The Heart of Africa

Tough times

Unedited

I walked around the graveyard locating my family graves,it didn't take me long.I had flowers I picked from the college garden.I was glad I didn't get caught,it was very important for me to have flowers but for a 20 year old student living on student loans,Even a rose petal was too much to purchase.

I didn't have a job lined up after graduation, The reality is I had no plans for my future.After today I was going to live in the real world,no more student life I should have left student res weeks ago,I use to live with Robin my best friend since we were kids due to my father being her  father's lawyer but after high school,  her father moved them to Brazil as part of his retirement package,they asked me to leave with them but I couldn't my life was here I could still remember clearly how my dad,told the story of my birth, He said Mother was a professional dancer based in New York when they met,while he was on vacation he went to watch a well known dance production after the show he met one of the dancers who made an impression on him after complementing her,they spent everyday of that month together.

Father came back to South Africa days later he received an email,Asking for his work address but instead he sent her his home address the email was short but enough to make him be sure she was his soul mate

"May I please have your office address I'm bringing news that can not be shared on any sort of device " It said

He would tell how lucky he felt as the most beautiful woman wanted to follow him back to a place she had harshly stated during the time they spent together she is never coming back to.

He told me of how after reading the email 5 times he had called grams to wait at his house everyday as her daughter-in-law had finally decided to come home,days turned into weeks of waiting,hoping and sleepless nights and Finally a faint knock was heard...there she was an African goddess with a smile like a fountain flowing calm to sooth any man's heart but mostly his,she stood there her eyes on his for what felt like eternity  until grams nudged him to move,After that day she never left 9months later she was Mrs Dube with a daughter with a heart of Africa...yes you guessed it,it was "me".
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My name was originally Mphoyabadimo,meaning gift from the ancestors but they wanted me to fit in so it was changed to Mphoentle which now meant -a beautiful gift

I couldn't leave this place,I needed to be here I was complete here no matter how alone I was it didn't matter because I knew I belonged here .I looked at my phone and I had 10 minutes to get ready and be at the graduation,my eyes were burning from all the crying I did,I decided to take a jog back to save time.

I pulled my hoodie over my head and picked up speed I reached the gate in just 2 minutes I now had enough time to change,so I decided to catch my breath.I couldn't help but feel thankful it was cloudy I didn't need to take another shower and ruin my hair,Robin's parents had sent in some money for all the essentials,dinner voucher for me and 4 friends,spa treatment voucher,my designer dress and a picture of Robin and her mom in a museum,the picture truly got to me it made me realise how much I missed them,i felt guilty taking all this from them because I was not really needing them I had enough money but after my dad passed uncle Charles had taken up the role of a father,looking after grams and I,Grams always said he felt guilty because his actions had gotten my father killed.My Father was a peaceful man but there was nothing peaceful about how he died in Charles' s office while working late.The police said it was  a robbery gone wrong none of that was true but we accepted it.