"She drove your brother to the bottle. It's her fault that he is in the hospital this minute fighting for his life." Tebogo stared at the phone shocked.
"Are you serious?" He asked, knowing that it was a dumb question. Of course she was serious.
"First she tricked him into marrying her then she kidnapped his son. The woman should pay for her crimes."
"She didn't kidnap Joy, mother. You threw them out, after you called her a cheap whore and her son a devil's spawn."
"I did no such thing. Is that what that woman is saying about me?"
"No mother, the only thing Sindi is saying is that she will allow you to have her son when hell freezes over."
His mother grasped with shock. "Why that bitch! After everything I've done for her? She has a nerve to talk badly about me."
Tebogo closed his eyes again and counted to ten. "Mother, you ruined her marriage, poisoned Tumi against her. You are lucky she doesn't have you locked up for emotional abuse and bodily harm."
"Let her try!" Rose spat out. "I'll turn her life upside down it will make her head spin."
"You have already turned her life upside down, mother." Tebogo said. And you are making my head spin. He added to himself. Talking to his mother was exhausting. The woman lived in her own world where she made rules as she went along.
"That is the least of what that tramp deserves. Honestly, what Tumi saw in her, I'll never know. He deserves so much better."
"So does she, mother. And it may have escaped your attention but he is the one who proposed, the one who brought her into our lives."
"You know as well as I do that she tricked him. Your brother is too trustworthy and good for the likes of her."
"Trustworthy goes hand in hand with loyalty mother and Tumi possesses none."
"How could you say that about your brother?" Rose was honestly shocked.
"Unlike you I'm not blinded by his boyish angelic face. I see him for what he is…a spoilt brat who needs to grow up and own up to his actions."
"What are you talking about? Your brother is a saint." Rose defended her younger son as Tebogo knew she would. He rolled his eyes.
"Saints don't marry a girl then introduce her to hell. They don't abandoned their children or drink and drive. No mother, spoilt brats do that because they have their mother's blessings and older brothers who have nothing better to do than cleaning up their messes. Now if you don't mind, I have a poor naive girl to intimidate. After all, your wish is my command." With that, Tebogo hanged up. He stared at the phone for a minute expecting his mother to call back. Never before had he spoken to her like that but again never before had she asked him to do something so wrong. As the eldest son it was his responsibility to look out for his mother and brother. He hadn't asked for the responsibility but that didn't mean he shouldn't shoulder it. Whether he liked it or not. And it he didn't like it. Five years of living free of his mother had made Tebogo grow a backbone, not that his backbone was strong enough to tell his mother to go to hell but it was strong enough to let her know just what he thought of the whole situation.