Slum Heaven Gamblers E-Book

Lungile Lolo Lubuzo

• Herausgeber: Europa Edizioni
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Slum Heaven Gamblers is an exaggerated portrayal of life in a poverty-stricken slum and township plagued with gang thrills and community uproars in which a teenage girl narrates her journey of self-discovery surrounded by her internal conflicts and unweaving faith in righteousness, condemnation of sin and belief which is tested and defied by experiences. 
In abusive relationships, she finds comfort and wonders off to psychologically battle the good that is done for and to her. 
During her journey, she loses her innocence, and she battles with herself as a teenager in prime puberty state in gang violence and young first-time love ecstasies. The story sheds light on religious beliefs, the struggle to survive growth through the demand for age maturity, moral deprivation, and faith in God and gods. 

Lungile Lubuzo was born in the townships of the city of Durban, South Africa on the 10th of May 1993.
The only surviving child of late mother Duduzile Patience Mhongo and father Michael Lubuzo raised by stepmother Monica Thobeka Lubuzo. 
A heritage of Zulu and Xhosa dynasties is her cultural inheritance. Official records of her education began in 2001 at Nobuhle International Primary school which is where the excessive hoppy of writing descriptive poetry began and later on graduated in Bachelor of Social work in the summer of 2018 at the University of South Africa.
Besides creative writing she also enjoys creative arts and farming. 
Slum Heaven Gamblers is her first published book.

Leseprobe

Lungile Lolo Lubuzo

Slum Heaven Gamblers

© 2023 Europe Books| London

www.europebooks.co.uk | [email protected]

ISBN 9791220138543

First edition: May 2023

Slum Heaven Gamblers

In loving memory of my mothers Duduzile Patience Mhongo and Monica Thobeka Lubuzo, may you live forever in my memories and rest forever in my heart, mind and live forever in my spirit.

If you love your parents, then you will obey them. If you obey them, you will honor them even in the absence of their flesh and spirit.

Chapter One

The spacks

The wretched wounds inflected by her wrathful hands whisked sudden whispers of pain, with each touch laid upon slashed skin off my flesh. With my tender tongue I would have licked my bloody caved skin wounds clean, a bark, tale and four legs I wished to be. A creature that fears nothing not even death itself. Great guilt consumed my spirit for being accepted in my belonging. I guard as if awaiting a state of wrathfulness, belligerently seeking my breath that alerts for possible danger. She was the gunner and I the prisoner in the yard. Having her feed me and quench my thirst, although the food has wasted days ago, that meal we had to eat or else die of starvation or miss a good night soup of beans and cabbage, she cooked all the time as a blessing.

Having me there brought benefits for her, the gunner my caretaker. She received childcare grants on a monthly basis but having me as her responsibility was a blindly seen gift, she refused to overtly care for. Her plumpness stoutly shaped body filled doorways and her thunderous runs stormed freighting chicken sprints as if fleeing from a Godzilla predator. Although chubby, she had good taste for lavish clothing, luxurious jewels which was all unnecessary for the gutters of the townships but mostly because she paid twice the amount of what a counterfeit jewel should cost in the gutter. She sent more of her time hunting luxury than taking care of her children and husband who worked at the local mines, which was typical of an illiterate dreamer housewife of the gutter.

Uncle Jakop had his own lusty demons to fight, inherited from years of inked blood in his family, so much so that it seemed like his birth right to be consumed by his defeats. Once he drank himself to unconsciousness, of which he slept for four days without waking up. We had thought he had died in his sleep and started playing with his body by cutting and burning him with candles and boiled water.

It occurred to be a common thing in the township to have an abusive mother and blameless drunk for a father. Drinking away all trouble and smoking away his hope of a life fancied as a man. Nothing seemed wrong in doing it and no one asked why.

Noon silently departed as the sun turned clouds red as if it were bleeding the sins it had witnessed. And the nights slackening arrival, brought dreadfully oozing winds plagued by mine gases mixed without open low drop toilet odors, as if the winds and grounds had made a covenant to frustrate our noises to death for raping its praised treasure out from its waist without its consent.

The smell always reminded me of the shameless haggard hags’ farts, when she uncontrollable laughed out of joy as she feasts on her left-over scraps of almost rotten food, I would offer her. The scandal of her death knew no bounds or limits and her body laid there by the lagoon painting for days, no-one knew she had past until she ponged the street.

The present skunky sore smell of the air smothered my noise, even the dog covered its noise with its paws and made pigs mad. Ever so seated beside the door as a hostage to stench, watching Rose play with chickens and cats, awaiting the arrival of uncle Jakop. By the blinding sight of the sun, he came amongst a bevy of ashed clothed man, whose skin was covered by the dirt of mines, like coal they looked.

“Daddy!”

“There’s daddy!” alarmed Rose.

We flew like autumn winds, awakening dust as we raced to help him carry his bags. The weariness and pain that weakened my body had taken its leave and joy overcome me at the sight of uncle Jakop, when Rose alarmed. I favored Rose more than her elder sisters; she was young smart and non-judgmental and her childish personality consoled me. Uncle Jakop noticeably walked sickly. He held a bottle of booze and a plastic bag. We assumed he brought dinner since it’s the end of the month, but when I got besides him, to help him carry the bag, he aggressively refused and smelled of tobacco and whiskey. Inside the bag was more booze and dagga. We let him walk ahead, sozzled speaking and singing to himself as if he was mad in his torn shirt as if attached by a cawed creature.

Gawkiness garnished my face as I walked behind him wondering the outcome of his action. Rose’s shy smile roughened my thoughts as she attempted to steal R50.00 from his father, making me silently laugh at her failed attempt, uncle Jakop’s drunkenness made him wiser for some reason his friends would say that’s his intoxication made him pass matric. Walking in a seemingly pointless manner, as if being blown by the noise blistering oozing winds, his size ten elephant foot almost observantly stepping on the neighbor’s sons head who slept by the doorway.

His clothes got darker than coal as he stood in the room and his smell poisoned the air in the room. He had been a dead man walking for year since marriage. Waiting for a welcome home kiss, as he gasped for air, “Baby!”

“My Buke.”

Aunt Bonnie, cursing at him as she aggressively cuts cabbages and flanks carrot at him as if warning a dog.

“Nxa, Jakop!” yelled Aunt Bonnie

As she was about to throw another plate, he belligerently grabs her and throws it to the floor.

“Woman not today, your madness is naar se kop.” Said uncle Jakop.

“You heard, Nxa!

“Your Pus, I’m the man of the house,” flexing his muscles as he throws the bottle of beer against the wall almost striking her face.”

“Jakop!” screamed Aunt Bonnie in a woofer manner. She firmly picked the boiling pot of water and rice at uncle attempting to burn him for revenge. Frightened for him I stepped on the path of water, for a moment it seemed like a scene from a movie sacrificingoneself for others. Stupid me I thought as only heat and flames of my cooking flesh I felt, the moment froze, sudden frost on my righteous arm dominated by agony as I wobbled my way to the door in ruthless deafening looted voices brought about by my pain.

“Bonnie, have you lost your mind, the hell are you doing. What you, you want to grill her alive and fed her to the dogs!” Slapping her with his merciless dirty hands.

Bawling as I tripped on the dog and the wound got powered by filth and sand making it hurt more. My bawling alarmed the neighbors and interrogated to know the matter. Rose horrified distanced herself and looked for help elsewhere, her bravery served well, as ambulance and police arrived later to assist in the matter.

By the time they arrived it had darkened, cars flashed uncontrollable like fireworks in the birth of a new year blinding me to sleeping.

For a moment it shocked me at how quickly they arrived, well it takes them hours to get to alarmed matters such as street infested by gang violence.

Awakening from what I thought to have been one of my frightening dreams as I laid there on hellish sheets, wondering who must have died on them as they had dulled red spots on them. I now knew why people on my street refuse to be hospitalized. The corners of the roomwere covered on muddy looking dirt, as if it hasn’t been cleaned in a long time. My bilious eyes blurred across the hallway as I tried to get out the room, but the painful burn was unavoidable. The nurse in a badly light white dress, gentle clutched me and laid me back to the bed.

The nurse looked at me and said: “You should rest, your burns are deep, but they will heal well, and that area will look like a birth mark when it is well healed, that’s if you correctly care for it.”

For some reason I trusted her as if I had known her my whole life.

“You look like her, you got her skin, you got her bold dark skin colour” as she dabbed sweat from my forehead.

In confusion I asked her who you are talking about.

Your mother.

As my eyes popped out at her in amazement, for the first time these someone who know my mother.

“Yes, I know you mother don’t look flabbergasted. I gave you your name “little light” she loves you so much even though she doesn’t know, she didn’t even get the chance to hold you in her arms.”

Suddenly stunned at herself as she tearfully opted to leave, but I had to ask about my father.

“Well, your father was so in love with her, I wished I were her, she wasn’t all that pretty but he picked her over wealth and beauty he was a good man.”

“What do you mean” I asked her.

“I have to go”, she whipped herself and went out.

Uncle Jakop walked in with a fresh basket of fruit, he looked clean, and I hardly recognized him with his old black jeans and white shirt. His hair greaseless, pushed back and tied.

“Oh, welcome back little light!”

Confusion left me wondrous and amazed. I thought I was in heaven.

“Hey, I’m sorry, I’ll never let harm come your way again, I promise. Really, I promise. Your aunt was arrested and…”

The nurse came in, but it wasn’t the same lady. She cleaned my arm which still stung and looked shrined in size and appeared squashed. I’ve been sleeping for three days now but I still felt tired. I wanted to sleep, but the pain was too much for me.

On the hallway Rose looked amazingly well, but the sight of her eyes worried me, thought of her losing her mother to a belligerent moment plagued me, I knew how it could change her life.

Even though her mother is not the best at being a mother, none the less befriends, having her would be inflectional on how she grows. Hopefully they will understand and let me be, I thought to myself.

Of course, Aunt Bonnie has a bawling mouth that shoots bullet words murdering spirits as she speaks, that guns the life completeness of a child, but no child should live without a mother no matter how good of a gunner they are.

I was just a moment of awaken but guilt obstructed my mind. I still could remember the terror that befell me and suppressing my pain of the sight of my arm, I let my mind drift to sleep although I could hear the police officers inquiring about my recovery and awakening as the stench of dried blood filled the room. I could smell it in my sleep it was savage, but I couldn’t excuse myself from it because I was the cause.

By the time I woke it was raining and dark. I was alone in there, I feared the dark plus it was the first time I had to sleep alone in a room, none the less on a bed. The night felt like a blessing more than a moment of pain and fear. I stayed awake for an hour in turns, captivating the peace and silence of the twilight twinkling from the streetlight that flattered the dirty floor, as the rain weakened in distress of filth. I thought of the nurse talking about my father.

“Morning”, greeted a cleaner, telling me I’ll go home later in the evening. Saddened I faked a smile, as she swiped in a tempestuous manner.

“Ahaha.”

“Why are you laughing? She asked me.

“Why are you not cleaning properly?”

“Child, they pay me cents and besides no one cares.”

“I care.”

“And you will be gone by the time I have to come back, so don’t judge me its life.”

As she cleaned, she found a letter in black plastic bag under my pillow. The cleaner looked at me as if I was up to good.

“Boyfriends lover letter, I will read it for you.”

Dear Lu

It’s been ages since I last saw you ugly.

Resuscitated my heart became when news of your waken arrived to me.

I miss you.

Work has been longer than I thought.

I wish I was there for you.

I’ve broken another promise, as nothing will happened to you so long as I live and don’t take into consideration that I am NO GOD.

I’m sorry.

Little light burn for you are the reason cousin brother Mac breaths and returns for the family name.

Your strength is his and his mine.

Yours loyal. J

P.S I left it to you to tell your own truth, I didn’t tell him.

I liked J for years, had a huge crush on him. If not for Mac, we would be more than just friends but we both feared him. Mac is to be the king of the north and east in the gang world, so no one dared come close to me because they would get shot at, if lucky he got trashed up, he said. The last dude I liked was threatened by Mac, told him he would cut off his dick, at that the boy urinated himself well begging for his life with gushing blood over his flipped lip. The sight of a 23-year-old urinating himself was funny to him, so he let him go. The only thing we ever talked about was school grades and how much we hated Aunt Bonnie. I was too young to hate her, but I did maybe, we both didn’t really know how we felt about her because we got what we needed to live. Bread dry or buttered we ate.

“Ncoo His so caring!” praised the cleaner, as I was lost in thought.

“Hey!”

“Ya ma”

“Where did you go off to?”

“No, I’m here.”

“Ok right,” as the police walked in.

“Miss good morning”, they greeted in their dull greased blue suits.

“Hope all is well.”

In a slapdash manner I replied, because I already knew why they were here and don’t like police. “I am as you see me Sir Mr. Officer”,

“Ok, young misswe are here for your statement of what happened to your right arm three days ago.”

“Oh, what do you want to know about what happened”?

“Listen young miss everyone is silent regarding this matter, you are the victim here, tell us what happened, and we will enforce justice upon those who have do this. Rumor has it your aunt Bonnie attended to murder you.”

“Aunt Bonnie is the victim here; she didn’t try to kill me. She accidently poured hot water on me well I was walking outside the back yard. So, I plead with you to release her, besides my wounds will heal, but losing the only person I dear as a mother will be awful for all of us at home…”

Not sure of what I have said they departed, looking rather confused. Lying was easy and they believed it, but they never seemed to believe truth even if it looked them at the eye like their souls in the mirror must because it wasn’t easy, and truth is stranger that friction anyway. It all seemed too comforting, bothering about a slum girl’s justice, aunt Bonnie must have done something to someone connected to the police, for them to go to such a length to get truths and statement. Everyday living is a nightmare for them because crime never sleeps cause we are alive, they should be grateful though because it’s the sole reason they got butter on their bread and sweet coffee to drink.

The sight of police officers inflames my anger like sparks of fire on a summer heat when in an Australian forest. It’s their lack of true justice that infuriates me, only a few honor their blue suits within and pass due callings. It’s not the department I detest it’s the individual’s that corrode the departments true existence. I may never get to spit on the faces of those that assist in sheading the blood of the innocent, but I can sure as hell rejoice in my imagination of revenge.

“Lulu.” Called a girly voice.

“I heard you were here, sorry about everything that happened. You know you, whatever you need just ask me.”

“Aha, okay.

My poor friend, she always says that whenever those she loves are sorrowful but never provides for what anything even when asked. Mac always said she says it for her selfish reasons, to make herself feel better, I know I would. She was good at pretending, hell if she was an actress, she would be an Oscar winner. She set besides me for some time, telling school stories the series stuff. I was enjoying it until the nurse came in and drugged me to sleep since I was still in pain, and they were out of pain killers. For a moment I thought how much people loved and cared for me, didn’t really know until now. I always thought it was everyone for themselves.

Chapter Two

 

The faith

Later that evening I got discharged, but there was no one to get me home. I sat for hours awaiting their arrival but still no one came. Enraged I decided to walk the criminally dominated streets in the cold winter breeze. From a distance under streetlights stood girls wearing almost nothing with their faces masked with make-up, skin so pale they looked like ghost as the winds wafted their short wretched skits almost plain off. A sweet sight for hungry perverts, since most of them wore no underwear and exposed their private part for all to see.

To my jolt I knew one of them, Zindi. Rumor has it she dropped out of school, two years ago because of financial struggles and joined her aunt’s night service, even though she didn’t want to she had to for the sake of her little sister. Scandals of her HIV status positiveness had no confines although they were false statements.

At times I got disgusted of her but I’m in no position to judge her because I don’t know what tomorrow will bring me either. She offered to walk me home, which I accepted. As we began to cover some distance a black luxurious car that reflected my reflection as if it were a mirror.

“Lu?”

“Yes,” I replied confused.

“Oh, my goodness Lu, I missed you, how are you?”

Angel, a high school friend she hasn’t been seen for weeks. Her hair long black with brown natural highlight. Her owl eyes consoled my wounded spirit, she looked like an Angel, her skin light you wouldn’t say she’s a black township girl unless she said so.

“Come in we’ll take you home, if you want its cold here.” She offered with a bold smile.

“Zindi, I see you well.” I smiled at her.

“Take time to live your life don’t rush it.” Whispering into my ear as she smiled and hugged me. “Bye Angel,” she looked at her with tears in her eyes as if about to cry and left. Angel didn’t even respond to her.

“Lu meets Jackson.”

“Hi”, I said wondering what he and Angel have in agreement.

He wasn’t the first and will not be the last sugar daddy that Angel will have. He had a golden wedding ring on him, good looking, seemed prosperous yet immoral, in Angel’s world that would be a super promotion considering she used to associate the wealthy man’s son whom no one ever knew with direct introductions. The story of fornication told itself before me and I had no right to judge it’s their lives. Even though Angel had all the men waiting to love and bed her, her heart longed for Bensin, the “poor” handsome boy in my street. We’ve been friends since jungle gym days.

On the road no one spoke to anyone, and the warm comforting car made me fall asleep.

“Lu! wake up, we are here.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“You welcome, take care and call me Jackson,” looking at me in bedroom eyes.

“Sure” blinking my eyes in confusion.

I stood by the gate for a moment yawning, wondering why lights were still on, the front door wide open and the door handle broken, the door shattered, glass ruins on the floor covered muddy boot footprints. Several appliances were missing, it’s like in these streets. Silently walking in as I stepped on glass towards the bedroom, there she laid in a pool of blood, naked her flowered dress torn besides the bed covered in blood.

She must have provoked one of her ex- boyfriends I thought. Although in pain I rushed for help next door, thank God Rose was in town with Grandma Lily. The sight would have destroyed her belief. For some reason rape was a strangely common thing in the townships. It happened outside in front of people, to children, no age was a limit. No one was too old or too young to be a victim, it’s so common that people would walk past it, if lucky victims walked away with pregnancy or STI infection, if unlucky in worst situation death but still most victims preferred to have died instead of fearing the denominational viruses in their veins and live to remember the moment that destroyed them as pure woman.

I had forgotten it was Sunday. Uncle Jakop sent the night in pubs drinking his weekend away, sometimes sleeps there every Sunday, I could hear them drunkenly singing, with gospels music playing in the background as they broke empty bottles in the street. The pub was nothing more than a small box made from zinc walls and roof.

“My baby”, man old enough to be my grandfather wanted my attention.

“Light, come light me up, baby!” as he twisted his stiff waist.

Terrified I raced for the door.

“Little light what are you doing here? Asked uncle Jakop.

“Thando was raped.”

“What, how, who?!” questioning belligerently as we had our way to the door.

“Light, come now.” The old men demanded.

“Come light up my jeans up.” Twisting hiswaist in a sexual manner.

Uncle Jakop disgusted takes a bottle of whiskey and throws it at him as the bottle breaks on the man’s head, he was set on fire.

“Uncle.”

“What, he did say to light his jeans up, right?”

“Ahahahaha Jakop! His mates laughed aloud as the man ran inside to put off the fire.

Uncle then introduced me to his new mates, then warns than now takes me, not touches me else there will be consequences.

“Ahahhahaha!”

“Uncle Thando is raped at home she needs you now.”

“Ok!” marching commander we are going.

Thinking to myself what a drunken old man is going to do anyway, his barely walking straight. As we walked, we noticed the house was full of people, they couldn’t believe she was still alive. Her heart rate silently stayed mute but beating as she lied almost died on the cold floor. Neighbors offered to take her to the hospital, so we agreed.

I kneeled at the back of the house stormed yet sadden as I prayed:

Dear lord have you forsaken us.

Our blood enriches the soul that sinners walk on.

I have lost what I held dear to my spirit of course apart from you.

My heart wounded. I hardly hear it beat.

Each breath pains me because I fear the wretched future that lays dormant like a volcano.

Bless my Uncle, aunt cousin brother Mac.

Forgive me for my sinning, please provide us the daily bread and that of which to satisfy our thirst.

Forgive me for my little faith in you Lord.

And thank you for life Lord.

“Amen.” Uncle Jakop completed as he sat beside me.

“At least there one thing Bonnie taught you.” He stated.

Later that night we arrived at the hospital, uncle Jakop still drunk but could see and walk, the smell of his breath made me temporary drunk too, virgin drinkers are easy friends always said, but was better that the afternoon stench.

“Ward 13D!”

“May I help you miss?” Offered a nurse.

“Yes, we are looking for Ann Thando Muris, she just got here.”

“Yes, she is in ward 13D.”

“Ward 13!” Cursed aloud uncle awakening near death patients, who need to long rest, as he tripped and fell in the steps injuring himself.

Once he laid his eyes on Thando, he stormed wretchedly breaking everything on his path.

“Sir You will have to leave, shouted the nurse as security assisted the nurse.”

It was that pretty nurse again, that helped me last night.

“Little light, I hope your arm is getting better.”

“Ya, it is. Uncle, wait what are you doing him.”

“Jakop is going to be fine don’t worry I’m putting him to sleep for now.”

They wrestled him to the ground trying to hold him as the nurse tried to inject him. “Fuck, he might be drunk but his no animal lady.”

She injected him as four men held him down.

“Drunk men have strength,” one of the security men double the size of uncle praised, as they carried him to a ward bed.

“Your uncle doesn’t like this room,” she stated.

“Why?”

“This is where your father died”.

“Oh”

For some reason I wasn’t sad. I wanted to be, but I couldn’t get myself to be sad. For some time, I sat there watching, thinking his spirit will come, how we looked, what I would say, but still I wondered why I was at peace should I be sad, angry, upset, was my heart that hard of a rock.

“Little light you should be going home, you have school in the morning. I’ll take you and you can stay at my house,” offered a neighbor.

On the way back home, I wondered who the insane idiot is, that broke in our house stole and rape Thando. Whoever they are have a death wish, playing with Macs family.

By The time we got home it was dawn, chickens madly crocking, and streets misty yet looked innocent in its isolation. I’ve never seen it so clear even the stench of air wasn’t that ruthless in its smothering company. The neighbor warned me not to go home, but I ignored their warnings and went in looking for cloths. In entering I found nothing but blood everywhere in the bedroom. I went out soaked red in blood my feet. I didn’t realise I was crying until I was asked.

“Hey lu, why so down girl, is that blood, who died?” asking me ever so casually.

I loudly cried some more before answering him, he tired consoling me as he reaped me in his arms, and he was the only one that could in Mac and J absences.

“Hey, I’ll pay for your bus ticket,” hopelessly offering a bribe to silence my sorrow.

“I don’t have cloths or uniform; I cannot go like this.”

“Of course, you not going looking like that darling you awful,” speaking in a girly toned voice.

“AHAHAHA,”weakly laughing at him.