Around 1950, I found myself at high school. It was called Churchill high school, after Winston Churchill. at one point Churchill actually came out to talk to us. He gave a speech, with polite platitudes. It was after he became prime minister and he wanted to reestablish his popularity in Rhodesia this was before the big nationalist uprisings in the colonies.
Our uniform was quite smart, a purple blazer: "The Syrians came down like the wolf on the fold, their raiment was gleaming in purple and gold." Kipling.
We lived in Ruwa during the time I went to Churchill. They had one shop. Ruwa had an Anglican church. I used to go there on occasional Sundays One day I saw a girl at the church. She had dark wavy hair and a lovely face. She was wearing a yellow dress. I went outside of the church and waited for her to come out. We then began a rather hit and miss relationship. I told my mother about her and when she heard the name, she said that my father used to chase after this girl's mother. I think I stopped making the effort eventually. I stopped going to the church.
I had started going to church on a Sunday ever since junior school. I just maintained the tradition. Once you start something, you ought not to stop it without a reason. One of the few things I can remember about it, is that at the turn off, there was a big sign that said go to work on an egg. Then some bloke phoned up the advertisers and said, you can't go to work on an egg. I tried it. Then he said, then I took the yoke out and now its all white.
My stepfather was a christian scientist. He went about once a week. My mothers second cousin was also a christian scientist, who sang at our wedding. She got cancer and wouldn't accept treatment. It meant she experienced a lot of pain. She died of stomach cancer in absolute agony.
As I grew up, I became more obnoxious and clashes with my dad were very frequent. One day, I decided this couldn't go on. I decided to move out. I was eighteen maybe. I phoned Ruth who was living in a block of flats and asked if she had any ideas. She said shed see if there was an empty flat in the block. She phoned me back and said there was one and I moved into it. I was doing my apprenticeship then. So I packed up my bags and moved to Banberry court on second street. I didn't know how to cook. I just bought a packet of corn flakes.
I remember the first night. It was very noisy. There were hooligans going up and down the road, or perhaps just cars. Ruth didn't help out with the cooking, but lent me books. I took my bedding from home. I had to design myself some ear plugs out of toilet paper.
It became a bit lonely. So I used to walk along the roads at night. I eventually invited one of my work mates to come and live with me. We had to sleep in the same bedroom. He used to get drunk regularly. He went to pubs, but I hated them. They were full of smoke, since tobacco was so cheap. On one occasion, I was asleep when there was a bang at the door. Hugh had come back with a crowd of people. It turned out that Hugh had met up with another work mate and had come home with him.
Anyway, this other guy, Alec, had managed to turn the car over, so that's why around five people arrived at our flat. One was a girl. So I went round allocating everybody a place to sleep. The Sullivan girl sat on a stool in the kitchen. I decided I wasn't going to sleep next to her and I wasn't going to give up my bed to a male friend either. I think one of the other guys slept in the bath.
I shooed everybody off to work in the morning. I took Hugh to work in my Volkswagen. He worked with me.
I was in this flat for a few months. Hugh and I parted on good terms.
After a few months, I became sickly and went back home. I had to go into hospital for an appendix operation and wasn't in the flat for the period I was in hospital. I think my friend took it over. I went back to Ruwa. I'm sure there were more conflicts when I got back home. I was back long enough to recover. I went into the army some time after that.
From the hospital, I went home and then went to stay in a boarding house and ate spaghetti every night.
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