CHANGE
Rebone Makgato
SHORT FICTION
By Rebone Makgato
CHANGE
Short Fiction Story
By Rebone Makgato
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Rebone Makgato
Smashwords
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CHANGE
FOR BIZO KUMALO, life had not always been smooth. For starters, at forty-five he had never married. The thought of marrying had never occurred to him, though. Worse still, work opportunities were too scarce to support a family, considering his educational background. Wherever he went looking for a job, he was told about a diploma or degree. This counted negatively against him. Bizo had practically no employable skills, so job hunting for him was narrowed down to loafing around Pimville. He did odd jobs like gardening, mending roofs and an odd house painting for a fee.
Bizo was a remarkable sight: a longish head with greying goatee, sharp, rodent-like eyes that scanned every situation, and a burly don’t-mess-with-me physique to go with it. He was middle-aged but still lived in a room in his aged mother’s backyard. His younger brother, Damon, and thirty-year old sister Dineo shared the main council matchbox house with their mother.
Until lately, Bizo’s life had been in shambles. But somehow, with support from his family, and unwavering resolve, he decided to pull it together. With borrowed money from his granny, he started a fruit and vegetable stall at Pimville train station. There were no other opportunities for survival. Vending fruit and vegetables was a risky, costly business – everyone unemployed seemed to be going that route. So competition was stiff. But one thing that counted on Bizo’s favour was that he was well known, and older ladies felt particularly heartened to support him. So Bizo persevered.
As Bizo went on with his business, for the past two or three months he began to see that the business was turning healthy profit. As he was able to save away an agreeable sum, he became naturally able to afford thinking about marriage. He yearned for a normal life and a family, maybe one or two kids he could call his own. He had always had a special place in his heart for children. But the problem with Bizo was that at forty-five there was really no woman who had taken his fancy. He attributed this problem to having been away from home the best part of his life. It was difficult for him striking a meaningful conversation, let alone winning a charming lady for a date.