I hate Dolores. She has so many
freckles. Her face looks like a slice of ham with many tomato seeds. And she
has breasts. I don’t have breasts yet but I have a great BMX bike that I call
Tiger.
“You’re just a
stupid Cabbage Patch kid,” I yell at her from across the street.
“And our gang
will always be better than yours.”
With that, I run
to the green bush where the rest of my gang is waiting. We call ourselves The
Stars. It’s in the middle of the hot summer of 1986 and we always hang out
together.
“So what’s the
plan for today? Where’s Happy Sam? And where are Punch and Judy?”
Happy Sam is my neighbor
from Nigeria, five years old. He was born in 1981 and is younger than all of
us. But we all like Happy Sam because he is just so happy. Punch and Judy, the
nick name for the Kenyan twins, are my best friends on Purley Avenue. They are
the fastest runners in our school but I’m better than them at marbles.
Justin tells us
that Happy Sam went to pick up his brothers and sisters from the airport with
his parents. His family comes to London every summer from Nigeria. Justin is
Julie and Jackson’s brother. They are Ugandan like me and they are called The
Musokes. When our white friends read their name, they call them Moo-Soaks.
“Well, we have
to go and get them. Come on: if our gang is going to be strong, then all the
members have to be here. We are going to rumble, and we will win.”
“Listen guys, I
think we have to go over to their house and tell them that if they don’t come today,
we can lose the rumble,” I declare.
“Rachel’s
right,” Julie agrees.
I know she only
does so because she thinks that Richard will like her better. Richard is my big
brother and he says Julie is his girlfriend. Julie even allows Richard to touch
her breasts. I don’t have breasts yet. I don’t even want them.
“Ok then, let’s
go,” says Richard.
“Good.”
When we get to
Punch and Judy’s house, we see a big moving van outside.
“What’s going
on?” Justin asks aloud.
“Are they
leaving?” echoes Richard.
Their Mum, Mrs.
Why-Nigh-Nah, which is actually spelt Wainaina, comes rushing out with about a
dozen pillows in front of her and bumps into us.
“Where are you
guys going? Are you leaving?” I blurt out, leaving Julie to help her with the
pillows that have fallen on the ground.
“Oh, you’re all
here,” says Mrs. Why-Nigh-Nah.
I hate it when
adults play dumb.
“Have you come
to see us off?” she asks.
“Off?” but where
are you going? Jackson asks.
“Didn’t the
twins tell you? We have to go back to Kenya. We have been in Eggs-eye-L for too
long and we think it’s time the twins got to know their country.
All I am
thinking is, what is Eggs-eye-L? I think it means people who have lived in
England for long. Maybe that means me and Richard are in Eggs-eye-L as well. I
have to ask mum. And if the twins wanted to know their country, they could have
asked me because I’m better than they are in Geography. I know that there’s
Uganda next to it, that’s where me, Richard, Justin, Jackson and Julie come
from. And then there’s Zaire, next to Uganda, which is the biggest country in
Africa and many years ago a Belgian King called Leopard 2, ruled there for many
years. And then Kenya is next to a big big sea, called the Indian Ocean, much
bigger than the River Thames. Many years ago Indians used to go and work there
and they liked the place so much that they stayed. That is why in Kenya near
that big sea, there are many people who look like Indians.
“You see, their Dad
left last week to get our house ready. President Moi called him back to give
him a job in the Government.”
Moi is not
pronounced in the French way but it is like Toy with an M.
“I thought Kenya
had a King and many chiefs,” I cry out.
Mrs.
Why-Nigh-Nah laughed.
“Can we say bye
to Punch and Judy now? Where are they?” asks Justin.
The twins come
out at that point wearing baseball caps and similar T-shirts.
“You’re my best
friends, why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” I demand to know.
“We just got to
know last week and then dad left and we were all rushing here and there. But when
we leave, then you will be the fastest runner in the school,” Punch says,
trying to comfort me.
The thought of that makes me smile.
There is a lump rising in my throat but I can’t cry. Everyone knows that I am
the best non-crier on Purley Avenue. I’m even better than Richard because he
cried yesterday when dad caned him. I don’t know why dad does that because I
think it’s against the law.
“The Stars
rule,” Jackson says and gives Punch and Judy a big mannish hug.
“They rule,” I
respond, and then we all gave each other a group hug.
Waving at the
twins as they drive from Purley Avenue possibly forever, I can’t even imagine
what The Stars will do without them.
I sit opposite
Richard waiting for Mum to finish slicing our sandwiches. Dad is reading The
Guardian. Today is Friday and they both have a half day of work.
“Mum, what’s Eggs-eye-L?”
I ask my Mum as she places the ham sandwiches in front of us.
“Oh, you mean
exile? Well, why are you asking dear?” she responds, avoiding an answer.
“Coz Punch and
Judy and their Mum are going back to Kenya today and Mrs. Why-Nigh-Nah said
they were in exile.”
Mum and Dad look
at each other until Dad answers.
“Exile is when
people have to leave their home country for a while because it is not safe.”
“Does that mean
we are also in exile, then?” Now I want to know more.
“Why don’t you
finish up your lunch?”
Whenever Dad
says that, I know he doesn’t want to tell me anything more.
I gobble down my
sandwiches and wash them down with milkshake.
“Dad, today we
have a rumble with the cabbage patch kids. Here, look at our new tattoos,” I
proudly show him.
He can’t hide
his smile even when he says, “I don’t like those rough games that you play. Why
don’t you spend more time in the kitchen with your mother and learn how to
cook?”
“Oh, wait, your
cousins are coming from Uganda to spend a few weeks with us,” Mum shouts at us.
“So you need to set up the spare room and clean up the messes in your own
rooms.
“Mum, how can
you tell me this now just before a rumble? This is going to be our biggest
fight ever. Oh never mind. Bye.”
The others are
already there by the bush. Jackson and Justin have their skate boards and Julie
is on her roller skates.
“The Stars
rule.”
“They rule.”
Jackson does the
honour of placing our flag on top of the bush.
“I hear them
coming,” Justin announces.
We immediately
take position.
Richard stays
near the bush with some water guns. There is also a hose pipe in case we need
it. Justin and Jackson are behind two parked cars. Julie hides behind the
tulips and I am in the center of the pavement with Tiger. I see the cabbage
patch kids coming towards us. They look like a small army.
Dolores leads
them. She yells from a few meters away.
“Count to ten
and when we have our positions, I will blow the whistle and the rumble can
begin. We all know the rules. Start counting.”
I begin to
count. My grip is firm on the handlebars of my bike. “You better not let me
down Tiger”, I mumble under my breath. By the time I reach to 5, the other gang
members have all taken their position. At ten, we begin to rumble.
Jackson and
Justin leap onto the bonnets of the parked cars and skate fast down the street.
Two of the cabbage patch kids head straight for them on skates but Jackson manages
to spray one of them from his water gun right up her skirt. I have no idea
what’s wrong with these kids and their silly skirts. Dolores is on her skates
and she comes at me with her hands full.
Two more cabbage
patch kids on bikes come towards me out of nowhere. Jackson knocks one off his
bike and they tumble on the ground. I find myself trapped as a cabbage patch
kid sticks a twig in the spokes of my bike. I can’t move, so flinging Tiger
down, I just head butt him in his stomach and we both crash to the floor. He
pokes a gun in my chest which hurts and then squirts at me, making water drip
right down my legs. The poking really hurts.
“So what’s the
next plan?” Justin pants from behind me.
Before I can
answer, I hear Happy Sam’s voice, “Hi guys.”
“Hi Sam”
He comes towards
us dressed in leg warmers and a new T-shirt with a map of Africa on it.
“We’ve just got
back from the airport with my brothers and sisters. Are you guys still
rumbling? Can I join?” he asks.
“Of course. Grab
a water gun. Why don’t you climb up that tree and hide in the leaves like you
always do and shoot them down when they come? You know none of them will climb
up there in their skates and besides, they are too heavy. If they try, they
will just fall off the tree.”
Sam is happy to
join us.
Sure enough, the
cabbage patch kids come back to attack us, but not before Happy Sam happily
squirts at them from his massive water gun and then uses his catapult to shoot
black berries at them. It is such a sight. I get onto Tiger with a loaded water
gun and ride towards Dolores. She is not bothered by this and I soon see why.
Just behind me is another cabbage patch kid who throws an empty bucket over my
head so I can’t see. In trying to get it off, I fall to the ground and a
thousand hands start to knock my head while it is still inside the bucket. The
sound is like a group of drunk horses playing in my head. It is stuffy in the
bucket and the fact that I can feel the cabbage patch kids squishing red
berries onto my legs doesn’t help. I am trying to tell them to let go but my
voice sounds like a dying horn of a car.
“Stop!”
I know the voice
isn’t mine even though I have been yelling at them to stop. Someone lifts the
bucket off my head and I have to squint at the many freckles staring down at
me.
“Rachel is
bleeding,” Dolores announces.
“What? No, I’m
not. You guys pelted me with red berries and now I have to soak myself in the
bathtub.”
“No,” says
Dolores. “You’re bleeding.”
“I know what
that blood is because it happened to me as well. Go home so that your Mum can
clean you up,” she says.
In my head, I can
still hear the sound of the drunken horses. I feel the back of my shorts. They
are wet. Turning round, I see a bright red patch.
It’s Dolores
that starts the chant.
“Rachel’s a
woman, w-o-m-a-n.”
“Rachel’s a
woman, w-o-m-a-n.”
And then the
other kids pick it up too.
“I’m not a
woman,” I shout. “I’m not.”
“Rachel’s a
woman, w-o-m-a-n.”
“I’m not!” This
time I feel a tear pricking my eyelid but I can’t cry because I’m the best
non-crier on Purley Avenue.
“I’m not a
woman!” this time shouting louder.
“Rachel’s a
woman, w-o-m-a-n,” the chanting continues until Richard stops it.
“I’m taking
Rachel home guys. This was a great rumble. Let’s all meet tomorrow morning.”
Richard takes command and leads me home. Julie follows behind us with Tiger.
One by one, they all walk off.
“Mum,” Richard
yells as we enter the house.
“In the kitchen!”
Mum yells back.
“Come here now.An
emergency.” Richard responds.
“You’ll be okay
sis,” he says, rubbing my head.
“What is going
on here?” Mum asks, on seeing me dripping with red juice all over my legs and
my hair looking like black bolts of lightning.
“What happened
to you?”
“Mum, don’t
embarrass me but do you remember when we talked about that bleeding thing.
Well, it’s happened.”
Almost carrying
me to my room, Mum carefully takes off my clothes and tells me to sit in the
bathtub until she comes. In a few seconds, she is back with a packet of pads. I
already know how to use them because me and the girls at school have tried them
on a number of times. I just feel like I’m not ready yet.
“Mum, even
though I’ve started bleeding, will I still be able to ride Tiger? If not, then
I’ll go to the doctor so that the bleeding never comes back.”
I watch my Mum
try and hide a smile and I don’t know what she’s even smiling about. I don’t
even know how I’m feeling now. I want to crawl under my bed and stay there and
not talk to anyone. I don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to rumble again
because what if the bleeding begins and Dolores starts her stupid chants again.
At school, the teacher said that after we bleed, we can even have children. Who
wants children? Not me. I’ll just adopt some homeless kids. My mum runs water
down my body and I watch the bathtub turning red and pink. It’s disgusting. Can
that blood really all be mine? My back aches a little, like tiny ants are
crawling all over it. Mum cleans me with a sponge and my eyes are bursting with
tears but I can’t cry because I’m the best non-crier on Purley Avenue.
“It’s okay
Rachel. After this, you take a nap and I’ll bring you some Lemonade. You can
even take your supper in your room.”
After helping me
on with a fresh pad which I already knew how to put on, I dress up in clean
clothes and go to my room. Just because I wanted to cry, it doesn’t mean I’m
not the best non-crier on Purley Avenue. I still am.
The morning
arrives so quickly. Richard is knocking on my door.
“Come in.”
“Hi sis, are you
still sick?”
“No, I’m not
sick,” I reply, even though I still want to lie in bed and sip lemonade.
“Well good
because Dad says that we are going to Heathrow to pick up our cousins,” says
Richard.
“We’ve never
even met these cousins or seen photos of them. Do we have to go?” I whine.
“Well, maybe you
don’t but Dad says I have to give them a proper welcome to England. It’s their
first time out of Uganda, explains Richard.
“Richard, do you
think they’re in exile?” I inquire.
“Richard. Come
down now, we’re late.” We hear Dad calling from downstairs.
“Okay sis, see
you later. Mum says that they will both sleep in the spare room even though
they are brother and sister. That’s so weird but I got to run now. Bye, wish me
luck.”
I watch Richard
run out of my room and hear him stomping down the stairs. My legs feel like
they are stuck together with paper glue. I throw off my sheets and let out a
gasp. There is a bright red patch on my sheets. It’s as if the cabbage patch
kids came and squashed their berries during the night. My pajamas are soaked.
Did I bleed the whole night? I get out of bed slowly rolling the sheets and my
pjs into a ball. Taking a quick shower, I put on a pad and ignore my mum when
she calls. I have to get these into the shower before anyone sees them.
“Hi Mum, just
cleaning up a bit,” I yell.
When she goes to
our cousins’ room, I throw the sheets and pjs into the washing machine and turn
it on. Over breakfast, I ask my Mum what our cousins are like and she says that
the girl who is called Na-car-wear-sah, which is spelt Nakaweesa, is twelve and
the boy, Wah-loo-seem-bee, spelt Walusimbi, is thirteen. Their names come from effumbe clan. A clan is like a group of
people who have the same names and dad said that people in the same clan can’t
marry one another. Cool! It is my cousins’ first time out of Uganda and they
will be here for about a month.
“So are they in
their summer holidays as well?” I ask.
“Uganda does not
have summer, it is just a rainy season and hot season. When they are here, just
be nice and include them in your games.”
I go up to my
look-out point which is in my bedroom from the corner of the window. There, I
can see everyone that comes in. From a distance, I see Dad’s car. I stay there
until he parks and watch as everyone gets out. Richard comes out first carrying
two bags and then a girl who has such a huge butt walks out. She must be
Na-car-wear-sah, my girl cousin. She is wearing a green and brown skirt and
blouse that match and her hair is in braids with beads. She looks awful, like a
woman. I wonder if she has started her bleeding yet. I can’t really see
Wah-loo-seem-bee very well. My Mum comes out of the house to greet them and
Na-car-wear-sah does the strangest thing. She kneels down right there on the
gravel. Does she think my Mum is a Queen? Goodness me. I can’t hear what they
are saying but the greeting takes such a long time and I know it must be in the
Ugandan language where they go on for ages instead of just saying hi. They all
get into the house right into the living room and I don’t know what to do.
Running down two
stairs at a time, I barge into the living room where my cousins are taking a
drink and some cake. Na-car-wear-sah stares at my legs. I wonder if there is
blood on them. She gets up from her seat and I see her getting on her knees.
Does she think I’m a Queen too? Taking a step back, I notice Wah-loo-seem-bee
for the first time. I open my mouth wide and back out of the room running to my
dad.
“Daddy, why is
Wah-loo-seem-bee white? He is white. He’s white with freckles like those
cabbage patch kids.”
“Calm down
Rachel. Your cousin is an albino. He was born that way but just because his
skin is not like ours, he is like us in every way. Now, go and be nice to
them.” Dad’s explanation is not enough. How will my cousin be able to join the
Stars if he looks like the cabbage patch kids?
I go back to the
living room and the first thing I ask is, “So are you guys in exile?”
Wah-loo-seem-bee
gets up and gives me a hug. I can’t hug him back.
“Hello Re-cho,
it’s nice to see you at last,” he says.
“Thanks, but my
name’s Rachel, not Re-cho.”
Na-car-wear-sah
is still staring at my legs.
“Hi,” I greet
her, holding out my hand.
“Hello.”
“So, would you
like to see my room?”
“Okay”,
Na-Car-wear sah says.
She stacks the
plates and glasses together and takes them to the kitchen first and I follow
her curiously, not interrupting as she begins to wash and rinse.
“Thank you,” my
mum says, and then adds a few other words in the Ugandan language, giving me a
sideways glance.
“Let’s go up to
my room.”
Na-car-wear-sah
follows me up the stairs.
“You sleep alone
in this room?” she asks.
“Yes, every girl
in my class has their own room. Don’t you have yours?” I respond.
“No, we have two
other cousins who came from the village who sleep with me in my room and we all
share two mattresses on the floor. Every night we put the mattresses together
and sleep. When it is raining at night, the house girl also sleeps in our
room.”
I have never
heard of a house girl and I have to ask. “What is a house girl?”
“The girl who
looks after the house when we are at school and when my mum and dad are at
work. You don’t have one?”
N-car wear-sah has
an interesting way of raising her voice at the end when asking questions.
“No, my Mum does
all the work in the house and me and Richard help out in the holidays so that
we can get our pocket money. So, how come you are going to sleep with your
brother in the same room? Isn’t that weird?”
Na-car-wear-sah
sees absolutely nothing wrong with this.
“I’m glad I will
be sleeping in my own bed. By the way, why is your garden so small? Where do
you plant your food?” she raises a question.
“We get all our
food from the supermarket, but we have an apple tree and the neighbours have a
pear tree. I’ll take you over to meet them after lunch. They are my best
friends in the whole world. They are called the Stars and yesterday we had a
rumble and then…” I wonder whether to tell her that I started bleeding.
“Na-car-wear-sah,
have you started bleeding yet? Have you started your periods?”
She looks down
on the floor.
“Yes. I am a
woman. There are girls at home who are my age and already married and soon they
will have children.”
“What? How about
school? Don’t they want to get jobs and become rich?” I am alarmed.
“Of course they
will marry rich men and become rich and have many children. I also want to
marry a rich man and have many children,” she replies.
“Well, I will
never get married but I will live in a big house with many servants,” I state
proudly.
“Let’s go
outside so I can show you Tiger.”
Richard and Wah-loo-seem-bee
are already playing football in the garden. Na-car-wear-sah says she does not
know how to ride a bike and I promise to teach her.
The next couple
of weeks on Purley Avenue are fun while we teach our cousins how to skate
board, ride a bike, ride on a train and even swim. When they meet The Stars for
the first time, it is only Happy Sam who is friendly. The rest don’t get why
Wah-loo-seem-bee is so white and even when I say he was born that way, they
turn away from him and say he can’t join The Stars. Dolores takes an immediate
fancy to Wah-loo-seem-bee. She comes over to our house almost every day asking
for him. She wears even shorter and tighter skirts. Soon we see them holding
hands and walking to the park together. I ask my cousin why he is always in
sunglasses and a hat and he says that he needs it because of his skin. Dolores
goes right ahead and buys him two new pairs of sun glasses and writes a note
telling him how much she loves him. She’s so silly.
One day, when we
have all come back from the park planning for my eleventh birthday party which
is a few days away, Dolores declares right in front of us that she is going to
take Wah-loo-seem-bee to Spain to meet her grandparents. Now I really know
these cabbage patch kids are going crazy. Maybe it’s the heat, or maybe it’s
because we haven’t had a rumble in such a long time.
When we get
home, I tell my Mum that Dolores wants to take Wah-loo-seem-bee to Spain to
meet her grandparents. My mum says that it is absurd and will never happen.
Dolores doesn’t believe me and she brings her parents to our house the next
day. My parents and her parents sit together in the kitchen and lock the door
so we can’t hear anything. When they come out, Dolores’ Mum takes her hand and they
walk out. I don’t know what happened but I get the feeling that my cousin will
not be going to Spain.
I know what I
want for my eleventh birthday. I want a bigger bike, a baseball jacket, a set
of magic colours and a new school bag since I’ll be a senior after the summer.
Mum has already bought the cake and kept it on the top shelf in the store but I
already got a peek and it’s chocolate with Smarties on top shaped in the letter
R. Anyway, my birthday’s tomorrow and I’m not supposed to know where the cake
is. I know that Richard is getting me a basket ball net and ball. I love my
brother. I don’t know what my cousins are getting me but Na-car-wear-sah has
been spending the whole day in the kitchen cleaning, making cupcakes and
washing glasses. Today she acted really funny. She said that she wanted to
teach me the Ugandan dance. How could I say no? Anyway, she got my sweater and
tied it around my waist and did the same with hers. I then see her waist going
this way and that and her head bobbing up and down to imaginary drums. It was
kind of cool actually. I tried it and she told me my shoulders were moving so
much. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get the dance but it’s actually fun.
She’ll be a great sister to have.
I’m always the
first to wake up on my birthday. It’s a hot Saturday morning. Going downstairs,
I want to check for surprises. The first surprise is Na-car-wear-sah. She is in
the kitchen making a huge breakfast. There is bacon sizzling and the bowls laid
for cereal.
“Happy birthday
baby sis.”
“Thanks Na-car,
thanks a lot but you didn’t have to do all this.” I can’t help smiling at her.
The table is full of food and she even whipped up cream for the strawberries. Soon,
we’re all eating at the table to the biggest breakfast I’ve ever eaten in my
life.
“So, what time
are your friends coming?” Dad asks.
“I told them the
party starts at 1 o’clock and ends at 6. I hope they all come.”
“I’m sure they
will,” Mum says. “So are you going to wear what I got you?” she continues, “I
put it on your bed.”
Without waiting
for another word, I run up the stairs. On my bed are a pair of blue leggings, a
blue head band to match and a buggy pink T-shirt which is so in these days. I
rush to the bathe and then put it on. I can’t wait to ride Tiger in my new
clothes. It’s such lovely weather outside. Mum has put helium balloons around
the cake table and the goody bags are underneath it. Dolores is the first to
arrive. She comes with her new boyfriend. Wah-loo-seem-bee doesn’t seem to mind
one bit. He actually goes and says hi and gives her a hug. Dad says he is a
gentleman. She gives me my present and then goes off with her boyfriend. Julie,
Jackson and Justin arrive next. Julie is in a pink dress with bubbles. Richard
takes her hand and I see him give her a quick peck on the cheek. Some of my
classmates get here too and the last people to arrive are Happy Sam and his
brothers and sisters who I did not even invite. They are so noisy, always
laughing loudly and wearing funny hats. Anyway, they got me presents so it’s
okay. Soon, we’re playing musical chairs and Na-car wins each time. She’s so
good at the music games. Even though she’s better than me at the music games,
I’m still better than she is at riding the bike. I’m glad everyone is having
fun and even gladder at the pile of presents near the cake table. When it’s
time for hide and seek, it’s easy for me coz I know all the hiding places at
home.
Soon Mum calls
us to cut the cake. She has lit eleven candles around it. I know what I’m going
to wish for. I’m going to wish for…Just as I am about to blow them out, in walk
the last two people I ever thought I will see again, Punch and Judy, the Kenyan
twins, my best friends in the whole world. Everyone is silent as they walk
towards us. My Mum is just as shocked as the rest of us. Behind them, is their Mum.
Dad quickly gets them chairs to sit on.
“We did not know
you had come back. You are very welcome,” he says.
Punch and Judy
come to us and I don’t know what to say so I give them my fist and they return
the Stars greeting.
“I didn’t know
you guys were here,” I say.
“Our dad decided
to stay in Kenya for a while.”
After a long
pause he adds “He got a job but we’ll be going back every summer to visit him
and he promises to send presents on birthdays and Christmas. We came back with
our Mum.”
I don’t know
what to say. I want to cry because I am so happy my best friends are back. I
want to cry but I can’t because I’m the best non-crier on Purley Avenue.
