“Were you leaving?” Kgauhelo asked gently.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I just came to lay my father to rest.”
She shook her head immediately.
“Oh no. You can’t leave now.”
“We’ve just met,” Palesa added, stepping closer. “Come back inside. I want to introduce you to the rest of your father’s family.”
She turned to her daughter.
“Fufu, please gather everyone.”
I hesitated.
“Can we do that somewhere else?” I asked quietly.
“I… I can’t be in the same room as her.”
Palesa’s face softened.
“It won’t take long, my boy.”
“And besides,” Kgauhelo added reassuringly, “we’re not from here either.”
That gave me enough strength to nod.
We gathered under the shade, and one by one, faces turned into names—uncles, aunts, cousins. Strangers just minutes ago, now looking at me like they had been waiti
