First Kiss

Last year, on Christmas day, I and my friends —Nix, Janet and her boyfriend, Max— were having the heck out of life, we were over the moon and going after whatever wild idea our fun-hungry minds incubated. There was a lot to celebrate, we had just sat our Ordinary Level and Max, his Advanced Level exams. He was going to university, but the most celebration-worthy thing was; Max's dad had given him a car. We ate at the mighty Taste Kings, went to the park and in the afternoon we went for a movie at Oracle Theatre. Half-way the movie, at around 6 'something' pm. My mom called and I ignored it thinking she just wanted to know where and how I was. Just normal mom-daughter talk. She called four more times but still my movie-occupied rebellious mind told me not to pick. Besides it would be bothersome to have to walk out of the theatre to pick a call which I certainly new was about casual mother talk and I didn't want to miss even a minute of the movie. So I sat tight though my instincts were like something was wrong. I dismissed them on grounds of interruption. At 8:30 pm, I returned home and found only my young brother who was already asleep. I went to mom's room and she wasn't there. 'mom is always at home, she's never out late, where could she be?' I thought. It's at this time that I remembered her missed —rather ignored— calls. So I decided to callback. She picked but was sounding weird, as if she was crying, 'Mom! Are you crying?' I asked. 'No baby. Am just cold I guess.' she answered. 'i was calling and you didn't pick, are you alright baby?' she asked. 'Yes Mom, am alright. How about you?. You're not at home. That's not so normal. Are you okay?' I asked in return. 'am okay baby' she replied. 'You are with Dad?' I asked again. 'yes. There's somewhere we're. Your Dad and I won't return home tonight. Take care of yourself and your little brother. See you tomorrow Baby. I love you' hurriedly she said. 'i love you mom, and tell Daddy I love him so much as well' I joyfully said back. 'I will! Bye baby' she responded and ended the call. That whole night I felt uneasy and sleepless. Had an intuition something wasn't right. 'am sure I heard as if mother was crying, what could be the matter!' I thought but dismissed the thought after remembering she herself just told me she and Dad were fine.

The next morning. Mom and Uncle Sam came home in his car. She was withered, spent-away like she spent the whole night awake and working. She was joy-drained and sad. Very sad. Straight to her bedroom, she went and locked herself in without saying a word, not even a greeting. This was unbelievable. I wanted to ask her what of the new strange behavior but she was locked in. I stood by the door and attentively listened. She was sobbing. Suppressing the sound so that I and my Brother don't hear. So I went to my uncle who was in the sitting room, unusually out-of-words as well. "Uncle, what is happening. I don't understand a thing. You're dead quite, mom just bypassed us and locked herself in her bedroom and I certainly can sense that she's sorrowful and in tears. What on earth is going on. Where is Father, Uncle?' I asked, rather troubled. 'Dear, be patient. Your mom is the one best suited to answer that question. Wait on her and when she calms down. She'll explain it all. Okay.' he reassuringly said. And I sat in the chair confused but waiting. Half an hour later Mom came out of her room with swollen eyes and walking feebly. She carelessly fell into the sofa and starred at me with a sorry look. 'where's your brother?' she softly asked. 'he's putting his clothes on the wire' answered I. 'mom what's going on. Where's father?' I asked. 'Call for me your brother, Olivia, and come with him' she said. I went and called Jacob and sat next to each other opposite Mom. Slowly she started, 'your Dad, your dad...' she broke into tears. I and Jacob rushed to her to embrace and comfort her. 'your Dad is dead' finally she said in a so dull voice. And i couldn't believe it. I was awestruck. Shocked. I sat emotionlessly erect in the sofa gazing at his photo on the wall opposite. "What happened to my dad?' finally I asked. 'he was knife-stubbed by a pocket picker when he was wrestling him to rescue your mom's purse' answered Uncle Sam.

'When I was calling you, he wanted to talk to you. He was on his deathbed, gasping for breath. And one thing in the whole universe that he wanted was to talk to his daughter. 'I wish I could talk to Olivia. it's the statement he died enchanting' she said and broke into tears again. This time I cried even harder" that's the day that my sad days started and upto now I had never found any much joy to help me out of it". She said all this to her new friend. The only friend she had at Mandela International School where she had joined for her High School. And tears were running down her cheeks. Subconsciously she was crying.

She sneezed and added, "my dad was fighting on his death bed. And all he wanted to talk to me. Ignored the only call I could have heard his voice for the last time. Now, I will never hear his again. I wasn't there for my dad in his last hour. And all for what? A movie?" She broke in tears,

He stretched his hand to her face and rubbed off her tears. "Never before had I ever had a life story and feel sad. Only this once. And am sorry that you had been in such unspeakable sadness. And am sorry I reminded you of it. But you don't have to endure it alone. If you allow me. I would like to share it all with you. All the sadness and the happiness" said her friend, Bentley. 'which happiness?, I don't have any happiness to share. Not anymore' she exclaimed. "Well, all the sadness then" he replied. A slight smile broke on her face. "you see, there is some happiness. Trust me, no matter how long a night seems, it always gets to morning" said Bentley. "I completely understand what you feel. Myself I have been a victim to such sorrow" he said and gazed away in open space as if trying to remember some misery. "Tell me" Olivia pleaded. "Some other time Dear, we have to go for Geography" said Bentley. "Come-on, geography can wait. Tell me" pleaded Olivia. Again. "I will tell you but some other time. Let's go" answered Bentley as he offered her a hand to lift her up.

Soon as they settled in the class there came Inshuti, the Diva together with her escorting two friends, Clara and Eunice. She approached Olivia and pulled her seat away from Bentley's and replaced her own there. "Bentley is mine alone. Not for the like of you" Inshuti said to Olivia while waving her off with the back of her hand. Silently sat Bentley, indifferently looking at Inshuti. He then gathered up his books and went and sat next to Olivia. Embarrassed and ashamed, Inshuti wrote on some paper, glared at and threw the paper at Olivia and angrily stormed out of the class accompanied by her escorts.

After classes Olivia went to the netball court for training and there were about 8 girls in yellow netball uniforms except for Inshuti who was in red. "Ape on court, ape on court" shouted Inshuti and together with her friends, they broke into laughter. Pointing fingers at Olivia.

"Girls, gather around" called the coach. "We have a new member. Olivia McCarthy and will be the third bursary prayer to join us" said the coach. And turning to Olivia, he added, " Much is said of you. I hope you yield". "Yield tears perhaps" joked and laughed Inshuti and her friends. "Don't mock your team mate Inshuti, you are the captain and you above all other should be respectful" cautioned the coach.

"Hey go bring those corns, it's time to see what you're made of, witch" said Inshuti to Olivia. She submissively complied. She brought the cones and gave them to Inshuti. "Look at this Witch. How dare you hand cones to your captain. Arrange them for warm-up you fool" erupted Inshuti.

"Look! I don't know what I have done to you but please stop calling such ugly things" said Olivia. "You don't know what you have done! You boyfriend thief. I told you it's not over, I told you I was going to get to you. Remember what I wrote for you on that paper earlier. Now is the time. I will make it as miserable for you until you quite the team and loose the bursary" she snappishly said to Olivia. "Look, I haven't stolen anybody's boyfriend. Please leave me alone. Let me be" pleaded Olivia. "I will let you be when you let my Bentley be, Witch" meanly said Inshuti. "Oh, that's what this all is about. Bentley. He just a friend. He's not my boyfriend. He is all yours to have" said Olivia. "But if he offers me friendship, I will accept it. That's not my fault" she added. With some sudden confidence.

"Ok. That's how you want to play it. It's game on, Witch" rudely said Inshuti.

The training was helish for Olivia. It was exercise after exercise. At every tiny era, Inshuti yelled insults at her like quarreling co-wives but she stayed calm.

At the end of the training, a nice humble black girl came to her. "What's with you and Inshuti. Did you do something to her? She seems angry at you" asked the girl. "Not really. She's just jealousy" answered Olivia. "Can I ask you something!" Inquired Olivia. "It's alright. You can ask" answered the girl. "How come Inshuti dispises the coach and does nothing as she pleases but he doesn't do anything about her? Asked Olivia. "You don't know!" Wondered the girl. "Her Father is the chairman of the school board. Because they are rich. she treats every one as she wishes. Such-a-wicked girl. You wouldn't believe, in last year's competitions, the coach substituted her and she refused to get off the pitch. Had it not been for her perhaps we would have won." she continued. "I did not know that" said Olivia. "Be careful with her, she may cost you your scholarship" warned the girl.

"Am with the Lord. though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil". Said Olivia. "Alright. I have to go now. But you didn't tell me your name". "Natalie is my name. Am a bursary player too. It's now you, I and Alexis. She is in a training break because of the sprain she suffered last year. But she's about to return" answered Natalie. Olivia walked away and left Natalie packing her training kit. She went to the parking to pick her bike. As she unlocked it from the chain. Inshuti and friends as they droveby, they slowed down and shouted at her "Nice ride. Witch". Then laughed and drove away.

Olivia was played out, rode slowly and at 7pm she arrived at her home. A small two bedroom brick house with warn out floor. A relatively small living room, a kitchen and one bathroom next to it. Everything at this house was small and somehow warn out. Some window glasses were broken and replaced with polythene and the wooden steps outside creaked when stepped on. One bedroom was for her Mom and the other was shared by Olivia and her brother, Jacob who was about 5 yrs younger. After her father died, they couldn't any longer afford the luxury apartment. Her mom is a house keeper employed at a local cleaning company and bakes cakes for her friends and referrals during weekends and couldn't manage the rent, so they moved to this house. Life isn't very materially pleasant but hard to believe as is, there is joy, love and a great deal of human morales in this house.

Olivia returned early so that she can assist her brother to prepare supper since their mother used to return late from her cleaning job. Being warn out by training and classes and having to ride more almost three miles got her tired but she still had to prepare what to eat. At 8:30 her mom returned and they had supper, after, she watched her favorite telenovela; Maid from Manhattan. And then went to bed. Exhausted but happy, her first school day didn't go as badly as she worried it would.

In the morning she rushed at everything. As she approached the door, her mother reminded her that she had forgotten to take breakfast, "you won't eat Baby?" Asked her Mom. "No, Mom, what I have packed is enough. I don't want to be late. Bye Mom. Love you" she shouted as she lifted her bike through the door. "Love you too Baby" Mrs McCarthy responded loudly. "God be with you.." she added softly as if talking to herself. "Hey Mom, isn't that's Olivia's?" Asked Jacob while pointing to a backpack in the sofa.

"Oh God, now she has forgotten her bag. She hasn't taken breakfast and have even forgotten what she packed. My baby will die of hunger. Ooh" remorsefully said Mrs McCarthy. "Mom, it's Olivia. She handle just anything. But she certainly won't like to miss her training, because the kit is in their too" said Jacob.

"I have to take it to her" proposed the Mom. "Mom!, it's three Miles and you're almost late for work" said Jacob. "I will go with it at work. Then at lunch time request my supervisor to allow me go there" she said.

Olivia was some metres away from the school when a car approached from behind. She didn't bother looking back since she was far in the sides but later she wished she had. It was Inshuti and her prickly friends. She drove closer to her and intentionally splashed stagnant water at her. "Nice swim. Witch" Inshuti ridiculed at her through the car window and they all laughed scornfully.

She paused for some minutes. Rankled and worked up. As she came into the parking. She zoned her sight at Inshuti some yards away and angrily advanced to her. Halfway to her, Bentley ran into her. "Hey, she's not worth it. I saw what she did to you. But trust me. It's not worth it to loose your head over someone like her. She's just jealousy of you" said Bentley. "Bentley!, I really have tried the best I can to ignore her maltreatment and insults but this is excessive. How dare she splash road water on me and I bet you, she did it on purpose" fumed Olivia. Breathing hard.

"I understand your anger but you have a bursary to consider, besides you can't lower yourself to her mischievous manners. Calm down Olivia. I tell you what, silence hurts to those who expect you to quarrel and when you ignore an insult, the attacker looses twice" advised Bentley. "Who said that, Nelson Mandela?" Asked Olivia. "No. I just, just made it up. God! It's hard talking to you. You challenge everything. How about this! I will make you a deal. If you ignore her. I will get you a gift, a cute gift" proposed Bentley. "Alright. I will not slap some sense into that ill-parented girl. And that gift better be worth it" said Olivia and softly smiled. Bentley put his arm around her neck and they walked past Inshuti and her friends

She was smiling ear-to-ear, and walking confidently for she had won a priceless possession of all. A heart that cares for and loves her and this was just a beginning of wonderful days.