A Mother's Pride

Chapter 7

Mmampho's POV

"Where are we going?" Lesedi has been asking me this question ever since we got into this taxi.

Luckily I was not sitting next to anybody who does not bath like that last time. This taxi took longer than usual to get us to our destination.

We get off at the mall, where I am going to do grocery shopping. This is going to be a lot to carry.

We get into Usave and try to find the cheapest food there. Yes, I am a cheapskate, obviously because I am unemployed and expensive or cheap, they are all going to the same place.

I go to the mealie meal's and pasta aisle. I get 2,5kilograms of mealie meal and put it into the trolley that Lesedi is pushing. Then I put the macaroni inside too, just one packet. I only have R780, I cannot buy unnecessary stuff.

"Can we get juice?" Lesedi asks.

"If you can afford it, yep. In the meantime, please get bread and butter." I smile reluctantly at him and he groans as he moves to get them.

Not forgetting soup, tinned fish and corned beef. They are cheap and easy to cook so it's a win-win. I should also get these 2-minute noodles, I'll probably get lazy to cook sometimes.

I'll get 2kilograms of chicken, specifically thighs. I love the thighs. Chicken breasts are the worst for me, very chewy.

Okay, what's next?

I walk through the aisles deciding what to buy next. I walk very slowly so that I do not miss anything important, I forgot to make a grocery list.

Lesedi comes back with the loaf of bread and butter and we both move to find anything else to buy.

"Go get the juice, the cheapest you can find." I tell my boy and he runs off to do just that.

I also get cabbage, onions and tomatoes. I get myself toiletries too and a deodorant for my boy.

Uh...I think we are done here, we can leave.

He comes back with the juice and we head to the till to pay for all this.

The cashier is light skinned and has one huge zit just below her lips. Her tag is written, "Keletso." Her eyebrows are drawn and they aren't equal in size, the other one being darker than the other. Red lipstick? Didn't this woman look in the mirror before leaving her house?

She looks like a clown. Literally, if only her black afro wig was red, or purple or orange. I chuckle at the idea and as soon as her eyes move from the cash register to me, I stop and look around awkwardly and play with the deodorant in my hand. She is chewing a bubble gum carelessly and popping it loudly. Her small eyes look very intimidating so I am trying so hard to avoid eye contact with her.

She tills our stuff and asks if we want a plastic.

I almost said, "no, we are going to carry all these by hand, thank you," sarcastically but I stopped myself. I don't want to get beaten by ugly clown-face here.

"Yes." I say and purse my lips to stop myself from commenting on her bad make-up.

She packs our stuff inside the plastic. She is really taking her time and we need to leave. I groan and roll my eyes because she is talking to one of her colleagues as we are waiting for her to finish.

"Hey, do you have a problem? You can pack your own stuff." She confronts me.

Oh no she didn't!

"No, I was jus..."

"You rolled your eyes at me."

"Because you are doing everything slowly and we really have to leave."

"If you have a problem with how I work, then you shouldn't have chosen this till." What is she saying? How would I have known that her service is bad?

"Wh-what?"

"Care to pack your own stuff?"

"You know what, I will pack them. I'll beat you at your own game." I shrug. "Plus I need to get away from your ugly face." I say under breath and let out a breath of relief when I realize that she did not hear what I said.

She was focusing on whatever they were talking about- her boyfriend cheated with an "ugly" woman and now she is telling her friend. Her friend suggests that she should confront the mistress and tell her that she must play far away from her man. Dumbest thing ever, but yea she looks dumb so I am not surprised.
I heard everything. I wasn't eavesdropping, they were just too loud. And annoying.

We take the three plastics and leave the store. That was the worst service I have ever gotten.
We catch a taxi, which will drop us off at our actual destination.

The taxi drops us off where I told the driver to and we get off.

"Are we going to stay at Auntie Mavis' house?" Lesedi asks. "Where are we? Is it Mavis' house?" He asks as he noticed the chain link gate in front of us.