art class, and then he strangled her with a skipping rope. Then he used the rope to hang her from the beam. The Coloured cleaners say that at night her ghost still appears along the passage that leads to the art class. Especially when the Southeaster blows, or when there's mist pushing down Table Mountain and a heavy fog
The Smell of Apples
hanging over Table Bay. The Coloureds that have seen her say she just stands there in silence, listening to the foghorn across the bay, and waiting for the overseer.
Everyone says that Brolloks has come back to do penance for his father's sins. But Frikkie says Brolloks looks more like a murderer himself than someone who's meant to be doing penance. Brolloks gives the boys terrible hidings, specially if there's any sawdust under the workbench at the end of the period. Woodwork period is also the only time Frikkie is ever quiet at school. Once, when I told Dad that, he said it was because there weren't any girls in the woodwork class for Frikkie to show off to.
When we play at his house in Oranjezicht, it's as though Frikkie and I are naughtier than when we're here in St James. If we didn't live right by the sea, I think we would spend more time in Oranjezicht. Another reason we mostly spend weekends here is because Mum doesn't want me becoming a permanent fixture at the Delports. With Dad so often off on army business, I have to be home at the weekends to see him. So if Frikkie and I want to spend the weekend together, he has to come here - even though he's so scared of Dad.
I meet Frikkie down at the St James station. He's brought his bicycle along, because we sometimes take our Choppers and go for rides to Simonstown, or we go swimming at the Boulders.
After we've dropped off his bike and bag at home, we walk down Main Road to Kalk Bay. We want to see what catch the boats bring in. It's a good time for snoek and Mum asked us to look for a nice one. I was hoping we'd braai some snoek for the General tonight, but Mum said there's not enough time, and anyway, we're having a braai
Mark Behr
tomorrow night. At first I began nagging Mum to let us have the braai tonight, because Frikkie and I wanted to make a fire, but Mum said it's impossible on Friday evenings when Dad's not here and I'd better make sure the snoek is in the kitchen before she and Use get back from the piano lesson.
Mum usually buys fish from Jan Bandjies who catches off Simonstown. But the catches have been good lately, so Jan hasn't been all that regular. Whenever the catch is good, the fishermen don't have to struggle by selling the fish one by one, because they can sell it all in one go to a shop or a factory.
Where you pass underneath the train-tracks on to the beach, close to the Kalk Bay subway, we hear someone calling: 4 Hi, Marnus! Hi, Frikkie!'
It's Zelda Kemp who comes trotting towards us. The Kemps' house is just below the council flats where the fishermen live. Zelda is two years younger than us, and her father is the foreman at the Simonstown fish factory, and she goes to school at Paul Greyling in Fish Hoek. Mum feels sorry for her because the Kemps are so poor. Mum says it's a tragedy that such a cute little girl doesn't have much of a future. Her parents won't ever have the money to give her a decent education. So, a few times a year, Mum takes some of Use's old clothes and sends Doreen to deliver the parcel to the Kemps for Zelda.
'It's a disgrace that such a lovely child has to live in that scummy area, right next to the Coloureds,' Mum said one Sunday as we drove past Zelda and her redheaded brothers waiting for the train to take them to church. The Kemps are also in our congregation.
Like always when you see Zelda, her long red plaits are tied at the ends with blue bobbles and she's wearing her hat. She even wears the hat on weekdays, not like Mum
The Smell of Apples
and Use who only wear hats to church. ZelaVs wearing one of Use's old dresses again today. It's much too big for her and it
The Smell of Apples
hanging over Table Bay. The Coloureds that have seen her say she just stands there in silence, listening to the foghorn across the bay, and waiting for the overseer.
Everyone says that Brolloks has come back to do penance for his father's sins. But Frikkie says Brolloks looks more like a murderer himself than someone who's meant to be doing penance. Brolloks gives the boys terrible hidings, specially if there's any sawdust under the workbench at the end of the period. Woodwork period is also the only time Frikkie is ever quiet at school. Once, when I told Dad that, he said it was because there weren't any girls in the woodwork class for Frikkie to show off to.
When we play at his house in Oranjezicht, it's as though Frikkie and I are naughtier than when we're here in St James. If we didn't live right by the sea, I think we would spend more time in Oranjezicht. Another reason we mostly spend weekends here is because Mum doesn't want me becoming a permanent fixture at the Delports. With Dad so often off on army business, I have to be home at the weekends to see him. So if Frikkie and I want to spend the weekend together, he has to come here - even though he's so scared of Dad.
I meet Frikkie down at the St James station. He's brought his bicycle along, because we sometimes take our Choppers and go for rides to Simonstown, or we go swimming at the Boulders.
After we've dropped off his bike and bag at home, we walk down Main Road to Kalk Bay. We want to see what catch the boats bring in. It's a good time for snoek and Mum asked us to look for a nice one. I was hoping we'd braai some snoek for the General tonight, but Mum said there's not enough time, and anyway, we're having a braai
Mark Behr
tomorrow night. At first I began nagging Mum to let us have the braai tonight, because Frikkie and I wanted to make a fire, but Mum said it's impossible on Friday evenings when Dad's not here and I'd better make sure the snoek is in the kitchen before she and Use get back from the piano lesson.
Mum usually buys fish from Jan Bandjies who catches off Simonstown. But the catches have been good lately, so Jan hasn't been all that regular. Whenever the catch is good, the fishermen don't have to struggle by selling the fish one by one, because they can sell it all in one go to a shop or a factory.
Where you pass underneath the train-tracks on to the beach, close to the Kalk Bay subway, we hear someone calling: 4 Hi, Marnus! Hi, Frikkie!'
It's Zelda Kemp who comes trotting towards us. The Kemps' house is just below the council flats where the fishermen live. Zelda is two years younger than us, and her father is the foreman at the Simonstown fish factory, and she goes to school at Paul Greyling in Fish Hoek. Mum feels sorry for her because the Kemps are so poor. Mum says it's a tragedy that such a cute little girl doesn't have much of a future. Her parents won't ever have the money to give her a decent education. So, a few times a year, Mum takes some of Use's old clothes and sends Doreen to deliver the parcel to the Kemps for Zelda.
'It's a disgrace that such a lovely child has to live in that scummy area, right next to the Coloureds,' Mum said one Sunday as we drove past Zelda and her redheaded brothers waiting for the train to take them to church. The Kemps are also in our congregation.
Like always when you see Zelda, her long red plaits are tied at the ends with blue bobbles and she's wearing her hat. She even wears the hat on weekdays, not like Mum
The Smell of Apples
and Use who only wear hats to church. ZelaVs wearing one of Use's old dresses again today. It's much too big for her and it
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