CHAPTER 16 NOMVULA “Ask no questions and hear no lies,” I say coyly. “No, you owe me some answers.” “I never said I was a virgin, where did you get that?” “I’m not sure but between your strict parents and trying to be an exemplary girl, where did you get the time to date?” “My … Read more
CHAPTER 15 SABELO It takes all the dignity and self-respect left in me not to stand up and go to Nomvula. I can tell by just looking at her that she doesn’t just look good, she smells good too. She’s so engrossed into whatever they are talking about that she doesn’t even notice me. I … Read more
CHAPTER 14 Four Months Later… NOMVULA I stare back at my reflection on the mirror and for the first time in six years, my resemblance to my mother doesn’t make my eyes teary. My dimples—the only facial feature my father contributed to my face brings a smile to my face. He loved me, but he … Read more
CHAPTER 13 SABELO “Nomvula, who is at the door?” I ask for the millionth time and all I am hearing from her breathing. I quickly log in to my security App and check the camera. “F#ck!” I curse under my breath. This wasn’t how I imagined this would go down. It’s her uncle and his … Read more
INSERT 11 SABELO “Damn you, kid!” Austin, my colleague who is like a brother to me exclaims. I look at Astrid and I’m unable to figure out where her emotions and mind are at this moment. On her left side is Michael who looks impressed. “Astrid?” Austin taps her on the shoulder. “Who are you, … Read more
INSERT 11 NOMVULA “Hey, are you okay?” panic cannot be missed in Nontobeko’s voice. I’m sobbing inconsolably and my body is shaking. “Please talk to me,” she begs. She has had to park on the side of the road. What started as a silent tear falling down my cheeks has turned to full blown gut-wrenching … Read more
INSERT 10 SABELO I drive through the cemetery and my heart breaks for all families who lost their loved ones. It hurts even more for the children who buried their parents and it hurts the same for the parents who buried their children. No matter who it snatches first, death leaves behind bleeding hearts. I … Read more
INSERT 9 SABELO I stare at her for a moment and she holds the stare, her eyes begging and her body language screaming with defeat and hope at the same time. Her eyes start to shine with tears, I release a deep sigh. “I have a gun, but it must be dusty wherever it is. … Read more
INSERT 8 One Week Later… SABELO I am back to work today and I honestly couldn’t function. Everything on my desk reminded me of Anele. Her face is everywhere—my desktop screen, my laptop screen, my notebooks, my coffee cup and I can almost hear her laugh in my workspace corridors. I work with 90 percent … Read more
INSERT 7 SABELO Have you ever felt like you are lost in your own home? Have you ever stood in the middle of your own living room and felt like you are standing in a desert—the middle of nowhere? That’s how I’m feeling right now and the silence in the house is too loud. I … Read more