‘I’m looking for my sons,’ she tried to explain. They ignored her in their rush to get away.

‘No time to talk,’ said one of the young men in the crowd.

‘Come on, Mama. If you stand too long in one place they will shoot you,’ said another.

She joined the others, half running and half walking. Passing another woman she asked, ‘Are you also looking for your children?’

‘Yes, yes!’ several of the mothers in the crowd answered in great apprehension.

‘Not one of them are at school today.’
‘They say that they are doing what we should have done years ago.’

‘That’s true,’ approved several women.

When she approached her street she said goodbye to them and returned home very disappointed.

‘Miriam, Miriam. Is it you?’ Amos called from the bedroom.

‘Did you find them?’

‘Oh, Amos. You’ll never believe what’s going on out there! It seems that all the high school students joined the march this morning. I tell you Amos, these children don’t care about their lives!’ She was now so overcome that she just sat down on the bed, crying.

‘All right, Mother. Don’t worry! It will turn out all right. I know it,’ he pacified her.

‘I will not go back to work until I’ve found my sons,’ she said between her tears.

‘What if you lose your job?’

‘We will manage on Winnie’s money. We’ve been through worse times before. But I’m going to stay here where I belong. Let the rich do their own work for a change. I’m tired of cooking, cleaning and picking up after them. I hate them all! They couldn’t care a damn about us.
’
‘My wife, you’ve been running around since this morning,’ said Amos looking at her with great concern. ‘Come let me make that cup of tea we were going to have this morning.’ He shuffled into the kitchen followed by Miriam.

‘You must rest that leg of yours. Let me make the tea instead and I’ll tell you what is going on out there. The children are all over the township. The roads are blocked with old mattresses and oil drums. I saw some of them making petrol bombs behind a wall. I can’t believe it! There is a war going on out there Amos.’

‘And no sign of our sons? I’m sure they will come home soon.’

‘Want some more tea?’ she asked him. They continued to discuss the situation until late into the afternoon.

Suddenly the front door burst open and about six young people stormed inside breathlessly, seeking a place to hide. With them was Steve. When he saw his mother he was visibly surprised.

‘Mama, why are you home from your work?’

‘How can I stay at work with all this happening here?’

All Steve’s friends seemed extremely nervous and fearful and cast anxious looks towards the front door.

‘We must hide in here. Away from the police, Ma! They’re after us and they are going to kill us, Ma!’

‘Kill? Not while I’m around.’

Amos suggested that two should hide behind the toilet in the back yard. They ran outside as fast as they could. Miriam pushed two boys into the bedroom. Steve and the last one jumped into the old fireplace which was covered by an old floral curtain. When they were safely in their hiding places, Miriam poked her head behind the curtain. ‘Where is your brother Fassie?’

‘I don’t know. Shuh! Please go away, Mama. We’ll go and look for him later. Please go, Ma.’ She returned to Amos and they stared at each other as a deathly silence fell over the house.

A loud crash preceded the front door being kicked open and in marched several policemen. They went straight into the kitchen without any invitation. Miriam’s heart beat so fast that she could feel the colour warming her face, her hair soaked in sweat. Amos pretended that he was reading a book. It looked as if a blue-grey cloud of uniforms and hateful brown, black and red faces had invaded Miriam’s kitchen. They confronted her and Amos with their guns at the ready. Miriam said a silent prayer.

‘Where are they?’ demanded the leader. ‘We saw them come in this house,’ he shouted at the two old people. His men backed him in unison. ‘You saw wrong,’ Miriam shouted back in the same tone, surprising even Amos with her courage. ‘There is no one in this house but myself and my husband. How do you know they came here? All these council houses look the same.’

‘Search the whole place! And outside in the yard,’ the big red bull bellowed to his men.

They kicked over the dustbin in the yard. They threw everything around with absolute contempt. The men inside were deliberately knocking over chairs and one officer ripped the curtains from the windows, declaring, ‘This bloody house is as dark as hell!’ Others went kicking open the inside doors of the house, searching everywhere. One even turned over the old zinc bath which the family used for their weekly bath. He flung it to the cement floor so that it made the sound of a bomb going off in the room. They appeared to be pleased with the chaos they were causing. But they did not discover any of the children! One of the policemen returned: ‘There is only that old stink shithouse out there.’

‘Where are they?’ the sergeant shouted at Amos in anger and pulled at his crutch. Amos almost fell and a sharp pain shot up his bad leg. Miriam quickly held on to him.

‘We don’t know. We are alone here, my Baas,’ he whimpered. On hearing the word ‘Baas’ the sergeant looked pleased, thinking that he was in control of the situation. He called his men and ordered them to stop the search. The house was a shambles when they marched out. ‘We will be back,’ shouted the sergeant over his shoulder.