{"id":66,"date":"2026-01-21T14:32:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T14:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/?p=66"},"modified":"2026-01-21T14:32:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T14:32:56","slug":"uguluva-chapter-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/uguluva-chapter-7\/","title":{"rendered":"uGULUVA Chapter 7"},"content":{"rendered":"
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uGULUVA.<\/div>\n
CHAPTER 7.<\/div>\n
[SPONSORED CHAPTER. \"\u2728\ufe0f\"<\/span>]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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PHINDILE GWALA.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I swear, my sister is a weapon forged just to ruin my life. I told her only a few hours ago that I finally found a job, and now she\u2019s breathing down my neck like I personally swore I\u2019d never buy Ma\u2019s medication. Her message flashes on my phone again, daring me to respond, but I just\u2026 ignore it.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Then another one pops up: \u201cYour shift begins at 14:00 pm.\u201d Zinhle. I glance at the clock: 11:30 am.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My body aches, heavy and stiff from yesterday\u2019s long shift. I only got home close to the wee hours, exhausted, but Ncanezwe keeps replaying in my head\u2026 until Nobantu rudely shatters the memory with her message about Ma\u2019s pills.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I rub my eyes and swing my legs off the bed, dragging my tired body upright. Thoughts of Ma gnaw at me\u2014her sighs, her worried eyes, the way she doesn\u2019t sleep until she knows we\u2019re safe. I love her, but some days it feels like I\u2019m carrying the weight of the world alone.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Scrolling through Nobantu\u2019s message again, the little guilt-laden words tighten my chest:<\/div>\n
\u201cI hope you’re still going to send the money. Your mother needs her medication\u2026 unless you want her to die.\u201d<\/div>\n
I hate that she\u2019s right. I hate even more that I can\u2019t snap my fingers and fix everything.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A groan escapes me as I kneel and mutter my daily prayer, shoulders slumping under the weight of it all. By the time I\u2019m out the door, the early morning chill is lifting under the sun, leaving me feeling exposed and restless. My mind drifts back to yesterday\u2014Ncanezwe, the aura, the thrill of being needed somewhere beyond these walls. And then Nobantu\u2019s voice of reason cuts through, reminding me that real life isn\u2019t a fantasy.<\/div>\n
I grab my phone and open the Uber app, setting my destination to the job.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Fingers hovering over the \u201cRequest\u201d button, I hesitate, just long enough to take a deep breath and brace myself for the day. Ping!<\/div>\n
Before I can tap, my phone rings. The caller ID says Nobantu. I swipe to answer, my chest tightening.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cPhindile\u2026\u201d her voice is sharp, but not angry. Just\u2026 expectant.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cHey,\u201d I mutter, trying to keep my tone neutral. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI just\u2026 wanted to check if you\u2019re serious about sending money for Ma\u2019s medication this time.\u201d There\u2019s a pause, heavy with judgment, but also a faint hint of worry I can\u2019t ignore.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m going to, Nobantu. I promise. After work.\u201d My words sound weaker than I intend, but she doesn\u2019t argue.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou better. You know what\u2019s at stake.\u201d Her tone softens just a little. \u201cI know things have been\u2026 hectic. But she needs you too.\u201d<\/div>\n
I nod, even though she can\u2019t see me.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI know. I\u2019ll sort it. I always do.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cGood. Just\u2026 don\u2019t make me come to Jo\u2019burg and shake some sense into you.\u201d She chuckles softly, and for the briefest moment, the weight on my chest feels lighter.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I hang up, heart still tight but my steps a little surer. The Uber arrives, and I slide into the seat, letting the city hum around me. As we pull away, I press my forehead to the window, staring at the blur of streets. Work, Ma, Nobantu, Ncanezwe\u2026 my life feels like a juggling act where all the balls are heavy.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But today, I tell myself, I\u2019ll make it. I always do.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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*<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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100+ comments & 10 shares. \"\ud83d\udc8b\"<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

uGULUVA. CHAPTER 7. [SPONSORED CHAPTER. ] PHINDILE GWALA. I swear, my sister is a weapon forged just to ruin my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uguluva"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66\/revisions\/76"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}