Surviving High School.

chap.55

Yhoo!!! KwaZulu the bundu! We've spent a week here and I'm ready for my bed.  I'm tired of sharing my room with people. I can't breath, I can't bath in private and then there's the fetching water down by the river!

In the 21st century people still fetch water by the river. Aii I can't. It's a good thing I didn't do my nails because I'd be crying more. Right now we were sent to fetch wood. I'm in a petticoat and I'd rather be caught dead in this than alive.

I guess it's a good thing that there's no network and it's just family here. "Aii cha wena Yandisokuhle usile impela! Buka nje wena uphethe okuncane kanjani!! Aii chaa impela!! (Oh hell no Yandisokuhle you are being unfair! Just look at how much wood we have compared to what you have!! Hell no, honestly!!)"

"Ntombizonke ngicela uhlukane nami phantsi sisi. Angishongo ukuthi uzithwalise inkinga zomhlaba ka Jesu. Ngiyeke! (Ntombizonke please leave me the hell alone. I didn't tell you to carry the troubles of Jesus's world. Leave me be!)" She clicked her tongue and walked off.

"Manje uthi lesishwapha sakhe usihlikihlelani? (So who is she shaking her flat ass for now?)" The other girls laughed before helping me with the wood. We walked back to the compound and offloaded the wood in the rondavel. 

"We Yandi. (Oh Yandi. )" Mamncane Sno called me to her hut, "Yebo ncane? (Yes aunty?)" She motioned for me to enter so I took my shoes off and walked in. I came to kneel before her, "Get me a bottle of drink at the shops please."

"Yebo Aunty." She handed me a R50 note. "Sheshisa phela.  (Do hurry up.)" I nod and walk out. I head for the gates before anyone else calls me. I walk out and begun the 10 minute walk to the shop.

See why I said thank God no one from school knows where I live? When I got to the shop, I greeted and asked for the coke. "Awww sawubona ntokazi. (Ohhh hello beautiful girl.)" It was one of those Zulu boys who are disrespectful down to the bone but can dance.

"Yebo sawubona bhuti. (Yes hello brother.)" He's dark skinned and tall but not too tall. As soonas I get my change, I walk off. "Mana phela. Sisakhuluma angithi. (Hold on now. We're still talking, right?)"

"Chaa. I'm rushing home." His large calloused hand pulls me back and the force shocks me. "Aii chaa phela! Ngiyeke njalo. (Oh hell no! Leave me alone.)" He doesn't unhand me, he just laughs.

"Who do you think you are to reject me? I'm the most wanted young man here and you think you can talk to me however?" I'm at a loss for words. "My gosh! Who on earth would want you? Bro you're too ugly for anyone. Let me go and stop wasting my time." He gets angry at what I've said and raises his hand.

"Aiiii!" I cover my face and brace for impact. It never comes. I open one eye and find uBhut'Ntsika holding thus guy's hand. "Uthi uyenzani manje wena? Fusek! (What the hell do you think you're doing now? Fusek!)"

The guy ran away like there was something chasing after him. "Thank you bhuti. I don't know what I would've done if you didn't come to my rescue."

"Let's go home."

》》》》》》》》》

My stay in KwaZulu was boring but a well needed breath of fresh air.

Argh!! You see when I leave this place, I'll be posting that on every social media platform! Right now I'm down by the river washing our clothes with my girl cousins. This ghetto life just isn't for me.

"Hawe mah! There goes Sibongiseni!" One of the girls said, we all turned to stare and I understood why they were all going crazy. "Oh my goodness I wanna marry him!" We all turned to her.

"Oh my!! He's coming this way. Yandisokuhle he's coming." She slapped my arm in excitement. Do you know what wet slaps on dry, burnt skin feels like!! Jeer!!

"Sawubona." I just saw a figure providing me with shade from the sun. "Sawubona ntokazi." I finally look up. "Yebo sawubona." I continued to wash my clothes. He bent down to eye level.

"Singakhuluma. (Could we talk.)" I roll my eyes at his Zulu tendencies. "Kanti siyenzani manje? (What are we doing now?)" He chuckles and I take note of his smile.

"We are talking but I'd like to speak with you somewhere more...private."

"Oh?" I pull my hands from the clothes and wipe the soap off. "Yebo ntokazi enhle." I get up and follow him across the river and we stand under a tree.

"Yebo?" He smiles at me and I notice the dimples. "Why are you smiling?" My arms cross over my chest. "I'm just admiring your beauty." I roll my eyes but a smile makes its way on my face.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer." He takes his phone our and snaps a photo. I just stare at him dumbfounded. "And then?"

"You told me to take a picture. " I shake my head. "Say what you need to say and say it quickly because I need to finish up with the laundry."

"Marry me."

"What!" He barely flinches while the birds in trees fly off and I'm sure the girls all turned to look at us. "Marry me. I've got cows at home waiting for me to pick my bride and I've chosen you."

"Y-y-y..." my words fall short, "uyahlanya. (you are crazy.)" I immediately walk back to the girls. I don't care to look backwards to see if he's still there. "And then?"

"Uthe ngimushade. (He asked me to marry him.)"

"And?"

"And what?." I rinse the dress and throw it in the bucket. "And what did you say?"

"Nginqabile-" (I said no-)

"Ini! (What!)" I feel something cold and wet hit me on the face. "What the fuck!"

"Why would you say no to that God of a Zulu man??" She looked so confused that I'd said no. "Because I have no interest in him haw. Leave me be please. You want to marry him angithi? Go and marry him." She clicks her tongue and continues washing her share.

I eventually finish and chose to walk back home alone. The load is heavier this time because it's wet. I'm just at the corner of the street that leads home when someone picks up the bucket.

"Wenzani. (What are you doing.)" He just looks at me before walking in the direction of my home. "Woza phela nginceda wena la. (Come on then, I'm here helping you.)"

"I didn't ask you to help me njalo."

"I did it out of the goodness of my heart." The sweat on his skin glistens and for a second I wanna check if I'm really seeing this or I'm dehydrated. "Ng'cel ung'linde pho. (Please wait for me.)" I walk fast behind him but my clothes are also wet and pumps on rocky roads are hell wrapped in a bow tie.

He slows down and I'm able to catch up to him. "Thank you." He hands me the bucket when I enter the compound. He nods and walks off. I picked the bucket up and walked into the yard. I got to the washing line and began hanging the clothes.

》》》》》

"Finally home!" I throw myself on my bed. "Not so quickly sisi. You need to help us offload the car." MaZulu walks past my room. "I'm coming." My eyes are already closing and I fall prey to sleep.

When I wake up, all my bags are back in my room and it's dark outside. It's two days before schools open for the new term and I'm so not ready for that.

I kinda wish I was back in KwaZulu. Aii. I begin separating my dirty laundry from my clean laundry and pack what's clean. By the time I finish, I'm starving and I want to sleep again.

I leave my room after taking a much needed shower. With my slippers on my feet, I walk down the stairs and zoom for the kitchen. I find some hot wings and a burger. I was my hands and prepare a hot cup of cocoa.

My meal is finished in minutes and I'm a satisfied girl. I wash my dishes and walk back upstairs to my room. I'm quick to fall asleep once more.