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C H A P T E R  F O U R T E E N

29 March 1976
Soweto

It has been a week since I stopped working at the Bosman house. A part of me was relieved that I will not be seeing that family again. But the thought of my mother returning to work at her age didn't sit well with me.

"Are you thinking about your mom again?" Khumo asked nudging my shoulder.

"Yes. I'm just worried about her, you know."

"Your mother has been a domestic worker for years now. I'm sure she will be fine."

I sighed, "If you are trying to reassure me, then it's not working."

"Well, on the brighter side, Mrs De Villiers is not coming to school today." He chirped, his tone laced with excitement.

"But she never gets absent, what happened?" I asked

"Apparently her husband died at that war in Angola."

"Operation Savannah." I whispered to myself.

But clearly it was loud enough for Khumo to hear. "Huh?" He asked confused.

"Mrs De Villiers' husband was a soldier at the South African Defence Force. Operation Savannah is the South African code name for their military incursion into Angola." I explained.

"And how do you know all of this information?"

"I read Khumo."

"I'm just pleased as Punch that she's absent because I didn't even do her homework." Khumo said, not giving a Tinker's damn that Mrs De Villiers just lost her husband. I can't even imagine the pain she is going through. I can't imagine what Mama must have went through when Dad passed away, leaving her with a 1 month old baby. No matter how much I dislike someone, I would never wish death on them.

"You really need to start taking your education more seriously Khumo."

He scoffed, "An education that is not going to take me anywhere, yeah right."

"There are two new universities that have been established for black people, you know. Do you want to stay at home with your parents forever?"

Khumo sighed, "Of course not."

"Then it's not too late to start studying now. It's still the beginning of the year and I can tutor you if you are interested."

"Does the tutoring include eating your mother's home baked scones?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Yes Khumo."

"Then count me in." He chirped once again, as we walked to school with his arm wrapped around my shoulder.

***

"De Villiers is not coming to school today!" Khumo announced as soon as we entered our classroom. His announcement was followed by a series of chants and shouts. Students fist pumped the air out of joy.

"Where is Mbuyisa?" I asked Khumo as we took our usual seats.

"If you want me to speculate, I'd say he is probably in the bathroom crying because his favorite teacher is not here." Khumo teased.

"Come on, De Villiers is not his favorite teacher. He just loves History that's all."

Mrs De Villiers is our History teacher. And just like the rest of them, she too has an indifferent attitude towards my people and our suffering.

Mbuyisa Makhubo. The smartest student in our class. Also a great leader. Teachers and students relied on him, although students relied on him for answers to their incomplete homework. Mbuyisa and I shared a common interest. Politics. We could debate all day long about different topics. But Khumo wouldn't allow that to happen. Khumo doesn't like sharing his best friend, and he made that pretty clear when he punched a boy last year for asking for my Maths answers.

"Since when do you know what Mbuyisa's favourite subject is? Are you trying to replace me with him?" Khumo dramatically placed his hand on his chest, symbolizing his hurt.

"Everyone knows history is his favourite subject. And besides I could never replace you."

"Because I am your soul mate." Khumo added.

"Right." I chuckled.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that the two of you are dating." Mbuyisa spoke as he took a seat next to me.

"Hey, we were just talking about you." I disclosed.

"Good things, I hope."

"Not really." I laughed and proceeded to tell him what Khumo and I were talking about before he got here.

These were the type of friends I could never replace. Friends that made you forget about the oppression we constantly faced. Friends that made the world a better place. They are family.

~*~

Hi guys, sorry for the late update. My father recently passed away and i had to take a break from writing but I'm back now. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. More chapters coming soon.

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