They loved me, afterall

Nikita Adams, a seventeen year old blonde was living with her parents in Palmridge near Alberton. Her family belonged to the lower class with her father being the sole bread winner. Her mother was a housewife who gave up her nursing proffession because her husband did not approve of a working woman. Nikita was doing Grade eleven at a local secondary school. Although they were a lower class family, her parents tried by all means to ensure that she gets everything she needed but the real problem started when she befriended children from rich families. She had to conform to the high

standards set by her snobbish friends. She also adopted some snobbish tendencies. She so badly wanted to belong. They would book at exclusive restaurants, they visited night clubs, they wore designer clothes. With the little pocket money she got from her parents, Nikita couldn't afford any of these.

"Chommy, I know a handsome blesser who's so much into young blood, I'll hook you up, I'm sure you'll love him," suggested one of her friends Kyle.

"Oh friend, I don't think that is a good idea. I've never dated someone older before and I don't think my folks would approve," Natasha responded.

"What does that have to do with your folks? I mean, this is your life, no one has a right to dictate to you who you should and should not date."

"Come on friend, live a little, we only live once," added Sunay.

The following day, Kyle arranged for Nikita to meet 'the blesser.'

They started dating immediately.

Mike, the blesser bought Nikita expensive clothing, took her to exclusive restaurants and showered her with expensive gifts. He had everything a girl needed from a man but he was married. Natasha's parents did not approve of their relationship.

"Come on Kita, do you honestly think Mike would live his wife for you?" her mother would say.

"Ma, you don't know Mike like I do, he'd do anything for me and to answer your question mom dearest, yes he'd leave his wife if he would have to."

"If you really believe that, then you are more naive than I ever thought," her mother told her.

She made it clear that she wouldn't stop seeing Mike. Her parents had to accept it.

One afternoon, she had just come from school, she found her mother on the sitting room.

"Mom dearest, what did you have for lunch? I'm starving," she said

"We had pasta and fish my dear," her mom responded.

"Oh no Ma, you've got to be kidding me, you know I don't like fish."

"But Kita, it's not like I had any choice, this month, we didn't have enough money for groceries, we paid your quarterly school fees," we didn't have enough money to buy enough meat, I bought fish instead so we will alternate fish with meat so that the meat can last until the end of the month. I promise, next month will be better," she explained.

"And the rest of the money Ma, what did you do with it?"

"Kita, you know we have other responsibilities. We pay rent, water, electricity and other things"

"Anyway Ma, save your explanation for someone who cares because you know what? I don't, now I'm going out, I'm sure Mike will make a plan."

She slammed the door on her way out. Her mother was so worried about her, she was getting out of control day by day. She was being possessed, she thought. She asked her father to talk to her.

Later that day, she came home and found her father in the living room.

" Nikita, your mom is not happy about the way you behave around here and she's not happy with the way you talk to her and lastly, we are both not happy about your relationship with Mike, he is way older than you and married, tell me Nikita, since when did you become a home wrecker? I won't tolerate that kind of behavior in my house. If you still want to live under my roof, pull yourself together. I am a respectable member of the community and I won't allow you to drag our family name through the mud," her father said in an angry tone.

"It's your problem dad, not mine. I won't say much but all you need to know is that I won't stop seeing Mike anytime soon, so don't hold your breath," she responded in a cool tone.

Mike was in the process of divorcing his wife and Nikita's parents attributed that to his extra marital affair with their daughter.

Mike bought Natasha an expensive laptop and her parents were not very happy about that.

"Mike could have used this money on something else, her kids are suffering and here he is, buying you an expensive gadget. What kind of a man does that?" her mother said.

"Take a chill pill mom, Mike knows exactly what he's doing and you know what? He's divorcing his wife and I will have him all to myself," she explained excitedly.

"Nikita, I wash my hands, you'll never hear me talking about Mike again but I have one thing to say to you : you can't build your happiness on someone else's misery."

"Thanks for the lecture Ma," she said in a sarcastic tone.

Three months into her relationship with Mike, she fell pregnant. When Mike learnt about her pregnancy, he changed his cellphone number and blocked her on Facebook. In a blink of an eye, he was completely out of her life. Natasha couldn't tell her parents about the new developments in her relationship with Mike. What was she going to say to them? She had been warned about him more times than she could even remember but she didn't listen.

Regrets started kicking in. She wished she had listened to her parents' 'lectures' but it was too little too late.

After full term pregnancy, she gave birth to a healthy four kilograms baby boy who resembled his father in more ways than one. The birth of her son changed her life forever. She found the reason for living. She found someone to trully love.

She had to drop out of school. She learnt to sacrifice, with the little money she had, she bought disposable nappies and baby formula, she couldn't even afford to buy necessities like cosmetics. She became the best mother to her son. We can safely say that motherhood brought the best in her.

The responsibility she had towards her baby and the sacrifices she has had to make ever since she became a mother taught her to appreciate the sacrifices her parents have made so that she could have everything she needed.

"Mom and dad, I'm sorry I didn't appreciate the efforts you made to give me everything I needed, I didn't realize that you had so much to sacrifice, thank you for everything you've done for me," she said one day.

"It's fine my baby, I'm just glad that motherhood has taught you a very important life lesson. They say life is the best teacher," her mother responded. She hugged her.