She ran around the yard chasing after a butterfly. She was as cheerful as ever. She's the kind that lights up the room with her presence. Her father watched her intently while in deep thoughts.Mr Nsefu always wanted to have a daughter. Sweet right? Well before you go ahead and give him the father of the year award, I probably should let you in on a little secret. When he was seated there he was actually contemplating the amount of money this little girl is worth. See, human trafficking is still a thing in the Southern parts of Africa. When poverty knocks on the door, morality does jump out the window. This little girl was his last shot of building up a legacy to leave for his son's. Patriarchy is a concept that runs deep in the blood vessels of African's, so don't be surprised as to why I said that without cringing.
"Makgwale!" Her father called out to her. Like the obedient daughter she is, she came running with a smile plastered on her face. "Have you noticed any changes with your body recently?" her father asked trying to be as subtle as possible. Makgwale shook her head sideways in confusion and she didn't miss the look of disappointment on her father's face. He rubbed his palm on his face in frustration since he didn't understand why it was taking so long. "This can't be right. Are you sure nothing unusual happened? Like maybe, blood coming out of your private part?" He asked. Makgwale's eyes widened as she processed what her father just said. She didn't even know something like that was possible. Never mind considered normal. Now she felt like she was broken. She was one of those girls puberty forgot, an epitome of a late blommer. That was a huge inconvenience for her father because he was ready to cash in on his investment.
As days went by, Mr Nsefu would inspect his daughter closely to see if there were any changes. Each day that went by, he became more irratable than normal. Makgwale couldn't help but feel guilty that her father wasn't in a good space because of her. Her naive self wanted to get her menarch so bad so that her father could be pleased. On her 15th birthday it happened. She got out of her room running and calling out to her father. Her excitement led her to grabbing her father's arm and taking him to her bedroom. Mr Nsefu was gobsmacked. His eyes widened as he admired the red liquid that drenched Makgwale's white bedsheets. "Finally" he said as he sighed in relief. "Good girl" he pinched her cheek and patted her heard. She smiled in victory. Little did she know that her life was about to take a terrible turn. Now there was one thing left to do, find a buyer.
Mr Nsefu organized a meeting with Kalenga to give him the good news. "She's ready. She's mature now" Nsefu said as he stood up and stared outside his window. "How much is your selling price?" Kalenga asked as he leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed and left hand on his chin. "R50 000 and 30 cows..." he paused as he was trying to find a reason to justify what he was about to do. "It'll be more than enough to keep my 4 son's in school and also build a legacy for them. Kalenga couldn't judge him even if he wanted to. After all he was the middle man that made these kind of things happen and he gets a nice cut." You're in luck my friend" Kalenga said as he stood up to stand next to Nsefu. "There is a man of importance who visited South Africa for about a month now, he is heading back home and he wants a "souvenir", your daughter is perfect for this. I'm going to need the best picture of your daughter so that the client can evaluate the product."Kalanga stated as he pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his jacket pocket.
Mr Nsefu nodded in approval.
