Her Tattered Prince

Chapter 3

She was woken up by the loud voices outside the door. How long she slept she had no idea.

Her roommate Mpho was already up and her bed neatly done. 

Katlo jumped out of bed, rushed outside. Mpho and the boys were standing by the veranda leaning against the wall that separated the two rooms, they were chatting like old friends.

They all fell silent when she emerged from the house. She was conscious of the eyes that were staring at her.

She murmured what was a greeting to them. Her voice became clearer when she asked what time it was.

“Nine?” she echoed in disbelief.

Until then, she had not made up her mind whether to tell them about her plan to go back.

Upon learning that the truck had not yet passed from Matsapo, she decided to share her plans with them.

Silence ensued as they stared at her in disbelief.

She was quick to point out that she was merely going to get some of the stuff she left behind and will be coming back in two days’ time. Deep down she knew she was being deceitful and it did not settle well with her.

“The truck should be passing anytime now, you better get ready lest it leaves without you” Mpho advised.

“There is clean water in the bucket by the corner and a washing basin under the bed, hurry” she urged.

For the first time she noticed how clean the room was and it was apparent her roommate had been busy in the morning.

Everything was unpacked and in order. She even took time to fetch clean water.

“She was not so bad after all”, she thought as she put back the cup she was using to rinse off the toothpaste from her mouth.

She had just finished getting ready and was going to throw out the pail of water she used to clean the sweat and dust off her body when she thought she could hear a recognisable sound drawing near.

It was unmistakably the sound of a truck. She still had to sort the overnight bag she was to take with her but she could not leave the floor with paddles of water.

In exasperated attempt she grabbed her face cloth to use when Mpho dashed in.

“Hurry! Leave all that to me,” she advised and she was already grabbing the pail of water to throw outside.

Katlo quickly snatched her backpack, she was sure her purse was still in there and proceeded to grab her boots which were by the door and hurried outside.

The two boys were already by the road side stalling the truck for her.

       “Good Morning Sir, Can you give me a ride to the village?” as she asked, she swung herself up at the back of the truck leaving the driver no option but to oblige.

She knew it would not be much of a problem if she was to get to the nearest village; the truck driver would not suspect a thing and once there, she was sure to get transport because buses to the next town were galore.

Her plan was to get to the big town before nine in the evening. She would then take a night train to the City. By the following day in the morning at six, she should be home.

With that thought she waved at her colleagues. Somehow she was feeling sorry for leaving them before she got to know each and every one of them.

The talkative girl was not so bad; in fact Katlo knew that she could have gotten to like Mpho had she stayed.  She was sure under normal circumstances they would have hit it off unfortunately…

She gulped in the air that was filled with the smell of cow dung and animal excrement, an indication of kraals nearby.

She took a last look at what could have been her home for a year. Other than the compound where she slept, there were three more homesteads and what was unmistakably a school. The rest of the homes as she came to realise were scattered; typical of a cattle post! She was over the moon to be going back home…

***

It was early morning the following day when the cab pulled up at their gate.

Katlo had no idea how her mother was going to react to the news that she returned and had no intentions of going back to that awful place.

She was hopeful that upon learning of how appalling the place was, she would understand and even ask her daughter to be reposted to a habitable area. She had it all figured out, so she thought…

       Her mother’s red Renault indicated that she was still home and had not left yet for work.

She pushed open the front door. She was certain her younger brother had just left for school.

As she predicted the door was not locked so that the house helper could let herself in when she reports for duty.

Her mother was in her room and she desperately wanted a cup of steaming coffee. She had to be calm before facing her.

She was in the kitchen making herself a cup when her mother called out to the house helper since she could hear that someone was in the kitchen and probably thought it was her.

       She went to her room and gently knocked, pushing open the door.

“Hello Mom…” she softly called out as she made her way to her. Her sudden appearance would startle her and she did not wish that to happen.

       “Katlo!” was all her mother could utter, disbelief in her eyes. She opened her arms to embrace her daughter.

“What happened, are you alright, what are you doing here …?” strings of questions were coming out of her mouth.     

“Don’t worry Mama, everything is fine” she reassured here.

       “Here…” her mother was patting a space on the bed, signalling her daughter to sit down next to her.

“I want you to tell me all about it” she said with anticipation in her voice.

Katlo started off with the orientation and how wonderful it was, she could not omit her friends from her former school because they made the orientation vibrant.

Her mother had a smile on her lips because she was enjoying her narrations.

Her voice started to quiver when she told her mother about the place she had been posted to: how inhabitable it was. She was hoping her mother would see how traumatised she was at the turn of events.

       “No water Mama, they fetch it from the river”

She went on, “it is the same river where elephants and other wild animals drink from.

“I do not think I can go back to that place” she shook her head sniffling.

       Her mother embraced her in an attempt to calm her. When her tears ceased and she could talk again, she begged her mother not to send her back.

Her mother promised that they would talk about it when she knocked off from work in the afternoon.

She kissed her daughter and turned to leave for work.

Katlo could not believe how well her mother handled the situation. She expected some scolding because she knew her to be strict and did not pamper them.

It felt so good to be home. First she was going to call her older sister.

 She was out of town with her two kids. She could not wait to tell her she was home. She missed the children dearly especially the toddler.

After a lengthy conversation with them, she decided   to take a hot bath, to soak herself and indulge in the prospects, things were looking good for her, so she thought…