We were now on the tarred road and the kombi picked up speed. The sun was coming up on my side and the warm rays filtered in through the window. Swirls of dust spiralled, catching the light as they floated in the air around us. There was a thin film of dust, like gauze covering the sleeping children and myself. It was then that I realized that there was a gaping hole on the floor of the kombi which was partially covered up with a piece of cardboard. The covering had moved, letting the dust churned up by the fast-moving wheels float into the car. On either side of the road, people were waving the kombi down, desperate for a lift in case the buses were late or did not come at all. In Nkayi there were only two buses that carried passengers to and from Bulawayo: Sihube and Ntubeni buses. Once after a visit to my aunt and uncle in Bulawayo, I had to spend a night in a parked bus at the Renkini Bus station in the city because it did not fill up. It took off for Nkayi the next day in the late afternoon after it was overloaded with people and their luggage. Travelling in this kombi was luxury compared to being on a bus, despite crunching bits of sand between my teeth. I coaxed the cardboard with my foot and covered the hole in the floor completely. This lessened the noise also.
“Mama wake up!” It was Suko nudging me not very gently with his elbow.
“Stop it wena maan! Mxim.”
I must have dozed off because the sun was higher up in the sky. The younger man was sprawled across the middle seat. Only his jeans- covered knees were visible. He snored softly, sound asleep. The kombi had stopped and Simon and the driver were outside smoking. We had pulled into what looked like a growth point. The kombi was parked under a gnarled acacia tree. Its branches formed an umbrella under which women were setting up their things to sell on upside-down cardboard boxes which served as tables. Big candi-keke buns, freezits, sweets, matches, biscuits, air time cards, paper clips, sticks of cigarettes, snuff, Vick’s vapor rub, Protector plus condoms, Vuka- Vuka love potion, Swanky Body Lotion, Geisha bath soap and many other things were displayed on newspaper tablecloths. Simon walked towards the car looking a little more relaxed than he had been the previous night. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing a silver watch on his left wrist. He smiled slightly as he slid the door open.
“Pumanini!”
He sounded cheerful as he gave me his hand. I heaved myself up and felt his strength as he guided me out of the car.
“How far have we gone baba?”
Suko sauntered around the car to where his father and I stood.
“We are at West Nicholson now, so another three hours and we will be at the border.” Simon glanced at his watch.
“It’s ten o’clock now and I suggest we all use the toilet and eat something.”
He pulled a stack of money from his back pocket.
Khethiwe and Khohlwa stood on the other side of the car, stretching and looking towards the stores. Music was blaring from a speaker outside one of the stores adding to the general noise of buses and trucks hooting and blasting their own music. Vendors called out –“ amabhanz, amaqanda, half-loaf- half-loaf”- as they swarmed the parked buses lifting baskets and trays of boiled eggs and bread up to the windows.
“Baba are we going through Bulawayo?”
Khethiwe had walked round to us and had her hand held out to her father for some money.
“You are such a dunderhead”, laughed Suko. “We passed Bulawayo a long time ago. We are near Beitbridge already.”
“Shut up sihlama! You only know this because ubaba told you.”
“Khetiwe inhlamba?”
I scolded gently for her foul language.
Simon handed her forty rands.
“Go the three of you to the store and buy bread and drinks for us including the two men, Vusa and Mpofu.”
“Which is which baba?”
“The young guy is Vusa and Mpofu is the driver.”
“Are they from Nkayi like us?”
Too many questions Khetiwe! I scolded.
The girl did not know when to stop. She glanced at me sideways and turned to face her brother.
“Let’s go, fool!”
Khethiwe and Suko took off for the store. Laughing and shoving each other like a pair of puppies. Khohlwa followed them walking as though she had big rocks tied to her ankles. I felt a flare of irritation which died as quickly as it was born. I would not let her spoil my joy. I watched them as I leaned against the car. I adjusted the quiye on my head, pulling the fabric over my ears and tightening it. I would get my hair plaited nicely in Jo’burg and I would buy some new dresses. Things were cheap there. All the women I knew who had been there and back returned with beautiful clothes and things for the home. Me, I wanted a cellular phone also. Simon had one and I know Khethiwe had one that she thought no one knew about. I also knew that she had been sneaking out to see that lout her father had forbidden her to see. It was a wonder she did not get pregnant. This had been my biggest fear and thankfully it had not happened.
1 Comment
Ohhh noo so what happened next?This never ending cycle of things that happen to the girl child!!