Granny-next-door agrees with me on this. She was born in 1918 in the year when thousands of people died of influenza. She was lucky to have survived, with both her parents. She says she remembers that her own mother used to talk about how unfair it was that the whole community was more concerned about “influenza orphans” than other kinds of orphans. She says what is happening now with AIDS is just history repeating itself. And that history has to repeat itself because human beings take long to learn lessons about life. Granny-next-door speaks about a lot of things this way. I like listening to her though sometimes I think she speaks in confusing ways. Whenever I really miss Mme, I go to her to cry. Her sight is half gone so I don’t mind crying in front of her. She tells me that nature has a way of dealing with things. She says this AIDS is here to “level things out”, sometimes she calls it “creating a balance”. She says all of us will become better adults for having experienced parenting as children.

When I arrive at Tsidi’s, she finishes whatever she is doing and we walk to school together. It saddens me that she has to miss so many days when her baby sister is ill because she does not have brightness genes. Granny-next door says the reason I do so well in school is because intelligence runs through my blood, my genes.

After school I sit with Tsidi so we can do homework together before we go to face our sisters. It takes me a long time to get her to understand some of the things I help her with, particularly mathematics, science and English. Unfortunately our teachers are not as patient with those of us who are not so bright.

This is part of the reason I want to be the Minister of Education in my province one day. I really enjoy teaching less smart children at LPS. Do you know that I have already taught Lesedi to count up to twenty, yet she is just four? Granny-next-door says it’s the intelligence genes doing that, not me. I hate it when she takes away my credit. It’s a pity that when I am the Minister, she will be long gone. There are many things I will correct when I become the Minister. Everyone, including Granny-next-door in her grave, will know that I did it.

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Tell us: What do you think of Granny-next-door’s ideas about AIDS and intelligence? Do you think there are many people who share Granny-next-door’s ideas?