Mark reached down and picked up the other piece of paper and turned it over in his hands.
“It’s not much. I’m not dying a rich man. But it is everything I have, and I’m leaving it all to you. Do with it as you like. I know it doesn’t make up for anything, but I hope it will bring you some happiness. Do something with it that makes you happy. Regards, Timothy (Dad).”
Mark passed the cheque to me and I turned it over in my hands: R320,000.
I looked down at it for the longest time. The name and numbers were written in that same scribbled handwriting that everything else was written in.
I held it up and looked over at Mark.
“What are you going to do with it?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. Truthfully, I’d barely spent any money since arriving here. It surprised me how little one really needed to be happy. How little shopping one needed to do. How little one really needed to do your hair and make-up and nails. And then a thought hit me . . .
“Oh my God!”
“What?” Mark asked.
“We’ve got to drive to Samirah’s.” I put my foot down and pulled off, tires screeching.
Mark screamed and Harun barked.
“Sorry, I forgot how fast this thing was.” I drove it at a more regular speed until I reached Samirah’s. I rushed up to the front door and banged.
“Samirah,” I called.
She opened the door, looking exhausted. “Crap! Frankie, I’m climbing into bed and the babies are kicking and Faizel smells like an ashtray and—”
“Feel like calling a certain estate agent?” I said, thrusting the paper towards her.
“What?” she asked, looking down at it.
“What do you think?” I asked excitedly.
“What do I think of what?” She was still trying to catch up to me here.
“It’s an inheritance from a father I never knew. He said I should do something with it that makes me happy, and I literally cannot think of anything I would rather do than buy that land and build that sanctuary.”
“Wait . . .” Samirah’s eyes widened. “What?”
“So . . .?”
“Frankie, I can’t.” She pushed the cheque back to me. “This is so thoughtful and amazing and generous and kind, but I could never do this. That is my dream, not—”
“No. That’s where you’re wrong.” I shook my head. “It’s what I want too. This is what I want.”
I pushed the cheque back to her and she looked at it for the longest time.
“You sure?” she asked.
I nodded. “More sure than I’ve been in ages.”
She paused. Holding her breath for a moment and then . . . “This is amazing!” She threw her arms around me and the two of us jumped up and down on the spot together.
“Wait. No!” She pushed me away quickly and suddenly. “No jumping. Please, no jumping. I swear they’re going to fall out.” She grabbed her stomach and we both laughed.
CHAPTER 74
I went to meet my sister that morning at the hotel restaurant. But our breakfast turned into lunch, as we sat and talked for hours and hours about everything. Wereallyshared our feelings with each other. I spoke about how I’d felt growing up, and for the first time ever, she seemed to understand it. She also apologized for never standing up for me when I was being bullied, said she should have been strong enough to do that. By the end of lunch we were holding hands and sharing tears like we’d never done before. Logan kept the tea coming and we kept on talking. And when it was time for her to leave, I had a request.
