From the womb to the tomb

It was an early Sunday morning and the sky was a bit gloomy as if the rain would fall anytime. It was not cold, the sun was covered by the light grey clouds. It was a kind of weather that made one to be uncomfortable. The gloomy hot day that many people to be indecisive as whether they should go out or stay indoors. Cynthia's aunt was lying on her bed as it was days since she had been in a critical condition. There were times she would struggle to breath. Themba was busy preparing a small breakfast with the little food parcel they got from one of their relatives. Rowena was busy playing and Themba had to reprimand her from time to time as she was giving him a hard time to do what he was doing. Rowena was a bubbly child and she was intelligent too. No one could tell that she was raised in poverty. She was fond of people too and people loved her. Themba was about to finish when one of their neighbours came to their home. She was breathing heavily as if she had been running. It was clear that she had something on her chest. She greeted and asked if their mother was okay. She came closer to her and noticed that there was something wrong. She did not want to scare the children. She asked Themba to go and ask another neighbour to come quickly. Themba was anxious because he knew that it was something that had to do with his mother's condition. He started to panic but the neighbour started to calm him down.

When the other neighbour has arrived it was confirmed that Olga Nokwazi Sihlahla ( Cynthia's aunt) had passed away. The worst part of it was the first neighbour to arrive was bringing the news she heard from the radio. The news was that Cynthia had died. It was stated that it had been months since she passed away but it was not easy to find her relatives. She was buried by the state. Themba and Rowena were officially orphans. Themba cried bitterly because he knew that he was all alone and the was Rowena who was still a toddler.

After days Olga was buried. It was small ceremony because the family had no money to organise a big funeral. It was a small but a dignified send off. After the funeral Rowena was taken by one of the neighbours who were related to them. Themba was keeping their home but he had to go to the neighbour's house to get something to eat. Some time he would spend the night there to play with Rowena when she was as not well.

Months passed by and Themba realised how it was to be an orphan. Things were no longer the same as they were when he had parents. He was struggling with his school work because of the strain he was going through. He could not even get the school shoes. He would were torn school shoes and the distance they walk when the went to school was long. Sometimes he would arrive late at school because he had to take care of Rowena who was not happy bey she missed her grandmother. She and her grandmother were best buddies. Wherever her grandmother was she would bring her along. It was not easy to live without her.

Themba started to bunk school and when he was rebuked he decided to quit. It was hard for him to cope. He decided to go to Johannesburg to look for his cousins ( Cynthia's brothers). He did collected a bus fare by selling some of his mother's stuff. The money was enough for a bus fare. He prepared for the journey. He woke up early in the morning and rushed to catch the bus. He left for the big city to search for the greener pastures. Rowena was left all alone. Themba vowed in his heart that he would find a job and come to take Rowena to stay with him in Johannesburg.

When he arrived in Johannesburg he looked for the place where his cousins were staying. He found them. Cynthia's brother was already working and her sister was still in school. They welcomed him with warm hands and they were glad to have a cousin who was closer to them. They helped him to get a job. Those days the only jobs for people who did not finish their education was to work as a domestic worker or a gardener for white people and get a little salary. If one was lucky enough they would work in the factories or shops. Those got a few rands than those who were domestic. Those workers. Those who were educated they became nurses and teachers or clerks. Those were regarded as people with standards. So, Themba fell on the category of those who worked as gardeners. He would sweat in the heat of the sun working in the white men's gardens. He would get a day's salary and a loaf of bread if he was lucky enough. Then he would buy something that would accompany that bread and at least he would bring something home. His heart would ache when he thought of Rowena who no one called her family to look after her. He decided to look for better opportunities in order to be able to provide for her. He found a temporary job to work in the dairy to deliver milk to the sarrounding areas. He was hired by an Afrikaner who was cold hearted like a devil himself. Mr Schoeman ( his employer) was a cruel man. He would flog him with a sjambok if he found that he had spilled the milk or something was not done right. He would go home with stripes on his back and a deducted salary. He decided to save a little money so that he could buy few things for Rowena. He would stash money somewhere in the house because he could not save it in the bank. He told himself that once the money became enough, he would travel to the villages to visit Rowena or maybe take her with them. He knew that her uncle and aunt would be happy to see her and she would live better than she did in the village.