As the days passed, something changed between me and Rebecca —
not loud, not dramatic…
just calm.
We didn’t force conversations.
We didn’t try to impress each other.
We simply met each other where we were.
She saw the healing in my face before I could speak it.
I saw the peace in her eyes when she watched Olerato crawl toward me.
There were no arguments, no pressure, no rushing.
Just two people who had been through too much… finally breathing in the same direction.
Sometimes she’d sit next to me while I massaged my hand the way Mr. Mabaso showed me.
Sometimes I’d walk around her yard while she hung clothes, just talking about nothing and everything.
Our laughter returned first.
Then trust.
Then a sense of family so natural it almost scared me.
One evening, after I had bathed
