Sipho
Sipho was anxious. It was almost eight and they had been stuck in a traffic jam for the last fifteen minutes. There was a public transport strike and Agnes had arranged for her brother to drive them all to school. Most of the rich kids were driven to school every day. The strike would not affect them. And they lived nearby the school. Sipho had to travel all the way in from the township.
Sipho kept thinking of the letter he had got from the Principal. If he was late again he would be suspended.
“Don’t worry yourself so much, my child,” said Agnes, turning to look back at Sipho, “I’ll speak to the Principal if he gives you trouble. I’ll explain the situation.”
“Why don’t you get your new ‘friends’ to protect you from the Principal?” said Gloria sarcastically under her breath. She still was giving him a hard time about wanting to be friends with the Grade 11 boys. “I hear one of those boy’s father is on the governing body of the school.”
“Sipho has new friends?” Agnes asked, looking at Gloria, “That’s good. Sipho I know it’s been a struggle for you to fit in. It’s good that you’re making friends at last.”
“I wouldn’t say it was good,” snorted Gloria. “It’s those Grade 11 boys, Ma. You know the ones who think they are so cool. The ones who pick on younger boys. Everyone knows something happened with that new boy in Grade 8, Tom. Rumours are flying around. Those Grade 11 boys, Jaco and his crew. They did something to that boy. We need to speak out. That boy is too afraid of them to tell the truth. Someone needs to speak the truth, Mama.”
“Has that boy, Tom, told you anything?” Agnes said quickly. “About the bullying?”
“No, but I know it happened. I heard the others talking .Those Grade11s can’t keep their mouths shut. And I am going to do some–”
“
“Please speak to Sipho, Mama. He thinks those boys genuinely want to be friends with him, because they like him. But they are trouble. They have a reason for everything they do. Why would they want to be friends with a Grade 8? They want to do something to him, like they did to that boy, Tom.”
Sipho felt uneasy when he saw the expression on Agnes’ face. What did she know about these boys? Her expression was hard to read. But there was disgust there, and anger and something else – fear. But she kept her mouth shut.
As they were dropped at the school gates Agnes took Sipho’s arm. He could see she was trying to decide whether to tell him something or not. Eventually she said quickly, “Be careful of those boys. They are bad news Sipho. Gloria is right.”
And then she walked away towards the kitchens to get her cleaning equipment.
Gloria was already ahead of Sipho, running down the corridor towards their classrooms. She turned the corner and was out of sight as he ran behind. As he was about to catch up with her he heard a familiar voice up ahead. When he rounded the corner he saw a furious Gloria, surrounded by Jaco, John and Ricardo. They were laughing mockingly. Gloria was glaring daggers at them.
“Hey, Sipho, my man,” greeted Jaco, putting his arm around Sipho. “Your girlfriend is acting a bit crazy here. We were just teasing her. Just a bit of fun.”
Sipho felt torn. Gloria was taking this way too seriously. He could see she was waiting for him to take sides – her side. But he hesitated too long, and this was too much for her.
“Good for you, ke, I can see I mean nothing to you!” she said, angrily, as she stormed off.
The boys patted him on the shoulder. “Girls hey,” they laughed, like they sympathised with his dilemma.
“Hey – don’t forget our little pact,” Ricardo winked at him.
“Ja, tomorrow’s the day,” John laughed. “Then you will truly be one of us.”
“Nobody will mess with you again, we swear,” said Jaco. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” said Sipho, but inside he was not ready at all.
“In fact guys, why wait until tomorrow. Carpe diem… Do you know what that means?” Jaco asked him. Sipho shook his head. Jaco laughed. “Tell him what it means, John.”
“It’s Latin. And it means ‘seize the day’, Sipho. Don’t leave things for tomorrow.”
“After school at the toilets, Sipho … don’t be late,” Ricardo called back as they sprinted off down the passage.
And they were gone.
Sipho couldn’t concentrate on anything in class. He was terrified. He could escape, run out of the back entrance to the school. But then what? There were no taxis to take him home today. What would he say to his mom? What would the teachers do when he didn’t turn up for class after break? Tell the Principal. He would be expelled, for sure. And he had the whole day to get through feeling like this. How would he get home after he met them after school? What were they going to do to him at the initiation?
At break when he walked out into the quad, he saw Gloria talking to that other new boy in Grade 8. The one who kept to himself. Was this the boy the Grade 11s had teased? Was she asking him what really happened? When Sipho came towards them Gloria got up and walked away. She wouldn’t speak to him, or look at him.
Sipho realised that he had sat with Gloria every day at break – without her he had no-one to hang out with.
The other Grade 8 boy had his book out and was working. Sipho went up and sat down next to him. He was in a different class to Sipho, but the boy recognised him.
“Hey, Sipho greeted,” holding out his hand. But the boy didn’t respond. He didn’t shake Sipho’s hand.
“I know who you are,” he said at last, quietly. “Gloria told me.”
He went back to working, not looking up. Sipho could see that the boy wanted him to leave him alone. But he had to find out the truth. And this boy looked kind, even though he didn’t want to befriend Sipho.
“So what are you busy with over here?”
“I’m just doing Mrs Snyman’s English assignment,” he answered, pointing at the textbook lying open beside him.
“Cool, man. It’s obvious you’re an A+ student.”
“Thanks. But don’t talk to me like I’m a kid, Sipho. I know why you’re really here. Gloria told me about you and how you are friends with Jaco and them now. She knows they have been bullying me. Things like that spread you know.”
“What did they do to you?” Sipho asked, his heart thudding in his chest.
“I can’t tell you. The school is handling it now.” He looked back at his books.
Sipho thought of what Ricardo and Jaco and John had said to him. “It will be our secret.”
“Did they initiate you?” Sipho blurted out.
“I can’t talk, Sipho. All I can say is that those guys are bad and if you don’t stay away from them you will be just as bad as they are. Don’t be their friend, Sipho. They’re nasty bullies.”
And then the siren rang for the end of break.
***
Tell us what you think: What choices does Sipho have? What do you advise him to do?