Umfelokazi

chapter 2

Chapter 2

I look at myself through the little mirror infront of me and I look at myself. I am nervous. I had tied the doek well making sure that it is properly secured.I sighed and I look at myself and I feel okay, ready but also at the same time I am nervous. I have never really done this before in my life but a job is a job right? Cleaning cannot be that difficult right?
A knock surfaces from the door and I quickly go and open the door and I find Rethabile standing infront of the door smiling ready in her school uniform with her back pack in her hands. 
“Hello,Mama told me you are taking me to school”,She says making her way inside the room and I close the door. 
She places her bag on the bed and opens it and takes out her school jersey.
“Yes”,I say
I had opted to accompany Rethabile to school today because I felt nervous and I thought maybe hearing her chatting self before I go to work would distract me alot. I have never done this before too. Taking a child to school, what does she need? Does she have everything that she needs?
“Do you have everything you need?”,She takes her jersey and puts it on and I go to her and pull her to fix her hair, she smiles.
“How long are you going to wear these black clothes?”,She asks.
She has asked this question more than 3 times now.
“For a year”
“Why?”,See? The questions that she asks always have a follow up question with it.
“Because I married Malume and now he is gone so I have to remember him”,She just nods.
I think her questions have depleted but not for long that I know.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, Mama has cornflakes for me. Do you eat cornflakes Aunty Nomvelo?”,I place my hands on her shoulders.
“No”
“Okay”,She jumps into the bed and crosses her legs and I watch her.
“We will leave soon. Do you want a fruit?”
“Yes please”,I smile and I go and open the fridge and stare at it's almost emptiness.I sigh.
I grab the last fruit for her and close the fridge then give it to her.
She thanks me and she shoves it in her bag and zips it up. 
I go and wear my shoes and I then take my bag. I look at myself for the last time before I turn to Rethabile.
“Come let's go”,She jumps off the bed and I fix it before we leave the room.
We see some of our fellow neighbour mates who live in the same yard as us ready to go to work.
“Good morning!”,Rethabile greets waving at them.
Everyone knows Rethabile. She is a bubbly child and does not shy away from talking.
We walk out of the yard and I hold her hand.
She has started talking, more about how difficult she is feeling grade 4 and I just listen. It has been years since I was last in that grade. 
She tilts her head to the side when she asks a question and I answer her along the way and some I could not even answer.
I have never met Rethabile's father before but I have had her away gone to her grandmother's house. 
We get to her school and I give her a hug before she runs off screaming “Bye Ausi Mvelo!”,I wave at her. 
I look at her as she disappears with other children and I smile before I turn away and I go and catch a taxi going to town.
Today I will be starting my first day at work. Yes I got the job at that place we last went to with Mimi and I was really surprised. I did not think that they would get back to me but they did just as per Mimi’s words. 
The taxi arrives and I hop inside and pull my bag closer to me. I am nervous. I do not think this will subside down anytime soon but I try to keep myself calm through the journey.
.
I have arrived! It looks quiet but there are not alot of people here but the workers are moving around. I am following this man in a red shirt on, he is the manager that we met the last time. I scan my eyes around as I look at this place admiring it's scenery. 
“You are not the only cleaner we have here. There about 4 of you”,I nod my head at him.
We get to another room and I find two ladies there dressed in a black and red cleaning attire.
“This is where staff change and they will show you the supplies. I have given you your schedule. Please stick to it”
“I will”,The guy nods and he moves out of the room.
I greet the ladies and they greet back.
“I am Kay, I have been cleaning here for 3 years now”,One says and she smiles coming towards me.
“This is my first time having a job”,my mouth slips.
“I hope you going to enjoy the independence”,I hope so too.
They show me around and I get to wear the cleaning Attire. What I like is that it is black and I still to keep my mourning attire on.
We go and get cleaning supplies and we are to start with cleaning the front floor meaning the main part of this place where everyone comes in and goes out.
We start with putting the chairs up and then we get down into sweeping in different sections then we mop there after.
The whole morning we were cleaning different places of this place and then we had a break. Our break we could bring our lunch or we can buy here at our workplace and we get a discount.
The others went to buy some food ordering from the restaurant meal and I go to the bathroom. It looks quiet fancy. This place is fancy, I get inside and use the bathroom. When I need to flush I could not figure out where is the handle to flush. I pull anything I could get my hands on and finally I found the handle and flushed. Relief rushes through me and I sigh. I get out of the bathroom and I go and wash my hands. I look at myself through the mirror and smiled. 
“Thank you”,I really should thank God and Mimi for actually getting here.
For God sending her into my life.
I get out of the bathroom and I go back to where our things are...
____
I am staring to get the hang of this working thing I would say. Getting a taxi going to work can be a bit difficult when getting there but it is much difficult when I have to get a taxi going to town. It does not come that easy. 
It is my third day today and I did work with the other ladies. I never buy lunch here and there is not even a close aunty here who I can get maybe a gwinya from.
Honestly I am low on cash. The money my husband left for me is not enough plus I used most of the money I had with travelling to see my Husband at the hospital everyday for a month and the money I have now I am using it for transport to work. Everyday I have to take 4 taxi’s so I cannot spend it any how.
We get paid per end of the week. Our whole pay is split into 4 and we get paid like that. To be quiet honest I do not like that method because I will not be able to know the money I have well but I guess for this place it works well for them, even so I do not know well things that happen in a working system so I will have to reserve my thoughts to myself. 
It is lunch time. Usually during this time the place is a but packed. Apparently it is much packed at night as people party and drink during that time, those who work here during those times know. 
I am just glad that I work during the day and I knock off before I even witness all of that.
I am cleaning around the main floor. My schedule today has put me on main door cleaning twice and yesterday it was the other lady. It swaps around between us I guess. 
I decided just to get onto it as I do not have lunch and just finish while at that.  
As I was mopping my manager approaches me.
“Please can you come and help at the back quickly. I need some plastics taken out”
“Sure”,I smile and follow after him.
He shows me the boxes and plastics that need to be taken out at the back to the back dumpster. 
It wasn't much. Just two boxes and one plastic bag.
I get with it and take out the first box and plastic and throw it in the dumpster.
In the back there is like a reserve only parking by the look of things. 
I move and go and inside and take the last box and I walk outside. This one seems a bit heavy. 
I throw it inside the trash and then I dust my hands and then run my fingers over my uniform making sure I have not made myself any dirty. 
Something catches the corner of my eye as I am still busy and I see someone's body peaking under one of the cars. 
I go further and this person hasn't moved. Oh my god he must be dead or something.
“Oh my God”,I go down and try to pull them out but the person's legs shake. 
“Arg what...”,I step back when I hear this deep baritone speaking.
He gets out from under the car and he dusts his top as he gets up.
“I am sorry, I...I thought you were dead”,I say.
The man keeps quiet and looks at me. Well he has big eyes. 
“It is fine.”,He mentions with a slight frown on his face.
I nod my head.
“I am sorry again. What were you doing under the car?stealing it?”,I raise my brow and he laughs.
“How could I steal something I own?”,Ohw.
“Okay”,I turn around and move away from him and I go back inside the place. 
Really people shouldn't do things like that. I thought maybe he was dead but I am glad he is not. 
I go and wash my hands and I get back with my work for the day.
The ladies finish their lunch and carry on with their work. The manager comes and announces that there is a meeting in the VIP section of which is upstairs of this place. As I have mentioned this place is quiet fancy.
We leave our duties for a moment and we make our way to the VIP section and wait.  Our manager arrives and soon the man who was under the car follows after him. As he walks into the room his aura suddenly changes to something that is not light. 
They stand infront of us and face us. 
“Good day,I know we have not seen each other in a while. Well I had some things to sort out with my other businesses but I am glad that you are all holding the fort well”,The guy says.
We listen attentively as he speaks and it clicks to me that he might own this place maybe. We have updates and he mentions slight changes with the place that will be made and the routines too to suite this new venture idea and all of that. Most things I did not understand and some words were too difficult for me to understand but I will ask these ladies to explain things to me. 
After the update we were told to be dismissed and we left the room and went back to our tasks. 
.
“Ausi Mvelo!”,Rethabile waves my way as I am walking home.
I wave to her and she turns and goes back to playing with the other children. I see Mimi sitting outside smoking as she is seated on one of her fancy chairs. She smiles when she sees me.
“Hey Sisi, how was your third day?”,She asks.
“It was okay. How was your day?”,I ask.
“Arg I just did some washing and sat around but I will be gone tonight”,She mentions and takes a puff off her cigarette. 
“Oh and Rethabile?”,I ask.
“I will see,She is 9 years old she can go and sleep over at the twins house",She mentions. 
“I can take her in. She can sleep with me, I will take her to school”,She smiles. 
“Thank you”,She takes a puff off her cigarette.
I walk away from her and unlock the door of my little place and I get inside. 
I dump my body on the bed as soon as I get inside and I rest a bit. I feel a bit tired. Standing up the whole day can be very tiring trust me. 
I get up from the bed and I go and check for something to cook since Rethabile will be staying with me for the night.
___
She runs her fingers on her arms and she dips her pink towel inside the bathing basin and she then squeezes the towel on her body just to get the soap off her skin. I watch as I have laid her pyjamas already on the bed. She picked them out and said she wanted the powder blue ones, they make her look good she mentioned. 
“The water is getting cold Mvelo”,Rethabile complains yet she is still in the water.
“Phuma khona uzogqoka(Get out so you can get dressed)”,I mention.
She smiles and she then nods. When all the soap is off her body she wipes her body and gets out. I watch her as she gets her things and puts Vaseline over her body and gets dressed in her pyjamas.  I help her tie her doek so she can keep her hair well.
“Mvelo”
“Mmmh?”
“Will you stay alone  now that Malume is gone?”,She asks.
I do not think she has believed that Jabu is gone. She must be trying to process it as much as I am.  I stop what I am doing and I sigh.
“Yes”
I finish doing her head and she smiles. 
“Get in bed. I will go and discard the water okay?”,she nods and hops onto the bed.
I take the basin that she was using and I go and discard the water before I come back inside and I find her asleep already. She must be tired from playing, I put the basin away and I lock the door.  I switch off the lights and I go into bed and sleep next to her.  Silence is something that is far from being found in this place but atleast we can get some sleep for the night.