taking her to live with him in the
Meadowlands, without even telling
her why, he packed her off and sent
her to live with his sister in the
Xhosa homeland, Transkei—he
didn’t want her, either. My mom
was the middle child. Her sister was
the eldest and firstborn. Her
brother was the only son, bearer of
the family name. They both stayed
in Soweto, were both raised and
cared for by their parents. But my
mom was unwanted. She was the
second girl. The only place she
would have less value would be
China.
My mother didn’t see her