“Where is the runt?! Where is my son?”
Isaiah Kopano came out of his office to see what all the commotion was about. At the entrance of the orphanage where a hassled secretary, a dark-skinned woman with braided hair and a polyester gown was trying to calm the man shouting. It was a bearded man with shaggy hair and worn-out clothes.
“What is going on here, Sarah?” Isaiah asked.
Sarah turned grateful to find him there. “This man says he is looking for his son.”
Isaiah cast a weary gaze at Johann standing there reeking of vomit and booze. He knew Johann very well, everyone in the Miners Village knew him because they had encountered him at one point or another in gutters and on the streets. “Your son?”
“Don’t question me, bring him out.”
“Well, who is your son?”
“Nathaniel or whatever his name is.”
Isaiah turned to Sarah who was watching the exchange, she was glad she didn’t have to deal with the smelly, rude, white man stained with grime.
“He is talking about the boy who cleans.”
Isaiah narrowed his eyes at Johann unable to believe he was the father of such a responsible boy. “Wait here,” he said to Johann who was shifting from foot to foot like he had an itch.
Isaiah cast a weary gaze at him before going back to the passage leading to the rooms. The rooms were almost empty at this time of the day because the older boys were out on hire, and only the younger ones remained in the makeshift classrooms where they were taught how to read and write. He found Tshepo teaching the children but Nathaniel was nowhere to be found. Knocking on the door of the classroom, he drew Tshepo’s attention to himself.
The boy came running. “Sir?”
“Where is your friend, Nathaniel?”
“In the library, sir.”
Isaiah let him go back to the children and went to the small library. Sure enough there he was on the floor with his back against the wall reading an encyclopedia volume he had read before. Isaiah watched the boy and the eagerness in his eyes as he devoured the words in the book.
“Who taught you to read?”
Nate jumped to his feet. “Mr. Kopano, sir.”
“Easy boy.” Isaiah entered the room. Nate hurriedly tried to return the book to the shelf. “You read a lot. Do you have a formal education?”
“No, sir. Is there anything I can help you with, sir?”
Isaiah felt sorry for the boy. He was a tall handsome lad with a home, and a family yet he was like one of the orphans. He was a hardworking boy, early to work and diligent. To think such a bright young boy was the son of a drunk and a poor woman selling her body on the streets.
“No,” he responded. “You are done for today. Your father is here to see you.”
He saw the look of hatred so intense enter the boy’s eyes, his body was tense and a chill radiated from his thin body. For such a young boy harboring so strong an emotion. His gray eyes were ice cold.
“I do not have a father.”
Isaiah would have loved to play along and protect him but for the sake of the little children, he couldn’t let Johann any further into the building so against his better intentions he hardened his heart against his better emotions and grabbed Nate’s hand.
“I don’t have time for games boy, come with me!”
He pulled Nate and though the boy struggled against him he did not have the muscles and strength to fight hard enough so pulling him was easy.
“Leave me alone!” Nate cried.
Isaiah paused once and his eyes fell on the bruises on the boy’s body. He had noticed them before but up close they were profound and bad. Still, his hands were tied, for the safety of the children in his care he pulled Nate out, ignoring the tears that brimmed in his eyes.
They had barely gotten to the front room when Johann charged in and grabbed Nate’s shirt by the neck. Nate screamed, drawing the attention of all and sundry to watch the spectacle. He fought hard against Johann’s hold, desperate to get far away from the man he hated so much.
“You bastard!”
Johann did not hesitate to slap him across the mouth. Blood spilled from the injury inflicted on Nate from that blow. Isaiah moved to intervene but at that moment a white armed policeman patrolled the area and looked inside the building to see what caused the commotion that had people drawn to the door to watch. Isaiah moved back quickly to avoid problems.
Johann snared. “Good, mind ya damn business!”
He pushed Nate outside roughly, not caring that the boy was struggling to stay on his feet. The policeman did nothing, simply whistled and went the other way. Nate had no strength to fight Johann, he knew he had no hope if the policeman would not help him. He hung his head in shame as he followed his staggering father through the streets.
Johann wouldn’t stop cursing him and spitting angrily as they walked. “Would be nice to get rid of you for a change.”
Nate didn’t say anything. His eyes burned with tears at his helplessness. He wished he wasn’t always so helpless against his bully, drunkard father. Many times he considered running but he had no money to run and he couldn’t leave his mother behind in the hands of this cruel man. Besides, there was the fear of the unknown. He didn’t know what lay beyond the shores of Gabore. He knew about the other flourishing nations outside Gabore, he knew their names but that was all he knew. What would he do if he found a way to leave Gabore? He would need a source of livelihood and a place to stay, he barely had the money for those.
Shoulders hunched defeatedly Nate walked home to the boarding house and into the room where he saw his mother with one of the men who paid for her services. He lay between her legs thrusting in and out of her, his mother lay on the bed tears in her eyes waiting for him to finish.
Appalled at the sight, Nathaniel shrank back to give them the privacy they needed but Johann was right behind him with his hands gripping his shoulders roughly, he pushed Nathaniel into the room, startling both his mother and the dirty miner between her legs.
“Whore!” Johann spat.
The miner dressed up quickly, threw a few pathetic-looking notes at his mother, and took his leave. Anja avoided her son’s gaze as she put her clothes in place. She handed the money to Johann.
“Take this, if it’s the money you need you can have those and leave my son alone.”
“I will never receive money from a whore!”
Anja snorted. “You haven’t had any trouble with that for the past 15 years.”
But Johann wasn’t listening to her. He threw a bag at Nate and ordered, “Pack your things, we are leaving as soon as possible. He will be here any time soon.”
“Where are you taking my son?” Anja cried. She rushed to protect her son but Johann snatched her roughly away from him. Grabbing Nate by the neck of his shirt he forced him to pick a few clothes and stash them in his bag.
“Hurry now before he changes his mind.”
And so Nate’s life at the boarding house ended as he was hauled by Johann out the doors of the boarding house, the last thing he heard as he was dragged down the streets was his mother crying out for him.