Weeping and Gnashing Teeth
As soon as the bus had stopped Seth’s father went over to the driver’s side while everyone on the bus was looking at Seth and his mom with curious faces as to who was leaving with all that luggage? The young boy and his mom kept their eyes on the luggage with Seth’s mom saying, “Can you differentiate your bags? “Yes mother all my bags look the same and they are made with leather except for that conical one”. “Good boy, do you know that bag was your father’s bag when he was a soldier? He loved that bag and now he has given it to you, take good care of it ok?”. “Yes, mom I will.” After a few minutes, Seth’s father came back and the bus driver came with him, a command was given to the three gentlemen to load Seth’s bags on top of the bus along with the rest. Using a staircase welded onto the bus the three men with the help of the driver carefully packed all of Seth’s bags and tied them up with a rope.
Meanwhile, Seth was talking with his parents; Seth’s father knelt down on one knee before his son and looked him in the eyes. Seth my son me and your mother love you dearly and now be a man and fear not for the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is surely with you but more over our King whom you know very well is by your side and you shall never need anything. Be cheerful therefore my son, remember me and your mother and all the Stories we joyously shared with each other day and night, and you shall not want. Now, remember you have a kingdom to inherit here back with me and your mother, so never forget where you came from, up on the mountain.
Tears flowing like crystal rivers welled down Seth’s little brown cheeks but without a sound, and to the driver's surprise and those who were close to open windows heard that this old man was speaking in English to this young boy and with every word the boy seemed to comprehend fully without even the slightest glitch.
His mother handed him his calabash that had a traditional drink made out of grounded maize which is then boiled to a simmer and left for a few days to fermentate naturally under a closely tight lid in order to give it a tangy sour taste. Along with his calabash, the boy receives a very very beautiful leather purse which had his chicken, all of Seth’s leather bags were exquisitely handcrafted by his mother using leather from their own kraals. After all this Seth got a kiss on the forehead accompanied by “Be a good boy now, ok Seth?” he nodded his head but this only made things worse as his tears gushed out even more, still without a sound.
Then came the driver and took him as his mother was just fixing his well-knitted cardigan that he looked dapper like a scholar or a politician of some sort. Away Seth went to the front seat of the bus wherefore a lovely lady had to vacate and make way for the young boy. As the engine of the bus started Seth’s mother approached him by the window saying, “Seth there is a smaller bag inside that bag, don’t open it until you have reached your destination.” Seth nodded and received one last kiss on the forehead and the bus took off. Everyone on and off the bus was waving goodbye as everyone was touched even the most wicked of souls due to the love they witnessed from this family.
His parents disappeared from sight and Seth began to be confused and scared but he remembered his father’s words, word for word. He saw the look on his father’s eyes and was reassured for it was if he was giving him all that he had. “Seth my son me and your mother love you dearly and now be a man and fear not for the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is surely with you but more over our King whom you know very well is by your side and you shall never need anything. Be cheerful therefore my son, remember me and your mother and all the Stories we joyously shared with each other day and night, and you shall not want. Now, remember you have a kingdom to inherit here back with me and your mother, so never forget where you came from, up on the mountain.” Just as Seth was comforting himself with his father’s last words which he would forever remember word for word until his dying days, the bus driver tried to disperse all thoughts that were building up in Seth’s little mind in a bid to console the young fellow.
Seth was still crying and his head was dead buried in his shoulders with tearing dripping. Do not be sad, young man you have very good grandparents said the driver with a rotten and broken excuse of the English language. Oh no sir those are my parents, replied the young lad in his native tongue to help accommodate and decease the driver from further committing any literary crimes and making a fool of himself in front of his passengers.
Everyone on board was shocked; not only at the driver’s hideous attempt at English and how the boy managed to piece up together what the driver said but what caught them off guard was that those two old folks were parents of such a young boy, it was unbelievable. “So what is your name young man the driver was now asking in his own language?” “My name is Seth sir.” By this time the passengers were uncontrollable and started to mummer, some were asking what kind of name is that while others were still paralyzed by his English acumen and the age of his parents.” His English is definitely not of the surrounding schools, of that I am sure,” murmured one of the gossiping maggots at the backseat.
Not taking his eyes off the road the driver asked once more; is this your first time going to Kimberley? Yes, sir, I have never even gotten in one of these before. Wooow was a choral remark from the passengers at the back. In astonishment, the bus driver asks, “Are you trying to tell me you have never been on a bus before?” So puzzled was the driver that he lost control of the wheel trying to see if the boy was not pulling his leg and for a second the bus swerved from side to side unleashing horrific screams and unprecedented farts from some passengers. “Sir mercy be upon thee for you hast shown kindness unto me, I pray you therefore, let me mourn my departure from the land of my birth.” The driver could do no more nor say otherwise for the boy had once again looked deeply dismayed. Great was the somber and pitiful mood that followed these words, even throughout the entire bus. It was as if everyone was an 8-year-old leaving their parents for a place they knew not. This was just too much for others who crumbled and wept, consequently unleashing a domino effect to some light-hearted fellows in the bus.
To be continued...
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