I think my life could go one way if I passed matric and another way if I didn’t.

If I passed well, I would receive gifts from people because my lease on life would shine like gold. Those that didn’t talk to me would start talking to me since I’d be successful. I would have had to work seriously hard to get this life. Winning the lotto is nothing compared to it because it would open many doors for me.

One of my lovely teachers used to tell me that, a book holds a house of gold, meaning that there is a wealth of knowledge in books. I would study very hard to get where I am now. I would have spent many nights without sleeping.

I think if I didn’t get my matric certificate my life would’ve been a lot different.

My heart would be filled with anger, it would be broken into pieces. Some of the pieces would be at home because I had an argument with Grandma. She might’ve asked me to go and fetch water so that she could brew her traditional beer and I didn’t do it because I was meditating about my life.

When I look at my life, I would become despondent. I would wonder how it happened because I used to work very hard. I never missed school I was always there on time. The advice that was given would’ve been all for nothing. I’m sure I would’ve used them like nobody’s business but they didn’t work. This got me thinking that I should shift my gears but they didn’t shift. I would have questions, but there would be no answers.

I would realise that a day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy. Time goes by very quickly when you are happy and slowly when you are sad. I wouldn’t even try to apply for a job because sometimes jobs are even scarce to find for those that have degrees and everything. I would be nothing compared to those that have qualifications.

But how is piece of paper able to ruin someone’s life? That would be one of the questions that I’d keep asking myself.

My classmates would’ve started to glow because of the bursary money and their new locations while I was stuck with my lovely Grandma. I would have promised my Grandma that after getting my life together that’d she should stop brewing the traditional beer because I wanted to be the breadwinner. Unfortunately, life disappointed me and I didn’t manage to be the breadwinner.

I would start to feel useless but my Grandma would comfort me every day. When I’d see a former teacher, I’m sure that I’d run away and hide myself until they disappeared.

Grandma would have to teach me how to brew the traditional beer. She would to tell me, like she does now, that the brewing of traditional beer is a legacy that was given to her by my great grandma.

I would be ashamed of myself because some of my former classmates, when they came back from varsity, they’d laugh at me just because I would be selling traditional beer.

Those former classmates of mine that would laugh at me were those that I maybe would’ve bullied at school. Some were those that I used to make jokes with and some were those that I used to steal materials, like pens, pencil, rulers, from.

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