Chapter 34 - Chapter 33

It's Zinhle's fourteenth birthday, and I'm surprised by how emotional I am about it.

I blame Dr Mngadi.

He may have me a little too in touch with my feelings, because when I woke up this morning, I pulled up the photos from the day my daughter was born. Starting with the drive to the hospital. Naledi insisted we capture everything, so I have dozens of pictures documenting the progress of her labour, going from a tight smile in the first, to an irritated scowl, to a full-on-wrath photo with her mouth stretched open on a bellow. I can laugh about it now, but it was our first pregnancy. I was scared shitless. What did I know about being a father? I'd had so little time with mine, I just knew I'd mess it up. That I'd fail Zinhle, disappoint Naledi. I couldn't say any of that out loud back then. So I basically grunted my way through those nine months, certain I'd break out in hives, my anxiety was so high by the end. I can't take all the credit for the beautiful young woman coming down the staircase, hair big and curly, lips pink and shiny with gloss, but I didn't ruin her.

Not yet, at least.

"Baba!" Zinhle practically hurls herself down the last two steps and into my arms.

The air whoofs out of me as I absorb the impact of her small frame. My arms tighten around her and pull her even closer. She's precious. Defiant. Strong-willed. Hardheaded and sometimes downright petty, but she's mine, and anyone who wants to fuck with her has to go through me first.

"I can't breathe," she fake-chokes.