Fly Away Home by Vanessa Del Fabbro Read Free Book Online

room.
    â€œFound her clothes,” he called.
    Francina and the child joined him in the other room, where he had discovered a box containing girl’s garments on a bookshelf piled with pirated videos.
    Francina took the little girl into the bathroom, bathed and dressed her in a clean skirt and T-shirt. As Francina’s hands worked, her mind was on another girl, only a few years older, who undoubtedly was contemplating her future.
    â€œThat’s better,” said Hercules, when Francina led the little one out of the bathroom.
    At the same time, the door to the aunt’s bedroom opened and Zukisa stepped out.
    Francina took one look at her face and knew immediately that Zukisa felt she ought to stay. But there was no time for Francina to try and change her mind, because at that moment the boys walked in, bringing with them a stale odor of sweat and cigarettes.
    â€œHowzit going?” the eldest boy asked Zukisa.
    He was three years older than her, but only one year ahead of her in school.
    â€œWhere have you been, Xoli?” Francina demanded.
    Xoli looked at her with surprise, as though she were a bird that had flown through the window. Neither he nor his brother, Bulelani, answered her question.
    Francina did not try to drag an answer out of them. “How can you leave your sick grandmother alone all night? And what about your sister? The front door was unlocked. Do you know what could have happened if she’d wandered outside on her own? Are you listening to me?”
    Xoli turned on the television.
    Francina snapped it off. “This is serious,” she yelled.
    Zukisa, who rarely heard her mother raise her voice, bowed her head.
    â€œWe’re going to come back here next week to check on you, and we better find this place in better shape,” said Francina.
    The boys gave halfhearted nods, but would not meet Francina’s eye.
    â€œLet’s go, Hercules, Zukisa.”
    Hercules patted the little girl on the shoulder and took Zukisa’s hand.
    Before Francina closed the front door, she gave the boys one last searing look and shook her finger at them.
    â€œThat should sort them out,” she said, going down the stairs.
    Zukisa was silent in the car on the way home, and Francina knew she was thinking about moving to Cape Town to help her aunt.
    Forgive me, God, my selfish thoughts, Francina prayed silently, but I cannot bear to think of life without my precious daughter.

Chapter Five
    M onica stared at the clock on the kitchen wall, wondering what would be an appropriate time to call a stranger in the United States. The boys were clearing the table after dinner. In America, it would be noon. What time did American church services end? She did not even consider that the family might not attend church.
    It had been three weeks since Monica had given Sipho permission to go. The days had passed quickly—too quickly—and now only four remained before his departure, on Friday morning.
    Although Sipho had expressed only a casual interest when Monica had mentioned that she’d like to talk to the lady who was going to be his host, she knew that he was curious about the family. Monica hoped she’d be able to form an accurate opinion from her voice alone.
    She dialed the string of numbers and waited for the phone to ring on the other end. It wasn’t long before a young person answered, perhaps the boy with whom Sipho would be going to school. He sounded polite and agreed to call his mother. Monica heard high heels clicking on a wooden floor.
    â€œHello?” The word sounded long in the lady’s accent.
    Monica explained who she was, and was astonished at the enthusiastic reaction she got.
    â€œI’m so happy you called,” said the lady. “I would have done the same in your place.” She insisted Monica call her by her first name, Nancy.
    Monica did not know how to proceed without making Nancy feel as if she were being interrogated, but there was