Blank Slate

Chapter 1

Present Day

I hope that this is not a drill and a real fire because, who the hell would ring a fire alarm at 2am. I put on my gown and sleepers as I groan all the way to the door. The caos on this corridor with people running up and down the stairs. The first thing I look for is the smoke, and there is none, so it is a drill... I clicked my tongue, and my mood sour more than a minute ago. We get to the parking, and the building manager is busy making noise using a loud hailer telling people to hurry up.

I stay at an off-campus private student accommodation. I couldn't afford to stay at the University accommodation because during school holidays I would be forced to vacate and I have all my important documents with me so I don't see a reason to even go back to KZN. I am currently doing my first year in Actuarial Science at Wits University in Johannesburg.

The building manager tells us that this is a quarterly drill and reminds us of the rules of this property. I am dragging my feet back to my room and pissed that my sleep was disturbed now, I might not be able to sleep again. I got back to my room, and I decided to catch up on some reading. I am a nerd and a numbers girl, but I am also addicted to Facebook blogs that's my escape. Reality is hard enough, so it is always nice reading about an epic love story that's stems from nothing and blossoms into a dream.

Whilst on the app, I decided to check on my WhatsApp. I don't have friends as yet but I am in a lot of study groups and I do communicate with people. Uncle Sbu and I are still tight as ever, and he is one person that I actually look forward to communicating with. I live vicariously through him... he's life is forever interesting, and his outlook on life is so positive that I sometimes envy him. My grandmother had him when she was 51. He is 33 years younger than his oldest sibling. He never got to experience his father as well because my grandfather died when we were just little.

I am listening to his voice notes that he sends earlier telling me about the drama happening in his life. I decided to give him a call because I know he won't be too mad since it's the weekend.

Hai Hai Hai wena boygirl. Sbu complained as he answered my WhatsApp call.
I thought we grew out of that name, Sbu. I complain. I was bullied a lot in primary, especially with my name, and told it's a boys name... sbu then decided I should own it and started calling me boygirl as reference to my 'boyish' name.
He just laughed and said, "Not in this lifetime.""
Anyway, why are you calling this late? Are you writing on Saturday again: Sbu asked
No, man, I just miss you, it get lonely sometimes. We have not spoken in two days because our schedules keep clashing. I complain
But Zee, I left you texts and vns on your phone mos: he says
I don't think he understands just how desperate I am for his attention at times. Anyway, let me distract him.
Angithi, I wanted to hear the whole story so uthi uyenzeni uNtombi ( so said what did Ntombi do). I ask
Yoh mfethu (sigh) Imagine the whole me in the principals office ubhuti-omdala( big brother) was even called because of my shenanigans. He say
Spill I encourage the gossip
So remember I told that I was no longer feeling Ntombi and that she lied about being a virgin to begin with. Sbu says
Yes, I remember. Me
Well, since then, I have been hanging out with Emilia that colored chick from your previous school that liked me.
Wow, Emmy and Sbu, how did that happen.
How did you and Emmy happen. I ask
He tells how he bumped into her when he went to Durban with bhut(brother)Msizi to get his car, and she was at the dealership with her folks getting her a car. She recognized him, and they exchanged numbers . Since then, she's been visiting and driving Sbu home most days after school, and Ntombi jealousy flew off the roof, and he fought Sbu on school premises airing their dirty laundry
Wow, that's all I had to say.
We talk for about an hour long until Sbu reminds me of his weekend classes. Sometimes, I forget that Grade 12s in public schools attend 6 days a week. I am grateful I dodged that bullet. Thanks to him.
We bit farewell, and I am left with my thoughts.

Truly, I am grateful to Sbu and his support. The scholarship form that sponsored my high-school years was actually meant for him. Aunt Amanda had brought the forms for his little brother, and apparently, she got them from someone who was in the committee that awards those scholarship. So it was a done deal. All that was needed was the applicant to fill out the form and attach necessary supporting documentation.

I remember that day well because it was the beginning of my clean slate. He came to my room and said that I should fill the forms instead and put everything in the envelope so that Aunt Amanda doesn't get to see that information is no longer his but mine. He always believed in me. Sbu is not dumb or anything like that he is just a lazy student, but he never fails. I am forever grateful that he chose to grant me that opportunity. Instead, I owe a lot to him.

I am remicing over our conversation and Sbu's crazy love life. I never liked Ntombi for him, but I don't think I like Emmy for him as well. Emmy was Clenwood High bully's friend, and I think they only spared me because we weren't in the same grade and I was almost invisible in school. I think she noticed me during the final exams because of Sbu. He would come to my school every day to pick me up and accompany me every morning. I was fortunate that almost all of our exam's schedule was almost identical, being that I was in grade 12 and him in grade 11, then.

Our schools were not that far from each other. Sbu went to a high school in town when I changed school just to be closer to me. A lot of people thought that Sbu was my boyfriend... the shock they experienced every time they found out that he's actually my uncle was priceless. He never cared because he said he benefitted from the rumors. Girls threw themselves at him without expecting any commitment from him because they assumed he had a girlfriend. Crazy I know.