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She is wide awake staring into thin space. Her face is swollen, and her eyes are all red. It’s evident that she has been crying for quite some time now. I stand frozen by the door anticipating whether to come in or not. Her eyes find me, and she smiles faintly. I take a deep breath and limp towards her. She pats on the vacant space on the bed. I sit beside her.
“I saw him. He was shot and the doctors think that he might not make it.” She begins to explain. “Arriving at the scene, he was barely breathing. His eyes were closed but he was trying so hard to keep them open. He looked at me and smiled. I know that smile meant I love you.” She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. I don’t know the pain she is feeling.
“You know what the hardest part of it all is?” She looks straight into my eyes. I shake my head no. “Is for me to get to know that my parents our parents are not truly ours biologically.” She spits. I retract my hand from hers.
“Don't say that sis. I know you are hurt and...”
“Yes, I am hurt Khanyi! You don’t get all of this do you? I have proof that or stupid parents are not our parents.”
I think she is not okay in some way. The news must have hit her hard. She can't be...
“You don’t believe me do you.” She takes her phone that was on top of the cabinet. Scrolls through and tosses the phone on top of my lap. I frown in shock. She has never handed me anything in that manner she just did. But I keep quiet. I read through. Each sentence makes my bladder full every second. Bile is rising up bit by bit. I fail to push it down, but everything rises up.
“Ow my God.” She cries. She tries getting off the bed but the drip on her hand is forbidding her. “Drink water!” She shouts. Her voice seems to be fading every second. I can feel my heart stop beating. I feel my entire system shutting down and my vision becoming blurry.
THABISILE
I don’t really know how I felt in about this whole thing. Everything I such a mess in our lives. It is turned upside down overnight. Honestly speaking, I didn’t feel much more than ‘oh’ if that makes sense. I think I am too num to really process what the word biological means. Me finding out that my dad wasn’t my biological father, put new space between us. I had a lot of conflicted emotions. The signs where there but one was too stupid to put the answers together. Dumisa is my father! Our father! Whenever I think of this everything just becomes small. I feel like I am out of place. I look at khanyi sleeping on the hospital bed. That was not the way I wanted her to find out. There should have been a better way of me telling her. I know that she is fragile. She doesn't deserve any of this. The door flies open and Mkhuleko walks in looking furious. I know this was not the right time to spew the news out.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I was just mad. Mad at everyone and everything.” I say. He nods his eyes and his eyes are fixed on Khanyi.
“How is she?” He asks.
“She collapsed after I told her the news the doctor said she had a mini heart attack nothing serious. I think whatever I told she took it to heart and failed to control... Ow God. I am such a bad sister.”
“You didn’t know that this was going to happen. No one is putting the blame on you.”
“I feel...”
“Don't beat yourself into it. It was meant to come out eventually.”
I keep quiet for a second. Minutes later Bab’omncane walks in slowly with his walking stick. Our eyes meet and just feel the connection. He walks up to me and gives me a hug. I feel at home. My emotions are all over the place. A lot is going on in a short period space of time.
“Everything will be okay.” He assures. Those are the words I need to hear from a person you call a parent. Hearing these words truly means a lot to me. “Your and your sister shall be fine.” He adds. I believe him honestly.
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Khanyi has been out the whole day. I thank the lord that she is fine, nothing serious occurred at that time. Hearing Dumisa getting to share the experience all over again – I find it truly unbelievable. Dumisa is truly my father. I am a product of him. I find it crazy and surreal. Khanyi has been quite and lost in the process. Ngcobo is a greedy heartless man that only thinks for himself. A lot of hearts were broken.
“Why was I named Khanyisile?” She finally says something out of her mouth. A question I did not expect. “You mother’s name was Nokukhanya – she believed that you would be the light in the family. Thabisile has always been the hard headed one since day one.”
I can't believe this. I see a smile on Khanyi’s face.
“I am not hardheaded.” I dispute that in a million ways.
“I will remind you. But all in all. I am happy that everything is out in the open. All I want is to gather all my belongings from him and start afresh with my kids on my side. I will not let Satan win this time around. I will fight for what is mine.” The malice in his voice gives out the best in me. I find the courage to smile after a lot of tears have been shed for the past few days. Is this truly our family? I am still finding it hard to believe it.
THE OTHER BROTHER
Start from the beginning
