This is a story of a young teenager named Thembeka who lived in Soweto, a fast-growing township based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Although the township is well developed, Thembeka was one of the many people still living under harsh conditions because she came from a home that believes in ‘’everyone for themselves,’’ especially since she’s female.
Growing up under the guidance of a mother who would do anything to get a plate, Thembeka discarded every dream that she ever had of becoming a lawyer one day. She already believed that a woman can get anything she wants as long as she dresses and conducts herself the same way her mother does every night when she goes out with those rich men in fancy cars.
Thembeka was getting tired of having to beg for food from neighbours while her mother went out every night to have a time of her life with what people in her street called ‘’blessers.’’ One night, one of her mother’s rich boyfriends brought a friend over who insisted on using the loo, little did she know that it was all a plan conducted by her mother and these rich men.
‘’After twelve is lunch,’’ giggled Thembeka’s mother as she and her boyfriend for the night watched from a distance, Thembeka reluctant at first, but after the guy put his hand in the pocket and handed Thembeka something wrapped as a fancy Christmas gift, the young teenager smiled and that’s when everything went terribly wrong!
Oh would you look at that, it’s a phone… a brand new iPhone 6 looking fresh from the store, with of course a little catch attached with it, P.S; I will come fetch you for dinner tomorrow at 8pm, there’s more from where that came from.. Kagiso. ’’ Poor Thembeka didn’t know what to do or how to act, she went up and down her tiny, stuffed room trying to avoid that little voice of temptation inside. But it seems like the more she did that, is the louder the other voice kept saying ‘’he smells good, he’s good looking, he has a car, he’s rich, in his arms, I will never have to suffer again’’.
Finally, after a long decision-making session, Thembeka agreed to just ‘’go and see, I mean I’m not that kind of girl mos.’’ 8pm the next night, Thembeka looked like one of those models you see on television fashion shows. Kagiso on the other hand, looking dapper and smelling like a million dollars, kissed her hand, and opened the door of that Vw Polo. Everything felt like a scene from those Hollywood movies as they drove down her street, all one could hear was the sound of that car’s exhaust (Vrrr Pha!).
After a long drive down the highway, the city, and all those flashy lights and big gates where you pay for passing, Thembeka and Kagiso finally entered a quite suburb with all the fancy houses and people living in it. Kagiso clicked a remote control and they drove into the biggest house Thembeka had ever seen. ‘’Are you renting here?’’ Asked Thembeka who perked her voice a little bit to avoid sounding immature and clueless? (Sigh,) ‘’No silly, this is my house, all of it,’’ said Kagiso as he pulled that smug on his face that makes Thembeka blush, and at the same time, have one of those moments where she feels like a fish trapped in a net.
At the door, Thembeka and Kagiso were welcomed and ushered by a young lady, probably on her late thirties, who had that look of disappointment and remorse when looking at Thembeka. Judging from the taste of the meal Thembeka had, that lady must be the helper around this mansion, the food was great, even that bubbly drink she found amusing and couldn’t help but have more and more of it. After a few glasses of those, she felt rather different, a bit calmed and open around this stranger *little voice whispers* (he is so big and handsome, that smell makes me wanna lay in his arms and forget about everything, just think of me and him, together, forever.’’
Well what do you know, the warm lips touching against hers disturbed Thembeka’s thoughts and the atmosphere filled with Kagiso’s fragrance. Before she knew it, she was being carried gently in his strong arms, up the stairs and into a very big, exquisite, detailed-room with a very comfortable bed and sheets smelling like a bed of roses. Thembeka tried to stop Kagiso, but what she always imagined as ‘wrong,’ felt good for some reason.
The thought of using protection slipped her mind on the speed of lighting, everything went fast, she was on another level, she felt indispensible, like she was on one of those islands they show on Top-Billing, before she knew it, she was on top of Kagiso’s chest…. Fast asleep!
Next morning, Thembeka woke up feeling like she got hit by a train, headache, a sore body and the atmosphere feeling slower than usual, ‘’what the hell happened yesterday,’’ she murmured, hoping to get an answer from Kagiso, she turned around to find an eye-widening surprise. Kagiso was not there, all she could see on his pillow was a R200 note and a small letter with a message. ‘’Great night we had, I will call you. P.S take a taxi home, Kagiso.’’
‘’Maybe he had an early meeting, let me bath and go home, he will surely call me,’’ Thembeka tried to convince herself otherwise, even though she had that small gut feeling that this guy won’t return.
A day passed, the second day, the third, and now a week since she hasn’t seen Kagiso. The phone was no longer able to connect to anything, showing a sign of ‘’no connection’’ on the signal bar. Few days later, Thembeka was getting sick every morning, vomiting and sensing funny smells that made her nauseous every now and then. After three days having these sicknesses, Thembeka decided to go to the clinic because her mother was starting to ask many uncomfortable questions about her private life.
After being checked at the clinic, the nurse suggested she take a pregnancy test. ‘’What?! I can’t be pregnant, what will my mum say, my neighbours, and my friends? I’m too young for this!,’’ exclaimed Thembeka. ‘’I wasn’t there when you decided to be sexually active, so don’t make it my problem dear,’’ the nurse snapped. Thembeka was then handed a small cup to urinate in so that the nurse may go and test it in the other room. After waiting a while, the nurse came back with the results. ‘’You are pregnant, I suggest you go to the next room and do an HIV counselling and test, it’ll help you in the future,’’ the nurse told Thembeka as she shouted, ‘’next!’’
Walking slowly towards the testing ward, Thembeka’s mind rushed with thoughts; ‘’If I’m HIV positive, what will I do? How will I live with myself? I hope to bump into that dog Kagiso so that I can rip his throat apart, then go and commit suicide,’’ Thembeka felt anger, hatred and the need to avenge herself to Kagiso no matter what it cost her.
Thembeka slowly drowned in her own thoughts, she didn’t even hear what the counselling agent said, nor did she even feel the pain of the quick needle piercing on her index finger. Before she knew it, her revenge thoughts were disturbed by the bold words being said in the room, ‘’ THE RESULTS ARE POSITIVE!’’
TO BE CONTINUED…..
Picture credit: Glucode
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T.Nkabinde
