My Sisters Keeper

3

I've spent almost two weeks in here, two weeks that I needed to figure out a way forward for myself. Now that I know Lesego has been working hard to keep me in here, and to be quite honest I don't know where to go from here. The Mashile's are more powerful than most people care to admit. When they need something done all they have to do is snap their fingers and it gets done, so if I am going to get out of here I need a water tight plan.

I am getting discharged today and it's back to the cold cell. The doctor signed my discharge papers and a guard escorted me back to my cell. I got in and found Shelley laying on her bed. As soon as she saw me she gave me the biggest hug, squishing my already sensitive bones.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch. Shelley." She quickly let me go.
"Sorry, I missed you."
"I missed you too." I put my medication under my mattress and got into bed.
"So what happened to you? I heard they found you close to death in the showers." She asked coming to sit next to me.
"Mazola happened."
"Why?"
"Someone paid her to do it."
"That bitch! I'll deal with her." She said getting up and pacing the floor. Shelley is protective of me. Inspite of her ever smiling persona, when pushed, she packs a mean punch and people around here know not to mess with her.

I know I should stop her from going after Mazola, but over the years I've also learnt that when she sets her mind on something she wont stop till she gets what she wants. I decide to lay down a bit. She told me she was going out to get some sun. She left and I was left alone with my thoughts.

After Paul proposed, it took just three weeks for his family to go to mine to pay lobola. My mum wasn't too sure about this, especially since I was now doing my final year. As far as she was concerned, I should finish my studies first before even thinking about marriage. I should have listened to her, instead I convinced her that Paul and I loved each other and we wanted to have a life together. Eventually she gave in and the negotiations went ahead.

On the day of the negotiations Paul and his family proved their worth when a truck with fifteen cows was delivered. My uncles had thought that wanting ten cows as lobola was steep enough but Paul had other ideas. On top of the fifteen cows he left my mother with fifty thousand rands. Lucky for us we lived in the rural areas so there was plenty of room for the cows to flourish. That day wasn't just special to me but to all the girls I led as a maiden leader.

We did all the traditional aspects of a wedding that needed to be done within a month. We had a small intimate wedding with just close friends and family. For me, life was perfect. I had my sister as my maid of honour. As much as we didn't have a normal sister bond, I wanted to show her how important she was to me.

I graduated a few months after my wedding and being a Mashile by then meant I had the opportunity to pick and choose where I wanted to work. I chose to work in the family business as that would give me enough experience and also get time to do my honors degree.

I found out I was pregnant almost a year after getting married, I was scared, I mean I was only a few months away from turning 21 and now I had to add a baby to the mix. Everyone was happy though and they were very helpful. After a while I realised being a mother wouldn't be so bad. Afterall i had the right support system.

When Bontle was born everyone celebrated. My mother was happy to have her first grandchild. The Mashile's were just as excited. Life was good. I felt like God had sprinkled a little extra blessings into my life, and I felt like I was floating on a cloud of happiness.

The pain medication I took knocked me out flat. When I woke up I felt something or someone running their hands over my stomach moving up to my boobs. At first I thought maybe it was a dream until I opened my eyes and came face to face with two of the guards. I was about to scream when one of them covered my mouth and pinned me down on the bed.