ROSEWITTA GOES ABROAD......

ROSEWITTA GOES ABROAD........

A year had passed since the incident at Rosewitta's home. That incident was still fresh in her mind, and she always thought about Donald's death. She always remembered Donald's aunt's last words on the day Donald's relatives had grabbed her household goods and furniture, and kicked her out of her home.

“Munotadza kubereka vana, mouraya varume kuti musare nedzimba. Ndiwe wakauraya murume iwe Rosewitta,” Donald's aunt had said. These words haunted Rosewitta everyday.

Rosewitta failed to recover from the ordeal, she had sleepless nights and this began to affect her health in a negative manner. One August evening Rosewitta called up her other cousin Nora who lived in the nearby Northwood suburb. Rosewitta told Nora that she was leaving for the United Kingdom the following day. Rosewitta had already applied for an entry visa and saved a little bit from her meagre civil service salary. She was determined to leave the country with her daughter, and leave for good.

It was a long 12 hour flight to England, Rosewitta was excited that at last she was leaving behind the madness in Waverly. At the main International Airport just outside London, the route towards the immigration official looked long. There were endless conveyor belts and this confused Rosewitta. Rosewitta could not wait, her heart was pumping with excitement. She had heard from her friends who were abroad that she could get a job as soon as she landed at the airport. Rosewitta followed the signs but a sniffer dog followed behind her heels for a good 5 minutes. This made her feel uncomfortable until a security official stopped her. For a moment Rosewitta froze, wondering why the sniffer dog singled her out. She complied with the orders, though, when she was told to stop. Rosewitta was carrying a bag of mufushwa (a dried vegetable) which her cousin in Milton Keynes had ordered, but the sniffer dog was not familiar with the smell of mufushwa. The security official conducted a thorough search. Rosewitta was at pains trying to explain what mufushwa was. After the official was satisfied with what she saw, Rosewitta was given the all clear after a good one hour. Rosewitta kept praying in her heart to be let through.

At the final gate, the lady who was manning the desk asked her several questions and Rosewitta was puzzled why the immigration official was asking her so many questions. Her passport was finally cleared, and deep in her heart Rosewitta was relieved to be let through. She knew of a lot of people who had been sent back home before they even set foot in England. “Phew! Zvangu zvaita hamheno vakasara,” she sighed as she wiped her sweaty brow. When she finally left the airport terminal, it was a bit grey and raining outside. Rosewitta proceeded to the station anyway and boarded a coach to Milton Keynes.

In Milton Keynes, Rosewitta could not believe what she saw. She and Mia were shown to a very small box bedroom which they would use for the time being.

“Mainini motokasika kutsvaga basa, muEngland makaoma muno, mabills ndoo anobaya muno umu plus mudzimba umu havabvumidze overcrowding ma-local councils iwaya!” (Her cousin was explaining about exorbitant bills which they paid and why Rosewitta had to get a job fast)

“Ko mabasa acho tomawanepi?” (Where do I get a job then?)

“Moto typer kuti rese rese pa internet apa mainini plus muno muEngland munoda chiMcGyver. Motobatanidza batanidza.”

Be that as it may, Rosewitta soon found 3 part time jobs where she worked for 12 hours a day, on the stipulated minimum wage. Rosewitta hopped from one job to the other, and soon she had found her own place with Mia. She enrolled Mia at a nearby school and Mia was old enough to go to school on her own. Rosewitta did not have much time for Mia due to her very busy schedule. The two rarely saw each other.

Soon Mia joined a group of friends, and she always told them she hated school. Everyday Mia got ready to go to school, boarded the local bus but got off at the newly constructed shopping mall which was two miles away. At the shopping mall there was always a group of friends who were showing her the ropes. Those who were old enough would then smoke cigarettes and a bit of weed before the group eventually got to school. Their favourite brand of cigarettes was Mayfair. Rosewitta thought Mia was attending school but wondered why Mia did not eat at home or no longer fancied their favourite traditional 'sadza and matumbu' (tripe) meal. Mia was always full as she and her friends passed through a popular local burger shop where they bought and munched into burgers and fries.

One school day, Rosewitta came home early as she was not feeling well. Mia did not come home at the expected time and did not come home that night. Rosewitta was troubled, she went to the local police station where she found Mia and a group of friends in custody. They had been involved in a gang fight in one of the dark alleys. One of Mia's gang members was badly assaulted during the fight.

Rosewitta was told that after the incident, Mia would be released straight into care and not into Rosewitta's hands. Mia had told the police that her mother was neglecting her. Other agencies would do the work for Rosewitta. After a week, Mia returned to school where she heard that a young man from her school had died from stab wounds. She knew it was one of her gang members, but from then on life was never the same for Mia.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

I support a charitable organisation called Charity Hope Trust. Find them on http://www.charityhope.org.uk

Pink Rose