Thabang was a very ambitious boy who was born in a very unfortunate family. He lived with his parents in a small village located in the Free State province. He would often visit his uncle who was working in the city and lived in a small township. Thabang was 17 years old and in grade 11 when his parents decided that he should go live with his uncle and get a better education.

He was a very smart boy who believed that one day he would change his circumstances. He moved in with his uncle who was working as a driver. Changing schools was not easy for him but he had to adapt to the situation since it was a big opportunity for him. He didn’t talk much at school; he was always sitting alone reading. He was an observant kid, always wondering about his surroundings and the people around him.

Since his arrival at this new school, there was something that always caught Thabang’s attention, a girl who was very much different from the other learners. There was something about this girl that always made Thabang wonder. During break time, he would always sit alone looking at this girl.

One day while he was busy looking at this girl, he heard a voice say, “Just forget it, you won’t get her.” He turned to see who that was and he found a tall boy looking at him. “I’ve been watching you lately,” the tall boy said with a smile. “I’m Mike, you are?” He asked.

“I’m Thabang,” Thabang responded.

“You must be new around here, everyone at this school knows that girl,” Mike said this while he was pointing at her.

“Who is she?” Thabang asked out of curiosity.

As Mike was about to tell Thabang, the bell rang and they had to go to class. Thabang couldn’t concentrate in class; what Mike said really pumped his curiosity. He told himself that he will meet Mike after school to ask him more about this girl. After school he couldn’t find Mike, he had to go home with unfilled curiosity. At home, all he could think about was the mysterious girl.

“Is she famous?” he rhetorically asked himself, maybe she was famous. “Damn! I forgot to ask Mike what’s her name,” he shouted. Uncle Tom heard him in the kitchen talking alone.

“What are you on about?” Uncle Tom asked.

“Nothing, just singing,” he murmured.

Thabang could not wait for the next day of school, he had questions in his mind and Mike was the only one with the answers. The next morning when he arrived at school he looked for Mike. He found him with his friends, standing under a tree.

Mike saw him and he said to his friends, “That’s the boy I told you about, he thinks he can date Natasha.” They laughed. “Look at him, he doesn’t stand a chance,” he added while they laughed at him. Thabang left with a sad face. That day, at night his uncle noticed his sad face.

“Thabang, are you well?” he asked.

“No, some kids were laughing at me today at school,” he responded.

“Why were they laughing at you?” Uncle Tom asked.

“I asked one of them for information about something,” he murmured, “but instead of helping me he and his friends laughed at me.”

“That should be a lesson to you,” Uncle Tom said.

“How is it a lesson?” he asked with a low tone.

“Well, you shouldn’t always depend on people,” he said. “People might not give you what you anticipated.”

“What do you mean?” Thabang asked with a confused face.

“Just learn to do things yourself.” He said as he left. “I’m going to work, see you in the morning,” he exclaimed.

Uncle Tom worked night shifts and came back in the morning. What Uncle Tom said to Thabang really kept him up at night. He told himself that if nobody was going to help him, he’d help himself.

***

Tell us what you think: What do you think of Uncle Tom’s advice? Would you use it in your own life?