When I got home I felt excited, but nervous. The longer I waited for Mama to come home the more stressed I got. Before I knew it, I had eaten all the vetkoek that Mam Zondi had brought round. Then I felt awful, as usual. Nothing could fix me, I thought. Why bother to go to life coaching when I came home and stuffed my face?
But I had to be brave, Tasha had said. Something had to change, and I was the only person who could make that happen.
So I fixed a meal for Mama. I took the leftovers of chicken and I heated them in the microwave. When she arrived her dinner was ready, plus I had boiled water for her to soak her feet.
“Noluthando wam,” I called her.
“Yintoni ngoku?” she said.
After she had soaked her feet, and was relaxed and ready for bed, I took a deep breath.
“There’s something I want to talk to you about,” I said.
“Did you fail your test?” she said quickly.
“No, Mama.”
“Are you pregnant?”
How would that even be possible? I thought.
“No …”
“Uyagula?” she asked me.
“Hayi Mama, ndi-right,” I said.
“Then what is it?”
“I have brought a form home from the Girl Power Programme. It is an afterschool programme run by life coaches – they are trained and everything. It helps young people with social skills,” I said, trying to sound convincing.
“What ‘social skills’? You don’t need social skills – it’s a waste of time. Haven’t I taught you how to behave? You should be studying. When is it anyway?”
“It’s on Fridays. It starts at three and ends at five,” I answered her. “It’s after school. It’s just down the road from the school and Palesa will travel with me. She lives near here.”
“Palesa? Who is Palesa?”
“She’s a new friend.”
Mama’s face softened for a few seconds at the news that I had a new friend, before getting stern again.
“He wena, who will cook and clean, when you return at five?”
“Ndiyathembisa Mama, ndizocleaner ndipheke,” I said, reassuring her.
“Nini?”
“Calm down, Mama. On Fridays I am going to wake up early and clean before I go to school, so that your house is spotless. I will still have time to cook supper when I get home. Just let me know what I will have to cook beforehand.”
“Okay, Bhelekazi wam, you can join the program – as long as you can keep your word,” she said as she signed the form.
***
Tell us: Do you think Mama lays too much emphasis on housework?