You know life was pretty cool, I was just hangin out, I was kinda good at soccer - well okay I was the best. My team Hyena’s, we were taking everyone by storm, we came from no-where and suddenly we were wiping the floor with everybody. The word on the street was that I was “hot” man, and ya know I kinda figured I had it goin as well. Man United here I come!!
And maybe it’s just a dream, but hey we’ve all gotta have dreams right and hey I aint gonna hang around Highfields all my life. But now, jeez I dunno. Coz I’ve gotta admit my hormones have just got me in trouble big time and I mean big time.
I’m sure all you guys know what I’m talking about when I say there are times when you feel like that “urge” just can’t be controlled - git it? But take a tip from someone who knows, try to control it - believe me try. Coz you do not want to go through what I’ve been through. So here’s the thing. I’m hanging out one night with Linda, who I practically grew up with, and I’m really low coz I’ve had to miss a major league game in Bulawayo to go to some boring family wedding. Anyway so Linda and I end up in Nock’s cabin, and it’s raining, and she had to change into my shirt, and there’s nothing else to do and so we just end up doin it. It was great though, but I didn’t really want to do it - well not with Linda. The minute it was over I kind regretted it. Linda’s a great girl and, I guess, to be honest I have been kinda flirting with her but as a girlfriend??? Nah.
I want something different, slick, out of this world. And you know what I think I found it. Little did I know that missing that football match was going to change my life! I’m at the wedding right, and I see this gorgeous girl, I mean she is right out of my league. But she’s with the dorkiest guy and I figure hey I’ve got it all over him, so I move right on in there. I’m just about to kiss her - can you believe - when he walks in, so I make like a rat and slide out of sight. Anyway he mentions her school so I figure I can always track her down later.
Linda becomes kind of a pain though, you know. Suddenly, just coz we did it, she seems to think we’re some kind of item. I try to give her the hint without saying it outright, coz I don’t want to hurt her feelings or anything but she just doesn’t get it. Finally she confronts me and it was awful, I didn’t handle it very well. But then she tries to tell me she’s pregnant. Of course I thought it was just a ploy to suck me in, I mean one time.
But she wasn’t lying. She was pregnant and she tried to get rid of it - herself - at home. If I hadn’t dropped round to visit she could have died. It just blows my mind. I guess I didn’t cope very well; I mean would you? I just pushed the whole thing away, I don’t want to marry Linda and I’m not ready to have a kid - I’m only seventeen. You know the really freaky thing is that while all this is going on with Linda the rest of my life is a bomb. I’m doing better than ever on the field, they even want to sign me for down south, and I have managed to charm the totally hot Juliet, although I aint never gonna charm her mum, she don’t like me at all! Seriously though I thought Juliet and I really had it going on - I’m talking future man.
Linda got expelled which I felt kinda bad about and got sent to the village to have the kid. I felt guilty but sorta glad that it all seemed to have gone away and I didn’t have to worry anymore. Although I always did you know, deep down, sometimes I’d just get that sick feeling but usually I could push it away. But then Skido got sick, he’s HIV+, I mean Skido. I know guys aren’t supposed to cry but I’m telling you bru. The one thing is, it did make me decide to be straight with Juliet and tell her the truth, and I did try but somehow there was never the right moment. And maybe that’s it, there never is a right moment to say those tough things but I found that you just have to, coz otherwise man they just keep building up and one day BOOM there it is in your face. Or in my case, on my doorstep!
Linda dumped the baby man, on me; I mean what am I supposed to do with a baby? For about three crazy hours I thought I could keep it secret, but babies, all they do is cry and crap, and cry and crap. I definitely can not cope with this baby on my own. I tried talking to Linda but she was off with some other guy, he wants to marry her, and to help her finish her schooling, but he’s not so keen on someone else’s kid - well my kid. Yeah, that’s it - my kid. He’s my kid so I’ve got to make sure he’s taken care of you know. It didn’t really hit me until my teacher said one option was to take him to a home for abandoned babies - there’s no way bru that my baby is going to one of those places. So I had to take him home. Yep my mum was pretty shocked, actually furious is probably the word, and Juliet - well she didn’t find it too amusing either - in fact she doesn’t wanna know right now. I guess I hurt her pretty bad. So Life! Well it sure aint goin the way I thought it would. But Dad and I talked it over and I guess the only thing to do is focus on my football, maybe I can still make it to the top - earn enough to look after Ronaldo (hey he’s gotta have a footy name - right?!) and I guess try and make him proud of me.