Mondli Tshabalala

Mondli Tshabalala

My first day in a new school Grade 7 Edleen Primary, I met this other kid who was also new. His name Mondli, we seemed to get along quite good. We were paired in the same class and we formed a friendship. Mondli was a great guy, genuine guy, he was into hip-hop and he could Krump! That was so HUGE back then! Although new, his Krumping made him popular in the school. Plus he was from Tembisa so he was relatively known. No one fucked with Mondli because he won't hesitate to fuck you up! Trust me, he wasn't no bitch. He was a new kid but only on paper, everybody knew who he was. My ties were all new. I was in uncharted territory, one could even say a foreigner. Me and Mondli became good friends. I liked him, he was always so good to me and he was talented. He was my link to how the kids in a new territory operated. I learned early on that I shouldn't be timid or these new kids would take advantage of me. People needed to know that I wasn't no pussy and that I could hold my own. So early in the first term, I fucked up some kid named Kleinboy who tested my frame. It wasn't my intention to beat up the kid but he initiated everything and worse there were eyes looking. If I back down, I am doomed forever! I had to get my hands dirty. I fucked him up, perfect. You see he didn't know I had ties in Gomora and I could fight, he thought I was some cheeseboy - big mistake Kleinboy. Poor kid, after I fucked him up he was sent to the principal's office for initiating the fight. My stock grew after that fight and no one fucked with me again. I was worthy of chilling with Mondli.

Mondli being a cool kid and all contemplated of purchasing a new bag in the second-term. He wanted a Kerimore. Truthfully speaking, I don't even know the bag hence my spelling is so off. He told me the bag cost R1200, I was appalled. However he was deadly serious. On the day he was supposed to purchase the bag, he couldn't find it so he settled and bought a "Red Mountain" bag. I didn't know what it was but it was a cool bag. I didn't care much about bags but that "Red Mountain" bag was awesome - period! He was one of the few people in school at the time who had a "Red Mountain" and his peers were envious. Still, he expressed his disappointment to me for not getting the Kerimore bag, I still didn't know what a Kerimore was. Then one day, we saw a kid from Sir Pierre High School with a Kerimore bag and he pointed it to me. I was confused. It looked like his "Red Mountain" bag exactly! I am not even exegerating - they looked the same! The only difference was the branding. That interaction seemed to only compound Mondli's disappointment. So after two weeks of purchasing that "Red Mountain" bag, he decided he wanted another bag. He told me that he saw this cool "Nike" bag that cost R900 and that he would buy it. I thought he was kidding but the next week he bought it. That's not all, he gave me his "Red Mountain" bag! It was basically new! He had only used that "Red Mountain" bag for 2-3 weeks! I couldn't believe it, I was grateful and I thanked him. Before the "Red Mountain" bag, I had this huge bag that had wheels - yes, unfortunately I was that kid. But now I had a "Red Mountain" bag. In just one move, Mondli elevated my status to a cool kid. I will always love Mondli for that! That guy's love for me was genuine. I used that "Red Mountain" bag until the 9th grade in high school. True, I used it sparingly in High school but it lasted that long - for 3 years! Mondli and I attended the same High School, I still had my "Red Mountain" bag while his Nike bag was a dinosaur. In fact he couldn't even remember it anymore.

Mondli's last contribution in my life was Senzile. In the 8th grade, he saw her and lost his mind! He is the guy I am talking about on the "Senzile" post. Now do you understand Senzile's significance in my life? Senzile is linked to Mondli Tshabalala and hence she will forever be perfect. Mondli Tshabalala was the best! Thank you God, Universe for that wonderful interaction. I am eternally grateful.