Born a Crime

Just as she let the past go, she
was determined not to repeat it: my
childhood would bear no
resemblance to hers. She started
with my name. The names Xhosa
families give their children always
have a meaning, and that meaning
has a way of becoming self-
fulfilling. You have my cousin,
Mlungisi. “The Fixer.” That’s who
he is. Whenever I got into trouble
he was the one trying to help me fix
it. He was always the good kid,
doing chores, helping around the
house. You have my uncle, the
unplanned pregnancy, Velile. “He
Who Popped Out of Nowhere.” And