She woke up early at 5 a.m. and bathed secretly, not wanting to wake her brother. At 6 she was on her way to Joburg CBD. She knew how to get to town and come back. She knew the malls around the town; her friend, Sheila would take her to new places, she will never get lost. She had asked Sheila, who worked with her about directions and had written them down so she didn’t have to ask anyone.

Arriving in the big city made her nervous. She remembered Sheila warning her about thieves in that place.

“Don’t walk alone in a street. If you hear them whistling, know they are coding others ahead. Hold your bag tightly.” Sheila had warned.

What will Tawanda think about her leaving early? He will probably think she went to work. She hoped he wouldn’t notice she wasn’t at work. Tawanda was young but he cared for his sister. She thought he knew about Mr Fabri’s weakness, that he wasn’t only sleeping with her but with other women who were working at Willard’s Packers too.

She strolled quickly until she found the sign written WOOLWORTHS. There was a queue with young ladies and guys. She spoke English when she got there. A lady told her she should wait to be called in for an interview. The ladies at the back got irritated when she spoke in English.

“What kind of a girl speaks English?” one asked.

“Maybe she wants to show she went to school.” another one giggled.

“They have come to steal our jobs.” said a guy who wore a leather jacket.

Christina ignored them and didn’t look back. In her hands she held her CV, she was nervous. She saw how she shivered, she wanted the interview over and done with. She finally entered the room where there was a woman and a man who sat on the other side of the table. They didn’t smile but looked at her, which made her scared.

“Good morning.” she said nervously.

“Sit down.” the man said, pointing with his pen.

The interview wasn’t long. They asked her questions in English and she answered confidently. They wanted to know if she was able to work with people, if she was polite and able to handle difficult customers. It wasn’t as hard as she thought. They asked her to wait outside for feedback.

She went and sat alone while people kept looking at her. These people don’t like foreigners, she thought. The woman who interviewed them came and called names. She was surprised to hear her name being called. She got a job. She was so happy that she hugged those who got the same job as her. The three people who kept saying bad things about foreigners didn’t get a job. Only ten of them got a job.

They were given uniforms: a striped red-line shirt, blue skirt for the ladies and blue pants for the guys. They were given contracts to sign by the woman who interviewed them. Her name was Mrs Thandeka Nkosi. She asked them to stay if they could find accommodation nearer, so they wouldn’t be late for work. She advised them, that there was a hostel which was cheap for them, only R1200 a month.

Christina thought about Mrs Nkosi’s idea, it was better for her to stay alone, giving Tawanda back his freedom. He couldn’t bring in girls because of her and she also wanted her freedom.

That very same day she went back to Tawanda to pick up her clothes and things. Instead of waiting for her brother to get back from work, she wrote him a letter, stating that she had resigned and wanted to try something different. She knew he wouldn’t be happy, he worried about her. I hope he will understand, she thought.

***

Tell us: Do you think things will be better now for Christina?