My Gift

*My Gift*

Prologue

I'm now standing under the shade looking ahead at the distance left for me to walk. The sun is excruciatingly hot and I'm not close to getting home. I know that if I continue standing here I will get too comfortable and I won't want to live which will not be good because soon it will get dark and these streets are never safe when it's dark. You hear about a robbery or a person being raped every day in the morning when going to the shops. I open my umbrella and hold my bag then continue my walk going home.

I feel the sun penetrates through the fabric of the umbrella but I keep on walking. I can see my home from a distance and I feel a leap of joy invade me because I know when I get home I will drink water and maybe take a cold bath which will help me really good.

"Lindiwe"

I hear a voice behind me and when I look its Mandla. I dont feel like entertaining him today so I up my pace but I can also feel him increase his pace. I can tell that he will catch up with me very soon.

"What do you want Mandla?"

I ask turning to look at him. He just looks at me and I get more miffed with him.

"Ufunani?"

I re-ask the question thinking that he did not hear me the first time.

"Wena. Why are you doing this to me vele?"

He says and I just click my tongue and turn around and start walking. He is now next to me and we are not saying anything to each other.

"You look beautiful today."

He tells me and I just nod my head and not say anything. I'm praying that my mother does not see me walking with him because she will think that we are dating and that is not the case.

"How was your paper?"

He asks me and I wonder how he knew that today i was writing.

Then I remember that my mother and his mother are friends so I'm thinking he might have heard them talking.

"Fine I guess."

I say shrugging my shoulders.

"I'm sure you will pass you are cleaver."

He says smiling at me and a dimple forms on the one side of his chick which makes him look more handsome.

"I'm doing Matric it's not like back in primary."

I tell him and notice that I have arrived at home and my mother is outside doing washing.

"Bye."

I tell him as I open the gate .

"Bye my wife."

He says smiling and I can't help but smile a little then walk to my mother.

"How is my son in law?"

My mother asks looking at me and I get annoyed at how she thinks me and Mandla are dating .

"Dont start you know very well that me and Madla are not dating ."

I tell her sitting on the floor next to her.

"If you say so. How was your exam?"

She asks looking at me and I smile because the exam was easy and I had studied really hard for it.

"Easy I'm just glad I'm done with it now I will have to concentrate on other exams "

I tell her and she nods

"That's good then. Let me finish here then I make food for you."

She says and I nod my head while I watch her doing the washing.

She always does her washing on her Friday so that she can rest during the weekend and never does it at the riverside like everyone else. She would rather she goes to get the water and wash inside her yard.

"There is too much noise by the riverside MaLindi"

She would say everytime I ask her why she does not wash by the riverside like everyone else in the village. I get her reason a little even though it causes her to work more than she would have had she went to the river.

I have been sitting here waiting for her to finish that I lost count of how long I have been sitting here and my behind us now numb.

"Let me make the food my self"

I say standing up looking at my mom.

"I'm sorry but I'm almost done"

She says laughing a little and we both know that ots not true I join her in the laughing and bend down taking my bag and walking to the mud hour that *is our bedroom and living room. I'm dragging my feet as I walk and but the time I reach the door then are covered in dust. I push on the* door handle and enter. I throw my bag and it lands next to the bed and I kick my shoes off and the are left by the door.

I walk to the bed and lie flat on my stomach and close my eyes.

.........

I'm running away from him while laughing as I hear *him count and he is nearing ten. I have have ran out of places to hide at and the is only one place that I have not tried. I run fast to their room and hide under the bed and my* breathing is loaud from the running I did. After a few minutes I hear his foot steps around the bedroom and I know he will soon find me because he is really good at this game. My eyes are look at the floor and when I look up he is kneeling in front of the bed looking at me and I break into a loud laugh and he joins me.

"Kodwa MaLindi kababa you should find better places to hide at."

He says standing up and I push my body out from under the bed using my hands .

"You are just good at this game baba."

I say once I'm out from under the bed .

"You will also be good when you older."

He says picking me up walking with me out the bedroom.

"Kodwa baba I'm old . I'm 8."

I say while showing him with my fingers and he just laughs not saying anything. We walk to the kitchen where we find my mom on her knees blowing at the fire.

"Bakutholile futhi."

She says to me laughing and she stands up and brushes her knees .

"Ubaba uyarobha mah."

I say to her sitting on my father's lap while he is sitting on the bench.

I hear a distant voice calling me as I'm sitting on my father's lap and it keeps getting louder and louder until I'm awake.

When I open my eyes I'm on top of the bed and my mother is the one calling me .

"I thought you where going to make food."

She says when she sees me sitting up and looking at her.

"I just fell asleep."

I answer her with my thoughts still on the dream about my father. I dream about him here and there and in all the dreams I have it's always good memories of him.

He died seven years ago from cancer. We stay in a village so getting him proper health care was hard when though the royal family tried to help here and there since he was one of their workers it still did not help. He still suffered in this last days till knee day when my mother was waking him up in the morning he did not wake up and that was the last time I saw him.

The day he died.

.

.

.

Tbc

.