Willemiena Malgas was in a bind, she had called her supervisor a few minutes earlier, asking for the day off, but the woman refused it. According to her, Willemiena was lazy, and that was after Willemiena had told her about her ill daughter. Miena, as everyone called her hung up her phone feeling completely defeated.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Came Emma's screams.
Miena rushed to the small room that her two daughters shared. Her eldest daughter, Colleen, had already left for school. She had no choice, but to ask the father for help. Miena told Emma that she would be back soon and left the room hoping for the best.
Colleen was older by five years, her and Emma's father was Reginald Malgas.
Reggie was a useless dad. He had cheated on Miena several times during their marriage, but finally left Miena when she was three months pregnant with her youngest, claiming that she was not his. Years later when it became obvious that she was his, in fact, both daughters looked like carbon copies of their father, Reggie still claimed that she was not his. He would rather fail his daughters, but not his girlfriend or his "Peter Pan" ways.
Miena regretted her marriage to him every single day, after he left. She even fought her own family for him, they strongly disaproved her relationship. They cited the fact that he had no job as one of the reasons, but the other reason was the fact that Reggie was on the dark side, as in melanin rich. According to the Boogskieters dark people were always criminals or lazy. They did not really care whether every dark-skinned person fit into those categories. They thought that dark people were incapable of being physically attractive. Those racist and colourists thoughts were enough for Miena to discard the valid reasons. She was prepared to fight off the whole world for that man. When, at age 23 she got pregnant with Colleen, there was nothing that could stop her marriage to Reggie. At that time Reggie was twenty eight years of age, and had never worked a day in his life. Miena was convinced that he just needed the love of a good woman and so, she sealed her doom.
Miena rushed in the rain, to the house Reggie and his girlfriend shared. It was 08:05 on that cold late Autumn morning, most people had already left for work, but Miena felt like the whole world was witnessing that moment. A moment she had sworn would never happen, the moment when she stood in front of that gate, calling Reggie for help.
Miena looked around and pulled her puffer jacket closer, the rain was getting heavier. She could not afford to get sick too. The street was quiet except for two middle aged ladies, passing by, talking about a soap opera that they had watched the previous night. Both women were headed to a nearby tuckshop. There was an elderly woman who decided to wash her windows in the rain, minutes after Miena had first called Reggie. After calling out Reggie's name for ten minutes, Miena decided to go back home. She would have to take Emma to the doctor herself, if she stood in the rain any longer, she would definitely need a doctor as well.
She had just turned on her heel when she heard the door opening. Sylvia, Reggie's girlfriend stood in the doorway. The swirlkous on her head, white cotton nightie, pink slippers and pink bathrobe testifying that she had just gotten out of bed. Soon Reggie was standing behind her, both looked Miena up and down. It looked like they were looking at a ghost.
"What the hell are you doing here, Plaas Barbie ( Farm Barbie )? Do you want a beating so early in the morning, huh?" Sylvia spat.
"Leave from here, before she beats you up. I won't stop her, " Reggie warned.
"Reggie, your daughter needs you. Please, come home and take her to the doctor, I have to go to work," Miena begged.
"She's still talking," Sylvia lifted her hands up in the air, as if she witnessed a miracle.
"Taking leave for one day won't hurt you. Stop acting like you're irreplaceble," Reggie answered.
"I can't Reggie, if I stay at home today, I'll get a final warning," Miena pleaded.
Sylvia came out of the house to the gate, at that moment Miena realized that more people were outside. They were practically licking their lips at the free entertainment. She had no doubt that they were all waiting for her to get a beating. As Sylvia struggled to open the rusty gate, Miena gave one last pleading look at Reggie, before bolting home.
She heard "oohs", "aahs", "hoelieha's" and laughter as she ran, but her daughter's life was more important than her pride. She had lost it the day she married Reginald Malgas, anyway. She could get another job, but her children were irreplaceable.
When Miena got home, she immediately checked on Emma, whose fever had gotten worse. Afterwards, she called her work, informing her supervisor that she would be absent that day. She did not care about their disaproval.