In early January when I started a new grade, I would have strong headaches. I couldn’t focus on my school work. So I decided to tell my mom because I couldn’t take it anymore. We went to a private clinic, my mom received a warning call from work for being absent, the doctor gave her a letter to present to her employer.

I told the doctor about my headaches, he checked me and he found absolutely nothing wrong with me but he decided to give me headache pills to drink. Whenever I drank those pills my headaches became worse, I decided to stop drinking them. I didn’t tell my mom because I didn’t want to stress her.

Whenever I went back to school my headaches became worse, I decided not to go anymore and I felt better at home. My cousin covered for me at school by lying to my class teacher, saying I was at the hospital. I never cared about school anyway, I was just a smart worker. Someone I can’t mention advised me to disappear for a while in order for me to survive because my days were numbered.

I thought of initiation school but then my mom didn’t want me to go there and I also didn’t want to go there but then there was nowhere I could go with a valid reason for school. My mom decided to use all of her savings just to get help for me so I could avoid going to initiation school. I had to disobey her and go to initiation school because I couldn’t let her use her savings.

The headaches stopped at initiation school, it was still hell but it was worth it. I didn’t want to go back home or school anymore. My mom took a loan from a bank and brought me a few presents when I got home and I decided to go back to school. The headaches started again, I wanted to commit suicide because I couldn’t take it anymore.

People at school were saying I was acting, as if they knew how I felt. One day I ran out of the school yard during school hours because I couldn’t take it anymore. My mom decided to chase away everyone looking for me for a month and guess what? The headaches stopped just like that. Today, I have managed to go back to school and I made it.

Ngakho ke ngithi kuwe yenza isiqiniseko sokuthi uyayiyenzisisa lento ebakuzondela yona ukuze bakuzondele into ekhona, no matter how hard the situation is.

Tell us: Have you ever been in the same situation as Siya?