Chapter 5 Sarah's Point of View.

Just when I had entered the sitting room to greet Nana and Nina, I saw a gentleman sitting on the bench in the corner of the sitting room watching Nana and Nina doing homework. He was a gentleman who were clothes that seemed weather beaten. He seemed to be a black American with a quiet manner and a noticeable slouch.

Sarah: Hey, I am Sarah Zarina. How are you? (As she extended her hand)

Zac: Hello I am Zacharia you can call me Zac in short.

Sarah: Nice to meet you Zac.

Zac: Nice to meet you too. (He said this with a simple smile which tried to hide the sadness in his voice.)

Zara: Surprise, surprise I brought you a friend (she said this as she entered the dining room with a kettle containing hot tea.

Sarah: It is nice meeting him grandma.

Zara: He is the grandson to our neighbor Mrs. Olive. He will be joining the university at the start of next month. He came to give me a hand in sweeping this compound. The twigs were giving me a big problem you know. (She said this as she poured Zac a cup of hot tea) Welcome Zac, you can have some tea with bread.

Zac: Thank you Mrs. Zara. I really appreciate.

Zara: Sarah, will you have some? I know that you must be really hungry. When was the last time that you had a decent meal in this house? Definitely not that I can remember.

Sarah had a habit of skipping meals so that she could allow her sisters to get something after they came back from school. This would in turn make her grandparents relaxed a bit away from the crying of the little ones.

Sarah: No grandma, let me refreshen a bit. I had a long day in school today.

She said this to give time to the visitor to eat to his fill. Her preference was to guys who were really humble and could do anything that they came across, That was the definition of the gentleman that sjhe preferred to herself.

Zara: It is fine my dear, I like it when you eat so that you can grow in to a fine young woman.( She said this as they broke down in to a rib cracking laughter)

Sarah could not believe what she was experiencing at that moment. This guy had inky dark hair and a masculine aura that she liked a lot. Her grandfather was a tall man whose main job was trimming gardens and hedges in the posh suburbs that she knew nothing about.

Her room was a little room that was partitioned from that of her younger sisters using a cardboard. This was just meant to accord her the privacy that was required and nothing more.

Lying on her small bed, looking up to the ceiling, she hard the soumd of her grandmother calling her.

"Sarah, your friend Shannon is here to see you," her grandmother called at her.

"Okay tell her that I am coming," she replied as she slid off her clothes that she had worn throughout that day which seemed a bit dusty.

"Fine, she is waiting do no keep her for long," her grandma reminded her.

"Pour her some tea as I take a shower," she said as she hurried towards the tiny room located at the corner of the house that they referred to as a shower.

She splashed the freezing water on herself and headed back to her room were she wore a cloth that she used for home only.

"Sarah, it is long since I set my eyes on you," Shannon said as son as she saw her entering the sitting room.

"Hey Shannon, yeah it has been really long," she said as she caged her in a warm hug.

Sarah was a completely different person at home. She was a free girl who liked interacted with her friends and everyone that she met in the course f her walks that she made severally in the ghetto.

Shannon was a friend of hers who had been searching for jobs just like she was during the school holidays. They had gone to several places but they had not been successful.

She studied at a school in the ghetto where Sarah admired so much to study in. She had however continued with her search for a part time job when the schools had reopened.

"Sarah, there is a restaurant which is just opening across the road," She broke the news to her friend.

"What? That is so nice. I wish they did so when the schools were still closed" Sarah said pitifully. She knew that her grandmother would never allow her to do any job while she was still studying at the same time.

"We can do this. I was proposing that we take the evening shift that only goes for three hours." Shannon pressed on as she sipped the steaming tea that she had been served earlier.

"You know the problem is my grandma. Convincing her to accept that proposal will be the biggest challenge," Sarah replied in a regretful tone.

What Sarah did not know was that her grandmother was hearing whatever they were saying. She was so proud that her daughter had the discipline and the values that she had brought her up in still intact.

"I can talk to her on your behalf. I am sure that she will give it a consideration since it is not a big distance from home," Shannon said in a confident tone.

"It would be a big favor as if you do that for me," Sarah replied excitedly a she made her way very fast to the kitchen where Mrs. Zara was kneading dough as she prepared to cook supper.

She expected the short thumping steps which were coming closer to her anytime. She hid her infectious smile beneath the serious face that she wore.

Shannon as expected made the request stating that this was a job that they had been actively looking for for months on end and had failed to secure.

"The vacancies will be filled in a short time if there is any kind of delay by Sarah in applying for it," she said in a finality.

"Can I discuss this with Sarah first? I do not know even if she likes working there," Mrs. Zara said wisely.

"Sarah who had been hiding behind the door to get the information directly from the horse's mouth appeared and stated that it was her wish to work so that she could help with anything that was not in the house.

"You have the permission from me to apply for the job only if you promise that the job will be second to your studies. The moment that I realize that you are not concentrating in school as required I will withdraw that privilege," she said as Sarah hugged her thanking her for the permission.

That day ended with Sarah tendering her application to Tasty restaurant as a waitress. Zac also got to make the applications.

She could not hide her joy. They were now guaranteed to be getting regular meals. On top of that, she could meet with her friend Shannon and Zac.

She had began liking Zac a great deal because of his physical appearance. She has never had a liking for any person of the opposite gender at all since she was very young. Sarah promised herself that she could improve her looks so as to impress him.