It was a particularly warm winter’s day, and so she decided to open the sliding door that overlooked the garden and her windows, just above the beautiful rosebushes. She flipped the switch to listen to her favourite radio show, Music For Your Soul, catching the tail end of Whitney Houston’s I’ll Always Love You. She then turned to admire the work of some of her Little Munchkins – the name of her class. As her eyes moved across their names she recalled something special about each child.

Mangaliso, she smiled. What a character! She recalls how he once asked her why they can’t sing Spirit by Kwesta instead of happy birthday, and then proceeded to sing and dance in celebration of his own birthday.

Kate. She was a sweet child, but needed a lot of emotional support, given what was going on between her parents. Not that she was in any position to pass judgement given her own domestic issues.

Tshepiso, Mangaliso’s best friend, loved to bring her flowers which he would secretly pick from the principal’s garden. As far as the four year old was concerned, Teacher Claire was his girlfriend. Such declarations of love were always followed by a cute little giggle.

Claire paused, and quietly ran her fingers over her daughter’s artwork, wondering just how much the tensions between her parents must be affecting her. If the little exchange she had with another little boy the other day was anything to go by, she was hurting and confused.

It was the nostalgic piano intro of Mariah Carey’s Hero that rescued her from her wondering thoughts. She couldn’t help grabbing her hairbrush off the table, cranking up the volume and singing into the brush the way they used to with her older sister when they were kids. Depending on the song, they sometimes sang different parts of the same song, or simply sang the song together.

There’s a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don’t have to be afraid
Of what you are
There’s an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

“It’s a long road!” Claire shouted, lowering an inverted clenched fist until her elbow touched her tummy.

“When you face the world alone, no one reaches out a hand for you to hooooold.” Claire harmonised, with the unmistakable voice of the diva commanding the airwaves.

At first she thought there was something wrong with the radio when an alien sound seemed to invade the much-needed nostalgia. She froze in her most dramatic Mariah pose, and listened.
“Ping-bong!” the bell for the main gate chimed. For a moment she was dumbstruck, trying to figure out who on earth would be ringing the school bell on a Sunday, during school holidays nog al. It was only when she rushed to the camera screen that she recognised the car.

“Kopano!” she squealed, immediately covering her mouth with her hand, embarrassed at her own sudden excitement.

The man responsible for interrupting a duet with Mariah Carey had barely closed the small gate behind him when Claire came rushing from around the corner excitedly screaming, “Kopano!” Before he could brace himself, she practically launched herself into his arms, legs wrapped around his waist and arms like a vice grip around his neck.

“Good morning to you too!” he smiled, trying hard not to blush. The smell of hair conditioner intoxicated him. Just as he closed his eyes to savour the moment, she gently lowered herself and he reluctantly released her.

“What a lovely surprise!” she beamed. “How did you…? What are you even…?” The questions that bombarded her mind were too many to process. “Come!” she finally said before he could attempt a response, and dragged him by the hand to the kitchen.

While she filled the kettle with water, Kopano explained that he was actually on his way to the shops to buy a few things when he happened to notice her car in the school parking lot.

“So instead of simply driving straight, you turned into a dead-end street and just happened to find yourself at our gates?” she smiled, eyes fixed on him. Kopano could feel himself blushing, again, and averted his gaze.

“Enough about me,” he said, “what on earth are you doing here during school holidays?” She
continued to stare at him for a moment longer, as if trying to tease out an answer to her question.

“I thought I’d come in and get a head-start before schools reopen, and just do a bit of spring cleaning while I’m at it,” she smiled.

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