Thursday, April 2, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Not Guilty
For my four early years of my life, I remember living in a small crowded town like a crowded dish sink, in Sinza. Long time ago folks called the town as Sinza Makabulini, why, I don’t know. “I don’t know” was a very common phase which always would want to come out of my mouth. It was like how you can’t control sweat to come out from you skin while sitting in the sauna or making a lousy face while stuffing your mouth with pudding that taste like spoiled baby food. I lived in a big house which could hold about eight people with no complains of luck of oxygen in the house. A house with Mom and Dad, my four siblings, two aunts from the village and myself. I was the tallest child of my siblings but not tall enough to see the top surface of the dining table. Mom would always leave a silver bag of round coins and a long paper money on the dinning table before she begins her day early in the morning marching to work. The silver coin will always be at the edge of the table, unlike the paper money which would be resting at the center of the table like it owned the table. I developed a very close friendship with the coins on the edge of the table. I would not leave home when I went to school without that coin being in my plastic bag that held one note book and a dull pencil. After I got dressed, I would march to the dining room hoping to find my friend. I would push the flat feet up finding the rest of my body on my chubby toes balancing. My chubby fingers will reach the coin and when I get it, the rest of my feet will quickly land on the ground feeling the tight muscles on my feet all relaxed. Each day comes with it’s own surprise and the outcomes are based on how you handled the surprise. One day and it has remained to be one day in my life that the too tall for me table, handed me a paper money instead of a silver coin. Aunty tried to wake me up several times, chased me to get a cold shower, forced me to drink think soup for breakfast that I ended puking it up onto my uniform little orange dress, then cleaned me up and put another dress on me, combed my hair as if I had no common sense in my little head, after she was through, she handled me my plastic bag and said “don’t wonder around after school like a lost puppy”, and I nodded my head and marched to the dining room and “ oh my lord” where is my coin?”. I tired to search of it with my hands which I trusted them to lead me to the silver coin. But no, my poor hands didn’t find it. I wasn’t ready to leave the house with nothing in my plastic bag. I thought, how am I going to buy potato fries with no money. The kids after school, will be all buying their potato fries and I will be just standing there staring at them like I was stoned with a watery mouth like a melon. Since I always treat the fries first and friends later, I wondered “what in the name of holy Moses will make those kids think of sharing their fries with me?”
“Did she mean for me to take the paper money?” I questioned my brain. I didn’t get any answer and so I assumed that the answer was “yes”. I took the money and headed to school. When the bell rang and all kids ran so fast as if they were running from a monster and we all went to get delicious sweet potatoes fries.
“What size of fries do you want?” the fries person asked as I was handing him the paper money.
“Like what I get everyday” I replied, not knowing why he asked such a question since he knew what I normally get everyday. After he gave me my fries I was surprised of the change that he returned. He never returned change to me before. He gave me two paper monies and bunch of silver coins.
“Is this for me?” I asked the fries man. I thought he made a mistake for returning all that change back.
“Yes” he replied with the face which said, “do have an idea how much you gave me?”
I isolated myself from the crowd that was buying fries. I went and set on the bench next to the cooker and start enjoying my potato fries. Man those fries where good. It was like having warm sweet potato bread, very soft and very sweet. I finished the fries and thought, “What am I going to do with this money?” It came to me that I took wrong money, that I wasn’t supposed to take and it is too late to return it. I had to get rid of it and I did. I marched back to school and went to the little girl’s room. It was a smelly small bathroom. It had peeling paint on the cracked walls that you might think that anytime they would fall off. You stepped on pee when you get in since many of the kids could not hold it for long if the two toilets are full already. I tossed all of the change in a toilet hall and since it wasn’t a flashing bathroom but just a hall, they all went down like poops. After I destroyed the evidence I ran home. Aunty was the first person I saw as I was entering in the house.
“Queen did you take the money that was on this table?” she asked. She had her both hands on her waste and that was a red flag.
“No, I didn’t buy any fries?” I mumled.
“Tell the truth or I will punish you”
“No”
“Come” Aunty approached me. “Open your mouth” she commanded. I opened my mouth and she smelled my breath.
“Oh no, I am dead” I thought to myself. My heart was pounding and my eyes were as big as big round marbles.
“Queen you smell like you had fries, once again did you take the money?” Aunty asked with a serious face of red eyes
“No. I did not take the money” I pledge.