BROTHERHOOD
By: Blessing Njodzi
Tags: Basketball, Life, Brotherhood, Youth, Love

Photo by the two brothers and edited by Blessing Njodzi

It was sunny that day, as per usual, unlike the country I am currently located in. Step by step, with thighs as large as life itself and as thick as the pillars of the Pantheon, I marched home at a slow pace. My primary school was approximately 1.5 km from home and my parents gave me the liberty to walk to and fro on most days. My mind was racing from topic to topic, theme to theme, like a movie trailer. I was bored and I missed my brother too, who was currently in Bulawayo, studying Accounting at Solusi University.

‘So, what can I do to pass time,’ I thought to myself. I leaned down and picked up a few stones. Now I pretended to be Malinga or Morkel or whoever and bowled out some few people. I actually got 5 wickets and this was a good day. With each wicket, I would shout “Howzii,” at least that’s what I used to hear Ricky Ponting or Bret Lee shout.

In no time I was home. I greeted the maid, bid her a fair afternoon and proceeded to my room. I changed into appropriate home gear and rushed to the refrigerator or stove, whichever place had the best dish

Mum usually cooked something in the morning before she left such as liver or eggs, and the like. On this particular day, I saw a dark, murky meal staring back at me from the pot. It had been portioned so I disportioned it and then apportioned it once more. I was 3 pieces of meat ahead and I was not feeling guilty. 5 pieces of Proton sliced bread accompanied it and down it went into my oesophagus. never again to see the light of day, or at least upon departure from my body, it would have a glimpse.

As I ate, I tuned into Cartoon Network on DSTV and was met by a dog called Courage, who I thought should have been should have been called Cowardly, the courageously coward dog. 10 minutes into the episode, I heard the chain which bound one of the bars on the gate rattle. I ran to the window in a bid to check who it was.

A tall figure it was. Muscular with broad shoulders accompanied by two heavy bags, one in each hand. They were well balanced in his hands as did the Lady of Justice the scales. At this point, his head was pointed downwards so I didn’t know who it was. Then suddenly the face lifted and dopamine rushed through my body faster than a bullet from the movie Wanted.

It was Godwin, my big brother. He had never told me he was coming back today, but rather, how could I have known? I had almost forgotten that I had no cell-phone then, just the landline which I mostly used to call my parents or brothers or their girlfriends in case they weren’t answering. Back in the day, you had to know numbers by heart and Sheron’s, for example was 0772 72… Of course, I will not continue lest the audience indulgeth itself or trieth to snatch the diamond I and my brother found together.

Back to the living room and I am staring out of the window. Without thinking, I left the cartoon episode at its climax and food, my second-best thing, in order to rush and greet him. With bare feet, a bare back, slightly protruding belly and a piece of liver meat on the angle of my mouth, I ran towards him and jumped on him to top it all off. I was quite a handful of kilograms but nevertheless, he was a Hercules so it was a win-win situation. He let down the luggage from both hands and hugged me back.

“I didn’t know you were coming back today. Mom never told,” I said.

“Well, we finished earlier this semester and I had to come back, was I supposed to buy a house there?” Godwin said sarcastically.

For that time and the next few years, sarcasm was a foreign subject to me and even during comedy shows, I would laugh because my brothers were laughing, which by the way, irritated them. So, in response I just smiled because I didn’t know what to say.

I continued, “How was uni?” genuinely asking and climbing off of him.

“It was good, as usual. I am just tired, the journey drained me. Bulawayo kure chaiko.”

“So, in short you want to sleep hantii?”

“Yes, correct baba.”

My face still glistened with joy from seeing him. I just knew that he studied in that city but no idea where and how far it was from our place. Ignorance or poor in geography, I don’t remember.

“Yo, my guy, you have gained weight. You never stop eating, do you?” A laugh came with this remark. His laugh was one of his trademarks, meaning to say if he planned to rob any of his friends with a skii mask on but laughed whilst at it, he would be caught there and then. His laugh was, and still is one of the major signs of my brother’s craziness. It is a mixture of gargling and giggling as if trying to force something out of your throat, with a show of teeth and rain from mouth-land.

I laughed back, took no offence, pulled my stomach in and in self-defence answered, “It’s genetics boss.”

I helped him carry the bags into the house, as heavy as they were. The highlight of my day as it were.

“WELCOME TO BROTHERHOOD, WHERE BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER.”