Holding On

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

*Alarm ringing*

Damn it, I'm late. Mr Phakade is going to kill me. I snoozed this alarm once, right? Once being 'ring again in 10 minutes', right? How am I 30 minutes late then? The time is 07:15 now and I must rush through my hygiene process if I have to make it on time to work. I aggressively shove the blankets away from me and jump out of the bed with my feet making contact with the cold tiles in my bedroom reminding me just how brutal winter is. I run towards the bathroom while I take off and drop my pyjamas along the way; my mother would be so disappointed at the pig that I have become but honestly there's no time for order right now as I must make it to work by 08:00. Perhaps I can call Thulani, my colleague and ask him to pick me up on his way to work as he lives within the same vicinity as I, but should he agree to pick me I may not be ready by the time he gets to my apartment. I guess I must just hurry up and make sure that I make it on time.

I rampage through my bathroom sink looking for my toothbrush and toothpaste and once I find them, I aggressively start brushing my teeth with the hopes that I would have to do the back-and-forth movement too many times. I finish brushing my teeth and take a quick shower by just lathering the shower sponge with shower gel and run it briefly over throughout my body. This quick process doesn't guarantee cleanliness, it only guarantees that I smell like water and soap; the rest I'll figure out when I come back from work. I close the shower faucet, stepping out the shower while I wipe myself dry. I apply face cream to my face, apply some body lotion to my body, use some deodorant for my under arms, and roughly run my afro comb through my hair after which I wear my undergarments. I did not prepare any clothing yesterday for today because I was too busy catching up on the most recent episodes of National Geographic, and yes, I'm one of those boring individuals that would rather watch nature-oriented TV shows than watch romantic comedy series or movies. I suppose my love for nature and animals stems from growing up in a village and in a household where we had livestock that I used to help herd... oh how I miss those good old days.

The pinging sound from my phone, indicating that I have just received a message, snaps me out of my train of thoughts and I find myself rushing toward it with the hopes that it's Thulani saying he will pick me up. Unfortunately for me it's my younger brother, Inga (21), reminding me that I need to send him money for his school trip for next week. Inga is currently studying Law at Wits and the university has organised a trip for the students to go spend a day at the Constitutional Court as part of their curriculum. Where will I even get this money? I'm flat broke and I don't want to deplete my savings as that money will be used to help my mother out during the December holidays and I'll also use it for Inga's registration fees next year as he currently does not have a bursary. I set a reminder on my phone to get back to him or rather send him his money as I don't have time to respond right now. When done, I dash towards my closet and grab the nearest dress that I can find that will not require me to do any ironing. I opt for a long sleeved black woven turtleneck dress that hangs just below the knees, and I pair it with a pair of mid-level heeled black ankle boots while spritzing some perfume on my neck and wrists.

The time now reads 07:38 and I have 22 minutes to get to school. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I am an educator at eTembeni Primary Senior Secondary School teaching grade 10-12 Geography and Biography and yes, I followed in my mother's footsteps. I dash towards the lounge and grab my apartment keys, purse, and rush out the door not forgetting to lock it behind me. I take a brisk walk towards the taxi stop, which is almost 5 minutes away from my apartment, to catch a taxi with the hopes that when I get there the taxi will be almost full and ready to leave. To my luck, I get to the stop and find a taxi that is short of one passenger, me, ready to depart. I jump in, closing the door behind me and sitting right behind the passenger seat. My laboured breathing is a clear indication that I was walking fast, close to jogging even. I really need to do something about my health. The school is not that far when you drive, it is almost 10 minutes away from my apartment. I make it to the school gates by 07:56, I jump off the taxi and dash towards my classroom. Fortunately, these rascals are still making their way to the classroom which gives me enough time to pack away my purse and quickly prepare for today's lesson.

The rest of the day proceeds rather smoothly, considering how rushed I was this morning, and soon it is time to knock off. I can't wait to get home and take off these clothes, especially this bra. I just want to relax in front of the TV and watch a few episodes of National Geographic while stuffing my face with chips. The blaring sound from my phone snaps me out of my daydreaming; it's the reminder I had set in the morning regarding Inga's school excursion money. Without having found an alternative solution of where I could get his money from, I am left with no option but to dip into my savings and send him the money. I don't want to burden my mom with this as she is already taking care of a lot. I grumpily pack my bag, walk out of the school premises and head towards the taxi rank to catch a taxi to town to deposit Inga's money at the bank.

Upon arrival, I observe that the queue for making deposits is not that long meaning I could be out of here soon but upon further investigation I find that there is only one teller working... great, just great! Andilambe ngeloxesha ndingatya umntu (I'm so hungry I could eat a whole person). I am beyond exhausted, and this queue is moving at a snail's pace. There is no way I'm cooking when I get home, I will just have to have tea and bread. Ten years later, just kidding, I finally got assistance depositing Inga's money. I send Inga a message before I exit the bank informing him that I'd sent him the funds and that he must use them wisely. After sending him the text I shove the phone in my purse and proceed to walk towards the exit of the bank. On my way out I bump into a wall...a wall? A warm wall at that... or is it? Oh no, it's a chest.