Page 74 - The Mending Season

“Eeng”I said, politely.“Where do you know her from?” she said.“We go to school together,”I answered.“Hooo!” She said, understanding. “You go to the schoolsthat just opened for Blacks here in town?”“Eeng”“OK,” she said and walked away.Brittany looked at me curiously. “I told her we go to the same school,”I said.Brittany laughed. “I guess were like the United Colours of Benetton!”After lunch, I was very disappointed to realise that I had to return home and wouldn’t be able to go to KBs house with them. If I had to catch a taxi, it was better to do it sooner rather than later. This was very embarrassing for me to tell the other girls.“Why doesn’t your dad just pick you up?” KB asked. “He’s so busy this weekend,” I said.“My dad would pick me up. What about your mom?” “She’s away ... buying cloth.”“Well, my dad could drop you off,”KB offered.This was getting too complicated. I had to be firmer. “It’s fine, I should go. I already told them I would take a taxi anyway.”“OK. My mom doesn’t let me take taxis. I’ve never even been in one,” KB told us.“OK, let’s go,” Sumaya said. They all hugged me and went to wait for KB’s mom to come and pick them up. I walked to the taxi rank, wondering if they knew that I had been lying.In the following weeks, I tried not to speak about my parents. KB was curious. She kept asking, “When are you moving?”, “Have you found a new home?”, “Why don’t they pick you up from school themselves?”For every question, I came up with a new lie. She even asked me to move to her side ofthe classroom, and every week74