'm confused like you are."

"For now, we will have to do nothing. Maybe this guy will call me again. Until then, I'll have to act like the call never happened to me."

Sharon and Keeya continued to hang out in her room until Ntate Phiri started calling out for Keeya. They both left Keeya's room and said the final goodbyes to everyone. Sharon stayed to help Keeya and her family to clean up. Midnight came and passed, and her sweet sixteen was over. A last hug between Sharon and Keeya happens and Sharon is picked up by her uncle and she goes home.