My Sisters Keeper

64

MY SISTERS KEEPER

SIXTY FOUR

I've seen death, sometimes brutal and sometimes self inflicted, but this, this is something I've never thought I could ever experience.

The news of the Mashile burning down to ashes was one thing, it's a house, they can rebuild it better yet buy another one. But the fact that three of them were inside it when it went up sent shockwaves all over the country. Most people were more shocked that a house with that much security didn't have a fire alarm or something that would stop the fire.

For me, I was more shocked at the fact that now I have to tell the kids that their father is dead, and he died in the most painful way. Burning alive is no joke. How do I tell them that? How do I even begin to explain that?

My mom and I sat up the whole night shocked, neither of knew what to say or what to do. On the one hand I was thanking God that Paul had brought the kids here for Christmas, on the other hand I was questioning him on why he had to take him so soon. He still had his children to raise and he still had to make peace with Bontle. What if she feels bad for not giving him a chance? What if she feels bad for not listening to him when she had the chance?

Around five in the morning I went to the kitchen and boiled water to make tea. I sat in the kitchen and went into WhatsApp. Lungelo was online, shouldn't he be sleeping? I was about to log out when he called me.

"Hello!"
"You should be sleeping Sthandwa sam, why are you up so early?"
"I couldnt sleep. Paul is dead."
"I heard. Are the kids Okay?"
"I haven't told them yet. I dont know how. How do I even begin to tell them something like this?"
"It will be fine Sthandwa sam."
"I dont know Lungelo, their mother is in jail and now their father is dead. How can God be so cruel?" I wiped the tears that were now falling down my face. This was the first time since the news broke that I was crying. I dont know if I was crying for the man I used to love and the father of my child or I was crying for the three kids in sleeping in the bedroom.

"God works in mysterious ways MaGumede, isnt that what you always tell me?"
"Yeah well maybe for once he needs to stop operating in the shadows."
"True. Get some sleep okay, don't forget you're carrying precious cargo."
"I know. By the way, I called you earlier, why didnt you pick up my calls?"
"Oh yeah, I saw them. I left my phone in my room."
"Oh!"
"Dont say it like that, I'm telling the truth."
"I didnt say you were lying though. Look I need to get some sleep. We'll talk later." I hung up before he could say anything. I dont know why I was having doubts about this, it's not like I have a reason to not trust him. I'm just being paranoid right?

I brewed the tea for mum and poured myself a glass of juice. I brought the tea to the lounge and poured some for mum.
"We have to tell the kids." Mum said as she sipped her tea.
"I know. But how? How do we even begin to do that?"
"I don't know."

The kids woke up a few hours later, Bontle went to make breakfast and Prince went out to play. For a while I thought Princess would come out too but she didnt. When I asked Bontle she said she left Princess in the bedroom busy on her phone. I decided to go check on her. I got to the bedroom and knocked then walked in. She was sitting on the bed with her phone in her hand, she didnt even look up when I came in. I sat on the bed and that's when she looked up and wiped her tears. I didn't need to know why she was crying because she was on Twitter. I figured she already knows.

"I'm sorry." I brought her in for a hug and she just cried. I just held her and let her cry. A part of me felt bad that she found out this way. Social media can be messy sometimes. Neither her or her brother deserved this. I might not like Paul much but he didnt deserve to die, especially like that.