My Sisters Keeper

38

'When all is said and done, we'll always have each other.'

Those words reverberated in Mrs Mashile's mind as she sat in her dining room, around her table surrounded by her children. It pained her to see the sombre mood that now seemed to be the order of the day in this family. The power she thought she had and could wield at any time and any day to bring people down to their knees begging and pleading for mercy was now crumbling all around her, and she didnt know how to get it back.

Her friends were now walking further and further away from her, some were scared that whoever was at war with the Mashile's would not only come after the Mashile's but they would annihilate anything and everyone that stood in their way, and many of them had too many skeletons hiding in their closets, so they couldnt afford to put themselves in the firing line, they had too much to lose and the Mashile's were not worth it.

Malcolm was now a shadow of his former self. His wife had filed for divorce and taken the children with her, his career was in shambles, he couldnt bring himself to even make it out the house even to just get a box of pizza at the mall. And the only reason he was here today was because his mother had insisted on it.

Next to him, his big brother, the one who had become a pillar of strength to everyone in this family was now confined to a wheelchair. Knowing him and his pride, he still couldnt accept his fate. All he could think about was revenge. Every single day he swore he would get back at his enemies or he would die trying, and a wheelchair wasnt going to stop him.

Mrs Mashile looked at her children and wondered what she could do to fix this. If money couldnt fix it then she had to find another way. But which way would, when she was slowly exhausting her options day in and day out.

"Mum, at some point you're going to have to speak. Why are we here?" Bonolo asked, breaking the silence and tension that filled the room.
"We need to figure out how to keep this family together, inspite of all the mess that's happening around us."
"Mum, theres only one way to fix this, give Nomonde what she wants." Lesedi said, clearly irritated and not wanting to be here. As much as this was her family, she feared that inspite of her brother and mother being the ones responsible for whatever is happening right now, their enemies would also come after her and her children, and like any mother, her biggest dream has always been to keep her children safe, and happy.
"Do you think 20 million  grows on a tree Lesedi? Where do you think that money will come from?" Lesego bellowed from his seat, sending Lesedi to an immediate moment of silence.
"Please it's not like we don't have that money. Plus Nomonde deserves every penny for all the hell this family put her through." Bonolo answered, clearly braver than Lesedi, because she refused to cower inspite of Lesego's fire filled eyes staring at her.
"I think you're the last person to talk Bonolo, it's your fault we're in this mess. If you had stayed in your lane and stopped trying to be a superhero, none of this mess would be happening." Paul spoke for the first time since the night began.
"Right. And you still wouldn't know about your first born daughter whom you neglected her entire life, and now you're busy trying to get full custody of her like that will rectify the pain you caused her. If I were you I would focus on fixing my life."
"Bonolo I will fuck you up."
"Of course you will now that the whore you shared a bed with is no longer here to keep feeding you whatever it was that she fed you that made you a weak pathetic deadbeat bastard."

"SHUT UP!" Mrs Mashile says banging the table and scaring everyone around her. "All of you, get out, I need to be alone."
"Mum!"
"GO LESEGO. I need to think." Her kids get up from their seats and shuffle out. "Bonolo. Sit down." Bonolo comes back and sits down next to her mother. Mrs Mashile pours herself a glass of wine and takes a sip. "You need to get Nomonde to back off."
"What?"
"You heard me. We have enough to deal with as a family, this lawsuit is just a waste of time."
"Mum you do know the kind of torture and pain that Nomonde went through because of Lesego constantly making sure her sentence was extended."
"And you think 20 million will make all that go away?"
"Maybe not, but it will offer a small comfort for her pain. She will be able to send her daughter, your granddaughter to university and she will be able to give her family the life she always wanted to give them."
"You do know there is a family trust for all the children in this family to go to varsity right. Bontle can be added to it too." Bonolo chuckles and pours herself a glass of wine.