He Taught Me How To Find Myself

30: Her Name Is Mihlali 📮

"You didn't take away from my future. You gave me a new one"
-Anonymous.

"I think it's time you forgive him. Its been six months now" Nkanyezi, Langa's father said over a cup of coffee.

"Please don't rush me Bab' Nkanyezi. He should be satisfied with the baby pictures that I'm sending him" I said declining his call once again.

Let me take you guys back to what happened six months ago.

I almost lost my baby that night, I was minutes away from miscarrying, I have not healed yet. I stayed in the hospital for two months, they had to be sure that I was okay.

I went back home and gave birth on the 25th of November.

I've decided to make peace with my mother. We don't talk everyday but she does call, like once a month to check up on me. She even invites me for dinner every once in a while.

My Grandmother was my rock, she would sometimes sleep with the baby when I had too much homework for that night. That was before I moved to Umhlanga a month after Mihlali was born.

Continuing with school was very hard especially since I gave birth a week before our final exams.

Mbali came over every day after school so we could study. Zweli and Mel bought me loads of study guides and sometimes would pay private tutors to come and teach me the sections I didn't quite understand while I was still in school.

In overall, it was hard but by the grace of God, I passed and I'll be starting Grade 11 in the next two weeks.

Let me introduce my baby. Her name is Mihlali Ula Phehlukwayo. She was exactly 3,6kg when she was born. I gave my father, the honour of naming her.

Long story short, I now live with Zweli but I travel to Ndwedwe every day to get to school. I didn't want to go back to my old school two weeks before my finals. We all agreed that I would start my school year there, next year. I haven't told my mother about Robert being paid to play the 'perfect husband'. I was told to stay away from anything that would cause an increase in my blood pressure.

I've tried giving Robert hints that I know so he could be the one who breaks the news to my mother but the old man just didn't catch on.

Here I am now, in Langa's house having coffee with his drug dealer dad. Every time I come here I don't want Langa to be around. I'm just glad that most of the time he's out there in Pretoria with Siyanda.

They've been dating for six months now. He genuinely likes her, I know I'm being petty at this point but I still feel that it was very wrong of him to go and date my cousin after knocking me up.

"Let me go check on the baby" I said standing up and walking towards the baby's room.

Mihlali was still too young to visit here alone so I have to be here every time they request to see her. I haven't spent the night in this house, my father said it's against our culture and even if it wasn't, I was never going to agree to that.

I walked in to the yellow painted room with a simple cot and a queen sized bed next to it. There was a dream catcher above her cot.

I looked at her, my baby. I can't believe I brought someone to life. This is the universe's best gift to me. She had rosy cheeks and curly black hair. Although she tires me, I still love her to death. I wouldn't trade those sleepless nights for anything.

Prudence, her nanny walked in carrying a nappy and some wipes.

"Let me do it" I offered.

"Thanks" she said as she walked back out of the door. Mihlali woke up as soon as I picked her up from her bed.