Read Online No Turning Back by Beverley Naidoo - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Beverley Naidoo
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Saturday.”
Judy—as she insisted Sipho should call her—shared her sandwiches and tried to make conversation as they sat in the office. He could see she was trying hard to be friendly. But he still felt awkward, and when she asked whether he had any parents, he shook his head.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said quietly.
Sipho kept his eyes down. The lie was out before he had even thought about it. But wasn’t it safer that way? If these people knew he had a mother, he could be taken back to her, and then…Ma would be crying and he would be crying, clinging, clinging to her, until her husband would rip him away to give him “the lesson” he would never ever forget. It was too terrible to think about. Trying to wipe out the picture, Sipho looked to see what had happened to thepile of clothes he had left by the fire. Judy read what was now in his mind.
“Maria rinsed out your clothes. They’re drying out in the back. You should have seen her face when she smelled them! That water must have been really bad where they threw you.”
“Ja, it was,” replied Sipho, pursing his lips.
He didn’t want to seem rude, but he didn’t know what to say to this girl.
From his position on the corner, where he spent most of the afternoon calling out about Danny’s Den, Sipho kept a lookout for members of the gang. None of them came by. A couple of malunde whom he knew by sight passed him, and he asked if they had seen Lucas or any of the others. But they had been away in Rosebank all day and hadn’t even heard of the raid.
Later in the afternoon, Mr. Danny called him inside to help sweep up in the shop. Maria had already brought in the tables from outside and tidied the shelves and was ready to leave as Sipho took up the broom. He would have liked to leave earlier too, so he could look for his gang. The thought of sleeping on his own frightened him more than ever now. But Mr. Danny hadn’t given him a chance to say anything before giving him another job. He also needed to collect his own clothes. With the sun going down, it wasbecoming cold again and he wanted his sweater and jacket. Would Mr. Danny ask him to give back the sweatshirt and jeans, he wondered?
“Count this up, will you, Jude?” said Mr. Danny, carrying the small packages next to the cash register into the office.
He pulled the door behind him, but it remained slightly ajar. Alone in the shop, Sipho swung the broom into action, making little piles of dirt before sweeping them all together into the center of the room. The voices of Mr. Danny and his daughter were low, but as Sipho approached the office to collect the small dustpan behind the door, he heard his name and stopped.
“It’s not quite so simple, Jude,” Mr. Danny was saying. “I agree he seems a nice enough kid, but we don’t really know him. It’s one thing to give him some clothes and a bit of work. It’s quite another thing to take him home with us.”
“So you’re happy to leave him sleeping out here when you know he could get beaten up again?”
“I’m not happy about it and you know it. But where do you stop, Jude? Hundreds…thousands of children don’t have proper homes, safe homes. I can’t solve all that!”
“We’re only talking about Sipho, Dad. And he hasn’t even got a home. He’s an orphan!”
Sipho’s brow furrowed as he tried to follow what they were saying. Did Judy want him to go home with them?
‘And what about David? You know how difficult he’s become since your mother left.” Mr. Danny’s voice was becoming less forceful.
“David’ll be all right, Dad. You’ve just got to stop giving in to him all the time. He’s really playing on your weak spots. It’ll do him good to have to do a bit of sharing,” Judy replied.
They continued to talk, and Sipho continued to listen. He still only understood bits of what they were saying. Who was this David? What was it Mr. Danny had said about the mother having left? What was so strange to him,
Judy—as she insisted Sipho should call her—shared her sandwiches and tried to make conversation as they sat in the office. He could see she was trying hard to be friendly. But he still felt awkward, and when she asked whether he had any parents, he shook his head.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said quietly.
Sipho kept his eyes down. The lie was out before he had even thought about it. But wasn’t it safer that way? If these people knew he had a mother, he could be taken back to her, and then…Ma would be crying and he would be crying, clinging, clinging to her, until her husband would rip him away to give him “the lesson” he would never ever forget. It was too terrible to think about. Trying to wipe out the picture, Sipho looked to see what had happened to thepile of clothes he had left by the fire. Judy read what was now in his mind.
“Maria rinsed out your clothes. They’re drying out in the back. You should have seen her face when she smelled them! That water must have been really bad where they threw you.”
“Ja, it was,” replied Sipho, pursing his lips.
He didn’t want to seem rude, but he didn’t know what to say to this girl.
From his position on the corner, where he spent most of the afternoon calling out about Danny’s Den, Sipho kept a lookout for members of the gang. None of them came by. A couple of malunde whom he knew by sight passed him, and he asked if they had seen Lucas or any of the others. But they had been away in Rosebank all day and hadn’t even heard of the raid.
Later in the afternoon, Mr. Danny called him inside to help sweep up in the shop. Maria had already brought in the tables from outside and tidied the shelves and was ready to leave as Sipho took up the broom. He would have liked to leave earlier too, so he could look for his gang. The thought of sleeping on his own frightened him more than ever now. But Mr. Danny hadn’t given him a chance to say anything before giving him another job. He also needed to collect his own clothes. With the sun going down, it wasbecoming cold again and he wanted his sweater and jacket. Would Mr. Danny ask him to give back the sweatshirt and jeans, he wondered?
“Count this up, will you, Jude?” said Mr. Danny, carrying the small packages next to the cash register into the office.
He pulled the door behind him, but it remained slightly ajar. Alone in the shop, Sipho swung the broom into action, making little piles of dirt before sweeping them all together into the center of the room. The voices of Mr. Danny and his daughter were low, but as Sipho approached the office to collect the small dustpan behind the door, he heard his name and stopped.
“It’s not quite so simple, Jude,” Mr. Danny was saying. “I agree he seems a nice enough kid, but we don’t really know him. It’s one thing to give him some clothes and a bit of work. It’s quite another thing to take him home with us.”
“So you’re happy to leave him sleeping out here when you know he could get beaten up again?”
“I’m not happy about it and you know it. But where do you stop, Jude? Hundreds…thousands of children don’t have proper homes, safe homes. I can’t solve all that!”
“We’re only talking about Sipho, Dad. And he hasn’t even got a home. He’s an orphan!”
Sipho’s brow furrowed as he tried to follow what they were saying. Did Judy want him to go home with them?
‘And what about David? You know how difficult he’s become since your mother left.” Mr. Danny’s voice was becoming less forceful.
“David’ll be all right, Dad. You’ve just got to stop giving in to him all the time. He’s really playing on your weak spots. It’ll do him good to have to do a bit of sharing,” Judy replied.
They continued to talk, and Sipho continued to listen. He still only understood bits of what they were saying. Who was this David? What was it Mr. Danny had said about the mother having left? What was so strange to him,
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