Invisible People

Invisible People

By J.M. Thompson

Published by smashwords

Copyright 2014 J.M. Thompson

ISBN 9781311946836

By J.M. Thompson

Smashwords edition

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Chapter one

Isaac grew up in a small rural village situated on the outskirts of Queenstown. He lived with his grandmother, his mother died soon after he was born. He sometimes would sit with his grandma listening to her stories about his history. No one ever mentioned his father. He did not bother to ask about him either.

She always reminded him that he should not forget that she loved him. They always went to church every Sunday. He decided to study hard and become something under the sun. He believed that he had a reserved place under the sun.

At the end of the year, he sat for his final matriculation exams. He was not anxious about the results for he knew that he would pass with a few distinctions. When the results came out, he went to his school to check on his results.

Many other students came to find out if they passed or failed. Some of them did not make the grade. Isaac and his friend, Simon, stood aside discussing their future. They both passed with five distinctions between them.

Simon wanted to further his studies. He wanted to study medicine. He thought that being a medical would allow him to enjoy a higher lifestyle. Both his parents were professional people.

Isaac had no such pedigree. He had no parents about whom he could boast. His grandma was struggling to feed them and pay for his schooling even then. She relied on her government pension. He decided therefore to seek employment and take care of his grandma.

However, his grandma took ill and she died in her sleep. Soon after the passing of his grandma, he found a job as a clerk. He was working in one of the few hotels in town. The passing of his grandma left a huge vacant space in his heart. He continued working in that hotel but he did not want to be in that area anymore.

Everything he saw reminded him of his grandma. Even his girlfriend, Joyce, failed to advice him to let go. She tried though in her own way to make him accept that the old woman was resting somewhere in heaven.

Joyce moved in with him within a short period of their relationship. They both were working at the same hotel. Joyce was working as a cleaner. They lived as lovers in his home. She took care of him and gradually his pain of loss became a memory. She was by her nature a good person. She was kind and caring.

Time went by and Isaac did not say anything about marriage. Joyce was expecting him to say something about some sort of commitment. She kept quiet though but she became worried that he might not to marry her. Marriage meant everything to her.

‘You seem absentminded now lately’.

Joyce was sitting on the bench easting her super. The house was practically empty. There was a bench, a rickety table and two chairs reserved for visitors. There was no dinning room in that house. The house consisted of one tiny kitchen and two bedrooms.

‘I am worried about us’.

‘Is there something wrong’?

‘I do not know if you intend to go on living this way’.

‘Am I doing something wrong’?

‘No you are not doing anything wrong but are we going to get married’.

‘Oh that, but we hardly know each other that well’.

‘Are you looking for excuses, if you do not want to get married please let me know so that I should decide if I stay or go away’.

‘I do not want you to go away but if that is what you want then you have the right of choice’.

‘I do not want to leave you but if you do not love me enough to marry me then I will go’.

She stood up then and began to wash the dishes. He appreciated her presence and willingness to do things for him. She knew that he loved her but he had doubts about committing himself to her.

Did he have a girlfriend somewhere?

She was already comfortable in that house and she did not want to start another relationship with someone new. She was by her nature a one-man woman. She did not fool around. Most of her friends had children already. She had no kids of her own. Maybe she was barren.

They went to bed without resolving the marriage issue. Isaac lay awake for a while thinking about her wish to become his legal wife. He thought that he was not ready to settle down with her permanently.

One Sunday morning, he was sitting outside when he saw a car stop by his house. Two elderly men climbed out of the car. He did not recognize any of them. He stood up to meet them at the gate. Joyce came out of the house. She recognized the visitors. One of them was her uncle.

She stood by the door waiting for them to come to the house. She stood aside to let them go into the house. They refused to go into the house. Isaac knew then that there was a problem.

‘We are not here to visit you, we want to know when are you coming back home’.

The other man asked Isaac ‘why are you keeping her here, are you going to marry her’.

Isaac said ‘we were discussing that issue yesterday’.

‘I am still waiting for my answer’.

Joyce said ‘I am not going back there. I do not want marry that man you chose for me’.

‘So you think that this boy will marry you’.

‘It makes no difference if he marries me or not but I do not want that man back there’.

‘Okay, we are leaving but if you have any problems with this boy here do not come running to us’.

‘Do not worry about me, I will be just fine’.

The two men then walked away without saying anything more. Isaac went into the house wondering about the possibility of her having another boyfriend. He thought that she was using him.

‘What is going on in your life’?

‘You know about this tradition thing, my uncle wanted me to marry his friend’s son’.

‘Is he your boyfriend’?

‘No, he is not my boyfriend’.

‘Is he your friend’?

‘He is not my friend’.

‘But you know him’.

‘Are you accusing me of anything’?

‘No I am just wondering why they want to choose a husband for you’.

‘They still believe in their old traditions’.

‘So then, what is going to happen now’?

‘I do not know that, but maybe you should decide if you want to be my husband’.

‘Look, I like you, in fact I love you, I thought that we should not hurry into this’.

‘For all I care, we can live like this for another year’.

She then went back into the house to continue cooking lunch. She felt relaxed and happy. Isaac walked around the block trying to clear his mind.

During the following months, their relationship blossomed and they decided to marry. Joyce felt deeply happy. However, Isaac had to pay lobola.

The uncles did not object. The traditions and customs issue was no longer a problem. They had a traditional wedding ceremony. Then they settled down without anyone bothering them. One year went by and Joyce became pregnant.

Isaac was glad that he would become a father. That would be his first child. Joyce was not excited about her pregnancy. She had a terrible history with pregnancies. She lost two children before due to miscarriages. The father of those unfortunate souls was the man she was rejecting.

She chose to tell Isaac about her fears. He thought that she had to go to the clinic about her health and safety of the baby. They were not earning much money so they could not afford a private doctor.

The nursing sister told her that she would be fine but she had to see a doctor. She sent her to the hospital. The hospital gynecologist told her that she would have to go to the clinic once per week for the first semester.

Isaac told Joyce not to strain herself. He was afraid that she might loose the baby. He did most of the work in the house. She appreciated his concern for the unborn baby. She loved him even more.

People at work started talking about the impending release of Mandela. Almost everyone felt excited by the news. Some of the white people thought that he should rot in jail.

The people’s icon walked out of the prison enclosure on the eleventh day of February 1992. The country was in a limbo then. The world leaders expected that the country would become another war zone.

White and black people were anxious about the future of the country. Some white folks became afraid that black people would become unruly. Some employees lost their jobs. Isaac was one of the victims simply because he was black and young.

He realized that he was not going to find employment any time soon. Joyce was still pregnant and he worried about their future. Fortunately, she was still working and her wages helped to sustain the family.

However, her working conditions became unbearable. She proved then that she was a strong willed woman. Nothing was going to derail her from her objectives. She was sacrificing herself for the sake of her baby.

Some white folks became rude towards the black staff. Her workload increased twofold, her wages remained the same with no prospect of increasing.

She then decided to join a labor movement. She too became vociferous. She was not a coward by any standards. Her fellow employees chose her as their spokesperson. Her boss became even more hateful. She did not back down on any of her demands. The union leaders stood behind her giving her support for recognition by her employer.

The strain of her increased responsibilities showed and the risk of loosing the baby became a reality. Somehow, she had faith that her unborn baby would survive. True enough, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Isaac became the happiest man alive at that point. He named the baby, Themba, meaning hope for the future. He too decided to join the union movement.

In 1994, the country held its first elections. Everyone felt the excitement of voting for the first time in his or her country of birth. However, politicians made unsustainable promises and some people misinterpreted the promises to suit their own wishes.

One Saturday morning, Isaac and Joyce were sitting in their house talking about the future. Most people lived for the future since the success of the elections.

Isaac said ‘I would like to go to Jo’burg to seek a job there’.

‘When do you plan to leave’?

‘I thought that we could go together’.

‘No my darling, I have a lot of work to do here’.

‘But if I find a job that pays well will you come then’.

‘That is something I cannot guarantee, but you can come home during your holidays’.

He said ‘that I will do’.

He then began preparing himself mentally for the journey into the future. He knew that he had to be strong enough to face the future. He still had some money from his severance package.

He withdrew all of the money from the bank and he gave his wife most of the money. Then he embarked into the future. Joyce remained with Themba to keep her company.

Isaac spent his first night in Jo’burg on the bench at the Johannesburg station. He had no idea where to go then. He realized that he was not the only person who had nowhere to go. He noticed though that some of the people came from neighboring countries.

In the morning, he went into town and started searching for a job. He never before saw so many people as he saw on that morning. He nearly fell into depression as he thought that it would be impossible for him to find a job. The thought of his son propelled him to go on.

He met a few people who spoke his Xhosa language. He befriended one of them for the sake of company. She seemed to have the same idea. That person happened to be a woman her name was Nomsa. They spoke about almost everything except love and loving. They both seemed to avoid the topic since they knew that it could open unwanted avenues.

She was already aware that he was new in town.

‘Do you have a place to stay’?

‘I wish I had a relative here but I have nowhere to stay’.

‘Listen, you can come along with me, I know someone that might help you with accommodation’.

‘That is kind of you’.

‘When I first came here I had nowhere to stay so I do not mind helping others’.

Isaac felt hungry then. They walked into a fish and chips shop. He bought a packet of chips and bread. Nomsa knew of a place where they could sit and eat. She was beginning to like him as a friend. She saw the amount of money he had in his pocket.

Later, they went to the taxi rank and boarded a taxi to Alexander Township. Isaac was having his first glimpse of the vast city of Jo’burg.

When they arrived at their destination, they alighted and walked a short distance towards her dwelling. He saw a sea of shacks around him. He wondered if she was living alone or with other people.

She opened the door of her shack and they both entered into the shack. The interior was tidy and clean. She seemed to have everything in that one room.

‘This is my home’.

‘Do you live alone here’?

‘Not anymore’.

‘What do you mean by that’?

‘Well, you can stay here with me until you find your own place’.

She opened another door, which led to another room.

‘This is my bedroom’.

He saw a single bed and a few boxes on the floor.

‘Where will I sleep if I stay here’?

‘Are you afraid of women’?

‘I hardly know you’.

‘What do you need to know about me’?

‘What about your boyfriend’.

‘I do not have a boyfriend, I have a girlfriend’.

He had no idea what she meant by girlfriend. He knew about girl friends.

‘Does she live here’?

‘No, I live alone’.

‘Maybe you can unpack your things; I will find space for your belongings’.

She helped him unpack his luggage. Then he needed to wash his body of two day’s sweat. She showed him the plastic basin but he had to fetch water from a communal tap down the alley. For the first time he washed himself with cold water.

She was sitting on her bed watching him wash his face and armpits. He began to wonder about her. She could at least go somewhere rather than sit there watching him. Maybe she did not trust him. Was he going to have any privacy in that house? He finished washing and he went outside to pour the water out on the ground.

When he came back into the room, he found her preparing something to eat. He sat on one of the chairs looking at her. He noticed that she changed her clothes. She was wearing a mini skirt and her bra only. The heat in the shack probably forced her not to wear her blouse.

The sun was already sinking and soon it would be night. The thought brought a few questions into his mind. He noticed her well-rounded bums. Her skirt was a bit tight and slightly shorter than regular mini skirts. His manhood asked him if he liked her bums. He nodded his head in affirmation. Thus, his manhood began to harden.

She sat on the other chair while the food was cooking. She spread her legs in front of her. He saw her supple thighs as she opened her thighs slightly. She felt tired from walking around seeking employment. She looked at him wondering about him. Was she expecting anything from him?

She asked him ‘are you okay’.

‘Yes, I am fine’.

‘I feel tired from walking around town’.

‘How do you manage to survive without a job’?

‘My girlfriend has a good job; she helps me to survive in this town’.

‘What do you mean by girlfriend’?

She realized that he knew nothing about lesbians.

‘She is my lover’.

‘How