Nadir

I get in the car and the atmosphere is choking I have to open the window. This yellow bone is not going to make it easy for me so I decide to just keep quiet.

My phone starts to ring immediately he starts the engine.

‘Where are you?’ Martha asks immediately I pick up.

‘Good morning Nandy, are you okay?’ I respond sarcastically

‘Nandy you knew that Peggy and I had plans last night, we have been planning this for months and you just decided to go MIA on me.’

I must admit she sounds hurt, not the pissed she has always been at me.

‘Can we talk about this when I get home?’

‘There is no need Nandy, I am moving out and moving in with Peggy.’

‘Are you insane? Since when do you make life changing decisions after a short coming? Martha you are my responsibility and until I see that you are capable of taking care of yourself I can’t let you out of my sight. And why are we having this conversation on the phone? I will be back home shortly.’

‘No Nandy, we are having this conversation right now.’

She sounds like she is crying.

‘Martha I don’t think this is about last night, this is about how you have been behaving the last couple of months. How you have.’ I pause

‘You know what, we are having this conversation when I get home.’ I add

‘No Nandy, I am done. You are not my mother and I waited for me to turn eighteen to get out of your sight.’

‘You are twenty four, why didn’t you leave six years ago Martha? Is this about Peggy and what she has been feeding you?’

‘That is the problem with you, you try so hard to be my mother when you are not. You are my sister and since I am an adult I don’t have to be under your care any more.’

‘Martha I am seriously not having this conversation with you over the phone. You think you are an adult and you are ready to move out of the house, then be the adult and wait for me to get home so you can tell me to my face.’ I say cutting the line so I can’t hear anything else.

I breath out deeply and put my phone in the bag.

‘So instead of being an adult and a caring guardian you decided to go out there and wind up in a stranger’s bed.’ Yellow bone says

‘Not today Satan.’ I say to myself

I am honestly hurt that my sister wants to move out, am I such a bad person or guardian that she wants to move out without facing me. I have been trying to do my best, being there for her and providing not just emotional support but all the support anyone would ever give their little sister.

‘I too would leave if I were in her shoes, you don’t look like the type of person that cares that much about her.’

I choose not to respond. He doesn’t know me and me getting into it with him will mean I am accepting that he is actually right.

The rest of the drive is quiet, I don’t know how he even got my home address because he drives me here without me saying a word. Once in the yard I mutter a silent thank you but when I try to open the door he locks it.

‘What now?’

‘Never drink that much again.’

‘Yes Sir.’

‘I mean it.’

I turn to look at him and for once he doesn’t seem so angry but even then it doesn’t give him the right to talk to me the way he did. So I politely ask him to unlock the car, which he does and I get out and walk away without looking back. I get into the house and find Martha and Peggy in the living room, Martha’s bags are packed it looks like they were just waiting for me.

‘I will give you two a minute.’ Peggy says

‘Sure babe.’

‘I didn’t wait up for you because you asked me to, I waited out of courtesy.’

‘I see.’

‘I don’t want to disrespect you Nandy, you are older than me I get it but you will never get me.’

I chuckle

‘When we were having the conversation on the phone Martha I was so sure I was going to come here and convince you to stay. But after seeing you all packed up and ready to give me a courtesy goodbye I have figured out one thing. There is no law that says I should hold you back, you are an adult and you know what you are doing. So I will let you leave but if you ever feel like coming back, I want you to come back with the same grown up pants you have left with.’

‘I will be getting money from the main house since I am still in UNI and you can get from the servants quarter.’

‘You have it all figured out haven’t you?’

‘I told you when we spoke on the phone Nandy, I am a grown woman and I can make grown woman decisions.’

I walk over to where she is standing and kiss her forehead.

‘I love you.’ I whisper

‘Take care of yourself.’

‘You too.’

‘And take a bath, you smell like a pig.’ She adds

I just smile at her and watch as she drags her bags out of the house.

..

Kwenje’s Girl

Winnie

🙇🏽‍♀️