Gone Are the Days: The Story of My Life

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© 2021 Isaac T. Matlala. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/24/2021

ISBN: 978-1-6655-9363-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-9361-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-9362-5 (e)

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CONTENTS

Introduction By The Author

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR

W HEN WE WERE YOUNG, PLAYING was the only thing in our minds.

In the dusty streets of our villages and towns with our friends we used to remain until dusk, making noises that kept us far away from immorality as respect imprisoned us.

We were enjoying so much that even Food was the last thing in our minds unless our elders reminded us. Those were the days when parents were parents and kids were exactly that.

Today power has been handed over to children, turning them into aggressive monsters that are never to be criticized, corrected or punished for their wrongs.

They have become the hyenas in their families, schools and communities; disrespecting their mothers and fathers, beating up their teachers and getting away with wrongful deeds…doing as they please! Their lives have been sacrificed to alcohol, substance abuse, fornication and crime for their meaning of living is the joy of the flesh.

We are indeed heading to a disastrous society where morals will completely be extinct and evil will be the new norm, a generation where aging will be no more for young blood will be sipped by the graves as fast as they sip their wine of Immorality. Wail you ignorant mothers and fathers of our days, wail for your kids for darkness is looming in their lives.

This book is an awareness to peer pressure dedicated to all the young people of this world.

Isaac T Matlala

CHAPTER 1

O H DEATH..! HEARKEN YOU EVIL reaper of souls, murder of life…these are the tears of my dilapidated spirit, the repercussions of my shameful deeds. I call upon you the life muting mystery that has never been seen from days of old! You the ever existing bin of dust that never gets full from those it keeps on slaughtering…come and relieve me from the sorrows of this world! Come and make me rest; make me rest deeper from the shadows of these pains. Let the rising sun set with the silence of my crackling breath and let my soul disappear forever from the streams of this life. I want to be counted amongst my brothers and sisters whose presence you have erased from existence and never again shall their closeness be felt. Let the people eat and drink as they sing songs to goodbye my soul to dust where my forefathers and mothers have decayed, for dark are the days of my life that seeks light which refuse to shine on me. A cloud of tears has blocked my eyes and dragged me into an ocean of sorrows where joy and peace are hard to catch for my heart has been flooded by the waves of anger and self hatred. Gone are the days, gone are the times…magnificent periods when I was a young boy knowing nothing about the meaning of life. I am today alone in thoughts of emotions; should have, could have, too late! My crippling mind is harassed by regrets, soul whipped by the past. These are the never healing wounds of life, the lessons of ignorance. Listening indeed is a skill and life, a patient teacher.

My soul today thirst for love and comfort that run away when they see the shadow of my body. It is days like these that reminds me of a woman who brought me into this planet and wish she were here to tap my shoulders and tell me that everything was going to be alright, but you the ever eating death that never gets satisfied by those that you keep on swallowing every day have snatched her to a place that await us all. A woman of love who knew what it meant to be a mother is today gone forever. Every day when I open my eyes I wish to see her coming back from the place of darkness but my wishes are vain for we only live once and die and nothing more. Without her, my future is dull. I have no hope and I feel like all my dreams have been murdered. Naked are my desires and wishes that have no clothes to wear and lonely is my life like a desert that thirst for rain.

There is blood in my hands that no water can wash away. I keep on seeing it every time I look at them. It is the blood of all those who gave me love but my actions chose to empty their lives into an everlasting pit of doom. Ascend well in thy journeys fellows, go and peacefully rest in thy graves for little is time and we shall be with thee, an agonizing road of life never to be avoided.

It all began some years ago when a 22 year old man known as Piet Mphaga found a woman who became his wife. This woman was named Mary and together with her husband they lived somewhere in the northern villages of the Northern Province, now Limpopo. Piet met the 21 year old lady during summer time in a church conference which was attended mostly by the youth and during the sermon by the pastor, the two continued to glance at each with admiration as they sat far apart in opposite direction. They didn’t even concentrate to what the pastor was preaching about for their imaginations were already far away from the church service and immediately thereafter they wasted no time but introduced themselves to one another and since then their love only mushroomed.

Only a year passed and the two were already married. Things happened so fast that by the fourth month of their marriage Mary fell pregnant. They were both excited and looking forward to have a new member of the family in the house, but like a beautiful flower wilting before it could blossom things suddenly took a different turn. During the 7th month of their pregnancy Mary experienced severe bleeding which resulted in premature birth of a stillborn. This was something that paralyzed their emotions and left them troubled and devastated. The cause of bleeding was said to be placenta abruption of an unknown origin according to the doctors and although they were deeply hurt, they comforted themselves by saying that they still had a chance of falling pregnant again based on their ages. The midwives at the hospital were also very supportive and as such they encouraged them to give that baby a name and bury her with dignity in an attempt to help them cope with the loss. Piet and Mary named her Oretlogetje-a sepedi name meaning you left us because indeed she left them in a way that was unexpected.

Oretlogetje was buried at the village’s graveyard and memories of her pregnancy remained in the minds of her parents because a child is one of those special blessings that provide joy to those who need it, but when it is lost it leaves behind an unimaginable pain that can never be cured not even by the presence of another child. Even to Piet and Mary, the passing of Oretlogetje left them with an empty space which was not to be filled by anything or anyone. Shocked and hurt they found themselves swimming alone in those sorrows with no support from their families nor friends and that only made their love stronger because they cried on each other’s shoulders and thus strengthening the bond that already existed. For a moment, they truly became the true inspirational figures of what love was to the younger generation during those times. Sprouting like a buried seed watered by the ever flowing streams of life, their marriage continued to witness the rising and setting of the sun in all seasons for it was a union believed to be rooted on the foundations that originated from the garden of Eden.

Days came and passed. Weeks turned into months and months became years. Piet and Mary’s lives were never the same. Their marriage was slowly being polluted by sadness as they struggled to conceive another child for almost 16 years. They experienced mocking from the society and tolerated criticisms from their families and friends. Every day their hopes for pregnancy were shoved far away from the existing world. Piet’s family even tried to interfere by encouraging him to divorce Mary, but he was not prepared to listen to what they said because he loved his wife and has promised to be with her until death does them apart. Every morning when they woke up they would find their pillows wet with tears because it was indeed a painful experience not to be blessed with at least a single kid. They even came to a point where they gave up and admitted that they will never have children until they die. Though their hearts were sore, there was nothing that they could have done except to accept the pain of not having a child. Sometimes they would just look into each other’s eyes and cry because they experienced life as being unfair and cruel.

Mary was a young lady born and raised by a single mother in the outskirts of Lebowakgomo in the Limpopo Province. She never knew her father because he was the hero of the struggle during apartheid times and has since disappeared in the hearts of east Africa during Monica’s pregnancy. Even today his life remains a mystery to his family as they still don’t have any clue of his whereabouts. Rumours has it that he was shot and killed by the military in one of the African countries but there has been no evidence of such to date. Nonetheless his family is proud that he has played a role in the fight against apartheid government and has left South Africa with a legacy of freedom which will forever be enjoyed by generations. However, his departure has left Monica with a burden to raise Mary alone in the midst of poverty. The poor woman found herself slowly being dragged in the wild land of misery where carnivores and scavengers (troubles and sorrows) were patiently opening their mouths and salivating because they knew that they were about to inflict pains of struggle to her family. Fortunately she was a very strong woman who feared no situation or challenge that life threw at her and as a result she was able to find a job and rescue her child from being swallowed into the inner parts of a tough life. Monica’s strength motivated Mary to study very hard so as not to disappoint her. She wanted to make her mother proud and lift her up and out from the streams of poverty and as a result she worked very hard at school and used to take the first position in terms of the academic performance.

Inauspiciously Monica died of a sudden heart attack during Mary’s early years of high school and due to those misfortunes she was forced to leave school and go to stay with her aunt, Lucy, who was unable to afford school fees because she had eight children and was not married. Mary stayed there for about seven years and during her stay, she was very unhappy because the children hated and treated her badly maybe because they were jealous of her beauty or something that she was not aware of. They used to overload her with home chores and blame her for every mistake that they used to make. Her life was miserable and at some point she felt that life was too heavy for her to handle, she thought of committing suicide but remembered her mother’s words of advice that when tough times strikes a woman should never be shaken by the winds of this life. She knew that in order to make it in life, perseverance is the key.

The burden of her life further intensified when her aunt became very sick to a point where death couldn’t let her survive and thus she died as a result of kidney failure which was a complication of diabetes mellitus-a condition that ran in that family and has resulted in a number of deaths including that of their father as they did not adhere to the medical treatment because they were people who highly believed that others were bewitching them. Mary was shocked and confused knowing exactly that she was going to be evicted from that family and the fact that she had no other place to go tortured her life and deprived her of peace. As the days passed, her anxiety grew and the taste of life gradually became bitter. But just before things got worse after three months of her aunt’s death, she met a young decent and God fearing man, Mr Piet Mphaga who took her to be his wife; taking her out of the road of life which led her to nothing but tears of sorrows.

It is said that their wedding celebration day was one of those memorable events in the history of their community because it was the best wedding that was never seen in a village area like theirs. The clothes they worn and the food that were prepared still remain in the eyes and tongues of those that were there. It was indeed a wedding that was planned and implemented in such a way that was magnetic and exciting. Even today, memories of that day are still being shared with the new generations. They have written a chapter that is not to be erased in the history of their village.

As life went on just when they thought they were going to die without having to hold an alive baby of their own in their hands, Mary fell pregnant at the age of 40 and they both could not believe that reality considering the normal child bearing ages. Piet and Mary found themselves excited and at the same time anxious because they were not sure of what to expect. They were told and informed by the nurses and doctors about all the risk factors that can happen or be anticipated during the period of that pregnancy including delivery and post natal. But they decided to let God be the decider of their fate because they believed and laid their trusts in him. They used to read the bible scriptures which kept their faith strong and encouraged them to never lose hope. They also received support from their church pastor who kept on praying for them every day and night.

Miraculously the pregnancy went well with no complications and at 38weeks of gestation when Mary was 41 years old, she experienced labour pains which brought nothing but miseries in their lives. It was on Saturday the 11th of April when she gave birth to a boy who came to change the direction of that family forever; a boy whom they believed will keep their genes alive and expand the family to greater heights. They named him Mpho, a sepedi name meaning Gift because they believed it was indeed a precious gift from God. So excited they found themselves covered with tears of joy, giving thanks to the almighty God for blessing them with an amazing gift that they have been waiting for all their lives in their marriage. All those who were laughing at them for being childless remained with their eyes wide opened because they could not believe what they were witnessing. From