THE HEIRESS

CHAPTER I

The sniffles is what gets me the most. Not knowing whether they are real or fake. Also not caring about them. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even be here, going through all this bullshit, but I had to see for myself. See the real end of this "Great Influential Man". Speakers have went to the front and shared their heartfelt condolences and snippets of their shared life with the deceased. None of the shit they said moves me though. We clearly know two different versions of the man lying in that clearly expensive casket with silver lids. Talk about nice after life.

A loud wail breaks out from the front and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. This is the third time since I got here that this woman has delivered the dramatic wail. It is timed perfectly. Almost too perfect. Like you never know when it's going to hit until it hits. Talk about the element of surprise. Why is she crying again? My eyes travel to the podium and it almost makes sense. One of the deceased's friend is paying his respects, or delivering a speech? I am not sure. He is going on and on about their days in varsity. No one cares about that shit. At least I don't.

"Amos was a great man, a great friend, a great leader, a great husband and an amazing father. We all knew that his death was coming because of the disease that conquered him, but it was all too sudden." The 'friend' states and I scoff. Great man my foot. If he was as great as this friend claims he was, then he wouldn't have done what he did to me. What he did can never be undone.

"The least you could do is try to be more sympathetic." The woman next to me murmurs and I frown, turning to look at her and lowering my sunglasses a bit.
"Excuse me?" Bitch who the fuck do you think you are talking to?
"It's people like you who makes it hard for families to grieve properly. If you are only here for the food, go and wait for us in the tent back home. We will see you when we come back from the cemetery." She fixes her hat before starring ahead. Hebana! What the fuck just happened? Who is this woman? A family member? Or maybe one of his many side chicks? I wouldn't put it past that man.

The man on the podium moves to sit down and someone takes the mic and starts singing. The 'friend' goes to hug Amos's family at the front. I can bet my right boob that he is promising to be there for them whenever they need him but that's all just a lie. People say all promising words to a grieving family on the day of the funeral and a few days later, they are distancing themselves, unless they wanna get their filthy hands on a piece of the deceased's inheritance.

The MC finally calls the deceased's children and I sit up straight. This is what I came for. This is the main event. This man had so many children. About 8 of them go to the front. That's not all of them by the way. The youngest one of probably 6 years or so. You can see that she feels the grief but not as much as the eldest daughter who looks like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. The youngest, Andiswa, I heard that her mom was one of Amos's side chicks. she died while giving birth and Amos and his wife had no choice but to take her in. I envy her a bit. The heir, his eldest son, looks emotionally detached. He has black sunglasses on, so there is no telling whether his eyes are red or clear. The youngest starts talking. She tells everyone about her last moments with her 'papa' as she calls him. I wish I was as naive as her. But God don't do backwards. I am pissed off by all the bullshit coming out of their mouths. The man they are describing isn't the same man that I know or knew.

Time comes for the eldest daughter to speak. She is married, has been for 5 years not, but has always been daddy's little girl. Yeah. That's what happens when you marry a man who works for your father. You never really detach from the family long enough to stand on your own. She literally wears the pants in her marriage.

"My dad is my first love. He taught me how to ride a bike, taught me how to fight, taught me how to comb my hair, taught me how to dress up smartly. Basically taught me every important aspect of life. Mom was there but I was more attached to my father. He was a career based man, but he was never absent from my life. He made sure I had everything I needed and wanted from the day I came into this world until the day he died. I was fourteen when he taught me how to drive in his brand new car. I wrecked it a bit, well okay maybe a lot." She chuckles and everyone laughs. "Mom was really mad but dad was super chilled. He fixed the car and we continued with the lessons. When I gave birth to my daughter, he was there every step of the way and embraced Bhelekazi as his lastborn, well until Andiswa showed up. His death left a huge hole and space in my heart and life. I will never forget you, Mahlobo. The role you played in my life, no one can..." She starts crying and her younger brother hugs her as he ushers her back to her seat.