"Why Grandma?" The lady sits and watches television and grandma must work. "You are the same age!" Timothy lays his head on his grandma's knee. He is sulking. He thinks life is very unfair.
Earlier in the day somebody called him a poor white and everyone laughed. The Grade 7's had probably learned how the previous government in South Africa had given white people houses and jobs. Everyone knew he was poor. Everyone knew his grandma worked as a domestic worker. Everyone knew that the government of today wanted to give everyone in the country a house and that work was scarce. That is why there were so many people living in squatter camps. Or in tiny houses in poor areas. Like him and his grandma who went every day to clean a rich woman's house so that the rich woman's money could pay for his school fees and school clothes. And for his cricket. It was very expensive to play cricket.
Timothy wanted to scream. He didn't want his grandma to work so hard. He had already said to his grandma that he would rather go to the school nearby their house. They didn't play cricket there, but that was okay.
He didn't want his grandma to have to work for his sake anymore. When he walked to school every morning his grandma walked with him. He turned towards the school, she turned towards the big house to go and work.
Everyone knew they lived in the poor area. He and Sipho were the only two poor ones who had to walk so far; over the railway, past the apartment buildings, past the big house with the big tree, right to the school where the other children were dropped off by Mercedes, BMW's, Rovers and Jaguars.
It killed him to be poor. It killed him to be teased. It killed him even more that his grandmother had to work so hard so that he could go to school with the rich. He knew what she was going to say next, and then she said it, "You've got a good future, my child. That school will give you opportunities."
Answer the questions:
- Timothy was sulking. Does that mean he was happy or unhappy?
- "He thinks that life is very unfair." Does that mean that life was good or bad to him?
- What is the opposite of being poor?
- Is Timothy in a good school, or not? Why do you say so?
- Which sport does Timothy play?
- Who is the other learner who stays the same distance away from the school?
- Draw a map of his path to school.
