A Mother's Pride

Chapter 41

Mmampho's POV

I was so happy when a friend told me that she could get me a job here.

I was early for school one day and I found my teacher, Lydia busy planning what she was going to teach that day.

"Hi." I greeted her as I went in.

"Hey Mmampho, you're early today."

"I had nothing to do at home so yea." I said and sat down on the chair that I always sat on.

She started asking me questions about my life and if I am right, that was the very first time that I told somebody the truth about me on the first attempt to getting to know me. I told her everything from how and why I dropped out of school, my kids, Chris, Thabo and how I ended up where I am today. I could see that she pitied me but I told her not to. I didn't want to be pitied anymore, because I am working my way up.

Besides that day, school had been great. During the night when I go to school, Lesedi sleeps over at Mavis' house and he goes to school from there in the morning. He was totally in love with the idea of me going back to school.

At least I could do productive things with my life. I would get home from school and sleep, my morning duties had been the same as before but after that, I normally nap then study or do some homework before I fix myself up for school again. It was working out well.

I met a few women that understand my story. But most of them were not as dumb as I was when making life choices back then. And some were abused by their step parents when they were growing up.

I am the oldest, most of them recently finished matric and did not do well and some are just in their twenties. Lydia is two years older than me though and maybe that's why I would rather converse with her than any of those youngsters.

Nobody judges me, at least not to my face and they do not isolate me and all that. We are so united.

The workload is a lot but I have been managing. I made sure to work extra hard if I really wanted to pass and with the weekly tests we wrote, I have been doing good. I enjoy doing Science all over again although I had forgotten most of the laws. Studying jocked my memory.

One woman, she is in her late twenties lives around where I live and she walks home with me at night and we chat all the time. It feels great hanging around more people and not just Mavis and my children.

So two days later after school, Lydia asked to talk to me. She told me that a friend of hers owns a Fish and Chips business and she recommended me to work there. She apologized for not asking me if I am good in the kitchen first but she "assumed that with two kids, you probably are good." And I was so happy. I was suprised that her friend would hire a nobody like me with no matric but apparently he had been short-staffed for a while and it was an opportunity for her as well.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, do you have time?"

"Yes too much of it, what are the work hours?"

She told me that I could work from nine in the morning until half past four in the afternoon which will give me time to go home and prepare for school, since the shop is fifteen minutes away from my house with  a taxi and about twenty five minutes when I walk. It was great news, I could not be happier for the opportunity.

"That is great. Thank you so much Lydia. You have no idea how greatful I am for this. Why would you do this for me?" I asked her.

"When my friend told me, you and your story popped in my head so I had a feeling you would be delighted to know about the job or to take it." She told me.

"Oh my! This is great." I hugged her and she hugged me back.

"So you will be required to make chips, fat cakes, bunny chows and dagwoods and if you want extra money, you get there early to clean and stay after to wash the dishes and clean."

"How much do I get paid, excluding and including the extra cash?"

"You will talk about that with your boss."

"Thanks again Lydia. A lot. Oh my gosh my children will be so happy for me."

I left her there and walked home, that time I didn't talk much with the woman I normally walk with. I was just thinking about the opportunity that had fallen at my feet and how I was ready to snatch it without any hesitation.

I got home and told Lesedi and he was so happy for me. I had to go see the boss the following day.

"Hello. I'm Mmampho." I said to the woman.

"Hey Mmampho. I'm Makhele, Lydia told me how much you need this. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Uh, no thanks sir. I am really full, and slightly nervous so water will be fine." I had to slap myself for saying so much. A "no thank you" would have been better but I am such a blabber mouth aren't I?

He laughed and made coffee for himself. He told me that he liked me already and I cooled down a bit after getting my glass of water.

He told me that he would be paying me R25 per hour, and I would be working five days a week, and for seven and a half hours a day. So I would earn R3750 a month and if I wanted the extra money, I would earn R35 per hour, and it would make R5250 in total so I chose to take the R5250 and clean. It would not be that hard waking up earlier and being the last one to leave the shop. And Lesedi would get to eat chips at school almost everyday. Our lifestyle was changing. I had no time to rest.

I love working here and the money is fair and very helpful. I was able to buy a few things for the house, and soon the house will look like a complete home.

I wake up at six everyday and have to be at work at half past eight to clean. Then I leave work at five, getting home at half past five then leave home at six, then arrive at school at exactly half past six in time for the lesson, and when school comes out at half past ten, I leave and get home at eleven and make sure to do my homework and probably finish at midnight, then I sleep for about six hours, I wake up at at six to study. At quater to eight, I bath and prepare for work. My schedule has been working perfectly but I haven't gotten a chance to do any chores around the house. I'm just glad that Mavis has been helping me with the cooking, she cooks for me and makes lunch for me too. She has been there for me from the start and I really appreciate her for that. My son is always at her house because I cannot leave him alone.

And Mavis also got me a job for Saturday and Sunday. "I thought you could use the extra money." She said a few weeks later after I started my new job. She said that she was offered the job but since she is always working at Chris', she thought I should take it. When they asked if there is a friend she could recommend, she thought about me. I was so grateful but then I started worrying about how this was going to work.

My employer's name is Rethabile and I work for her on Saturdays and I babysit for her friend Gadifele on Sundays. Rethabile said I should clean and wash her laundry on Saturdays and she pays me R350 while her friend pays me to babysit and wash the laundry for R500 since kids are a handful and I work longer there. One of the children is one year old and the other one is four years old.

I earn. Finally. I got a house, and I go to school, which means that I will get my NSC soon and maybe go to college to persue my original dreams. I have three jobs. I earn an income and it gives me a great fulfillment.

I earn R6100 per month in total and when I told mom last week, she was so happy for me. She seemed so proud of me. Finally, I made her happy. I took her out for lunch with my first salary and we had fun. She talked about how my time to shine has come. I'm not a scientist or anything but my mom is still proud of me.

I went from earning nothing to earning about R6000, oh yea adding on my R6100 is my kids' grants money. This is literally the richest I have been.

Thabo and Naledi were also happy for me. Lesedi still hates his father, but we have learnt to live with it.