Fighting For An Innocent Soul

Yesterday was very cold. I had attended a seminar at Maharaj about Performance Review in a workplace. I left the conference center around 5pm and headed for the salon to do my hair, which has been the same style since Perfect Stranger left. The salon-Head Masters, where I do my hair is run by 8 Nigerian guys (two who do retouches, two barbers, two who plait, and two more who do the hair-washing).Its one of the best hair-do outlets ever to happen in this country, even TV personalities are once in while seen doing the rounds there. So I found Kajos on one lady, but he was about to finish. So I made myself comfortable in one chair there and awaited my turn.

No one touches my head except Kajos.The guy’s so good with his hands on my head.Ha! I nearly dozed off when he was massaging my head after taking out the rollers.He’s also an expert at applying make-up,did I mention he even trimmed my eyebrows? If you look closely in this picture you’ll be able to see that my eyebrows are trimmed. I don’t like it though,just did that to try it out,but it pissed me off when I came to realize that I had to pay for that,apart from paying for the hairdo,not at the counter,but give him the money without anyone seeing!

I gues now you’ll understand why I can’t hire the applicants who brought forward their applications to be my financial advisors? 1.They are Nigerians( I mean the applicants) and 2.One Nigerian is already ripping me off this side.Well,at least he does my hair real good.Did I mention he even suggested I do hair treatment? I asked why and he said bcoz I just finished taking it out,so it needed some vitamins and all.What is hair treatment? Mind you I also had to pay separately for that! Somebody’s here to make money oo! I gues you are wondering how much I had to end up paying after all that ehh? Ha! I hadn’t buggeted for the trimming and the treatment! The FNB money machine is just near the salon!

I got to my house at exactly 7pm, in time for the 7 o’clock news. I started heating the water coz I normally take my bath before sitting in front of the t.v. If I don’t bath then,I never will.I had just finished pouring the bath foam when my phone rang. Tia’s name appeared on the screen.

‘’Hey girl wassup?’’

**sniff,sniff**..on the other line

‘’Look Tia,I’ve just ran my bath,stop mumbling and say something.My water’s gonna get cold tlhe mma!’’

‘’I’m getting rid of it Jane!’’

‘’What? You are getting rid of what Tia?’’

**sobs,sobs,sobs**

Oh my God! What do I do now?..’’okay,okay Tia I’m coming over right now okay? Just don’t move an inch.I’m just gonna take a very quick bath then come okay?’’

Dammnit! What could be wrong with this girl? We hadn’t been able to meet for the past few days,but we did communicate through phones.She hadn’t told me she was having any problems.What the hell could she be talking about? I mean,we been friends since high school,she can’t hide anything from me,we talked about anything,and everything,she ain’t the kinda person to hide things from me.Why don’t I know now what she’s talking about?

I called the cab that I normally use,and bcoz the cabs usually take 20 to 30 minutes before coming in,I decided to take that quick bath.The problem was the procedure I use for my face,using the lemon products-the lemon fruit itself,lemon bathing soap,lemon face wash and the lemon face cream.I just finished putting on my sweater when I heard the cab horn blow outside.

It took the taxi less than 20 minutes to reach Tia’s house.She leaves on the other part of town called Mogoditshane,thank God by the time we were driving there weren’t that much traffic,so I managed to make it to Tia’s in no time.While on the way so many questions were running around in my head,asking myself what really could Tia have meant.I was brought to reality when we passed by The Grand Palm Resort.Thats where I came to see my babe for the first time exactly one month ago.And then when we passed Millenium Estate,I remembered coming to check on one of my cousins with Perfect Stranger.

‘’Tia?..open the door Tia,it’s me!’’..i wasn’t knocking,I was practically banging on the door.

Holy God! This girl? What has she done to herself? A solemn face, bloodshot eyes, non-stop running nose?

‘’Tia?’’..she had buried her face in her lap.Didn’t even look up at me when I came inside the house.She was still crying.

‘’Godammnit! Tia what is it?’’

‘’I’m pregnant’’

‘’Oh my God! Really? Ooooh! Babe I’m so proud of you! Is that why you crying? Ooooh! Look at what tears of joy has done to you?...Ooooh! my darling Tia!...Wow!..i’m so happy for you girl…welcome to the club then…oooh I’m so happy!...this calls for a celebration,what have you got in your cabinet?’’..i stood up,dancing to just the quietness of the room..singing, ‘’My girl’s gonna have a baby,My girl’s gonna have a baby!..ta ta ta ta ta…talalalalalala’’

Resuming my seat with a bottle of coke and two glasses, I asked, ‘’how far have you gone?’’

‘’Just a month’’…still with a buried face.

‘’Wow! That’s so much calls for another celebration coz that’s a baby now,complete with limbs,hair,nails,toes,fingers and all.So what is it? Boy or girl?...oooh I’m so excited.’’

‘’Jane! Will you stop that? Do you know what this means?’’

‘’What means what?’’