Fatherless
Episode Five
After we managed to enter the house, Mom sat on the couch, folding her arms.
She said, “Nathan, see how you’ve decided to leave me.
You’ve turned me into prey for your family to pounce on.”
She placed her hands on her face and lamented her fate.
Dad’s name was Nathan, and he named me after himself.
In school, my friends used to mock me for being called “Nathan Nathan Themba.”
Even when I tried explaining it to them, they didn’t seem to understand.
I had to ask Mom, “Why does Brother Sipho keep troubling you?
Why would he choose to marry you even after already being married and having two children?”
Mom just avoided the question and waved it off with “You’re too young to understand.”
She could be right, there are certain things I don’t understand yet, especially Dad’s untimely dēath.
I felt like it wasn’t ordinary. When I grow up, I’ll need to find out why it happened and who was responsible for his sudden demise.
I suspected Uncle Sipho because of his eagerness to throw us out of the house.
His evil caught up with him, and his business crumbled. Taking Dad’s house was just what he needed at the moment.
I wondered why his wife didn’t advise him to just let us be.
I was still lost in my thoughts when I saw my father sitting on the couch close to Mom.
He seemed to touch her, and suddenly she fell asleep.
I just sat down, witnessing everything. He asked me to follow him into his room, and I did without hesitation.
At that moment, I wanted to scream, but he closed my mouth with his palms.
As we both got to his room, he asked me to sit, which I did.
He sat on the bed too and started, “Nathan, listen to me and listen carefully. Tell your mom to check our personal drawer.
She’ll find the documents to everything I own in this house.
She has to do it fast before my brother gets here. Don’t tell her I sent you.
Just tell her to check there for the documents. I’m with both of you at every corner of the way, and I won’t leave you.
My brother Sipho is responsible for my dēath.
He saw I was doing well while he wasn’t, so he went somewhere to end my life.”
I want you and your mother to leave this house. There’s something he put here to harm both of you.”
He said more things and then asked me to leave immediately because his brother had gone somewhere to tie down his spirit.
That was the last time I would see him. I felt so sad. I wished I could pray to see him again because his presence gave me strength.
I felt like I could conquer the world with him by my side.
After he finished talking, he just went to the bathroom, I woke up again realizing it was just another dream.
I found myself sleeping on the couch next to my mom. That’s when I knew it was all just a dream.
I tapped her and when she woke up, I told her i had a dream. “What was it about?” she asked.
I told her that in the dream, I went to their personal drawer and found the document to dad’s properties.
And that the house we’re staying in isn’t safe because I found something in my dream that could get us kiłled.
I was expecting her to ask about what I found but I was glad she didn’t.
I knew Mom was scared. She rushed to Dad’s room and found the documents to all of his properties, just where he said they would be.
“Nathan, I need to check on you. It seems like you’ve become a wizard overnight!”
she exclaimed as she held the documents close to her chest.
“Mom, please let’s leave this house. I don’t like it anymore, and I don’t feel safe here,” I told her.
I didn’t want to tell her anything that Dad said because he warned me not to.
Mom wasn’t receptive. She didn’t even look at me. She went into their room and came out the second time.
I wondered how I could explain to her that we didn’t have time and that Uncle Sipho was behind everything that happened.
But even if I did, she wouldn’t believe me.
She came out of the room and said, “Nathan, I know you’re scared that your Uncle will come back and claim our house.
I was scared too until I found this document.
With it, we can fīght him and prevent him from taking anything else.” She said it with a smile.
I asked myself, “How can I explain that this fīght isn’t physical and that we don’t have what it takes to defend ourselves when he strikes?”
Mom was so confident in winning a battle she didn’t even know about.
I had to convince her so we could leave the house before it was too late.
Dad wasn’t there to fight for us, and Uncle was somewhere trying to tie down his spirit.
“Mum, this isn’t a physical battle,” I said to her.
She looked at me suspiciously and asked, “How do you know, Nathan? Are you a fortune teller?”
“Dad told me,” I responded.
She fell to the floor, her eyes filled with tears.
I was wārned not to tell her, but we didn’t have time
“I’m sorry for disobeying you, Dad,” I murmured.
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