Two-Faced Friends

by Dyer, Dorothy;

  “You’re just jealous,” said Lelethu. “She’s my friend – she would never do that.”

  Bontle looked irritated. “So you don’t believe me?”

  “Why should I?” asked Lelethu.

  “I suppose I haven’t been nice,” said Bontle. “But it’s not because I hate you.”

  “You have been horrible,” Lelethu replied.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I really am,” said Bontle. “I didn’t mean to be. And I really don’t want to see my cousin getting hurt by girls like that.”

  “I can look after myself, thank you,” said Lelethu. Bontle looked like she wanted to say something more, but then she clicked her tongue in frustration and walked off. Yes, thought Lelethu, satisfied. Now you know that I am somebody, not just your village cousin. I’m going to be more popular than you, you’ll see.

  * * *

  “Hey, chommie, meet us at Thabiso’s this evening. We’re having a party,” said Princess at break. “It’s an important part of your city life education.”

  Lelethu felt terribly excited. She had bought meat at Thabiso’s, and smelled the sizzling steaks on the fire, but had never imagined that she would sit at the table herself like a grown-up. People drank and had parties there – women in fancy clothes, and men who drove shiny cars and looked like they had money.

  The girls were laughing, except Zikhona. “Do you really think she’s ready?” she asked. “She’s still a bit of a baby.”

  “She needs to wear her new clothes, and do her hair like we showed her,” said Princess. “Then tonight she will have to learn about how to be on the town.” She winked at Zikhona and the others.

  “I’ll see you there,” Lelethu said.

  Only later, in the last lesson when the teacher was just about asleep at the desk and all the kids were chatting and laughing, did she wonder about money. How was she going to buy anything?

  * * *

  When she got home that afternoon she ran around doing chores for her aunt while Bontle lay on her bed reading. She even made her aunt tea.

  “Hey, girlie, you’re bringing me tea without me asking you three times? What do you want from me?” her aunt joked.

  Lelethu smiled but inside felt furious. How could her aunt be so rude when she had just spent the whole afternoon cleaning the bathroom and washing the kitchen floor?

  “Auntie, can I go to Princess’s tonight?” Lelethu asked. “She’s invited some friends over.”

  Her aunt looked at her. “How can I be sure you’re telling the truth?”

  “Please, Auntie, I won’t be late.”

  “Oh, all right, girl. But don’t you stay out after dark.”

  Just then Bontle called from her room. “Lelethu, don’t you want to stay here? Some friends are coming. We’re playing cards. And I’m making a cake.”

  “Is that so, young lady?” said her mother. “Well, you’d better not use all the eggs.”

  “No thanks, Bontle,” said Lelethu. “I promised I would go.”

  Bontle came out of her room. “Just remember what I told you,” she said, so her mother couldn’t hear her.

  “I told you I can look after myself,” whispered Lelethu. Then she said louder, “And, Auntie, I don’t want to be rude. Can I take some cooldrink?”

  “I can only give you R7,” said her aunt. “Money doesn’t grow on trees here in the big city, you know. Didn’t your mother give you some money?”

  But she fumbled in her big black bag and gave Lelethu R8.50.

  For a moment, as Lelethu walked out, she was tempted to stay and play cards and eat cake. To have a night like she used to have at home in the Eastern Cape, with her family. But only for a moment. Once she was out on the street she felt a wave of excitement. She could smell her sweet deodorant, and she knew she looked good. Nobody would believe that two months ago she had been digging in a field planting potatoes. She was a city girl through and through!

  Chapter 7

  It was crowded at the tables outside Thabiso’s. People were laughing and shouting, and the meat braaing on the fires outside filled the air with a delicious smell. Lelethu looked for familiar faces and saw Princess and her friends at a table, half-filled glasses in front of them. Lelethu made her way to them, glad she was not alone in this crowd. She felt a thrill as they moved up for her.

  Just then a hot guy came and sat down with them. The girls shrieked excitedly to see him. He smiled at Lelethu. This beautiful guy, smiling at her! She felt the blood rush to her cheeks. He sat down next to her. But Princess stood up and, squeezing in between him and Lelethu, put her arm around his neck, and pulled him to her.

  “Lelethu, this is Siyabonga. Lelethu’s fresh from the bush,” she joked to Siyabonga. “But I am transforming her, like those TV make-over programmes. You can see we have far to go!”

  Lelethu felt hurt by the way Princess was mocking her, but she just smiled. She noticed how Princess pressed herself against Siyabonga, laughing into his eyes. She got the message: Siyabonga belonged to her.

  “Hey, chommie, have you got some money for a drink?” asked Pamela. Lelethu had never had a whole drink before. She had tasted alcohol when she had cleaned up after parties, and it had tasted sour and disgusting. But she did not want to look like a bush girl forever.

  “Yes, could you get me a cider?” she said, noticing the empty bottles on the table. Surely one drink would not kill her.

  The first fizzy sip made her want to sneeze. She saw the other girls looking at her and laughing, so she took another big sip.

  “That’s my girl,” said Pamela, patting her back. Soon Lelethu felt a lightness in her head, and she started laughing louder than anyone else.

  * * *

  Zikhona was looking at her phone. “Lonwabiso has changed his profile pic. He looks so stupid.”

  Pamela peered over to look, and gave a shriek. “And to think you went out with him, chommie, look at the guy!”

  Zikhona looked embarrassed. “It wasn’t for long, and –”

  “Remember those pics you took of the two of you. I wish I could find them,” said Princess, who had whipped out her phone and was looking at it too. Lelethu looked at them all, their faces craned over the cell phone screens. It was only she and Siyabonga who weren’t looking. She smiled at him. Princess looked up.

  “Don’t you want to look at this pic?”

  “Why would I want to laugh at a brother,” said Siyabonga. “He’s not a friend of mine, anyway. Do you girls laugh like that at me when I’m not around?”

  Princess pressed up against him. “Never, sweetie, promise. Let me show you a nice picture of me.”

  “And why do I need to see a picture of you,” he joked, “when you are sitting right next to me?”

  Everyone laughed, except Princess. She looked mad, like she was about to shout at all of them. But then Siyabonga began stroking her cheek. “And I could never feel that beautiful face in the photo.”

  Now Princess looked happy again, and pulled his face towards her, kissing him on the mouth. Lelethu felt shy watching Princess flirting with Siyabonga like that.

  Princess turned to her. “Isn’t he just so cute?” she said. “I’m going to take him home one day.”

  “I’m not some little stray dog you’ve found,” said Siyabonga.

  “Of course you’re not, sweetie,” said Princess. There was an edge to her voice. Lelethu wanted her to stay happy.

  “Can I look at the picture of you?” she asked her.

  “Here, chommie,” said Princess, happy to show her.

  Lelethu looked at picture after picture of Princess: in a pink top, in a costume, outside on grass, inside on a chair. “You’re beautiful,” she said, “just beautiful.”

  “Have you thought about what I said about a cell phone?” asked Princess.

  “What did you say?�
� asked Lelethu.

  “That you need one,” said Princess.

  “Oh, yes, I need one. But my mother –”

  “Don’t worry,” said Princess. “Trust me.”

  She turned away from Lelethu then, to give Siyabonga a long kiss. But Siyabonga broke away, and started talking to all of them, joking around about the other students at his college.

  “It’s great not being in school any more,” he said. “But I have to work harder than I ever have before.”

  “Good for you,” said Princess. “But you still need time for fun, darling. Remember you need to prepare for the college dance.”

  “Oohh!” Zikhona squealed. “So it’s your college that has that fancy dance with DJ Diamond? Lucky you! I bet you’ll take Princess.”

  Siyabonga looked uncomfortable. “You girls. It’s ages till the dance. I’ve got a few assignments to hand in before then – that’s what I’ve got to focus on.”

  Princess turned to Lelethu. “And I’m busy with my Project Girl here. It’s time for another drink. Remember, city girls need to get with the programme.” She gave some money to Zikhona who was getting the drinks, whispering something in her ear.

  I am so lucky to have a friend like Princess, thought Lelethu. She buys me drinks, she wants me to get a cell phone. She really cares for me. She looked around at the other girls. I am so lucky to have friends like this. Then she looked at Siyabonga next to her, who seemed to be watching her with a laugh in his eyes. She looked away quickly. She was not too drunk to try talking to Siyabonga.

  “Quickly, girl, drink this back,” said Princess, winking at the others, handing her a glass brimming with cider, so full it was nearly spilling over.

  Lelethu wanted to make Princess happy, to make the whole world happy. “OK,” she said, and she gulped it down. It tasted even more sour than the last drink and she had to force herself to finish it.

  Suddenly she noticed that the others weren’t drinking any more. “Hey,” she said, “why aren’t you having more?” But somehow the words weren’t coming out right, and everyone’s faces looked a bit blurry. Their smiles were wide, their teeth sharp.

  “I have to go to the toilet,” she tried to say, and she stood up. The ground rocked under her feet and her stomach heaved. Surely she wasn’t going to be sick here. She staggered towards the toilet outside, but there was a queue already. She leaned against the fence of the back yard and vomited up the stinky cider. Then she stood up, the sour taste in her mouth making her feel sick alll over again. She needed water to clean her mouth.

  “Hayi, wena, I won’t have that behaviour here so early. What type are you? Go away!” shouted a woman from the tavern.

  Lelethu tried to wipe her mouth. Where were her friends? She tottered back to look for them. By now it was darker and she could hardly make out the faces at the tables. The noise was unbearable. A man with a loud, rasping voice called out to her, telling her to come and sit on his lap. She pushed her way past to get to her friends’ table.

  She was just about to sit down when she realised her friends weren’t there – now there were other people sitting at their table, and they were looking at her strangely. She felt panic rising up inside her, and looked around feeling completely lost. Was she mad? Where were they? And how could she get back to her aunt’s house?

  Just then a figure loomed out of the darkness. It was Siyabonga.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Where are the others?” Lelethu said.

  He looked down. “They went off. Princess said something about a party somewhere. But I have to work tomorrow.”

  Lelethu couldn’t believe they had just left her.

  It seemed like Siyabonga could read her pain. “Shall I walk you home?” he asked.

  Together they started walking slowly. As they neared her aunt’s house Lelethu had to be sick into a bush. Siyabonga just stood a short distance away and waited for her. “I could see you were not used to drinking,” he said.

  Lelethu felt so sick and embarrassed she wanted to dig herself into a hole.

  “Here,” he said, handing her a piece of chewing gum. “This will take the taste away.”

  Lelethu chewed on it gratefully, hoping that it would hide her alcohol breath. At her aunt’s house she closed the gate behind her so that he couldn’t come to the front door. She didn’t want her aunt to see him. “Thank you, Siyabonga,” she said, and waited for him to go before she went inside.

  She tried to rush to the bathroom, but it was too late. Her aunt had seen her.

  Smack! Her aunt slapped her across the face. “Don’t you dare go out drinking when you are living under my roof!”

  Lelethu crawled away to the bed she shared with Bontle. “Yuck, you stink,” Bontle said.

  “Shut up!” Lelethu hissed, and turned her face to the wall. What a horrible evening. The only good thing had been meeting Siyabonga. And then she had to go and be sick in front of him. She felt another wave of embarrassment, even bigger than the waves of nausea washing over her. She shut her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep.

  Chapter 8

  “Hey, chommie, you were falling all over the place! You could hardly walk!” Princess could hardly speak she was laughing so much. The other girls were slapping Lelethu on the back, or giving her high-fives, as though she had done something fantastic.

  Lelethu smiled. But when she remembered that night she did not remember any fun. She remembered feeling sick, and hurt.

  Later she tried to talk to Princess about it. “Where were you when –”

  But Princess brushed her off. “Now you’re one of us, girl. You’ve taken a step towards being a city chick.” She took out her cell phone. “Here, listen to this song. I just downloaded it from my cousin. I love it.”

  Lelethu took the phone, and some other girls came over, dancing and singing along. A teacher walked past.

  “This is not a disco. Come on, into class now, please.” Slowly the girls started making their way back to class. Lelethu held out the phone to Princess.

  “Keep it,” Princess said. “You can give it to me later.”

  “You trust that girl with your phone?” said Zikhona. “You are mad.”

  “It’s all part of her education,” said Princess. “If she can handle my phone, then she will need her own one.”

  Lelethu sat in class, feeling the phone in her pocket. She couldn’t believe Princess had trusted her with it. It was a good phone, expensive. What if she dropped it, or lost it? But she couldn’t help taking it out, putting music on, as they moved to Life Sciences. Other students turned around, looking for the sounds. Two older girls clustered around her in admiration.

  “Is that your phone?” one said.

  “Yes,” she said back. Why had she lied about the phone? Perhaps to see these faces now looking at her enviously.

  “It’s great, you’re so lucky,” one said. “How much memory have you got?”

  “I’m not sure, it’s new,” she replied. But then she heard a booming voice.

  “What are you doing? You know you’re not allowed cell phones during school!”

  Lelethu’s heart sank. It was Mr Wacha, the strictest teacher in the school. Most teachers ignored the cell phone rule, but Lelethu had been at school for long enough to know that there was no rule that Mr Wacha ignored.

  He put out his hand. “And you, the new girl. Breaking our rules already. I can see you need a few more lessons about how to behave at this school.”

  “But, Sir,” Lelethu started trying to explain.

  “Give it to me now!” roared Mr Wacha.

  Lelethu held out the phone, feeling blood rush to her face. What would she tell Princess? She wanted to run away and never come back.

  “You can get it at the end of the week,” he said to her and marched off.

 
Lelethu could not stop the tears rushing down her cheeks. The girls melted away and she was left alone in the corridor.

  “What’s the matter, Lelethu?” It was Miss Nombembe, Lelethu’s favourite teacher. She was also a strict teacher, but she was fair. And she was kind. She never let anyone get away with laughing at others for their bad pronunciation. “Mistakes are how we learn,” she would always say. Lelethu felt safe in her classes.

  “Mr Wacha took the ph…ph…phone,” Lelethu stuttered.

  “But you know you’re not allowed a cell phone at school.”

  “But, but it wasn’t mine, Miss. It was Princess’s!” Lelethu wiped away tears. Why was she behaving like a baby? She was a tough girl. But not when she thought of Princess. How could she carry on being a friend of Princess’s when her phone had been taken away?

  Miss Nombembe pulled out a tissue from her bag. “Stop crying. I will sort it out with Mr Wacha. You are new – we’ll give you a chance. But I’m warning you. If you are found with a phone again you know what will happen.” She walked on, then called back, “Come and find me at the end of the lesson. You will get Princess’s phone. Take my advice. Never use someone else’s phone. It can only end in tears.”

  Lelethu went to find her after the next lesson. She was terrified that Mr Wacha had not given it to her, that she would have to tell Princess what had happened. But Miss Nombembe had it right on her desk. Lelethu felt a great surge of relief.

  Miss Nombembe put the phone in her hand, and looked into her eyes. “Are you all right, Lelethu? I know you’re new. Have you got problems at home?”

  Lelethu was too happy to have the phone safely in her hand to think about what Miss Nombembe was saying. “No, Miss Nobembe. I’m fine, Miss.”

  “Well if ever you need to talk, Lelethu, just come and find me.”

  But Lelethu was already out the door. She met Princess and the other girls after school and handed the phone back without saying anything about what had happened.

  “Good girl,” said Princess. “You could look after my phone. Shows that you’re ready for one of your own.”