Khayelitsha by Steven Otter

Author:Steven Otter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: South-Africa
ISBN: 9789085241522
Publisher: For the Benefit of Mr. Kite
Published: 2006-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

20

The Snort

The routine I had developed in my new home was certainly not of my own design. In truth, however, it would have been quite contrary to my own, instinctive wishes for maximum comfort and limited responsibility on the home front, to have fought against the helpful and friendly current that had swept me up in its arms. While Nowie cooked dinners fit for a king, Thabiso came in and out of her shack at the back of the house to make my bed, wash my clothes and scrub the dishes. It had been just three weeks since Nigger and I had carried my meagre belongings from my old room in the dead of night, but already I could see a healthy swelling around my waist and a rosy chubbiness in my cheeks.

I had not even bothered to tell Tshidi and Molefe of my imminent departure, instead asking Foamy to convey to them a curt farewell. It had been an entirely different affair saying goodbye to my good friend Foamy, who was due to depart for the Free State two days later. We’d laughingly recalled the good times we’d had together, among them the occasion on which he had taught me to cook chicken feet, hearts and heads and our countless visits to Kefu’s Place, one of which had ended with me staring confusedly at the toes of his shoes jutting up in the air, his hips straddled by a pretty Sotho girl.

“I’ll write you a letter after I arrive back at my father’s house,” he said, since he didn’t have a cellphone. “I’ll ask Molefe to give it to Steve at Vovo Cash Store so he can pass it on to you.”

It made sense that we keep in touch, not least because we had spent so many hours sharing our experiences as relative outsiders to Khaya, where the Xhosa culture reigned supreme.

As we waved farewell to Foamy, Nigger and I could barely see him from under the huge mattress we carried atop our heads. My new living space was fully furnished, and I’d seen no need to ask Lisa to transport the mattress there when Nigger so obviously needed it more than I. The two of us had already carried everything else up to Nowie’s place an hour before, so it was our second journey of the night. After placing the awkward load in Nigger’s lounge, we made our way to Ngqangqolo Street. Nowie had invited my Kenyan friend over for dinner.

Nigger had become a regular visitor, one who arrived at unpredictable times and sat quite silently watching television with us, his lips only moving when a question came his way.

Living in such close proximity to a Xhosa family was not only delightful for the way I was so quickly accepted, but I soon reverted to being something of a child, as if I was being pampered for the very first time.

I also became aware of certain cultural differences between myself and my new family, noticing the stern, yet silent respect that was shown towards various members of the household.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.