CAUGHT INBETWEEN GANGSTER LEADERS

LINDA'S POV I cant believe I'm late yet again. My boss is such a scumbag and he proves it to me over and over again but I have no choice but to but to stick with this job because jobs are scarse. With school, job and raising my five year old brother I'm left with no time to do anything else for myself but I've excepted my fate. I have raising him eversince I was fourteen years old my mother left him with me when he was two months old she got a new boyfriend and he doesn't like children. She drops by every other week for an hour or so to give us R200 out of the R840 social grant she gets for us. I work two jobs, one at a McDonalds and help at a creche down the street on weekends for those parents that work weekends. I get R250 a month at creche, hand me down clothes and R150 at McDonalds a week. R250 of that money goes to my taxi fare, R150 is for rent and the rest covers for food and my brother's necessities. Some people wonder how I managed all these years but with the teenage pregnancies all around me I just learned to adapt. I mean with all these gangs in my town a girl is lucky to make it to high school without being gang r***d or being addicted to alcohol and drugs. Damn it I've missed my stop " short left driver please". I got off the taxi two streets from mine, its already dark but there's one more fruit and vegetables. I buy a plastic of potatoes, carrots and red apples they for my brother I know his hungry they will help while I cooked us some vegetable soup and non raising dumplings with the Imana that was left few days ago. I make to my street make my way to my neighbour's house to get my brother, I see him standing outside alone with no one watching him. "What are you doing outside alone you know its not safe you know the rule Juju". he turns around and sees me and comes running to me. "Where have you been I have been waiting for you for a long time". He starts crying and I know he was standing outside alone because my neighbours family was having supper, they do that all the time if am late. I don't know what my life would have been like if I didn't have him, he is all the family I got and I love him so much. He was sent by God to save me from the ways of the world, who knows maybe I would have been r***d and gotten pregnant or with a fatherless child like my mother. When we got home I found we are out of water so I get the bucket to go a few houses down to a rap on the street. Where we live its not safe people lock their doors around six when it's summer but since its winter its gets dark very fast. I was always out late with my job so I always get to the water tap late. I got the water and while walking back expensive cars passed buy but the last three stopped right next to me. I picked up my pace but it didn't help because I was blocked buy two huge guys a little older than me. A car door opened and a muscular black man came my way. "Get in the car I'll take you home its not safe for you to be out this time of night". I looked at him like 'safe my ass since when was he safe, a gangster' and he was a leader by the looks of it. "I don't live far, I can manage thank you for you help". He didn't listen he just asked one of his man to pick up the 20L bucket and walked while he took my hand and we started walking. I tried taking my hand back but he wouldn't let me. I was starting to panic because he was walking slow and I had left my brother alone at home he must be scared. "Where do you live love" I just pointed to our shack and his man took the bucket to my door. I know you thinking I could have lied about my house but it would be pointless because he would find out and I'll be introuble. His man were around us keeping him safe, I guess " whats your name baby girl" . I told him my name and told me to be careful next time before he left he gave me his card and a kiss on the cheek. His car didn't live until I got in the house. I found my brother was still colouring his books I got him from work and it looks like I'll have to get him another seeing there are only a few pages left. We had our supper, gave him a bath and got him to bed. Lock up was a chore of it's own, I use the small cupboard that sits the stove and a basin to wash the dishes it also works in keeping us safe because I put it against the door and the wardrobe blocks the window it keeps people from peeping while we sleep. After lock up I wash, get our things ready for tomorrow since its weekend I'm working at creche which means I'll be spending a lot of time with my brother. I get ready for bed not knowing that the storm was brewing and it was heading my way, three gang leaders going to war and I was the price. UPDATES EVERY MONDAYS THANKS FOR READING, DONT FORGET TO COMMENT AND FOLLOW