ONYIYE THAT GIRL

ONYIYE THAT GIRL
CHAPTER 11

ONYIYE MAZIBUKO

She's looking at the fresh soil smiling. If only she could make good use of it. Who knows maybe it will turn it up to something she wants.
"You been looking at my backyard ever since you came here."
Philisiwe says placing her hands on her waist. "Is there something wrong with my backyard?" She sounds offended.
"What! No not one bit ma. I'm just thinking of how the spinach, cabbages will look in here."
"We tried and failed." She dramatically roles her eyes making Onyiye to laugh.
"Maybe it's the way of how you did it."
"I grew up in the rural areas, I thought I still had it in me Kanti cha I was fooling myself."
Onyiye places Ndimu on the ground. It's very clean and she does not mind him walking around playing with dirt.
The way he makes noise now and all the gibberish he has been saying. He never said that back home. He was always quite and forever asleep.
She squats and feels the soil. "You see here, it could harvest and blossom. I think you should try again. I will like to plant those some day or yet own a farm."
"You way too young to be dreaming this big – but I’m happy. I can bet on my ancestors….it will not grow. I will give you the seeds - I have for onions, tomatoes and spinach."
"Bring it in girl. I'm also betting on my unknown ancestors it will harvest and blossom."
Philisiwe - Sbahle's mother huffs going to the house and comes back with a big black plastic giving it Onyiye. "Good luck magician. This I want to see. Should I lend you my size 5 garden boots, plow (igeja), watering can? I have I all ntombo."
Onyiye laughs shaking her head.
"You can bring it mah, I will be delighted. For the onions I will first plant the onion seeds indoors for about 8–10 weeks before transplanting them outside just before the average last frost date in the area. Seeds should be sown ¼ inch deep. Onions require an open and sunny site, fertile soil, and good drainage. That’s why I was admiring it." Mam Philisiwe looks at her lost.

Philisiwe is watching over the kids, sitting under the shade eating ice cream. Onyiye stops for a second and looks at her kids giggling.
They never felt their grannies love - her mind goes back when she almost threw Ngimu away in the bushes. She wipes her sweaty forehead and smile. Philisiwe notices and smiles waving at her. "Sebenza girl." Onyiye laughs continuing to work.

She's loosening your soil by digging down deep.
She then applies the fertiliser making sure to use one handful for every square metre of soil - mixing the soil and the fertiliser with the garden foil.
Putting seedlings into the ground, working according to the instructions on the seed packet. Now the she is done she feels satisfied.
"All done. I say from 6 weeks we will be singing another different story." Onyiye says taking off the gloves that Mam Philisiwe have her.
"I will wait with you till Jesus come back." She laughs.
"Can I go have a quick bath. I feel sandy."
"Ow, go my child and take your time. I will take these fellers inside to go watch ZimZim." She picks them both up.
She looks at the kids - they are surely gaining weight. Which makes her very much happy. And that reminds her she didn't tell her friend that she is in this side of town. She goes to her outside room that she is renting, stripping all of he clothes.

She just finished cooking for Ndimu. He loves chicken soup with soft pap.
Their skin is flawless even….
"Knock, knock." She knocks and let's herself in. That's how she was told. She knocks and bounces in.
She finds Ndimu standing infront of the TV. She rushes towards him removing but her cries.
"Leave him." Mam Philisiwe says. "We need to talk."
Onyiye's heart hurts in fear. Did she do something wrong? She now suddenly feels not well at all. She now feels hot and suffocated.
"Have you notices his right eye twitching?"
Onyiye nods.
"I did, the nurses said I have nothing to worry about." She responds and looks at her son who was focus on the television.
"I have been examining him for a couple of days now, his sight is not that good. He is struggling to see something from a distance. If he tries looking closely his right eye twitches, the more it twitches the more he gets frustrated and emotional. That where his face turns radically red."
She feels bad that she didn't take time in noticing all the symptoms.
"I'm a bad mother." She says placing the bowl on top of the coffee table.
"No, no, no you are not. Not for once doubt your parenting skills. You are very, and very much young to be taking of these babies alone. Let me tell you something you do not know….
Parenting itself is a difficult job. Looking after your child and ensuring their proper upbringing is something all parents strive for. On top of it, if we talk about being a single parent, it is even more challenging. Parenting gets far more complicated when only one parent is involved. Single parenting is considered one of the most challenging responsibilities. But at the same time, it is gratifying as well. Being a good single parent is something that you do not learn overnight but instead learn over a long period of time while facing many hurdles and barriers until you get to know your way around it. You are still young and you still yet to make huge decisions thinking that you are right but you will learn from them. Now that you know about Ndimu's state, he needs to see a professional doctor. I will ask Sbahle to add them under her medical aid so he could see a professionals before it's too late."
"I don't know what to say mah. I thank God for bringing me here. If I didn't get to know a woman like you I seriously do not know where I would be now with my children."
"And another thing, it's not only your children. It's ours. Learn that you are now not alone but you are surrounded by people not monsters. I will talk to Sbahle when she gets back from work."
She smiles leaning her head against Mam Philisiwe's shoulder.