The
night John visited Rosewitta at Manana Village, Majozi and Hattie
staggered back home from the village, singing their favourite tune.
“Ndi-cha-hurega hwa-hwa-hwahwa, ndi-cha-hurega hwa
hwa-hwahwa.” It was
like their commitment to stop drinking beer, but everyone knew it was
just a song and they would not stop.
Rosewitta had not come home yet.
Very early the following morning, Majozi stormed into
the girls’ room. His breath smelled foul from the previous day’s
drinking, like he had eaten a rotten egg. Hattie followed behind him.
“Put something on, now!” Majozi barked to Rosewitta
as he snatched the thin blanket from the girls.
Rosewitta managed to grab an old T-shirt of Jaya’s,
but before she had finished pulling it over her head, she felt a lash
on her back. She screamed, but this seemed to send Majozi into a
frenzy. He delivered lash after lash on her half-naked body, and she
had no time to escape. She slumped onto the floor as Majozi whipped
her.
Rosewitta’s
position on the floor seemed to fuel Majozi’s anger, and it seemed
like he would never stop. He was shaking with fury as he flogged
Rosewitta with all his strength. He lifted the T-shirt which she had
tried to put on, striking her bare back continuously. He only paused
to grab another whip when the one in his hand broke into pieces.
“This
will teach you a lesson, Rosewitta. African girls need to respect
their parents, and I’ll pull you into line, even if it means I have
to flog you hard on a regular basis.”
Melissa, Rhona and
the younger girl cowered in a corner of the small room as they
watched Rosewitta being flogged. Majozi beat her everywhere – under
her feet, on the palms of her hands, and kicked and punched her in
the stomach. She started bleeding through the nose, but Majozi did
not stop. Rosewitta gathered enough strength to kneel down and beg
for forgiveness, but this did not help, and Majozi beat her even
harder. She tried to escape, but Majozi caught up with her in the
family yard. This was not the first time she or her sisters had got a
beating. Majozi regularly used corporal punishment on his daughters,
but never lifted a finger to Jaya, Reginald, Saimon or the other
younger boys.
*
After that incident, Rosewitta could not wait to return
to Santa Maria to finish her ‘A’ level examinations. She hated
her father for all the things he had done to her, but it made her
more determined than ever to complete her examinations. The hard work
paid off and she did exceptionally well. At school she told John that
she never wanted to see him again. She soon put him behind her and
was ready for university. At home she received a letter confirming
she had got a place to study, and the university would open in a few
months’ time.
*
My novel comes out on the 30th of November 2013. If you have enjoyed reading these extracts from my novel, I hope you will be able to grab a copy soon; and help in spreading the message.
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