Afterwards, the speeches were followed by an introduction of staff and a tour around the school facilities. About two hours later we were divided into classes and I was in the same class with Bagomotsi as well as some of our primary school classmates. Our class teacher, a woman by the name of Mrs. Motshwari, gave us notebooks which we would use for the different subjects we would undertake. With her Ngwato features, she was your typical gorgeous lady who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. We were then all dismissed. As I was looking for Bagomotsi and Masego in the crowd, I bumped into Winona who appeared a little lost.
‘Hey, we meet again’ she said with her killer smile. So far I had seen different smiles in JMS but this one was unique; it was the real thing
‘I guess. So, which class are you in?’ I asked her nervously.
‘They put me in Form 1A; and you?’
‘1D, I’m with Bagomotsi if you know him’
‘Yeah, I know him. His girlfriend’s cousin is a friend of mine’.
We remained still for a while looking at each other. She was fairly developed physically as I could see her breasts were emerging and they were quite nice. Breaking the silence, she spoke.
‘So which options are you going to choose?’
‘Well, I was thinking History and Geography’
‘Oh, ok; well, I’m taking Geography and Food sciences’
‘A dietician in the making, I presume'
She smiled before going on, ‘…well, yes…you could say that’
‘Well, it was nice talking to you but I have to rush somewhere if you don’t mind. Would you perhaps like to chat some other time when you are free?’
‘Well, I’d really like that. That’d be sweet actually’.
So she obviously liked me and in accordance to the Protocol, this was the time to ask for the contacts.
‘Well then, if you don’t mind, I could do with your number’
She chuckled and took a piece of paper from her bag and wrote it then gave me the piece of paper.
‘There you go’
‘See you around then. I’ll keep in touch’ and she disappeared into the crowd, leaving me with a smile on my face. Just then Bagomotsi and Masego showed up. The catching up was still on as they were smiling and embracing each other.
‘We’ve been looking all over for you’ said Masego when they saw me standing there with nothing to do but look around.
‘In case you don’t know, I’ve got a phone and if you can’t find someone, you give them a call’ I responded challengingly and she gave me the ‘talk-to-the-hand’ posture.
‘Stop it you two, for once don’t show me you’ve got issues. Anyway Brandon, we are in the same class bra; you, Timothy and me. Can you believe it?’
‘And we are in the same Geography class’ added Masego.
‘Yeah man, it’s so great. And what’s even great is Winona wrote me a note telling me she’s got a weakness for shy guys like me. A while ago I got her number’
‘Are you for real?’
‘Yeah man, got it just now’
‘Wait, you mean Winona Simons?’ asked Masego.
‘Yeah, that one’ I answered. ‘She’s a nice girl, isn’t she?’
‘Well, yes. My cousin is a friend of hers but I’m not sure you’ll be able to handle her’
‘And why do you say that?’
‘Well, considering the fact that you are a rookie and she’s been in the industry since Grade six, I think it’s going to take more than your sweetness to make her happy’
‘And what makes you think I don’t have more than ‘‘my sweetness’’? I may be new Masego but for your own info, I’ve got potential’
‘You’ve got potential? You can go ahead and do your thing but don’t say I didn’t warn you. But apart from that, she’s a nice girl and she would kind of suit you’
All this time Bagomotsi was looking at us and he was quite surprised by the way his (crazy) girlfriend and I could easily argue over nothing. It was kind of nice arguing with Masego though and I’m sure she enjoyed it as much as I did.
‘You guys are something else. Anyway, what next? You plan on hitting on her over the phone or what?’
‘Well, I asked her if we could maybe chat again some other time. Then I’ll ask her out on a date. If the date goes well, I’ll get creative’
‘Oh, that’s some thinking for a starter but you remember what the Protocol says about what to do after getting the contacts, right?’
‘Of course I do and I’ll take that very much into consideration. I am supposed to play nice, impress her in every possible way up until the date’
‘But remember, you are not supposed to over-do it or else…’
‘Or else I might scare her and might as well forget about her. I know that Bagomotsi’.
We continued to walk towards the school gate, on the way passing a few staring girls and a few guys flirting it up with their girls. Some seniors passed by on their football kits and they winked at Masego who just smiled and waved. They sure were good-looking guys and I looked at Bagomotsi to see his reaction but the guy just played it cool. Just ahead of us, I saw Neo, the girl from the party back in primary school. She saw me and waved and I waved back. She was with some girls and she left them and came over to me.
‘Guys, I’ll catch up in a minute’ I said to Bagomotsi and Masego and they walked on.
‘Hey Brandon, how are you?’ she asked with a smile. It was now as beautiful as she was; she had removed her braces. Her hair was tied into a neat ponytail at the back and the school uniform suited her so perfectly.
‘Fine I guess. You look stunning in the school uniform and you just look beautiful yourself’
‘Oh thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself. So, how were the holidays?’
‘Fine I guess; yours?’
‘Well, it was a trend of fun and boredom’ she responded with a giggle and I smiled.
Neo Motsweding, as I would come to learn, was the friendly type that was rare to find and I foresaw a nice, long friendship ahead of us. Born in Molepolole and raised in Francistown, she was your average nerdy girl who took life on. She was a keen student who had a “straight A” record for her Primary School Leaving Examinations but obviously had the time for socializing. Due to her excellent English writing skills, she was one of the first few pilot editors of the primary school version of the school newspaper.
‘Bagomotsi looks quite happy with Masego, hey?’
‘Yes, they are happy and hopefully, they remain that way for long. Before I forget Neo, about what you told me last year at prom, I’ve thought it over and I’m going to start dating again’
‘Oh, that’s good. Congratulations Brandon; if only I was single’ and we both laughed.
Just then a guy came over to us and gave her a kiss on the lips. He looked familiar but I just couldn’t get where I had seen or met him.
‘Hey baby, glad you could make it’ and they kissed, almost forgetting I was there. Just then, Neo remembered me. ‘Oh yes, Brandon, this is my boyfriend Botho’. Yes, it was Botho, the rich kid who had failed to win Esther’s heart back in the years. He was now grown up, different in terms of appearance and was even more handsome but hey, don’t worry, I’m straight.
‘Botho do you still remember me?’
‘How would I forget the guy who took away the girl of my dreams? How are you doing bra?’ and we hugged, the man way.
‘So you two know each other?’ asked Neo, quite surprised and I nodded.
‘Actually, we were childhood enemies back in the years and he won this girl named Esther’s heart when I adored her so greatly’ and he laughed.
‘Well, I have heard all about her’ added Neo with a chuckle.
‘Anyway, see you guys around, my friends must be wondering where I am. Botho, we’ll catch up some other time’
‘Ok then, see you around’ and I ran towards Bagomotsi and Masego outside the school gate. Masego was gone and our car had already arrived. I got in and it drove off.
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‘Where have you been?’ asked Bagomotsi.
‘With an old friend and you won’t believe who I saw…’
That evening my mother was cooking supper and my dad was sitting in the dining table while I was narrating my first day at school to them. With my parents, I felt free to talk about anything and I mean just anything. Boitumelo Chidzala, my beautiful mother, was born in Serowe to migrant parents who were originally from the Bakgatla capital of Mochudi. She met my father when her parents relocated to Francistown and they have been together since.
My dad was listening attentively while my mum seemed to be too busy with the pots.
‘Mum, are you even listening?’
‘Yes, yes, of course I am’ and I continued, ‘Bagomotsi and I are actually in the same class’
‘That’s very good; I hope you two use that opportunity to your maximum best in terms of studying’ added my mother and I nodded. As a teacher, it wasn’t surprising that my mother was always education conscious. She started dishing the food in our plates; macaroni cheese with chicken stew. We prayed and started eating.
‘So, how about you son, any girlfriend at school yet?’ asked my dad and I nodded. My mum poured me some juice and asked with a grin, ‘Who is the lucky girl?’
‘Well, she’s not yet my girlfriend but I got her name today so I don’t know where it will end’
‘Oh I see. I just hope you chose the right girl for yourself’ said my dad with a pat on my back.
You might be surprised that my parents were saying all of that to me and somehow encouraging me to date. In Africa it is usually common that dating is a confidential matter that a child kept from his/her parents but with my folks, it was quite a different story. We discussed almost anything.
‘Believe me, she is’ I said with a smile.
About an hour later, I was in my bed recording that day’s happenings on my diary. Some may argue that it is a little awkward for a guy to keep a diary but I kind of enjoyed it as it kept me company, more especially with the fact that I enjoyed writing. I just couldn’t get Winona off my mind. She was my first teenage crush and the whole crush thing was hitting my heart at its softest spot. No words could describe how much I liked the girl already in that short period of time but because of the so-called ‘St. Valentine’s Protocol’ I was going to get to her step by step.
She is the kind of girl every guy would want for themselves. I don’t know her that much yet but something tells me if I do get her for myself, something very good and lengthy will emerge. Despite the fact that I have all this good feelings about us, I kind of don’t like her group of friends. Amongst them, she seems like the only saint and I’m not sure if they like me for her because if they don’t, I might lose my chance with this angel from above. With these kinds of cliques, you may never know what you are in for but I sure do hope it is something good. For now, the only way to find out would be to try my luck out with her.
I stopped when Bagomotsi’s email popped up on desktop.
To:
[email protected] Cc:
[email protected] Subject: Party till you drop
Hey buddy. Guess what? My parents have been invited to this event in Gaborone and they’ll be away for the whole weekend. As such, I’m home alone (well, with my brother) and I was wondering if you could come over for a chill session my brother is having with his friends. I’m sure it’s going to rock!
I told him I’d think about it and switched off the laptop because I knew he’d bother me with more emails. Before I could go to sleep I went over to my wardrobe and opened the compartment where the shrine was and looked at the photo I had taken with Esther back in those years. She was still all beautiful and smiling, just the way I liked her. That moment was one of the deepest I had had my whole life, flashbacks of the past doing a merry-go-round in my head. It was time to make a decision, ‘I’m sorry Esther but this is one girl, I cannot let go. You will always be my heart and God knows that. Goodbye’ and I closed the shrine. I said my prayers and went to sleep.