My Sisters Keeper

70

MY SISTERS KEEPER

SEVENTY

I've been holed up in my bedroom since I got home. My uncle and his two friends are staying till the negotiations are over, which means Bontle, mum and I have to share a room.

I have mastered enough courage to go into the lounge and eat since it was way past dinner time. My stomach is grumbling and to be honest I'm not sure if it's me that's hungry or the little human growing inside of me. Either way I need to eat. I heard a knock on the door as I prepared to drag myself out to the kitchen. Bontle came in with food on a tray. Yay, my sweet angel. She placed the tray on my lap.

"Thank you baby."
"Oh I didnt do it for you. I did for my brother." Wow. That hurt.
"Ouch." She gets on the bed and sits with her legs crossed watching me eat.
"Why are you mad at him?"
"Who?"
"Your father. Maybe him being here is his way of asking for forgiveness."
"Have you forgiven Paul?" She chuckles. I know she's about to give me a court room worthy argument.
"You and I both know that's not the same. Your father left, he left you with your mother and sister, he might be a deadbeat but he was way better than Paul. Paul me on the road and left me there, anything could have happened to me. Him and his family together with your sister made sure you spend half your life in a cold jail cell. You've forgiven Amanda inspite of the hell she dragged you through so why cant you forgive your father too? Or atleast hear him out."

I dont know what's worse, her being that smart and using her smarts on me or the realization that maybe I did overreact about this whole thing. I don't hate my dad and I dont think I'm even angry at him. I just resent him more than anything. He had his life wherever he was, didnt give even a second thought to the children he left behind. For all I know he had a whole new family and life without us. Judging from his clothes and the fact that he seems well groomed and clean, I'm pretty sure he wasnt struggling either.

"Fine, Bontle, I'll hear him out. No need to judge." She laughs and gets off the bed.
"I wasnt judging. I'm just saying if I can give Paul an ounce of attention you can too." Mxm, today's kids.

She takes the extra sponge and lays it on the floor and covers it with the sheets and blankets. I wonder which room my dearest father is going to use. I hope it's not my mum's, that would be hella awkward.

I woke up feeling like I hadn't had dinner. Well technically speaking I did have dinner for one cause that's what Bontle said. I carefully got off the bed making sure not to step on Bontle and not waking my mum. I walked out the bedroom towards the kitchen and noticed the front door was opened. Mum and Bontle are asleep, I slowly tiptoed out to see what was happening and found daddy dearest sitting on the stoop reading a newspaper. It's not even seven yet and he has already taken a bath and got dressed.

"Hi!" He looked up from his newspaper and smiled.
"You're up early."
"I could say the same about you. Are you going somewhere?" He chuckled and got up from the stoop, he rolled the newspaper and tucked it under his armpit.
"No, I've always been an early bird. I cant sleep past five am."
"Oh ok. I'm making breakfast, what would you like?" I walked back into the house with him following behind me.
"Anything is fine, as long as there's no pork."
"Why? Religion?" He sighed and sat on the chair with his newspaper on the small kitchen table.
"No, doctors orders. I have high blood pressure so I need to scale down on some foods and stress."
"Lobola negotiations can be stressful too."
"I know. I'm not here for the lobola money, just so you know."
"I didnt say that."
"I know, but I also know you're sceptical about me being here. I just wanted to do one thing right for you. I know I failed to be a father to you and Amanda." He remembered our names. That's nice.
"So where were you?"
"I was in Mpumalanga, I have a farm there."
"That's nice. So what does your family feel about you being here?"
"To be honest, my wife is not happy but it is what it is." He said that with his eyes stuck on the newspaper. I could tell he was uneasy about this conversation but it had to be had.