“I didn’t want to come here,” Miss Collette added, “but my parents wanted to be part of the new South Africa with apartheid gone and Nelson Mandela as president and all that.”
“Very nice, dear,” Mrs Misengana was not listening. She picked up her large handbag. “Time for me to go home,” she said briskly. “I’ll be glad to put my feet up.”
“Of course!” Miss Collette looked concerned. “I mustn’t keep you. You must’ve had a tough day cooking in this heat!”
Mrs Misengana’s ample frame shook like jelly as she burst into shrieks of laughter. “They only had peanut butter on bread for lunch and meat paste on rolls for supper. I wasn’t going to stand in front of a hot stove in this weather.”
“Quite right,” Miss Collette grinned. “They’ll appreciate your hot meat stews all the more on the cold winter days.”
“I’m off now, Thabo!” called out Mrs Misengana.
“Bye, Mrs Misengana!” came a chorus of boys’ voices from the garden.
“Those kids!” muttered Mrs Misengana as she went out the kitchen door. “They sound like angels, but some of them will mug you and take your money before you know it.”
“Go on with you!” Miss Collette protested, but she knew Mrs Misengana was right. She and Thabo had coaxed many boys off the streets, but they did not all stay. Many of them had gone back to their old bad habits, and some had disappeared without trace. What had become of them? Had they gone back to their own countries? Or had they been killed by one of the gangs? She often worried about those …
“You look mighty serious!” Thabo had walked in without her noticing him.
“Just thinking,” she smiled. “What did you do today?”
“Nothing much,” Thabo replied. “I watched TV this afternoon. What an amazing performance! Magnificent!”
“Oh! Did you watch it too?” Miss Collette sat up and her clear blue eyes gleamed excitedly. “I’ve never seen such expertise, such finesse! What superb playing!”
Thabo looked at Miss Collette in total surprise. Fancy her liking soccer. He would never have guessed. A sudden thought struck him.
“I’ve got two tickets … best seats … for next Saturday afternoon … Would you like to come with me?” he said awkwardly.
“I’d like that better than anything in the world,” Miss Collette declared happily. “Thanks!”
“Then it’s settled!” Thabo was pleased. “We’ll go and enjoy the performance and grab something to eat afterwards.”
“Great!” Miss Collette felt like hugging him but thought better of it as Tembile appeared at the kitchen door.
“Any bread left over?” he asked hopefully.
“In the bread bin,” laughed Miss Collette. “But go and eat it outside so that Mrs Misengana won’t find any evidence in the morning!”
Post reading
| 1. | How well does Mrs Misengana know the boys? |
| 2. | Suggest possible reasons why she keeps a careful eye on the food in the kitchen. |
| 3. | Miss Collette says, “Oh! Did you watch it too?” What does Thabo think she means? |
| 4. | Do you think that Thabo has asked Miss Collette to go out with him before? Explain. |
| 5. | Tembile comes looking for bread. Do you think he has not been fed today? Explain your answer. |
— Chapter 4 —
Pre-reading
| 1. | Gangsters are often involved in violent crimes. Can you think of some reasons for this? |
| During reading | |
| 2. | Notice the details that contribute to a scary atmosphere in this chapter. How is the suspense achieved? |
The small cellar stank of unwashed bodies, urine and excrement. High up on one wall, where a brick had been removed, a lighted stub of candle threw a faint glow onto the scene below.
There was no window and a short flight of concrete steps led up to a strong wooden door. An old coal stove was burning in one corner and a rickety chair and an old farmhouse table were the only furniture in the room.
Mlibo looked around apprehensively. The afternoon had been full of surprises. Louis had read the address on the note for him and the delivery had gone smoothly.
Then Lynch, Blade and Terro had picked him up, blindfolded him, bundled him into the back of a van and brought him to this place! Apart from telling him to shut up, no one had spoken to Mlibo. He was scared. Very scared!
Lynch grabbed the chair and sat in it with his feet up on the edge of the table. His finger traced the scar that disfigured his dark weather-beaten cheek. He had won it in a fight to death with the previous gang leader.
He tried to give the impression that he was totally relaxed, but Mlibo could see that Lynch was on edge.
“What’s up?” Mlibo asked cautiously.
“Boss wants to meet you,” Lynch muttered.
Mlibo swallowed hard. Was that a good sign or had they found out that he could not read and had asked Louis du Toit to help him with the addresses? Were they going to punish him?
Mlibo broke out in a cold sweat. He had heard terrible tales of boys who had had their tongues slashed and their ears cut off or been whipped to death for splitting on gangsters.
Blade casually leant the chair against the wall and proceeded to sharpen his already razor-sharp knife on a brick. The scratching noise was the only sound in the cellar. His small, black eyes shifted constantly as if always on the alert for trouble. No one spoke.
Terro took some electric flex out of his pocket and twisted it nervously to and fro in his fingers. His skin was lighter than the others. Two small gold hoops pierced his bottom lip and another one pierced his left eyebrow. He spoke with a lisp, revealing the absence of four front teeth and a gold stud in the centre of his tongue.
Mlibo wished he could run away.
Terro’s fingers began to make loops in the flex and his hands shook slightly as he drew each knot tight. Blade continued sharpening his knife. The seconds ticked away slowly.
Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps approaching the cellar door. Lynch quickly pulled his feet off the table, leapt up and stood stiffly to attention.
The door opened to reveal a small, slim figure dressed in a black shirt and black trousers. The person moved rapidly down the steps and approached them.
Mlibo gasped. A beautiful young woman! The black hair drawn tightly back from her face revealed perfect features, but her dark brown eyes were hard and calculating as she disapprovingly looked Mlibo up and down.
“We brought him like you said, Queen,” Lynch declared eagerly.
Mlibo’s mouth was dry. What was going to happen?
“Get water and a spoon,” Queen demanded.
Blade ran up the stairs. Seconds later he reappeared with a cracked mug and an old bent spoon. He placed them carefully on the table in front of her. Without thanking him, Queen took a small phial from her pocket, unscrewed it and tipped some white powder into the water in the mug. She picked up the spoon and stirred until the powder was dissolved. Queen lifted the mug and offered it to Mlibo.
“Drink!” she ordered curtly.
Mlibo gazed in panic at the woman. Was it poison? Were they going to kill him? Instinctively he knew that he should not drink it. Terrified, he backed away from her.
“Hold him down!” Queen hissed.
Blade grabbed Mlibo by the arms and dragged him towards the table. The boy tried