Fatherless
Episode Twelve
Mom explained to me through tears, “Nathan, HĪV is a virus that can kiłł.
It’s terrible that you have it at such a young age.”
I turned to her and asked, “Mom, am I going to diē?
Aunt Nomvula used to say I would dīe, either by her hand or naturally like Dad.”
Mom quickly wiped her tears and came closer to listen. “Nathan,” she called, “repeat what you said.
Tell me everything that happened at your aunt’s house.
We don’t have an HīV-positive child in our family.”
She made me sit comfortably, like I was being interrogated, and said, “Nathan, please tell me everything. I really need to know.”
And so I began, “Aunt Nomvula didn’t like me when I was at her house. She would bēāt me for the slightest reasons.
She said the family didn’t support Dad marrying you.
She did many things, but the one I’ll never forget is when her friends took turns rāping me.
She left me alone in her house for them to attack me.”
I didn’t even finish talking, and mom got extremely upset.
Grandma had just come back from the farm, and she didn’t even make it inside the house when mom sat her down.
She told her everything about what Aunt Nomvula had done and revealed that I was HĪV positive.
Mom was so angry that even grandma couldn’t calm her down. Suddenly, she fell to the floor and fainted. Seems she got exhausted from everything that happened.
Grandma and I had to drag her inside the house and pour water on her, just like grandma instructed.
Luckily, she was light enough for both of us to carry.
Mom used to be heavy, but the problems in the house have taken a toll on her, making her very light like a sack bag.
After we sprinkled water on her, she finally woke up, but she complained of a slight headache.
She said she would take me to the hospital so I could start treatment while she figures out how to deāl with Aunt Nomvula and her wickēd friends.
The atmosphere in the house was tense and not conducive to a good environment.
I went to a corner and sat down, thinking about how I might have an untimely dēath, and not being able to fulfill my dreams of becoming a doctor.
Early the next morning, mom took me to St. John Hospital, following grandma’s instructions.
It was clear that they had the best equipment and professionals in various fields.
She had to redo a test to confirm that I was really positive, and the result showed the same thing.
Then she asked the doctor what could be done to save me.
Although they both talked behind closed doors as the doctor asked me to wait outside, I overheard everything.
He said that I will be placed on medication and that it was the only thing that could be done.
The drugs will fīght the virus, and there is a possibility of me living till my old age.
After the visit to the hospital, the next day Mom woke me up and asked me to quickly take a bath and get dressed because we were going somewhere.
She didn’t tell me where though. I didn’t do as she instructed, she got dressed too.
She asked me to get in the car and we drove off without telling me or Grandma where we were going.
It was only halfway there that I realized we were going to Aunt Nomvula’s place.
I didn’t know why, but I thought maybe Aunt Nomvula had apologized and Mom had forgiven her.
When we finally arrived, Mom parked the car somewhere and we both walked to the compound.
Luckily, or maybe I should say unfōrtunately, Aunt Nomvula was home when we walked in.
She looked really scared to see us and probably thought Mom had forgiven her, not knowing that Mom had other plans.
Aunt Nomvula offered us a seat outside and told Mom she was cooking.
When she went inside the kitchen to check on the food, Mom followed her and grabbed the pot, pouring it on her while saying,
“You can’t walk around with a clean body while the child I suffered to raise has scārs on his body.”
Aunt Nomvula screamed and then rushed to where she kept her water tank, and she poured the water on herself inside the kitchen, water was everywhere.
I thought Mom would take pity on her and take her to the hospital for treatment, but instead she turned to me and said, “Let’s go, Nathan.”
We hurried out of the compound to where the car was parked, and I followed her, running because she was so fast.
She acted like she was possēssed. I got in the back seat and lay down while she zoomed off.
I was scāred that someone would catch us. She drove on a completely different route, not heading towards Grandma’s house.
As we drove for a while, I saw a signboard that said, “Welcome to Johannesburg.”
I asked myself, “What are we doing in Johannesburg, a city we rān away from?”
But instead of going back to the house, we drove to her friend’s house.
We arrived there late at night, around 11pm.
I peeked at her phone and saw the time. The lady was in her late 50s.
It seemed like Mom had already informed her, judging by the way the woman welcomed us.
That’s when I noticed that Mom had already parked our bags and our things were in the car trunk.
Mom took them out. We settled in, had dinner, and went to sleep without talking about what happened.
The next morning, Mom introduced the woman as her godmother. The woman was very disappointed about what happened when mom told her everything.
That same morning, Mom received a message from Grandma calling for a family meeting.
And mentioning that Aunt Nomvula was in the hospital because of her, but Mom didn’t respond.
That was just the beginning of what happened to the people who hurt me.
Thessycute Ekene
