Sacrifices

Luvuyo sat in his car and waited. As much as he loved his wife and daughter, he had always hated the way in which they took forever to get ready. Impatiently, he hooted once.

“I’m coming, dad!” came a voice from the doorway. He watched as his daughter kissed her mother goodbye and smiled. They were really beautiful, he thought, as he patted himself on the back for a job well-done in life.

He started the car and they drove off. He remembered the first time he had made this journey. He always reminded himself of the time he saw Grahamstown for the very first time ever two years earlier when he drove his daughter to varsity for the first time. That was the proudest day of his life. He had worn his best jacket for the occasion, and the beret his older brother had bought for him from Johannesburg when they were younger. He looked over to his daughter sitting in the front seat beside him as he drove. She had on her earphones. The car was quiet, so Luvuyo switched on the radio.

Kentucky Fried Chicken. McDonald’s. Spur. Buy. Get. You know you want it. Need a loan?

The last advertisement caught his attention.

Are you tired of not making ends meet? Are you tired of not being able to provide for your family? Call Loan-piranhas at …

He took down the number before changing to a music station. She looked up as she heard a song she seemed to recognize. She took off her earphones. They sat in silence. Luvuyo never really knew what to say to his daughter. She spoke with a twang and never seemed to have time for her. He knew better than to try and interfere in her life. He remembered when his wife’s father tried to interfere, and how disastrous it all turned out. He pulled up outside her residence and brought the car to a complete stop.

“Daddy, may I please have an extra hundred rand?” she said.

Luvuyo pulled out his wallet and gave it to her. She smiled and said thank you. The doors open. The boot opens. He pulls out her large suitcase and pulls it to the door. He smiles at the short, coloured girl who seems to be friends with his daughter.

“Oh, daddy, it’s all right. You don’t have to help me get it in. My friend says she’ll help me up.”

“Oh, ok. Be good, neh?”

“Okay, Tata. Shap, neh?”

“Shap.”

Luvuyo got in his car and drove off. He looked back in the rear-view mirror and watched her disappear into the tall building he had only ever seen the inside of once before; the first time he came to Grahamstown. He remembered that day. She was happy, and he was happy that he could do this for her. He wanted nothing more than to see her happy.

Five Kilometres outside of Port Elizabeth, Luvuyo’s car runs out of petrol. He parks it safely on the side of the road. It’s a beautiful, sunny day, he sees. Perfect for a walk, he thinks to himself. He takes his keys and the few items of value he stores in there for safekeeping. He walks. Past a petrol station. Through the mobs of people carrying shopping bags. His belly growls. He sees a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet on one corner, and a sign pointing in the direction of the closest McDonalds. He sighs.