After they had washed up together, Zanele was feeling ten feet tall. She had done her first cookery lesson. Wait until Mummy was told.

“Nanny,” Zanele said standing in the doorway leading to the dining room and lounge, “is this the way you always make our toasted cheese sarmies?”

“No, baby girl, I use the sarmie toasting machine in the cupboard over there.”

Zanele was astonished.

“Nanny!”

Maggie laughed so much her chest bounced up and down and the tears ran down her cheeks.

“I’m not laughing at you, child. It’s the look on your face. As if I cooked your rabbit!”

“NANNY!!!”

“Awright, okay.” Maggie wiped away her tears.

“Why– ”

“Baby girl, you have to know how the job is done the hard way before you do the easy thing. What if you want toasted sandwiches and the lights are out? Then you can use the gas stove and the pan…”

“Next time will I make them with the toaster?”

“Yes, even if the lights aren’t out.”

Zanele went off, the sounds of Maggie’s chuckling still ringing in her ears.

She was hard at it at her desk in the bedroom she still shared with Zola. Suddenly she became aware of a stale smell.

She looked around the room and shuddered again at the sight of Zola’s side of the room. Her side was shrinking because his things were slowly but surely moving into her space.

She jumped up from her seat and got stuck into the mess. In no time at all, the books were back on his bookshelf, his shoes were where they belonged, his soiled clothes were put into the washing basket in the laundry, his jersey and jacket were hung in the wardrobe.

Slowly she stretched up to her full height and said aloud, “I wonder where he is. I bet he hasn’t even started his homework.”

She bent down again, flopping down like a rag doll. “Lemme get on with it.”

She picked up all the sweet wrappers and placed them in the bedroom wastebasket. Then she removed the old bubble-gum from under the desk and bookshelves, pulling her face as she did so. There were so many stickers she knew he valued, yet they just lay there, becoming dog-eared.

She even found a mouldy old apple core and some sandwiches, half eaten and long since forgotten.

“So that’s where that funny smell is from!” she whispered, frowning as she swept the little package onto the dustpan. She hurried off to dump it in the bin outside.

“Ants! Lucky, we didn’t have ants visiting.”

When Zola ran in a little later, puffing and panting and ready to throw himself on his bed, he caught sight of his space. He stopped dead still. He looked at Zanele. She kept her eyes on her computer screen. He gasped loudly and made a really angry sound in his throat.

Then he opened his mouth and screamed, “Na-ne-e-e!” He rushed out as though the place was on fire.

Zanele remained silently seated.

Zola did not return to the room. Not right then. He had a bone to pick with Maggie.

When Mummy got home just a short while later, Zanele heard them talking; Zola loudly and angrily, Mummy softly and lovingly.

“I wish I had my own room,” Zanele sighed but decided to be patient with her twin brother and maybe tell him to pick up after himself.

She sighed a deep soft sigh and said out loud, “I wonder what he’ll be saying to me when he gets back here.”

***

Tell us: Did you ever do something out of character that really shocked someone else?