"ugh, saddest week ever"

Aisha was sobbing very quietly in the store downstairs. This week

wasn't her week at all. On the table was a small Gideon's bible and it was surprisingly the reason she was crying. She had just read the book of Matthew as recommended by Grace. She was in chapter 27 in verse

50:"Jesus again gave a loud cry and breathed his last." She had her own problems but right now she was more concerned about JESUS. It was heartbreaking how he died after being betrayed by one of his closest friends. Thinking about friends made her remember Amandia and made her cry harder. On Monday when she resumed School, Amandia kept ignoring her and finally during break Amandia told her, "my parents warned me to stay away from you that's why I've been ignoring you all day, I'm so sorry but..... the both of us can definitely not be friends", with that she sighed, bent her head and left. Aisha was shocked, she had only tried to help her and yet she was the bad person here. The companionship she had felt that one day felt like they'd been friends forever and it left her broken whenever she remembered it. She had so many expectations and hopes. Today was Wednesday and she was going to Grace's church again she went on Sunday where they gave her the Gideons Bible she was reading with a promise of a larger bible since she was educated and also she met Grace's company there if she came to the Church for seven consecutive weeks. Only Aisha knew what she had to do to make it to Grace's church on Sunday. In the waarheid's home, everyone was free on Sundays, it was their day of rest. I mean they had values through education but they didn't exactly acknowledge God in their household. Aisha finished up the chores

she had to do that morning, waited until everyone else was asleep and then sneaked she had to leave the church one hour before lunchtime. She had been saving her lunch money and this was the perfect time to use it. She boarded a taxi to and fro though it was hard to find one back cos it was Sunday but she found one and got home right before Masego started calling her name. They ate Chakalaka almost every Sunday. It was one of the foods Masego knew how to prepare properly but she took her time and it always tasted so good. Sundays were usually one of the best days in the Waarheid's home especially when Aisha was around. There was a time Aisha's school went on excursion to Lagos, Nigeria for a week. They visited the National museum,National Arts Theatre in Surulere, Nike art gallery in

Lekki, Freedom Park, Lagos Island and other places in Lagos, Nigeria. The house was a disaster, Masego's husband almost beat her like he usually did to Aisha and Masego felt relieved when they received Aisha back in the house but didn't show that she was grateful, she continued treating her as always. Masego wasn't around yet, she thought she could just go to the church down her street so she could start going back home before 6:35pm as their service starts by 5pm and Masego closes work by 7pm. She strolled down to the church and returned home with an empty pocket. Thank God she didn't take all the money she saved the pastor kept blackmailing them with, "Matthew 22:21 ."The Emperor's," they answered. So Jesus said to them, "Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the

Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God." Of course she had learnt on Sunday that she should bring money to church as a form of offering to God through his servants but there was something not quite right because she hardly heard The name of Jesus it and almost all the sentences ended with money. She was definitely not going back there it was Grace's church or nothing from now on. Turns out Masego arrived at 9pm as she had to work late and Mr.Chikondi didn't even arrive at all that night and Masego bought street food for dinner because she was too exhausted to cook anything that night. She just gave the braai to Aisha to warm up and serve everyone together with a soda from the refrigerator and milk drinks for skoonheid and Geliefde. Tommorow was thursday and Aisha thought about seeing Amandia again without being able to talk to her. While she walked around with this stupid guy called Junior. Junior was an average kid in a very rich family. He will have a very large inheritance from his father after he dies as he is the only son of his father though he was illegitimate. His elder sisters treated him like shit and his only friend in the house was the last born, his legitimate sister. She was too young to understand all that family politics. "Oh Junior, you're so funny", Amandia would say smiling through her

teeth anytime she walked passed Ayaan.She had been watching Ayaan and She knew that Ayaan like Junior and wanted to be friends with him so she went to him as the innocent new kid to get revenge on Ayaan. She disliked Ayaan for spoiling her relationship with Aisha. She knew that she had to stop being friends with Aisha if she wanted her out of trouble. Her parents didn't really ask her to stop being friends with Aisha but she loved Aisha's actions and after brainstorming that Friday she decided to keep her out of trouble by not being friends with her and to love her from a distance . She felt pain anytime she saw Aisha alone when they could have been best friends . Junior on the other hand liked Daisy so much and he never missed a chance to talk Amandia's ear off about it or even show it. We know Daisy likes Micheal and Michael likes Aisha but Aisha kept to herself alot and there was no way for him to get to her, she hardly spoke and when she did it was a last and best word. Aisha went and told Grace about the church experience and about her

having to sneak out of the house because her family doesn't really

acknowledge God and His existence. She didn't tell her about the treatment at home of course. She told her that if she ever got caught, she wouldn't be able to make it and that she should please secure the bible for her, she needed the bigger one. She had learnt how to pray when she read Matthew6:9

This, then, is how you should pray:

'Our Father in heaven:

May your holy name be honored;

10 may your Kingdom come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today the food we need. 12 Forgive us the wrongs we have done,as we forgive the wrongs that others

have done to us. 13 Do not bring us to hard testing,but keep us safe from the Evil One.' 14 "If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven

will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs

you have done. She had used the passage to pray this morning with her siblings after

they were done preparing for school. She just gave Gugulethu the text to read though he didn't quite agree with it, he collected it from her. Mutual respect. Grace agreed with her about the bible. The next day was Friday. It was a defining moment in Aisha's life. She had taken care of Geliefde and had woken up her siblings and she needed to go in Masego's room to remind her to get her own pocket money for lunch because apparently, she forgot yesterday and when Aisha reminded her, she told her to remind her earlier next time and left her to go to school without lunch allowance. This had happened a few times over the years this year being the most frequent, she finally decided to speak up yesterday. She was summoning courage at the door to Chikondi's room because that's where Masego would be at this time, she eavesdropped on the conversation going on so she could read the room and know how to present her request but what she heard made her jump out of her skin and back a hundred time over. She left the door quietly with that kind of shock.