October came so fast. I was studying during the night at 4 a.m. before school. I had confidence that I would pass my final Form 4. Vimbai would hang out with her crew. They had better things to do than to study.

A week before our exams, I saw Vimbai next door. They took photos and listened and danced to music. She and her friends had boyfriends. Uncle allowed her to go out at night. I didn’t much care about that. My school work was important.

The first subject for the exams was Mathematics. I tried in Maths; some things were hard but I never scored below average. All the form 4 were writing in the hall. I entered with a
mathematical set, calculator, two pens, pencil, rubber and ruler. Every pupil must have an entry form with their ID number and entry code to be allowed entry to write.

We sat according to our surnames, alphabetically. I sat behind Vimbai’s desk. She was busy whispering until the invigilators entered. She looked at me as if she had seen something
filthy.

It was a two-and-a-half hour paper. I looked at the questions after the start was signalled by Mr Gumede. I looked at the questions and I quickly saw that it wasn’t a tough paper. It was Paper 2 and Paper 1 we would write the following week.

I was relieved when I could answer all questions easily. Vimbai was fighting and looking right and left, back and front. Finally, it was over. When I walked out to the hall, I heard Vimbai with her friends.

“How did you find the paper?” she asked.

“It was tough, let’s ask Laurie who never fails,” Carol said.

I walked away while they kept talking. I went straight home and did my chores. Aunt Lucy gave me food, macaroni with beans. It was cold, but I ate it, because I needed strength.

“How was the exam?” Aunt Lucy asked Vimbai when she entered the kitchen. It would hurt when no one asked how you spent the day or about your exams. My uncles never looked at my report. Vimbai threatened to tear it so I hid it.

“Ma, I passed. It was easy,” she answered and cursed me with a ‘tsk’.

After eating, I washed the dishes and went to the bedroom. I began to study for Commerce. Vimbai came to change her uniform.

“You think you will pass? Foolish idiot, get out of my way, man,” she shouted.

I sat on the floor, far from her bed. A month passed and I was done with my exams. I saw that I had passed the OK Supermarket test so I was going to start on 15 November as a cashier.

“You are not going to work, who will wash dishes and laundry?” Aunt Lucy shouted when I told her.

I ran out and began to cry. I sat on the stone far from my parent’s home. I didn’t see Alison was close.

“Laurie, what’s wrong?” she asked.

I quickly wiped my tears.

“It’s nothing,” I answered.

“Tell me, something is bothering you. I could help you,” she sat next to me on the stone I was sitting on. I told her about how my uncle and aunt treated me. She listened cautiously, I
went to tell her about my parents and the job I had gotten.

“I can give you a place to stay till you get back on your feet. But would you want to move away from your parents’ home?” she asked curiously.

I nodded. The plan was to sneak out at night with my torn clothes because Uncle wouldn’t have allowed me to leave. I couldn’t wait. At 8 p.m. everyone went to sleep. I sat in the dining room and put my clothes in a plastic. I ran to the stone. Alison was waiting for me there. Alison was going to work at OK Supermarket too.

I slept on a bed for the first time since my parent’s death. She even gave me food and clothes. She saw my rags and had sympathy.

I was being trained for a week; it wasn’t hard. I was grateful that we wore uniforms; I didn’t have nice pretty clothes. Alison had given me two dresses, a t-shirt, jeans and white sneakers. We were on the counters where the people pay for their groceries. It wasn’t a tough job for a school leaver. I wanted to study further and do a Secretarial courses. Alison wanted to go Advanced level if she passed.

“You know, I was afraid Vimbai would smack me. I would have been friends with you,” she said during lunch.

“You have done so much for me. Thank you,” I told her, smiling. I hugged her and walked back into the supermarket and took my spot while others removed themselves from the counters. Three guys, who work in the store room, took over when we went for lunch. At night we helped them with the store rooms.

*****

Tell us: How do you think Vimbai will be treated now that Laurie is gone?