9
TORN APART
The sheets were cold and wet and Sam was shaking uncontrollably.
“Sam, subayeka bandithathe, please don’t let them take me!” Sinethemba cried out, clinging on to her brother when Social Services had came to take her away. Those were the last words Sam heard from his sister before they were separated. Those were the words he still heard every night in his dreams.
“Ndizaz’okuthatha! I will come for you!” Sam shouted, waking from the nightmare. He sat up on his bunk bed, drenched in sweat. Had any of the other kids at The Haven Children’s Home heard his screams? But he was alone in the dormitory. All the others had gone to breakfast.
Every day since he was parted from Sinethemba he worried about the promise he had made her: Ndizaz’okuthatha. But how could he rescue her? It seemed impossible. Since they had been parted he had been moved from one foster home to another. He wasn’t really sure if they would ever be together again. One thing for sure was that they could never be a family again, not a family how they used to be anyway, not one with a mom and a dad.
After his mother died of colon cancer their father could not cope with taking care of two teenagers. He fell sick and lost his job. Sam watched helplessly as their father faded away before their eyes. When he died Sam had to be the adult. Their neighbours were kind to them but when they saw the children struggling they called Social Services. The social worker in charge of their case promised that when Sinethemba was settled in her new foster home, Sam could visit. They would look for a home for him too.
Now it had been six months since Sam had seen Sinethemba. She was living at Mam’Gqwashu’s. This woman took in foster kids but people said it was just so that she could get child benefits from government. She was well known for her ill-treatment of all the kids she fostered. But Social Services were too busy to investigate properly, or else they didn’t care, thought Sam.
Rumour had it that she was so cruel that she sat back and made the kids, even the very young ones, do all the house chores, plus heavy manual labour in her big vegetable garden. Yet she fed them as little tasteless food as she could get away with, and she sold the produce they grew. If they refused to work, she would lock them up in a tiny store room for days.
She would buy them one set of nice clothes but they only got to wear them when Social Services came to check on them. Then, with a smile on her face that was as fake as her wigs, Mam’Gqwashu would tell the social worker, “We are all one big happy family here.”
Sam worried that by now he should have made a plan to rescue his sister. But things had gone from bad to worse. And being moved around made it hard for him to visit her, make friends, go to school, or get a job.
Then finally he had ended up at The Haven Children’s Home where he was able to live with young people his own age. Here he did not feel so alone. They were all orphans; it was something they shared and something that connected them.
Still, every night he dreamed about his sister. He needed to get money so that they could be together. He would rent a back-yard room. At least then they could be a small family. He would look after Sinethemba better than Mam’Gqwashu. He would give her the love she needed and provide for her even if he was only seventeen. All Mam’Gqwashu’s kids were known to be skinny because she didn’t feed them well, and then they would end up getting sick. Sam couldn’t bear to think of what she was doing to his sister. The thought of a starving, skinny Sinethemba haunted him. He couldn’t let that happen. He had to make a plan to rescue her.
But right now he had to get up and start on his own chores.
“Samuel Khoza, please come to the office,” he heard his name called through the intercom. Something was up. Mr Sotshononda only called him by his full name when he had something important to tell him. Sam worried that he had been called because he had overslept and missed breakfast. He couldn’t be kicked out of The Haven, not yet. He wasn’t ready.
Sam headed for the office at once, fear gripping his stomach. But when he walked into Mr Sotshononda’s office the head of the home was smiling; in fact he was beaming. “Sam, I have good news for you today.” Mr Sotshononda took pleasure in his work. He was one of the nicest people at the home, but he was also a no-nonsense kind of man which made every child at the home listen to him with respect. “We have found a school for you. Starting from tomorrow you will be attending Vulamasango High School. I know that it’s the second term, but the school is willing to give you a chance.”
Sam was shocked by the news. I haven’t been to school for so long. Will I be able to handle it? he thought.
“Sam, you are a very bright boy and I know that you can do well at this school,” Mr Sotshononda assured him, as though he could read Sam’s fears. He put his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Look, if you need any help with anything at all, you just come to me. The teachers know your situation so I am sure they won’t mind helping you as well.”
How can he have so much faith in me? Surely he must have mistaken me for someone else, Sam thought. When I was at school my grades weren’t great. Sam couldn’t stop wondering why Mr Sotshononda regarded him so highly.
That night Sam couldn’t sleep at all for fear of going to a new school and failing. He kept imagining how horribly the first day would go and how Mr Sotshononda would be so disappointed in him.
The next morning he got up when the first light came through the curtains. He took care putting on his uniform that he had been given by Mr Sotshononda when he had left the office.
“Wow!” he thought to himself when he arrived at the gate of the new school. Every learner looked exactly the same in their clean, neat school uniforms. The buildings looked new and there was even a sports field. Sam had never seen a school like this before. The ones he had attended before had broken windows, or no windows at all, and the school yard was mostly sand and rubble. The teachers never really cared much for the safety of the learners. Sam remembered the day he and his sister were attacked on school grounds by a group of boys who wanted their lunch money. The teachers did nothing to stop the thugs.
The school bell rang as he crossed his new school’s grounds. Everyone started running, but he was lost. This was horrible, just like his dream. He wished he could just turn around and run back to The Haven. He was left standing all by himself.
“Hey, you, hurry up. What are you waiting for? Go to class before I call your teacher.”
He turned to see a beautiful girl walking towards him. Her voice was firm but sweet at the same time, like she would give him a chance. He was speechless.
“Bhuti undimamele? Are you listening?” she said again, only this time she was standing right in front of him.
He remembered his mother’s voice telling him that his cute smile could get him out of any trouble. He flashed her one. She stepped back and looked away. Now he was confused.
Just then a boy ran past. “Khawuleza! Move it!” he shouted. “Zinhle doesn’t mess around, bra. She will get you in trouble,” he laughed as he and Sam dashed for the corridor.
“It’s my first day and I am not sure where the class is,” Sam said, relieved to have found help. He was grinning as they ran towards the classrooms.
“Well you came to the right person, mfowethu,” said the boy, and he tapped Sam on the shoulder. Sam felt that this guy could be a friend.
As they went into the class, having found out they were the same grade, Sam turned and looked back down the passage. The beautiful Zinhle was still standing there, watching him.
~•~
“Thando, hurry up or we’ll be late for class,” Zinhle told her friend who came running from the toilets. “I can’t believe I waited for you. Now we’ll both be late and I’m supposed to set a good example.”
Thando just laughed. “Hey, chommie, who was that you were talking to?”
“Just some new boy,” Zinhle whispered. As they entered the class Mr Dlamini stopped talking. He gave them a look that said, ‘I’m watching you’ then turned his back to them and wrote something on the board.
The girls sat down at their desks. As Zinhle turned to hang her bag on her chair, she looked up to see Sam staring at her from the desk next to the window. She felt the blood rush to her face and was surprised at how embarrassed and confused she felt.
Then Mr Dlamini turned to face them and cleared his throat. “Class, now that we are all present,” he said, glaring at Thando and Zinhle, “I would like to introduce a new student at Vulamasango High. This is Samuel Khoza. I know he is starting late so please assist him with his work.” Mr Dlamini smiled at Sam and the whole class turned to look at him.
“Don’t worry, Meneer. He is in good hands,” Xolani shouted from the back of the class.
“I wouldn’t wanna know where those hands have been,” Thando said, just loud enough for Xolani, who was sitting next to her, to hear.
“Are you sure?” Xolani winked at her.
Zinhle looked across at Sam again. Why was he starting at a new school in the second term? She thought of his smile and how she had felt her stomach twist on seeing it. She said his name in her head. Samuel, wow, such a strong biblical name. She remembered the name from her childhood Sunday school classes.
When she left the classroom at break time, she bumped into him standing in the passage with Xolani, chatting. The new boy obviously didn’t know anything about Xolani and what he got up to, she thought.
“Hey, Zinhle. Want to join us?” Xolani teased her. She ignored him and Sam and walked quickly past them and out into the quad to join Thando and her other friends. They were already gossiping about the new boy.
“I heard people say he was homeless and that Mr Sotshononda took him in,” Thando said.
“Oh! Really?” Nombu said, raising her eyebrows.
“Yeah, guys like him are trouble. Maybe he ran away from home or something? He could even be a part of Xolani’s gang because they seem to know each other.”
Thando looked over at Xolani and Sam who were now playing soccer with some of the Matric boys.
“Ewe, sis. I heard he’s a street kid and he used to beg until Mr Sotshononda found him and gave him a place to stay,” Thando went on and on.
“Eish! Don’t you ladies have anything better to do than gossip about people? Theth’Inonsense oko, talking rubbish all the time.” The words flew out of Zinhle’s mouth before she could stop them. The girls looked at her then laughed and she felt even more confused.
“I think Zinhle likes the new boy. What do you say, girls?” Thando said, turning to her friends, who all nodded.
“Ah ha … I think you might be right,” said Nosipho just as Xolani passed them to get water from the tap. He winked at Zinhle.
Maybe they are right, Zinhle thought as she watched Sam share bread with Xolani and some other boys. But maybe they are wrong. Her mother always told her not to judge people until she knew them.
~•~
Sam sat next to Xolani in the taxi after school.
“So where do you stay?” Xolani asked, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
An old woman looked at him and whispered to her friend, “Yhu! Abantwana bangoku abanambeko. Kids of today have no respect.”
Xolani wasn’t fazed by what she said, and ignored her. He looked at Sam, waiting for an answer.
Sam hesitated before he told Xolani, “I stay at that Haven Children’s Home.” He had taken a chance telling Xolani and he was not sure how he would react. But he needed a friend at school and Xolani was the only person who had talked to him. That is, apart from Zinhle, whom he could not stop thinking about.
“I’ve heard of that place. What happened to your parents?” Xolani took a puff of his cigarette then put it out after the taxi driver scolded him.
“It’s a long story,” Sam said. He didn’t want to go into it.
“No worries, I understand. But if you ever need help with anything just let me know.” Xolani then quickly changed the subject and started to talk about the last match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Pirates, until Sam got off the taxi.
As they said goodbye they joked about the girls at the school. Sam asked Xolani why Zinhle hung around Thando and her group because she didn’t look as mean as them. “I don’t know, bra. Girls are a mystery,” Xolani laughed. “I think Zinhle likes you,” he added as he ran off down the street.
~•~
Back at The Haven Sam lay on his bunk bed and thought about Zinhle. He was lost in daydreams when Thabo ran into the dormitory and jumped on his bed.
“So, aren’t you gonna tell me how your day went?” the youngster said, kicking off his shoes.
“Eish, yho, that school is amazing,” Sam began, and told him everything that happened, and about Xolani.
“Sounds like you had a great day.”
Just then Siphiwe came running into the room. “Have you heard what Mam’Gqwashu did?” He was out of breath. “She beat up one of the girls she takes care of.”
Siphiwe knew a lot of what took place at Mam’Gqwashu’s. He had been a foster child in her home for a short while, before he escaped. “The street is better than being prisoner there,” he would say. Luckily a place had come open in The Haven and now he had a home. But some of his friends were still trapped at Mam’Gqwashu’s.
Sam felt like his insides were one big knot. Could it be Sinethemba?
“The ambulance came and took the girl to the hospital, but Mam’Gqwashu had said that the girl had fallen down the stairs by mistake,” Siphiwe said, out of breath.
“She is lying!” Sam shouted and punched the pillow.
Sam was frightened to ask who the victim was, but he had to know.
“Do you know who the girl was?” he asked quietly.
“A girl called … um … Lindiwe,” Siphiwe replied.
Sam felt relief flood him, but then he tensed again. It could have been Sinethemba. It might be her next time. He had to get her out of there before it was too late. Then he thought of Xolani.
“If you need any help ask me.” That’s what he had said. But did he mean it? It could be dangerous rescuing Sinethemba from such a woman.
~•~
Sam soon found out that Xolani was a guy who meant what he said. When Sam asked him, he helped Sam look for a job. Xolani knew someone who worked on the shop floor at Mohammed’s Supermarket. They were looking for weekend casuals and Sam got the job.
So Xolani had been true to his word about helping and Sam felt, whatever the girls said, that Xolani would be a true friend. Now Sam could start saving money.
Things felt hopeful at last. He had the beginnings of a plan to rescue his sister, he was making a new friend, and Zinhle had smiled at him at school. As he packed the shelves he daydreamed about that smile. He hadn’t spoken to her since that first day at school but he had caught her looking across the class at him several times.
“Sam, get a move on,” Mohammed shouted from the front desk.
“Yes, sir,” said Sam and started to pack the shelves of cereal boxes faster.
Still his mind wandered. He could not stop thinking of Zinhle. As he turned to pack the next aisle he heard someone humming one of his favourite songs – Kings of Leon’s ‘Manhattan’. When he looked up there she was. Zinhle was reading the back of a box of cereal and humming along to the tune.
He opened his mouth. No words came out. He watched as she went to the till and took her purse out. And then he saw the distress on her face as she realised she didn’t have enough money for her groceries. He knew that feeling. He remembered his mother that day when they had to leave half the weekly shopping behind. He remembered how it felt when people stared at them as if they had no business being in the shop.
He saw Zinhle begin to panic.
“Sorry, Miss, but I think you dropped this back there,” Sam said, running up to her and tapping her on the shoulder. He held out a fifty-rand note.
Sam could see the shock and confusion on Zinhle’s face. He knew how the other girls had been gossiping about him at school. “That one is bad news, chommie. You should stay away from him,” he had heard Thando say to Zinhle.
“Are you gonna pay or what?” Mohammed was getting impatient with her.
“Your money, take it,” Sam said and put the fifty-rand note into her palm.
~•~
Zinhle waited for Sam to finish his shift and when he came out of the shop, she handed him the missing fifty-rand note that she had found at the bottom of her bag.
“Keep it.” He pushed her hand away.
“No, it’s your money. Please take it back,” she persisted.
“It’s fine. I would like to give it to you,” Sam replied firmly.
“Please take it back. I don’t want to feel like I owe you anything,” Zinhle said, and pushed the money into his hand.
Sam looked at her closely. He could see that she really meant what she was saying, but having her so close unsettled him – and made him wonder what it would be like to have his arms around her. Her hand felt so soft and gentle.
“It’s getting late, so I’ll take the money back if you let me walk you home to make sure that you get there safely,” Sam said, taking the money from her. She did not protest so they began to walk together. Neither of them spoke. But Sam could feel hope slowly creeping into his heart. He couldn’t help but wish that he could do this every day.
“Uhlala phi?” Sam asked softly.
Zinhle hesitated for a moment then pointed, saying, “Behind that park.”
“I hear that park is not safe to walk through at night.” Sam moved closer to her. He was so close she could feel his breath but she didn’t mind being so close to him. In fact she felt safe, knowing that he was there to protect her.
“So what’s your story?” Zinhle said, pulling herself together.
Sam looked away for a moment. Then he realised that this was his opportunity to set the record straight and that maybe she would see him differently if she knew the truth about him.
He started telling her about his sister and how they were separated after their mother and father died and how he landed up at The Haven Children’s Home.
They walked slowly and Zinhle nodded and listened intently. How could someone go through such trauma and still be OK? she thought to herself. She kept thinking of her own mother and how she had started taking pain medication to numb herself from feeling so bad after her husband, Zinhle’s father, died. But all that did not seem nearly as bad as what Sam had gone through.
“Wow! How can you be so normal after all this?” Zinhle said, and squeezed his hand.
“I guess Mr Sotshononda has really helped me to cope with everything.”
He accompanied Zinhle to her street then waited as she walked to a beautiful yellow house and disappeared inside.
He walked home feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“I guess talking about it really helps,” he thought, as he took the taxi home.
~•~
The next morning Sam woke up to Siphiwe calling to him as he entered their dorm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Something has happened and you’re not gonna like it,” he said, now at Sam’s side.
Sam’s heart beat faster. It was about his sister, he knew it in his bones. “What? What happened? Please tell me.”
“Sam, it’s your sister. She fell ill after Mam’Gqwashu locked her up without food,” Siphiwe said softly.
Sam felt a strange yet familiar pain in his heart. It was the same pain he had felt when his sister was being taken away. But one thing was for sure. This time Mam’Gqwashu had gone too far. The money from work wasn’t enough yet to rent a room. But he had to come up with a plan fast. He had to rescue Sinethemba before something even more terrible happened.
When Sam got to school he met Xolani at the usual spot behind the classrooms. “Eish, that job you got me is all right, but that man pays peanuts and I need more money.” Sam hated having to ask Xolani for another favour, but there was no choice.
“Look, Sam, I know someone who can help.”
“Who?” Sam looked worried.
“Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of it. Just tell me how much you need.”
“I need enough to rent a place and for food and …” Sam began, then told Xolani the whole story about his sister and about Mam’Gqwashu.
“That’s tough, bra. But I know just the person …” began Xolani, then told Sam about ‘Bra Frank’. He loaned people in the community money. He didn’t even charge much interest as long as they paid him back on time. Xolani could take him to Bra Frank.
What if he couldn’t afford to pay him back, thought Sam. He had heard stories of what loan sharks did if you couldn’t pay them back. But time was running out.
Zinhle was standing outside the class by herself. She looked worried as Xolani dashed inside ahead of Sam. She had seen them talking.
“Why do you hang out with the likes of him?” Zinhle asked and nodded towards Xolani.
“What happened to people greeting these days?” Sam said, quickly changing the topic.
Zinhle smiled. “Sorry. Hi, Sam.”
“Hello, Zinhle. What’s a beautiful girl like you doing after school?” Sam looked at his feet, hoping that she wouldn’t turn him down.
‘Beautiful’, Zinhle thought. No one ever calls me that. It had taken guts to ask her, she knew that. She didn’t want to push him away. She thought about him all the time.
“A lot actually. Why do you ask?” Zinhle replied, in that same sweet, yet firm, voice that he had fallen for on his first day of school.
“Well, I would like to take you out sometime, when you have a break in your very busy schedule,” Sam teased. His fingers were firmly crossed behind his back.
“I’ll think about it,” Zinhle said, then looked up as Thando approached them.
Sam was ecstatic. He couldn’t believe that he had finally done it. He had worked up the courage to ask her out on a date and she hadn’t pushed him away or turned him down.
‘I’ll think about it …’ He played those words over and over in his mind.
“Hey wena, be careful of girls like her. They are just too good for someone like you,” Xolani teased him when he sat down next to him in class.
“What do you mean?” Sam said quickly.
“I’m just saying, she is one of the good girls here and I don’t think people will take it well if they see you two together.”
Sam knew exactly what Xolani was talking about. He had been getting the evil eye from Zinhle’s friends. It was as if they already knew his story and that he was some sort of outcast. But he didn’t really care much what people thought. As his mother used to say to him before she passed away: “People will always judge you, my son, but it’s how you respond to it that gives you power.”
His mother was a strong woman. She never had much to give them materially, but her love for them and her words of wisdom were more than enough.
~•~
The following day at break Xolani told Sam he had spoken to Bra Frank’s guys and they said they would meet Sam. After school Xolani would take him there.
Sam knew that he shouldn’t be going to someone like Bra Frank, but his sister needed medicine. She wasn’t getting better, Siphiwe had told him. He needed to get her away from Mam’Gqwashu and to a safe place where she could get proper treatment.
When Zinhle saw Sam talking to Xolani in the school yard she could tell that something was wrong. His face looked pale and he was pacing up and down after Xolani had left him. She waited until he was alone then walked over to meet him.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked.
“What’s going on is that I would like to take you out on Saturday evening,” he said, smiling. He didn’t want Zinhle worrying about him. “Yes or no? Simple.”
He held his breath for what seemed forever, then she replied.
“Yes.”
“That’s good.” Sam could hardly contain his excitement. Zinhle looked at him then smiled and quickly ran off before any of her friends saw her talking to him.
~•~
“Boys, please have a seat,” Bra Frank said, and nodded at Sam and Xolani. He was sitting by himself in the middle of the shebeen with just a big glass of beer in front of him. The shebeen was dark and dingy and house music pumped in the background. Sam knew the song very well as he had heard it in the taxi many times: ‘Black Coffee Remix – Falling’. Some young girls were dancing for a drunk old man in order to get money from him.
Sam hesitated. His whole body was telling him to turn back now, and never return to the shebeen. But his sister was in such pain. He sat down.
“What can I do for you makwedini, boys?” Frank took a sip from his cold beer and called on one of his boys to light a cigarette for himself and to order drinks for the boys.
When Frank passed Sam a bottle of cola he couldn’t refuse. Frank was not a person who took no for an answer. As he took the bottle, Sam saw the number ‘27’ tattooed in green ink on Frank’s knuckles. Sam knew exactly what a tattoo like that said about the kind of person the bearer was. He thought of what his mother would say if she saw her son in such a place meeting a true gangster. He felt ashamed but he couldn’t back out now. Xolani had helped him – if he walked now, his friend would never help him again.
“He needs a loan,” Xolani said quickly.
Sam looked at this short, old man sitting in front of him, his hat tilted to the side and with so many rings on his fingers. He looked around. There were also so many preying eyes – eyes staring back at him. Now he was sure he couldn’t just walk out of the shebeen even if he wanted to.
“How much do you need?” Frank looked directly at Sam.
“I need R10 000.” Sam’s voice sounded like he was choking. He had spent the last few days estimating how much he would need on top of his small support grant if he was to rescue his sister. This amount would have to be enough for him to pay off Mam’Gqwashu. He knew money was the only thing she cared about. It would have to be enough for both of them to live on in their own place, at least until he found a better-paying job.
“Kwedini, this is not child’s play. That is a lot of money for a boy,” Frank responded. He didn’t look happy.
“Will you give me the money or not?” Sam burst out.
Frank looked at him and then grinned. “I see you have guts,” he laughed. “Maybe we could use someone like you.” He turned to the guys around him and they laughed too. “I like you. You remind me of me at that age. Yes, I’ll give you the money, but I will also give you six months to pay me back, with interest of course. In my line of work you can’t trust anyone; people will lend money then disappear. So I give them a short time to pay up then all is good. You look like a smart young man, so I think six months is good for you.” He raised his almost empty glass and one of his boys came running with a bottle to top him up.
“Come and see me tomorrow. I’ll have your money.”
Six months, that’s not long, but I can do it, Sam thought to himself as they left the shebeen.
~•~
With Bra Frank’s money in his pocket Sam went to a distant relative to ask if he could rent the shack in his back yard. He could move in at the end of the month, the man said as Sam handed over the deposit. The end of the month was one week away. He dreaded telling Mr Sotshononda, but he would think of a way. He was turning eighteen soon anyway. He couldn’t stay in the home forever.
Mr Sotshononda was alarmed, but went with Sam to see the room. He talked to Social Services. As Sam’s eighteenth birthday was coming up they agreed, after meeting his relative, that Sam could stay there. They needed to do the paperwork but it would be in order. Sam assured Mr Sotshononda that he would stay at school. There was a waiting list at The Children’s Haven. He felt it was right that a younger child could take his place. He couldn’t tell Mr Sotshononda about his sister though. Not yet. What if the Social Services didn’t agree to let her stay with him? They would protest that he did not have the money to be his sister’s guardian. What if they didn’t believe the stories about Mam’Gqwashu? No, that had to stay a secret.
The following weekend Sam went to get his sister from Mam’Gqwashu’s home.
“You can’t have her.” Mam’Gqwashu blocked her doorway and then continued: “Unless you give me something.” She smiled then, a horrible, insincere smile, and nodded to his school satchel. “You must have somewhere to stay if you come asking for that useless girl. How did you pay for that?”
Reluctantly he took out R500 and held it out to her. She grabbed at it. He noticed her fingers with their bright red nail polish that was chipping off. “Fetch Sinethemba!” she shouted at one of the small children who had come out from behind the house. Mam’Gqwashu slapped the child as she ran inside, yelling, “Khawuleza!” Then she turned back to Sam. “It will be good to be rid of that ungrateful child. All she does is cause trouble for me.” She walked back inside, not stopping to say goodbye to Sinethemba, who came running down the passage.
Sinethemba was overjoyed by her brother’s bravery and how he had kept his promise to rescue her from Mam’Gqwashu. She flew into his arms and clung onto him. Sam was shocked by how thin she was. And she coughed all the time.
Sam took Sinethemba to the room he had rented. He had come every afternoon after school with some item to try to make it look welcoming for his sister. He had managed to get some cheap furniture from the local second-hand store and had even put up a beautiful butterfly poster that he knew his sister would like.
That night they talked and talked. Sam had done it: they were a family again. A family of two.
~•~
That Friday Sam decided he could leave Sinethemba alone so that he could take Zinhle out on the promised date. His relative was around to keep an eye on her. Sinethemba urged him to go and had made him promise to let her meet Zinhle soon.
Sam took Zinhle to buy some fish and chips. They sat in the local park under a tree. It was a beautiful, warm evening. Sam had even brought a small blanket for them to sit on.
“Mmm, this is just what I felt like, thanks,” Zinhle said, and gave Sam a hug.
Finally they were alone without the prying eyes of Thando or Xolani.
“You’re so beautiful,” Sam said, admiring Zinhle’s figure in her floral summer dress. “You look especially beautiful without the school uniform,” he said, winking at her.
She couldn’t help but blush. She felt shy and yet didn’t want him to stop telling her how beautiful she was. She had spent all morning trying on clothes and when her mother pointed at that dress and told her how gorgeous it was, she knew she had to wear it.
Sam opened a bag he had brought and handed her a cooldrink.
“How is your sister doing? Have you spoken to her lately?” Zinhle said as she leaned to the side to open her cooldrink without it spilling on her dress.
“She wants to meet you.”
“But I thought …”
“I did it, Zinhle!” He was grinning. “I rescued her from Mam’Gqwashu’s. We have a place now. When I’ve fixed it up a bit more we will invite you for supper.”
“Wow,” said Zinhle. “That’s great.”
~•~
She was happy for Sam that his sister was safe. But she was also worried. She couldn’t help wondering how Sam had got the money for a place of his own. Rent wasn’t cheap and he would need to provide for everything. She felt sure that Xolani had had a hand in it – and that was dangerous for Sam. Still she kept quiet. She could tell that he did not want to talk about it. But she felt scared for him. She felt cold suddenly and wrapped her jacket around her.
~•~
Five months had passed and Sinethemba was healthy again. She had joined Sam at Vulamasango High School, in Grade 8. Zinhle and his relationship grew stronger by the day. But Sam knew that time was running out to repay Frank, who was no doubt counting down the months before he would come to collect his money. Sam knew if he couldn’t pay up Frank would make an example of him to all the other people who still owed him money. Bra Frank would have no mercy.
Sam continued to work at Mohammed’s. But the money was just enough to pay for them to eat and for transport.
One morning at break time Sam noticed a car parked outside the school fence. Two men were leaning against it, smoking. Frank’s boys – he was sure he recognised one from the shebeen. The same guy had been hanging around the supermarket where he worked. At first he thought they were just messing around, trying to scare him, but now they seemed to follow him everywhere he went.
“Eish, do you see them?” Sam said, turning to Xolani.
“Yeah, bra, those boys are either looking for trouble or Frank has sent them to intimidate you,” Xolani said as he stubbed out his cigarette.
“Everywhere I turn they are there.” Sam was terrified of what Frank might tell his goons to do.
“Have you managed to find some money to pay him back?” Xolani asked as they walked to the spaza after school. He knew full well that Sam could not have managed to find so much money in such a short time.
“I tried to save some of that money he gave me, but the rent is eating it up, and then there’s food and …” Sam stopped. On the street next to the spaza were Frank’s boys, but they weren’t alone. Zinhle was there, and they were standing really close to her.
“Mabhebeza, uyababa sho, you’re beautiful,” one guy leered, winking at Zinhle then inhaling from his cigarette and blowing a perfect smoke ring.
“Don’t worry, we won’t steal your girlfriend from you,” one of them said as Sam came up to them. “But maybe we can borrow her for a little fun time,” he laughed as Sam pulled Zinhle away from him.
“You better watch out, wena,” Sam threatened, standing between them and Zinhle. He wished he could punch the man who had said that in the face. But obviously he would then be in even more serious trouble with Bra Frank. He felt trapped.
“Thanks! That guy was a real jerk,” Zinhle said and took Sam’s hand when the guys had walked off. “If something’s wrong, Sam, you can tell me.”
“Nothing. It’s nothing. How was your day?” Sam changed the subject quickly, forcing a smile.
“It was great. I finally finished my English paper and handed it in.”
Oh shit, Sam thought. He had forgotten about the paper. He had been falling behind with all his assignments. All this constant worrying about how he was going to pay Frank back, working weekends and trying to buy food for him and his sister was distracting him. He couldn’t concentrate at school. He thought about how much faith Mr Sotshononda had in him. What would he say now if he saw me like this? Sam thought.
“Have you finished yours?” Zinhle asked.
“Don’t worry about me, everything is good,” Sam lied quickly. He felt ashamed because his mother never raised a liar.
As they turned the corner he saw another of Frank’s boys. He had to get Zinhle away from himself. Being with her was getting dangerous for both of them.
“I have to go,” he said quickly.
“Wait, what do you mean? I thought we were gonna spend the afternoon together.” Zinhle was disappointed.
“Maybe tomorrow, but I really have to go now,” Sam called back, already halfway down the street.
“Sam, what’s going on?” Zinhle shouted after him. But he was gone.
~•~
“Hey, so have you come up with a plan yet?” Xolani had come round to visit Sam.
“Eish, I don’t know what to do and I know time is running out,” Sam replied, scratching his head.
Xolani well knew that Sam would be in big trouble if he did not come up with the money on time. He knew he himself would be in trouble too as it was he who had recommended Sam to Bra Frank. But even Xolani was running short of ideas on how they could get out of this mess.
“Look, I’ve got to go now but I’ll think of something, don’t worry,” Xolani said to Sam, in an effort to calm him down.
~•~
The next Monday afternoon Xolani had been joking around with his friends, talking about the movies they had watched over the weekend. Chippa was going on and on about this great movie he had seen on his brother’s computer.
“Njonga neh, iqhawukile, look, that movie was amazing.” Chippa could not stop talking about it.
“Wena, you like to exaggerate too much,” Xolani said, and punched him playfully on his shoulder.
“Have you seen it? It’s called The Bank Job,” and Chippa started explaining the whole movie from start to finish, with such excitement.
As he was explaining, Xolani kept thinking of how Sam could pay Bra Frank back.
“Chippa, usis’khokho bra, my brother you’re a genius.”
Xolani had to find Sam fast. He was grinning when he told Sam.
“I have a plan …”
~•~
Sam looked at the calendar in Mohammed’s office in the supermarket. It was six months to the day that he and Xolani had visited the shebeen. His palms were sweaty. Would Xolani’s plan work? It was dangerous. But it seemed like their only chance.
Sam had been out of school all week. Now it was Saturday and he was in the supermarket. Frank’s guys were everywhere. They would come for him soon. Exams were also on their way and he had so much work to catch up on. Everything suddenly felt overwhelming – way too much to handle.
“Hey, how are you doing?” Zinhle had found him packing tins on the shelves. “I haven’t seen you all week. Where have you been?”
Sam had been cutting classes to avoid Frank’s goons and to also catch up with some homework he had not done. Xolani had told him he was figuring out just how to put their plan into action and that he must try to keep calm.
“I’ve just been busy with … stuff.”
“Exams are starting soon. I could come round and help you. I make quite a good study partner. I just want you to know I’m here for you.” She held his hand and smiled. Then her expression became serious. “Are you in trouble, Sam?”
“Everything’s fine. I’ll be back at school on Monday, promise.”
To Zinhle’s relief, on Monday Sam was back in class. It felt so good to be near him again. She had been worried that something bad had happened to him.
During break Sam found Xolani. “We’ve got to do it soon, bra,” he told his friend.
That afternoon they went over the plan one last time.
First Sam was to go to Bra Frank and tell him that he did not have his money and if he wanted it he could take it himself. The plan was simple. Frank and his goons could rob the supermarket where Sam worked in order to get the money. Sam was going to get all the details of where Mohammed kept the safe and signal Frank and his goons to come in and grab the money just before Mohammed left for his usual trip to the bank.
Sam had been reluctant when Xolani had first told him his plan. “Hayibo, do you want to get us both killed?!” he had asked.
“Nobody needs to get hurt. It’s an in-and-out job, bra,” Xolani had assured him. “Besides, it’s the best plan we’ve got. Unless you can think of another. You must do it tomorrow. Bra Frank will be in the shebeen by six.”
On the way home Sam could not stop thinking of all that could possibly go wrong with Xolani’s plan. He could not sleep all night, he was so worried. He kept having nightmares of his sister being taken away again – and this time him never getting a chance to see her after he was arrested for stealing.
When morning came, he was sitting with Sinethemba having breakfast and thinking that this could be the last meal that they would ever share together. He watched her take every bite. He tried to capture every moment of this time together. Then an idea suddenly hit him.
What if he personally didn’t get involved with the robbery at all? What if all he did was tell Frank about the safe and alert him to when to come? Frank and his goons could do the rest. That way Mohammed would never know that he was a part of the whole thing.
“Mohammed has more than I owe you in his takings for the week,” Sam told Frank as they stood together in the dark shebeen. “At least R15 000.”
“I knew you were a smart boy,” Frank said to Sam.
~•~
Friday mid-afternoon was the set date when everything would take place. Sam showed up at the usual time for his shift. He noticed Mohammed going to the back to start the stock take before he took the money from the safe.
Sam looked out of the window. Frank and his boys were sitting in a black VW car with black-tinted windows outside the shop, waiting for the signal.
Then, just as Sam was about to close the shop doors for the usual short lunch break, Zinhle came running in to buy some groceries. Sam wanted to rush forward and push her back out of the store to safety. He wanted to protect her from what was about to happen. But he couldn’t. How would he get her out of there in time before Frank and his boys came in?
“Hey, sorry, but we are closed now,” Sam said, trying to stop Zinhle.
“Please, Sam, I just need to buy something. I’ll be out of the shop in one minute,” Zinhle insisted, pushing her way past him.
Before Sam could say anything he saw Frank getting out of the car with two of his goons behind him. They were both wearing balaclavas. It was time.
“Zinhle, please I need you to get out because if Mohammed finds you here he will not be happy,” said Sam trying to convince Zinhle to leave the shop quickly, but Bra Frank had already pulled the door open.
“Sam, relax. I’m done, here is the money.” Zinhle had already grabbed a loaf of bread and some rice off the shelf and put a note down on the counter. And then she screamed when she saw Frank’s gun. Mohammed rushed out of his office to see what was happening.
“Get the money!” Frank shouted at Sam. “Don’t just stand there.”
Frank was waving his gun. Sam went into Mohammed’s office and took the money from his desk. He had been busy counting it out.
Frank grabbed the bag with the money. Sam watched him walk towards the door. It would all be over within seconds. But then Bra Frank did the unthinkable. He grabbed Zinhle by the arm.
“You’re coming with me,” he said, yanking her back through the door and outside.
Sam yelled and ran towards them but Frank was too quick. They shoved Zinhle into the back of the car. All Sam could do was watch as Frank sped away.
Discussion questions
• Sam’s aims were good, but he was led to do unwise things. What were the pressures on him that made him make these bad choices? Do you know other people who have also made bad choices because of their difficult circumstances?
• What do you think is going to happen next?
About the author
Phoebe Sibomana is a developing young writer who started writing for FunDza as a FunDza Fan and has now managed to write stories as a commissioned writer for FunDza. Phoebe holds an Honours Degree in Development Studies and joined FunDza in 2012 as part of her intership.
Being a mentee …
I enjoyed having the opportunity of working with two great authors (Rosamund Haden and Joanne Hichens). I learned so much from both of them because their styles of writing are different so I got exposed to both, which helped me formulate my story. Joanne is mainly a crime thriller writer and Ros writes anything from romance to human drama, hence my story had a bit of both. It was very useful to have both of their input and it helped me to learn more and expand my own ideas. I had never written a crime thriller before so having someone like Joanne in my corner was really great, and having worked with Ros made it easy because I already knew her style of writing and could get advice from her at anytime if I strayed away from the main ideas of the story.