Welcome to Johannesburg

Little Rowie was starting to doze off because the journey was too long plus they woke up very early that morning to make the preparations. By seven o' clock they were already on board and the bus took off ten minutes later. Now the time was nearing five o'clock in the afternoon and this meant that they were exhausted. But the majority of the children could not contain themselves and their curiosity kept them on their toes. They were singing and screaming. Rowena was trying by all means to stay awake so that she could see everything that could catch her attention. She was leaning on her back and she put her racksack under her head to make herself comfortable. Then few seconds she was in the land of dreams. The screaming that other children were making took her back to the day of the accident that occurred while she was traveling with her aunt. In her dream the driver of the bus was struggling to control it while it was drifting off the road. Her aunt was holding her hand tightly and was screaming. She woke up quick and her heart was beating very fast. She was relieved that it was only a dream. But the enxiety was taking its toll and all the memories of that fateful day came back to her mind. She got panic attacks and she felt like she was suffocating.

Other children noticed that she was in great discomfort. They reported to the matron and other assistants. She was attended to and they made sure she was feeling better. The matron insisted that she would not perform if she was not feeling well. That made her to put up a strong face because she did not want to miss that opportunity to take part in the great tournament after she had put too much effort in the preparations for the big day. She assured the matron and her assistants that she was feeling better. The bus was nearing the city of Johannesburg and everyone was crazed by the feeling of being in a city of gold. Everyone was standing and they were singing and dancing. A big green board was written ' WELCOME TO JOHANNESBURG' and they knew that they had arrived. The traffic flow was slow because it was knock off time for most workers especially those were working in the city centre. Some were rushing for their night shifts. So, the roads were busy and the traffic lights were flashing back and forth. Rowena was taken aback by the traffic congestion and she could not believe that people could be packed like that on the road. She was used to the small town she grew up in. In her town there were few cars and not many people were visiting. So, the was traffic load as most people did not have cars. They could even bump on horse trailers and donkeys carrying loads on their backs. There were even cows and goats on the same roads people were using. There were few shops and and one bus that transported all the people from surrounding villages. And the bus was available for three days in a week. If one happened to miss the the time the bus used to collect people from the bus stop, then they won't go to town.

Johannesburg was totally different from her home town. She admired the buildings and the beautiful cars and even beautiful people. Everything was breath taking and apparently new to her. She kept staring at everything and sometimes she would stand infront of the building and find later that she was left behind. Other children kept warning her that she would get lost if she was not careful. Then they were instructed to hold each other when crossing the streets so that no one could get lost. They enjoyed the trips to the city centre. Rowena's mind was distracted from all her past experiences. She enjoyed herself like others. She was even able to play and laugh with other children. She had most amazing time of her life. It was a long time since she felt that way.

They performed well in their aerobics exercises. She felt refreshed and her mind was clear. For the first time in ages, she was playing freely. They played until late at nights or until their matron commanded them to sleep. Her matron gave her so much attention though and she did not take it well. It was as if she was watching her all the way. She assumed that the matron was worried about the way she was earlier during their journey to Johannesburg. But she was making her uncomfortable in some way. She decided to ignore the feeling and just go with the flow. Maybe the matron was meaning well, she thought to herself. Times like that came once in a while and in that reason she decided not to spoil the mood by being anxious. She joined other and became merry.

On the last day of their trip, the matron summoned her. Her heart beat a little bit faster because she thought she might be in trouble. The matron took her to another room in which there were white men. Rowena's heart was beating like a drum at that moment. What business she had with white men? She kept wondering. The matron took out an envelope and have it to the white man. The envelope was similar to the one the matron took from her. The white man took out the photos and look at them in closer inspection and then looked at her between the intervals. Rowena was in the state of wetting her panties because of fear. What did she do this time? Her mind was racing and many questions were overwhelming her little head. They spoke in a language she could not understand. She could tell by the way they were speaking that it was an Afrikaans language. The white man patted her on the shoulder and gave her a ten rand note. Rowena bent her knees to show a sign of respect and thankfulness. The man held her hand and told her to take care of herself. She nodded and she was dismissed. The matron was left behind and she seemed to discussing something important with that white man. Her assistants were standing in a distance and were not involved in the meeting. They too were wondering about the meeting.