the murmur of the news on the living room TV fade into silence, the kitchen sink gurg

her head: Charles's rejection, her parent's anger, the word marriage hanging over her like a noose. Her father hadn't said who he int

a was s

m, retrieving a small suitcase from the back of the closet. It was dusty from years of disuse, still with stickers from a f

shoebox, the savings from tutoring classmates in math. It was barely R800, but it was all she had. She packed her rosary, the

ing a friend's help and a fake excuse to skip school. The tiny form on the printout, no big

ully and placed it

uldn't

Only a belief, deep and fierce ,

door was closed. Her heart pounding with every step.

ouldn't be wh

y I let

I need to find a

hild with lo

day you'll

cto

bowl. She didn't want them to find it too quickly.

ront door and into th

d started walking, no destination in her mind, just away. She c

bike rides and visits to neighbors. Every sound felt amplified, the bark of a d

ut routes, preparing for the morning rush. She kept her head down and chose the

, voice barely above a whisper

aid without

r the cash and

rents. No one paid her any mind. She sank into a

ing everything she'd ever known. Her school. Her neighbor

e didn

something else stirr

so

h traffic, and made too many stops. Victoria stared out the window as t

rned i

heir voices now, she

mfontein, she ste

chest. This wasn't home. Pretoria was noisy and familiar; Bloemfontein was wide, stretched out, and foreign. She'd chosen

pavement with barely few hundred rand to her nam

complete

wh

down. She had no hotel. No relatives. Her savings were alrea

ed a pla

ia's body begged for rest. She found a small eatery and bought a plate of rice an

gates open. The compound was quiet, it's benches empty. She sat

not just for safety

f traffic and the hope that

ve. A woman sweeping the church entrance

f. She didn't know what day it was anymore, only

ran fr

o figure out h