Some nights we had to go to sleep hungry Some nights we had to go to sleep hungry and wait until after school the next day for something to eat, whether it was porridge, bread or whatever was available, and it had to be enough for me and my siblings.
One evening gunshots went off in the street. We crawled under the bed, because my aunty said that the shots could fly through the window and hit us. The next day I got into an argument with my teacher at school because I was disturbed and could not concentrate. I kept on crying, even though I did my best to keep back my tears. He said that the classroom was no place to discuss gangsters and that we should work. I told him that he did not respect me and then he threw the chalkboard duster at me. It hit my head.”
I was forced to apologise to the teacher or be expelled. I did not want to be expelled from school, so I apologised. In my head I said to myself that I was saying sorry for doing the right thing.”
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