By the time Saturday came Auntie Thembi had arrived and everything felt better. She was a very cheerful, positive person would be there in the day, able to keep an eye on Granny, and her salary would mean they didn’t run out of food at the end of the month. Zandi felt as though a huge heavy burden had lifted off her shoulders.

Zandi was outside hanging up the washing when Sibongile arrived. They sat on two chairs in the sun drinking cups of tea and eating scones that Auntie Thembi had made for them.

“So what has happened to you, Zandi?” Sibongile started the conversation. “You used to be so bubbly and friendly and suddenly everything changed and you stopped greeting us and walked around with that angry face.”

“I didn’t stop greeting,” Zandi replied, “You all stopped talking to me. I thought it was because I was never able to join you after school.”

“No Zandi, something changed with you. You kept us away.”

Zandi was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke up bravely. “My mom did pass 6 months ago. Remember she was sick.” Tears started again and this time she didn’t try to stop them. She sobbed and sobbed as if her heart would break.

Sibongile jumped up and hugged her tightly. “Oh Zandi, that is so sad, I know how close you and your mom were. But why didn’t you tell us?”

Zandi told Sibongile what she had been through in the last few months. She told her everything. How sick her Granny had been, how she had had to take on all the responsibility, how they sometimes had no food left at the end of the month.

Sibongile was thoughtful. “I have noticed you have lost weight,” she said. “ I should have realised something had happened. I would have helped you. My parents grow lots of vegetables, I could have given you some every week. Please tell me why you didn’t tell us?”

“I thought I would seem weak,” Zandi said. “I didn’t want everyone to feel sorry for me. It was so painful to talk about my mom being gone, I knew I would cry if I told anyone. Anyway now my Auntie Thembi has come to stay and she is working so we will be alright. Maybe I will even be able to hang around with you again sometimes,” she added shyly.

“Well only if you ask very nicely,” said Sibongile, and then laughed at Zandi’s face. “Only joking, of course you can! If you’ll forgive us! Now I understand why you have looked so very angry,” she continued, in a more serious voice. “I would be angry too if something like this happened to me. And I do understand why it was hard for you to tell us, although I also think things would have been better for you if you had. I feel so bad though, because I should have found out what was happening before. I know the other girls are going to feel really bad too for being so rude about you. Do you mind if I tell them?”

“Of course not.” Zandi sighed with relief. “I have learnt something big today too. I can see that I was too proud to break down and ask for support and that made everything twice as hard as it needed to be.”

I think there is a lesson here for all of us,” Sibongile said. “It’s like Ms Nombembe said in class. ‘We must not judge a book by its cover’.” She imitated Ms Nombembe’s loud dramatic voice and they both laughed. Sibongile went on. “She’s right though. We make so many assumptions. We assumed that you thought you were better than us because you do so well in class. We thought that you don’t have time for us anymore, when in fact you were suffering and having a terrible time. I think we must be more open with each other and share our difficult moments so that we can be there for each other more. I think that is what real friendship is all about.”

The girls sat and talked for hours. Sibongile helped Zandi fold up all the washing when it was dry. Zandi walked her to the taxi rank and they hugged goodbye. Zandi walked home feeling waves of relief, she felt lighter with every step. It did feel good to share your problems with friends. When she got home she went and looked at herself in the mirror in her bedroom. There was no sign of that resting bitch face anymore. She promised herself that whenever she felt it coming back she would take a moment to find out what was really going on inside her, and find someone to talk to.

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