"May I join you?" He sat down before I even said anything, I looked at him and carried on with what I was doing. "Want to hear a fun fact?" "My sister used to work at this place, she loved working here, she met the people she loved here" He said while looking around the place. "I wasn't ready you know? Like she was here and now she is just gone. Forever" I let out a sarcastic laugh Me" I know what you mean" I ordered four more tequilas, and paid for them. "Fuck life" He smiled, I pushed two tequilas his way and downed mine. Me" I have to go, it was nice meeting you sir" I pat his back and then grabbed my things. "You from England?" "The accent" I nodded Me" Well I'm from Cape Town but I moved to England when I was 6 years old with my Aunt." He also got up from his chair "Enjoy your vacation" I shrugged Me" I'm actually here for a funeral and my brother is getting married two weeks after that" He laughed "Isn't there a movie about that?" I laughed too "There is, I really have to go. It was nice meeting you" He said Me" Goodnight" He smiled "Goodnight" I laughed because Qhama really didn't recognize me and I feel stupid, because in a room full of people. He would be the only person I recognize, I guess I don't matter anymore.

prologue Grief /ɡriːf/ Learn to pronounce noun 1. intense sorrow, especially caused by someone's death.

Siphosethu "She will leave today with you! and we will make sure they get married tomorrow" Me"But I am only 18" My Mother hugged me, she said all she could to convince everyone that getting me married at 18 isn't fair . But my Father owed his father cows and it was only fair to give his daughter away to pay this debt . "Nje nani nibona, azange waphathwa yindoda engaze wa zekwa" "Yintombi enyulu" Yes my innocence were being paraded like it was Black Friday . Jola"Uyindoda emadodeni wena Radebe" "Bayohamba kule veki ilandelayo, beqala ubomi ubutsha bobabini. Ebe keyena unya ephangela, kodwa intombi iyakifundameza ikhaya. Ize ibentse azele abafana" Me"Tata!" My dad smiled at me, he was so proud of me for being a virgin, a virgin that will be given away to marry a guy I've never met, a virgin that will be a housewife and well give him children. Ziphozethu "Nooooo! Zee its still early " My friends believe in calling me the life of the party, they love how spontaneous I am and how carefree I am. Me"Nope, Its almost 4 you guys" The guys we were with tried convincing me with more vodka to stay. Lerato"Tshomi please stay" Me"How about we return tomorrow? drinks on me" Club literally going up on a tuesday, I am your typical nineteen year old. I rebel every now and then, I leave alone in Central Port Elizabeth . I don't remember much about my childhood or my parents, I work as a waitress at a nearby restaurant. A lot in my life doesn't make sense, but one thing I know is; I am happy and everything else doesn't matter. Two girls Two different characters One carefree One a housewife Life is not always what it looks like, and behind every smile is hardship that stays hidden. *********

He needed a fresh start and she needed a distraction from the world

Words We sat on opposite sides of the room, she was asleep. I think he was exhausted, so was I,but we both didn't want to sleep. We couldn't sleep, maybe a bit scared that if we close our eyes then she will be gone. Nathan"I'll ask the nurses if they can organize a bed for you" Me" Am fine here" He didn't argue, for once he didn't try to control the situation. "You can get one for yourself" Nathan" I'll sleep next to her" For the next two days we spent waiting for her to wake up. Each day felt like a huge battle that we were losing, it felt like she was gone and maybe we both knew she was gone but we didn't want to admit it. Days turned into weeks, Nathan and I refused every suggestion the doctors made. Some days they said she was improving, would be taken to surgery then they would discover something new. It just felt like nothing was working, and our options were limited. Me" I can't stay here" He didn't answer me, I grabbed my things and went to the door. "Don't give up" He whispered, I turned around and looked at him. Me"I need to bring her toys here, I need to bring Mr Elephant, she needs her toys here." "I just need..." I bit my bottom lip fighting the tears "I'm sorry for everything" Pulling up in our drive way, my mind took me back to when Nate and I moved in here. The house has changed over the years, we have also grown up in a lot of ways. We were happy, we thought we had it all figured out and it turns out we knew nothing. I also never imagined myself here, in this house with him. Maybe subconsciously I know I don't belong here, maybe I am the reason my daughter is fighting for her life right now. My bad luck, why did I think I could be happy?. I drove back to the hospital and Nate was sleeping, I put the sandwich on the table then Mr Elephant next to Claire. Looking at them, I couldn't help but reminisce about the first time I met Nathan and how we got to this point in our lives. !

Lesson in love

The girl in the mirror wasn't who I wanted to be and her life wasn't the one I wanted to have.

They risked it all for love.

A perfect love story Boy meets girl They date Fall in love Get married Then she gets the shock of her life

My story matters. I am often judged by what I do, as if being a prostitute is some character trait. #### Fiction The places mentioned here have nothing to do with the story.