Strange Tides

11.

          

Afraid - The Neighboorhood

Mother soon decided that in order for me to serve my punishment effectively I had to move out. At first I was horrified as I felt she'd kick me onto the streets and I'd have nowhere to go. I couldn't go to Shannon in case she'd killed me in the middle of the night and Toni's parents weren't too fond of sleepovers.

She revealed to me that I'd be staying with Jade.

Jade had recently moved to Blaauwberg. She was satisfied with the oceanic views and azure skies, but because she had just moved they hadn't had time to install their Wi-Fi and DSTV. She wasn't going to get them for the first month, but she didn't mind. She was an avid gardener and her new house was on large grounds, large plain grounds that wouldn't be plain for long.

When I first heard this I ran to my mother confessing a crime I didn't commit and she believed me, but felt I still had to serve a punishment.

"Just because you plead 'guilty' doesn't mean you go home. Freedom isn't always honesty's reward." She'd said.

Just the prospect of going long periods of time without internet, TV and friends made me want to sever my arm. Blaauwberg was at least 40 minutes away from my school and friends and I was to spend all of the April holidays with her. I comforted myself with the knowledge that the April holidays lasted precisely twenty minutes and then it was over and I wouldn't suffer too much. There was also the fact that I had no friends so I wouldn't suffer anyways.

I handed in my phone before the departure and sauntered to the car not knowing when I'd return or what I was in for and against my will.

When we arrived at her house I was greeted by Jade standing by the entrance of her house like a warden. Smirking she welcomed me in, but I knew right away that the stay wouldn't be pleasant.

"How's Malibongwe?"

"He's good; he's off at a slumber party right now."

"Wow he's quite the toddler."

"Yeah, he's impressed all his mates. Even the white people want to be his friend." She said cockily.

"I'm not surprised, Jade, there are probably no black people at his school." I smirked rolling my eyes at my pretentious sister. When had she become like this?

"There are black people." She smiled knowingly.

"Half black kids, or black kids adopted by white people don't count." I joked. She just laughed.

"Well when you put it like that." she laughed.

"You don't need to shelter him from his own kind." I said hoping to get through to her.

Leave it to the marginalised group of people to measure greatness according to whiteness. I highly doubted white people were as obsessed with black people as we were we with. Why things that are considered prim and proper are considered 'white'?  These are the same people who used to bath twice in their lives about two hundred years ago. She probably encouraged Malibongwe to befriend all the other white toddlers. Why not? He was yellow enough, but was he white enough?

I guessed in a way I too used to be obsessed with them as well. Their quietness and just everything they did was so radically different from anything I'd ever known and I wanted a part in it. for I couldn't lighten my skin to be like them, I lighten my interests, habits and behaviours. It wasn't initially my fault; it was what I was exposed to. I wasn't around many other Xhosa kids growing up, my television was my only companion and we aren't depicted too generously on TV, but wouldn't you like to know who is?