Chanda's Secrets

When the death benefits ran out, Chanda's mother took a housecleaning job for Isaac Pheto, a mine worker who sent money home to his family in a distant village. Chanda and her mother slept on a mattress in the common room/kitchen of Isaac's two room home. Her mother quickly transformed the filthy house into a clean, curtained home.

It wasn't long before Chanda noticed her mother's clandestine, nocturnal, visits to Isaac's bedroom. A subtle comment from Chanda let her mother know that her daughter understood what was going on, and soon her mother dropped the secrecy, spending the entire night in Isaac's bedroom. Within a year, Chanda had a new sister, Iris.

It was the night of Iris' christening, while the others partied outside, that Isaac first tried to molest eleven year-old Chanda. Although her mother's appearance at the door interrupted Isaac, he later succeeded in repeatedly molesting her. Chanda kept quiet, afraid that she would be doubted, or that they would become homeless. Finally, one day her mother walked in and caught Isaac with his pants down. A fight ensued. Chanda and her mother were kicked out of Isaac's home. They gathered a few possessions, and left proudly, her mother instructing her to, “never let them see you cry.”

They found a place to stay, with another widow of the same mining accident. Mrs. Tafa had quickly married her late husband's brother. Chanda and her mother moved into one of the cement-block homes her new husband, a bricklayer, had built in their yard to rent out. In lieu of rent, they gardened and performed Mrs. Tafa's chores. Mr. Tafa helped Chanda's mother retrieve the rest of her belongings from Isaac's house and Chanda soon called the Tafa's Auntie and Uncle.

Chanda's mother, Lillian, soon remarried. Her new husband was the Tafa's kind neighbor, Mr. Dube, a barber. Mr. Dube, with his rotten teeth, was not an attractive man, but he was respected Lillian, and owned his own home. A year later, Soloman—Soly, for short—was born, and Chanda had a second half-sibling. They all lived happily until Mr. Dube died of a stroke.

Although they were left with the house, a lack of income meant a return to gardening and raising chickens. Chanda's mother become involved with Mr. Tafa's friend Jonah, a construction worker. Although he soon moved in with Chanda's family, her mother refused marriage in order to retain ownership of their house.

After Jonah lost he job due to his alcoholism, Chanda's mother became pregnant, and gave birth to a daughter, Sara. Jonah went from doing odd jobs to not working at all, preferring to spend his time drinking shake-shake at the local shebeen.