Page 31 - The Mending Season

towards each other and excitedly exchange titbits about their Christmas holidays. I felt lost but curious and exhilarated.The four girls dropped offby the Black kombi looked me up and down. I heard them speaking in exactly the same English accent as the White girls. They all ran and hugged other White, Indian and Coloured girls - which made me stare in amazement. All were so at ease with a language that I felt would take me a long time to say anything in.“Oh my GOSH! She, like, STARES!”said one ofthe Black girls who had just gotten off the kombi. She only glanced at me once before saying this, but everyone around her turned to take a look in my direction. Most ofthem giggled. My eyes dropped to the ground. I had been staring.This girls hair, straightened like that of every Black girl I had seen so far, was much longer than mine. It went down to her shoulders and was held back in a tight ponytail. She threw her head from side to side when she walked so that it bounced all the time. I thought to myself, she did not use Black Like Me relaxer, but probably one of those that say “professional use only”. She probably went to a hair salon every month too. I silently resented my mother for relaxing my hair at home. I had been pleased with it until now.“Shes new, hey?” another girl said - a White girl, who had given the one with a tight ponytail a lingering hug and still had her arm around her shoulders.“Duh! Marianne, you haven’t seen her here before, have you?” said the long-haired one, who spoke very loudly, I guessed for my benefit. I later learnt her name was Veronica, but everyone called her Vies. I also came to find out that most of the Black girls had English names although they were not the ones they used in the township.Marianne said - playfully hitting Veronics’s arm - “I was just asking. GOSH! Sue me, why don’t you?!”And with that,they disappeared into the crowd.31