The forbidden fruit

They say the forbidden fruit is always the sweetest but it was never sweet for Cynthia Mathebula who chose to follow her heart no matter what the circumstances were. The fact that she was a black girl dating a son of a white man during the time that there were laws that hindered her to do so, was a thorn in her neck. She spent most of the time sneaking and peeking out for her to meet her boyfriend, Owen. She would sometimes saw it pointless to fall in love in the first place when you cannot look each other in the eyes and say all the sweet nothings that lovers say when they are in love. They could not enjoy each other's company without being judged or frowned upon. She was taken aback by the amount of hatred and malice that were thrown to her by the members of the white monopoly and her fellow community members. Some of them referred to her as a some kind of a hooker. At some point she came to an understanding that black people who were misjudging her about her choice of a boyfriend were merely blinded by the folds of the apartheid system. But so much hatred? She felt like she was in the middle of a battlefield. Somehow, she felt like an instrument of hatred"Out of all different kinds of men in Joburg, Cynthia chose the son of an oppressor", they would say. Some of her peers saw as someone who was betraying her own fellow countrymen. "How could she? They were fuming with anger to no avail. The love bug had stricken Cynthia already. And her man was head over heels in love with her, much to an annoyance of other whites. This kinda created an unhealthy commotion among the community. Some were on Cynthia's side, especially her friends while others were her enemies. She could not even recall how many times she survived the threats of being thrown to jail or to be shot. For her it was clear that the saying that goes" love has no boundaries" was existing. She did not understand as to why people were fighting against segregation while they were still against interracial relationships. To her it was total betrayal and contradiction. " How could one fight for something when they believe it would never happen. Betrayal in some people" she thought. The fury in Rowen' eyes compelled her to give up what was supposed to make her heart go gaga at the thought of it. She saw it a necessity to run for her safety before she could sing 'nearer my God to thee' for in the eyes of the white men to kill a black man was like killing a bird. She shuddered at the thought of seeing her mother crying over her dead body. Even her mother encouraged her to live the town to a safer place. Her mother had a relative in the former Transkei region. She booked her a bus ticket and prepared a provision for her not to starve while travelling such a long distance. She left behind everything and everyone she grew up with to start a new life in villages. It was not an easy thing for a young woman who was used to the life in the city to go and stay in the villages. Life in the villages is totally different from the life in the city. County had heard stories about the life in the villages but she never imagined that one day she would compelled to live there. Although her parents were originally coming from the villages, they were based in Johannesburg. Moving from the villages to the big cities in search of greener pastures is something that is still happening. People get better opportunities in the cities and end up being permanent residents. So, for Cynthia it was a total different scenario. She was moving from the cities to the villages where she knew no one. She was leaving behind everything she was fighting for. The student movement, her boyfriend, family and friends meant everything to her. Now that her mother was a widow, she wanted to make sure she was in danger. She knew that her life was at stake now that she was dating a son of a white man. Even though she loved Owen, her mother meant everything to her. Compromising her happiness meant that her family would be safe hence she did that without hesitation.

After not so much preparations, she was on her way to the Transkei region where she was destined to start afresh without too much attention that caused hatred. Her heart was aching and she felt relieved at the same time. She was relieved that she would no longer be a centre of attention. She was curious about the kind of life that was waiting ahead so, she couldn't wait to hit the road and just disappear.She took a bus during the early hours of the morning, so that no one could see she was leaving, especially those who were threatening her. She found herself sitting next to the window in the bus. Her mind was racing and replaying all the past events that made her to take such a life changing decision. It was for the first time she was going to live without her parents. She missed her siblings and all the drama at home. Sometimes she would smile to herself when she thought of everything and everyone she left behind. There were moments she found herself shedding tears. She was thinking about her boyfriend, Owen. " I wonder how would he feel when he finds out that I'm gone', she thought to herself. She decided not to tell him. Things were not looking before she left. There was a chaos in the township she was living in. There were riots and shooting. So, risking her life by going to the white residence would mean one thing for her. She would be labelled as a snitch for white people and would get necklaces as a punishment. A necklace was a street name given to the car tyre that was hung around the neck of a person who was suspected to be working for white people. Snitches were those people who were the secret informants to the white people. They gave reports about any movements made by the black people in an attempt to overthrow the white government. When these snitches were busted a car tyre would be hung around their necks and then they would be forced to drink petrol while the rest would be poured in the tyre that was hanging around their necks. Then they would be set ablaze. The rioters would make a circle around that person chanting the riot songs, while the necklaces person would be jumping helplessly in flames. Their head would burst while their body would be burnt beyond recognition. This was not a pleasant scene but it was what the rioters used to express their grievances.

So, Cynthia was doing that to save her family as well. She knew that her father who was a member of one of the black resistant movements would be put in serious questioning or ended up being necklaced should it was found that his daughter was going out with a white person. So, Cynthia was facing such a dilemma. That is the reason she came to such a decision to live everything behind. Those thoughts kept replaying in her mind. " Why a black man has to kill another black man for the sins of a white man?" Why a white man hate a black man so much that they don't want to be in the same place as then in the land that is a home to a black man? Is not everyone equal before God? Were they were not created in the same way? What does God think when He sees all this injustice on earth? This was what she was asking herself while munching on the delicacies her mother packed for her. She loved the biltong and the nuts. There was plenty of fruit as well. She quenched her thirst by drinking a ginger beer her mother made for her. Her mother was good at making this beverage. She was famous for brewing it. Even her father's fellow members of the resistance movement would enjoy it when they gather in their home for the meetings. Her mother who was passionately known as 'Mme Mathebula' was a generous woman. She would prepare her famous ginger and scones for the her husband' s fellow members. They would enjoy them while they discussed their plans and tactics to overcome the white monopoly. Those who were living without their wives would be grateful for the generosity Mme Mathebula was giving to them. They were grateful because they had no time to cook since they were between the meetings and their jobs. So, Mrs Mathebula was of great help to them. Sometimes they would take the left over scones to their houses because their meetings would be held until the late hours of the night.