My name is Pebetsi Ledwaba. When I was twenty-six years old I worked as a cashier at a supermarket. I had two kids and a husband who did odd jobs as a plumber. How do I explain my life? Well in a nutshell my life after marriage, let me just begin by saying marriage is no easy affair. Not when you always have to scratch your heard first when school sends you a lists of stationery or when your child needs a doctor’s attention.

Yes, my life was a far cry from the life I had lived in high school, when sassy, sexy and outgoing was the name of the game. Me and my friend Mpumi stopped at nothing to find ourselves riding in all those fancy cars, taking vacations with men old enough to be our fathers. You know what, we just took what life had to offer and made the best out of it.

You know sometimes when I had to starve myself to save bread for my two little boys, I would remember how Mpumi and I used to order everything on the menu, just to dare the man who will be taking care of the bill. We would ask for doggy bags only to throw them in the bins the minute we get home because we didn’t want our parents knowing we ate at restaurants with old men.

I guess life took a very depressing turn for me, I had no other choice but to accept it as it was. So every day I woke up at five o’clock to go fetch water at the tap outside. We were renting a backroom in Seshego a few kilometres out of Polokwane. At R800 it was affordable given that we stayed with our kids. I have to admit the space didn’t feel wide enough for all four of us, but hey, as I said life had its way of taking a depressing turn. After fetching water I would boil some in an urn, prepare soft porridge for all of us. I would bath the kids and then wake my husband so we could all have our breakfast together. I then had to rush to work while my husband walked the kids to school.

You know, I always found myself thinking, what I ever did to deserve a man like him – loving, caring and so considerate of others. Even through all the hardships I still considered myself one of the lucky few. When I met my husband, my firstborn was two years old and my youngest was just a few months old. Their father was a married old man who only remembered he had kids when he wanted to sleep with me. I put a stop to the madness and that’s when he stopped supporting the kids too. Just as I thought the world was coming to an end, along came the most handsome, loving man who was willing to take care of me and my kids even with the little he had.

The memories of my husband occupied me till I got to work. That morning I felt like the soft porridge I cooked didn’t taste good at all. I felt like I had eaten something rotten and sticky. My stomach kept growling and my tongue was left with a sour after-taste.

I helped myself to some cigarettes at the back of the store before letting myself in. Just as I killed it with my shoe heading back inside, I heard someone calling me with a nickname I had thought had died a long time ago.

“Freaky! Is that you girl?”

I came face to face with my friend Mpumi, who looked like she had just come out of a Vogue Magazine. She had one of those Brazillian weaves on, with this black suit and red stilettos that looked like they cost a million bucks. Her jewellery sparkled even in the cloudy weather we were in. After so many years, I just found myself speechless. What does someone say to an old friend they always thought they will never see again? I thought, just standing there staring at her in disbelief.

“Girl come on stop acting like a whore, come give me a hug.”

“Mpumi? Sexy? Is that you?” I said, throwing myself into her arms.

“Where have you been girl? Been looking all over for you. And all this uniform, girl don’t tell me you’re working in the bloody supermarket? Hell no, I will not accept that.”

“Chomi life has been rough. I only have matric so this is the only job I qualify for.”

“No chomi, you can’t work here, you are no low-life. You are sexy and freaky and…”

“Nooo I used to be freaky not anymore, what are you doing here?”

“I have a meeting with your boss. I was told to get in by the back door because I insisted on an early meeting. You know what, let’s meet for lunch later – on me of course!”

“I don’t know Mpumi, it’s a bit hectic around lunch so…”

“Dinner then. I’ll send you a driver to pick you up, you don’t stay far right?”

“Yes, I stay just a few blocks away from here.”

“OK then, let’s have that dinner then. God Freaky, honestly chomi what happened to that crazy, freaky friend of mine?”

We continued with our chat as we entered the store, exchanged numbers just before we departed. I found my eyes blinded with tears when I saw how far my friend made it in life. I wished I didn’t even agree to the dinner because I had nothing decent to wear except for vests and jeans.

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Tell us what you think: Do you think “Freaky” should go to dinner with her old friend?