The road to forever Novel Chapter 1

The road to forever
1
“Ausi!” My little brother screams when he sees me walk through the gate. I grew up without my mother being in my life. My father raised me on his own. As I grew I kept on asking my father about my mother and he’d tell me that she never wanted me. After giving birth to me she gave me to my father.
When I turned 18 I asked him to take me to her so I could speak to her and ask her why she didn’t want me. He refused. And I let it go. Three years later he fell ill. That’s when he changed his mind about me seeing my mother. I woke up one day to a woman standing by our gate. I’m the one who opened for her that day. She couldn’t stop smiling whenever she looked at me. She looked so happy.
When we got into the house my father held my hand and sighed. He told me that she is the woman that I’ve been dying to meet. He wanted me to have someone in my life in case something happened to him as he was getting worse. He permitted me to get to know her.
My mother was angry that day. She said he was not telling me the truth. She was angry because I was made to believe that she didn’t want me. Then she came out with the truth. She told me about how my father fought for custody. He won and from thereon my mother never saw me again. Whenever she’d go to my father to plead with him to allow her to be in my life he’d remind her of how she wouldn’t afford to give me the best life.
My father was cheating on her when she was pregnant and she ended the relationship. My father was the breadwinner and my mother wasn’t working. So that was an advantage for him. He used that against her. My mother moved on with her life without me and got married. That’s how I got to be without her.
A few months after that my father passed on. That’s when I worked on my relationship with my mother. I don’t hold anything against my father though. He was a good father despite him keeping me from my mother. I had a good childhood. That man loved me and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for me.
It’s been almost four years since I’ve been in my mother’s life. I’m 24 years old now, about to turn 25. I can say that we’ve grown close. We are now in the best place. My mother loves me and I love her too. I visit her from time to time. I don’t care that she was never in my life before. It was not her fault. My father did all of this.
I pick my little brother and walk into the house. Mom is busy with the pots with my little sister Kegomoditswe helping her. I put Thabo down and open the fridge. I take out a bottle of water and drink.
“Do you need help?” I ask my mother.
“No. Just go and relax. We’ll be done soon and Thabo’s father will be here in a moment.”
I pick Thabo up and go to the living room. We sit down and watch tv. When someone knocks Thabo gets up from the couch and runs to the door. I hear him screaming “dad!” I leave the living room and go to the bathroom. After my business I come back to the living room. I hear voices in the dining room.
When I walk into the dining room I freeze. I balance with the wall,almost falling. God,what is this?! Is this the father?
“Baby,come and take a seat. I made your favorite. ” I walk slowly,careful not to fall. I suddenly feel dizzy. I take a seat fast and grab a glass and drink water. I almost choke when the father calls my name.
I raise my head and look at this man.
“What is it?” I ask him.
“I brought you a gift. ” He pushes a gift bag to me. I look inside and there are chocolates. How nice.
“Thank you.” I say.
“My baby,this is Thabo’s father. Love, this is my firstborn,her name is Boipelo.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” The man just keeps on staring at me.
After separating from my father my mother got married to Kegomoditswe’s dad. After her husband passed on she met Thabo’s dad after five years.
“My love,I forgot to tell you. Boipelo is getting married. This is such an exciting time for me. When I was not in her life I made peace with the fact that I would miss out on all the important moments in her life but now I’m going to be there.”
“Mom,the wedding is off. It has been canceled. ”
“Why didn’t you tell me? What happened?” My mother asks. I look at her boyfriend, put my leg on his and smile.
“I don’t think marriage is for me. Men are not to be trusted. As soon as you give your all to them they disappoint you. I can’t stand that.”
“Whatever makes you happy,my child. You don’t want to get married and be miserable all your life. Be with someone you fully trust.” She is right. Marrying a person that can’t be trusted is just signing up for disaster.
***********
I’m back at my place. Well,the place that my dad left for me. I didn’t sleep at all last night. I felt like leaving my mother’s house. My room at my mother’s house is just right next to hers. I could hear her and Thabo’s father talking and laughing until I fell asleep. I even regretted leaving my earphones here.
In the morning that man took Thabo to daycare. Thabo looked so happy. He found me watching tv and hugged me,then said he’s going to daycare and his father is taking him. My mother was also so happy. It was such a beautiful thing to watch. If only things were not the way they are.
I get up and go to the door to open. Who’s this so early? I don’t lock the gate. I only lock it when I leave or at night. I click my tongue after opening. I walk back in and sit down.
“Boipelo,I’m sorry.” I look at him for a few seconds and shake my head. How did I not see anything? How did this happen? Was I just stupid? Was I blind? I mean,both these people are in my life! It shouldn’t be that hard to notice something!
“You are sorry? Do I look stupid to you? What? You wanted women older than me? Someone mature and almost your age? My mother is older than you!”
“Baby,that’s not what happened!” He says,almost shouting. He looks sorry,but that is not going to fool me.
Yes,my fiance is my mother’s man. He is dating both mother and daughter. Never in my life did I ever imagine that something like this would happen. I never thought I would share a man with my mother. My fiance is my little brother’s father. I might as well call him my stepfather. I saw the way he looked at my mother. He loves her. That’s probably why we were no longer spending more time together and he blamed it on work. He was juggling both my mother and I at the same time.
“Baby let’s talk about this. Please. ”
“What’s there to talk about? You were cheating on me with my mother. How do you explain that? You knew my mother! I showed you her picture. What made you go after her? The gut to stand in front of your girlfriend’s mother and propose a relationship to her. Did you not feel guilty?”
“I know that I did you wrong. But can’t we fix this?”
“What’s there to fix? It’s over! Or what is it? You want to keep stringing me along? You even made a child! My little brother looks so happy when he’s with his parents. His face lit up when you arrived last night. And now you want us to fix things?”
“I love you,Boipelo!” He shouts.
“What about my mother?” He keeps quiet. It hurts to say it but this man loves my mother more than he loves me. And he can’t even hide it. I take off the engagement ring and give it to him.
“You and I had some good time. You loved me and took care of me. But this is the end for us. I will always be thankful for all that you’ve done for me.”
“But you can’t end things. We try and make this work.”
“What? You want to keep both my mother and I? Where have you ever heard of that? Does that sound normal to you?’
“I know I messed up but…”
“It hurts but I will get over it. What I ask of you is that you don’t break my mother’s heart like you did mine. Love and cherish her. Don’t cheat on her. Thabo is a happy child. I’d hate to be responsible for breaking his family apart. Please don’t tell my mother about us. I don’t want her to know. It’s going to break her heart. She deserves to be happy and you make her happy. Just stay away from me. Whenever we find ourselves in the same place keep your distance. Now please leave.”
I get up and go to open the door for him. When he walks out I go and lock the gate then get back into the house. I’ve never been hurt like this in my life. My father’s death hurt but what Obakeng did? I will never forget it. If they say men are dogs then Obakeng is the devil.
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