‘Oh my God,
what really have I done to receive a punishment like this? My Lord why me, was
it all because of my parents who never taught me the difference between right
and wrong? Then if it was for my parents you gave them a punishment of taking
them away from me at the same time. Are you really there God? Oh my… Lord why can’t you just take my life
as you did to my parents? How many times must I suffer, oh God are you truly
there? If you are truly there why are you letting me suffer? I…I …I am going
to……. Amai weeee kaniiiiiiii!’ Shanduko mourned bitterly as she sat alone in
her room about to kill herself by crying. She had suffered a lot in her life
although at first she was a daughter from a rich family. Her life had never been
this cruel before as it was now. She wasted her time in school because she
depended on the riches which at last failed to get.
Shanduko was
really intelligent but she did not use this ability wisely as she was a spoilt
brat. Her parents never taught her to use her time wisely. They always left her
to do as she wished. She failed her Grade 7 examinations but her parents never
cared much as they always said they would leave all their riches to her when
they die but that was never to be.
Her greedy
relatives snatched all the riches which were meant to be hers when her parents
passed on in a fatal car accident. Shanduko was sent to stay with her aunt and
uncle who lived in the rural areas. That was the beginning of a boring and
difficult life experience for her. ‘Shanduko, Shanduko iwe haunzwe here, if you
are here you have to listen to whatever I tell you, not to just sit there like
a rotten pumpkin, kushata samai!’ Shanduko’s aunt shouted furiously at her and
that was the way she always treated her.
‘I understand
tete,’ she replied in a cold sad voice. ‘Usatombode kusiririsa zvisina basa. I
never killed your parents, wanzwa… now go and wash the dishes, sweep the house,
go to the field and collect mealie cobs and when you are back prepare lunch.
Hurry now, usandiudyure kunyangara!’ Shanduko stared at her aunt as she
responded in fear, ‘Ye-e-s tete…,’ she ran for her duties which she could not
do properly as she was never taught to work. The aunt would later on inspect
what she would have done, ‘nhai iwe, are these plates washed, did you sweep
this floor haa, tione zvawabva nazvo kumunda, he-he-dee seka zvako mwana
wemuera Dziva. What is this? You are going to it this rubbish alone and eat it
raw, uri kundinzwa here? Who do you think will eat mbodza yawabika iyi? Now eat
all this food, don’t look at me, eat your food now!!!’ fumed the aunt. With
tears oozing down her face, ‘ Aunt please mama never taught me to co...,’ Aunt
stopped her before she had finished her sentence, ‘ so who do you think will
cook for you, imbwa zibenzi, ibva pamberi pangu, tsvina yemunhu kusemesa… I
said go away kumusha kure!’
In her past,
Shanduko never listened to any one as she thought life would always be the
same. ‘You know what Shanduko; you really are wasting your time by not studying.
Only one day you shall regret. Don’t you know that life is an uphill struggle,’
one of her friends advised her. ‘Hey you it’s my life, I do it my way and if it
bores you go hit the high way. My parents will always provide me with all I
need so who are you to tell me that nonsense?’ Shanduko answered rudely not
knowing the fate ahead of her. She now regretted it all as her life was now
miserable and she cried day and night. A terrible incident happened one day and
worsened her situation as she became a street kid.
Her aunt had
gone to some beer party in the village and she was left with her uncle. It was
in the evening and the aunt had not yet returned. Shanduko retired to bed early
and was awakened by a knock at her door. ‘Shanduko please open the door for me,
I have some good news for you,’ said his uncle. ‘Who is it, why can’t you talk
to me tomorrow,’ replied Shanduko in a sleepy voice. ‘Just open the door kani,
I can’t wait for tomorrow,’ Uncle pleaded. ‘Okay, asi sekuru munonetsa imi,’
she politely opened the door unaware of what was going to happen to her. The
uncle got in and locked the door then he commanded in a frightening voice,
‘Whatever I am going to do to you, must be kept between us and if you just
utter it to anyone your life is going to end that second, wanzwa…’
‘Ehoiii
se-ku-ru…,’ she trembled as fear gripped her. ‘Don’t scream or shout, now
remove all your clothes,’ instructed the uncle. Hesitantly she removed all the
clothes and stood fully naked. Looking lustfully at the beautiful body of the
16 year old girl, his manliness aroused. He attacked the girl, massaged and
licked her all over before forcefully penetrating his manhood into his
womanhood, taking away her virginity. All she managed to do was mourn quietly
in agony as the old man satisfied himself with his evil work. When he felt that
he had enjoyed himself, he left Shanduko wriggling on her bed in pain. She
cried pathetically and cursed the day she was born.
She tried to
keep everything to herself but it haunted her until she then decided to tell
Aunt. She gathered the little courage she had and confronted her aunt, ‘Tete,
uncle raped me that night you attended the beer party,’ she wept bitterly.
‘Usandinyepere iwe, even if he did, he is also your husband so he can do
whatever he feels like doing with you. Now don’t tell anyone handiti ka,’ the
aunt was really disappointed. Shanduko then thought of reporting the case to
the police which led to the arrest of the uncle. The aunt then chased her away
from home and from that day she became a street kid. Her life became more
difficult and all hell broke loose when she discovered that she was pregnant.
What was she going to do with a fatherless baby? Abortion thoughts flooded her
mind until she decided to keep the baby. Life in the streets was hectic
especially for a young pregnant girl like her.
When she was
about to give birth, she was found by the police, unconscious in one of the
parks in Harare. She was taken to hospital and gave birth to a baby boy then
they were both sent to a social welfare home where she raised his boy until he
was old enough to be left alone. Shanduko asked to go back to school and was
given another chance. She started afresh from Grade 7 and that time she had
suffered a lot and wanted a great change in her life. Through sheer hard work
she passed and went to University then she became a lawyer. She had finally
conquered the uphill struggle which had started well and turned wild then
excellent at last. She never spoilt her son as she did not want him to suffer.
She chose not to get married as she felt unclean all because of her uncle who
had stolen her virginity. Shanduko never heard of any of her relatives ever
again.
Life
is indeed an uphill struggle
So be strong
to face all its challenges
Bear this in
mind
That hard
time never kill
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