Simon Thambisa woke with a start. Someone was watching him. He sat up slowly. At the foot of his bed sat the scruffy boy, cross-legged, with his big feet on Simon's comforter, no less!
"What are you doing?"
The boy's eyes were wide and round. Little owl-eyes in a narrow ferret face. Really, not an attractive child!
"Mama Pearl said I must watch you, learn from you. She says you are the greatest man in the world."
Simon's mouth dropped open."She did?"
The boy nodded solemnly, and his eyes got impossibly wider.
"Yes. She said if I become a man like you, she will be proud. I like Mama Pearl. A lot."
"Yes, so do I." Simon found himself replying.
"I will do anything, anything to make her proud."
"Me too."
The boy sighed. "She wants me to go to school. She told me this morning. Why can't women be proud of us without we got to do stuff we don't want to, like go to school?"
"I know..I know...Women, they are terrible."
"But wonderful too."
"Yes," agreed on Simon with a heartfelt sigh, "That too."
They sat in bewildered silence contemplating the mystery of women, and the chaos and trouble they brought into a reasonable man's life.
"Well," said Simon, after a while, "We must band together. Help each other, or these women will make fools of us."
The boy nodded vigorously. "Yes, Sir! That is a good plan!" He hesitated, "But Mr. Simon? I think maybe we be fools already."
Just then there was a knock on Simon's door.
"Come in!"
Pearl shyly peeked around the door. "Sir? It's time for breakfast...I thought as it is Sunday, Sir, we could take the children to Church? And after, I would pack a picnic lunch? We could go to Lion's Park?"
"Church? I don't go to church! On Sundays I do inventory, and the books...I don't have time in my life for church and Parks. I am a businessman, Miss Chabalala."
Pearl's eyes acquired a flinty cast. "Of course Sir. I am only a maid, Sir, and I don't decide what businessmen do with their time. It was only a suggestion, Sir. Come, Isaiah, leave Mr. Thambisa alone. He is a busy man."
The boy, (Isaiah) jumped up and followed Pearl's indignant skirt out of the room.
Simon Thambisa lay back and stared at his ceiling.
CHURCH?
Enough was enough.
This is where he would draw the line. He was a man, this was his house, his life.
He would decide.
Manuela Cardiga
"What are you doing?"
The boy's eyes were wide and round. Little owl-eyes in a narrow ferret face. Really, not an attractive child!
"Mama Pearl said I must watch you, learn from you. She says you are the greatest man in the world."
Simon's mouth dropped open."She did?"
The boy nodded solemnly, and his eyes got impossibly wider.
"Yes. She said if I become a man like you, she will be proud. I like Mama Pearl. A lot."
"Yes, so do I." Simon found himself replying.
"I will do anything, anything to make her proud."
"Me too."
The boy sighed. "She wants me to go to school. She told me this morning. Why can't women be proud of us without we got to do stuff we don't want to, like go to school?"
"I know..I know...Women, they are terrible."
"But wonderful too."
"Yes," agreed on Simon with a heartfelt sigh, "That too."
They sat in bewildered silence contemplating the mystery of women, and the chaos and trouble they brought into a reasonable man's life.
"Well," said Simon, after a while, "We must band together. Help each other, or these women will make fools of us."
The boy nodded vigorously. "Yes, Sir! That is a good plan!" He hesitated, "But Mr. Simon? I think maybe we be fools already."
Just then there was a knock on Simon's door.
"Come in!"
Pearl shyly peeked around the door. "Sir? It's time for breakfast...I thought as it is Sunday, Sir, we could take the children to Church? And after, I would pack a picnic lunch? We could go to Lion's Park?"
"Church? I don't go to church! On Sundays I do inventory, and the books...I don't have time in my life for church and Parks. I am a businessman, Miss Chabalala."
Pearl's eyes acquired a flinty cast. "Of course Sir. I am only a maid, Sir, and I don't decide what businessmen do with their time. It was only a suggestion, Sir. Come, Isaiah, leave Mr. Thambisa alone. He is a busy man."
The boy, (Isaiah) jumped up and followed Pearl's indignant skirt out of the room.
Simon Thambisa lay back and stared at his ceiling.
CHURCH?
Enough was enough.
This is where he would draw the line. He was a man, this was his house, his life.
He would decide.
Manuela Cardiga
TO BE CONTINUED
No comments:
Post a Comment