It's A Mess

through her bedroom window, mingling with the stench of disappointment. She lay in bed, surrounded by the eerie silence of an empty house, feeling lost, a

ing in the chill of the morning air. The cold floorboards creaked beneath her feet as

re are you?" Opelong's voice was laced with a mix of frustrati

ity. Opelong's eyes narrowed as she listened to his update, her mind racing with questions. "What? Why?" she mutter

. Then, a gentle voice cut through her thoughts, "Papa, please tell me that this is just one of

or rather, it's been replaced. There's a new insurance office standing where my workplace used to be." Opelong's eyes

th tension as she spat out the words, "I should have known you would disappoint me like you always do, I don't

he ran to her bedroom, the door slamming shut behind her like a physical barrier against the world. The sound of her own wails was

tment. "Ope, my baby, in life, things don't always go our way, but when we accept things the way they are, we find it easie

ose to a crescendo, "I don't need to be comforted! I need to be funded! Can you not be like other parents and provide for your

station of the emotional distance growing between them. The door slammed shut behind Emily, leaving Opel

ong's breath came in short gasps, her mind racing with the implications of her

whom were now scattered across the country, attending various universities. She imagined them la

f, like she was disappearing into the void of her own disappointment. She couldn't bear the t

drowning in a sea of uncertainty, with no lifeline in sight. Her mind was a jum

ncoming text from her best friend, Lerato. "Hey, girl! How's varsity life treating

o tell Lerato that she wasn't in varsity, that she was stuck at home, feeling like a failure.

s brewing inside her. "Hey, girl! I'm good. Just taking some time to figure some t

the pit of her stomach. She knew she couldn't keep up the charade forever, knew