During the day, a young man appeared out of nowhere. He was short, had a baby face – in fact, he looked like a baby, approximately three to four years old. He was forever smiling, talkative, naughty, and weird, but he had a listening ear. "Percy, I’ve come to be your friend," he said.
"A friend?" I asked, surprised. "Who said I need a friend? And how do you even know my name?"
"No one said you need one," he replied, "but I say you do. And you don’t need to know how I know your name."
As someone who enjoys talking, he introduced himself. “I am Thabang.”
“Nice to know and meet you, Thabang,” I said.
As time went by, we had a very long conversation, so much so that we even talked about my personal life, my sorrows, and everything in between. He wasn’t as bad as I initially thought. In fact, he brought me joy. His name says it all: “to be happy, be happy.”
We shared some drinks, and as it got late, we started feeling tired and decided to sleep. On the mat, my nephew had put a blanket for himself to sleep. Unfortunately, Thabang fell asleep first. When my nephew came into the room, I told him, “You can sleep on the bed because someone is already sleeping on the mat. Or, if you want, you can sleep with him.”
My nephew looked at me, confused. “Who are you talking about? Uncle, are you crazy?” He stared at me like I had lost my mind.
I laughed and went back to bed. “Good night,” I said softly to Thabang, and he responded.
My nephew was terrified and ran out of the room. I called him back and told him not to panic. “Thabang is harmless. Just say good night, and he’ll respond.”
“No, I can’t! Why must I say good night to someone I can’t even see?” my nephew said, his voice shaking.
“Thabang, come sleep on the bed with me,” I called. Sure enough, he came. That’s when my nephew managed to calm down and sleep peacefully.
No one could see Thabang except me. Days went by, and my nephew kept asking, “Where is Thabang? How is he?” He was starting to show some sense of acceptance and understanding. Sometimes I would tell him that Thabang wasn’t around, but that he’d come back tomorrow. When Thabang wasn’t around, I felt lonely. Only he could bring a smile to my face and make me laugh.
Thabang would walk with me to the tuck shop, talking non-stop the entire way. One thing about him: he only visited when I was sad or stressed.
Thabang was more than a friend; he was my comfort, my laughter, my joy in times of sorrow.
