Lindi stood at the kiosk counter and marked her six numbers. She didn’t need to think about it. These are the same numbers she played on every lottery ticket she ever bought.
8 because it’s infinity. 12 because her little sister – who is her favourite person in the whole world – was born on the 12th of January. 18 because that is how old she was when she bought her first ticket. 27 because her birthday is the 27th of February. 33 because the double 3s seem lucky. And 40 because that’s the age she wants to retire!
She played the lottery every Wednesday for the past seven years. The first time she just cashed her paycheck and wanted to celebrate with something significant despite having many things to pay for like her room and board and sending money home to her family.
Lindi wandered past a supermarket on the main road and saw the lottery sign. She laughed out loud, “Imagine if I won the jackpot on my first try?” and had to go for it. That day it wasn’t so easy to mark her numbers. She debated the best ones for close to a half hour, refusing to play a random selection. She wanted to write her destiny and not leave it entirely to chance.
Finally, she bought the ticket and felt accomplished, but she still wanted something to show for her newfound adulthood. Further down the main road, she stopped outside a Chinese import shop. In the window, was the perfect thing — a shiny pair of black patent leather high heels.
A few minutes later she was wobbling down an imaginary runway in the store with her grubby work pants rolled up to the knees and a pair of size 5s on her feet. This was the first time she ever walked in high heels that fit her. Previously it was her mama’s heels when she played dress up as a kid, way too big for her feet.
Finally, these were hers and they were red bottoms. Not real ones of course, but in that moment she told herself that she would wear the fake ones until she could afford the real ones.
It took a couple of days to get good at walking in them but that she did every day to and from work. She dressed in her best clothes, put on the heels and walked along the main street from the boarding house at the one end to her work at the fast food restaurant on the other end. She loved passing the long glass shopfronts where she could see her reflection, listening to the rhythm of the heels on the pavement. She didn’t love the cat-calling when she passed the fisherman at the wharf, back from their morning catch, untangling their nets, but endured it. She even got used to the teasing at work when colleagues asked her “who does she think she is” when she’d swap her glam for the navy t-shirt and pants, and put away her red bottoms for the black rubber shoes that were mandatory as part of the uniform.
Lindi knew she was destined for bigger things and she wanted to look the part. “Dress for success” she told herself. Every day she worked the drive-thru station with a smile, curiously taking in the people she served. She imagined what their normal lives were like, what they left behind them for the short break at the sea. She then imagined what her life would be like with a fancy car, and a home of her own, all paid for by the business she planned to build.
At the end of the shift, she would glam up again and take the trip back home. In the afternoon, the fisherman would be long gone and she would take the boardwalk instead of the shop-lined busy main street. She was careful to not let a heel dip into the gaps between the planks. She would find an empty bench and watch the sun slowly set, the last of its rays glaring off the water.
Finally, she would make her way home, settling into an evening of assignments and studying. Two years after starting her job she enrolled for her BCom Business Management. Studying through correspondence takes longer but she was determined to get her degree and start her own business. She wanted to employ young women who had just completed high school with no prospects of further study or work opportunities. She wanted to train them up and together build her business and give them valuable experience.
Lindi had struggled to find a job when she was 18, done with school and suddenly a burden to her family as an extra adult mouth to feed. Overnight her childhood was over. Her village was inland, deep in the hills far away from industry. She had spent several weeks travelling from town to town looking for work, often relying on charity to eat and forced to find a shelter of sorts to sleep under. As she was heading further away from home, she set her sights on the ocean. She always wanted to see it in real life, and this was the best chance she would get.
That’s how she found herself in Nettle Cove. She was charmed by the quaint old-fashioned styling of the shops, seemingly unaware that the world around the town had evolved so much. She marveled at the long wooden boardwalk that stretched as far as the eye could see between the main street and the beach. But she was so mesmerised by the beauty of the water watching the waves roll in and out, that she had let the whole day go by before realising it was dark and she hadn’t eaten. It was a warm night so she curled up on a bench and waited out the night.
Early the next morning, starved but still in awe of the ocean, she walked along the boardwalk waiting for the shops to open so she could continue her job search. Suddenly the smell of freshly baked bread filled her with longing for home and she followed her nose to the bakery. A friendly smile on a stranger made her burst into tears. The woman took pity on Lindi and offered her a loaf of bread, and urged her to come back at closing time.
Bolstered with a full stomach, Lindi spent the day calling at every business she could but returned despondent, sitting outside the bakery watching the sun set. At least she saw the ocean, she told herself, expecting to leave the town the next day.
The woman locked the bakery and led Lindi to her home, introducing herself as Gladys. Lindi couldn’t pay for it but Gladys assured her, “One day you will help another woman and so we will pass it on.”
The next morning a sign went up outside a construction site announcing that a fast food restaurant would be opening and they had jobs to fill. There was hope. Lindi put her name on the list and within a week she was on a bus to the city every day with her new colleagues for training. A few weeks later the restaurant opened and Lindi stayed in Nettle Cove.
After her studies in the evenings, Gladys called her for dinner. Lindi was grateful for Gladys’s constant support, with their friendship growing so strong that the passing years have been enjoyable in her company.
The only frustration for Lindi was the pressure her family put on her. At least once a week her mama would message for Lindi to call home. Dutifully she did but every time she had to listen to mama reminding her of the sacrifices that were made to put her through school. Lindi was not ungrateful for it and she sent money home when she could but the cost of living plus her studies left very little to send.
Her family had never been further away from the village than the next town. They didn’t understand how others lived and what it took to survive in a modern world. She never even told them how she had to live all those weeks on the road. And she didn’t want to be disrespectful but she couldn’t do more. Lindi hadn’t been home since she started studying – she couldn’t afford to take the time off work or the cost of the trip, and she wouldn’t be able to face her family empty-handed.
On these calls her mama accused her of being selfish for wanting to study further. Once Lindi tried to explain that the studying would lead to a better job that would lead to her being able to support them better – but mama could only see the immediate situation that to her looked like Lindi wasn’t doing enough for the family. Lindi felt guilt and shame every time she paid her tuition but she couldn’t give up on her dreams. One day her mama would understand, she consoled herself.
This was her life. She went to work every day, studied at night, played the lotto every week and paid her tuition before she sent money home.
Then one day, while sitting at the kitchen table talking with Gladys, a message vibrated on her phone. Lindi almost ignored it, wishing she could pretend to be asleep already. She called home and was flooded by guilt when her “hello mama” was answered by a barely inteligible tearful reply, “Lindi, my child, we need you.”
Lindi’s grandmother had fallen ill and they needed money to take her to hospital. “But mama, I don’t get paid until next week,” she cried shamefully. If only she wasn’t studying! She would not have enough to send home because she had to pay for her exams. They were the final credits she needed to graduate and it had already taken her two years longer than normal to finish the degree because she could only afford a few subjects at a time. She was so close.
Lindi couldn’t hold back her tears, feeling helpless. Gladys’s strong arms wrapped around her, “We will make a plan, my friend,” she said, “We will find a way.” Gladys was closer to her mama’s age than to Lindi’s but she always referred to her as an equal – a friend – instead of the typical elder. Gladys’s husband started the bakery and when he died she kept it going. They never had children and all alone she decided to take boarders in to give her company. Many times her generosity helped someone that was down and out, and almost always, the favour was returned – even if many years passed in between.
The next day Gladys loaned Lindi enough money to send home. Now as Lindi stood playing her numbers she said a little prayer and thanked God for the kindness of good people. A few hours later, as Gladys and Lindi sat at the kitchen table listening to the winning numbers, excitement built one number at a time. To Lindi’s amazement she had five matching numbers. She squealed with delight and handed her ticket to Gladys. The winnings would be more than she had lent, but giving it all to her friend made Lindi feel better and some of the guilt melted away.
The two woman danced in the kitchen in celebration.
This story was written as part of my YOU ChooseDay feature where YOU Choose the prompts for character, situation, object and setting. Then I write the story.
PS – Yes I know the image is of red patent leather shoes and not actual Christian Louboutins but I’m pretty sure that there’s some copyright law that wouldn’t be happy with me using their shoes. Plus the red looks cool, doesn’t it?
