Umbilicus: An autobiographical novel

SCHOOLGIRL

'WHAT WERE YOU LIKE at that age? I mean, what were your favourite subjects at school?'

'English and Art were my favourites. I won the Art prize in Standard Five, and the Poetry prize in Standard Seven. At the risk of sounding conceited, there wasn't a single year that I didn't have art, or essays, or poems published in the school magazine. Oh, and my designs always ended up being selected for the programme covers of school plays and sports days and stuff.'

'Oh, that's wonderful!' She seems genuinely proud.

'But I hated Maths. No, hate isn't a strong enough word. I loathed Maths. With every fibre of my being. In Standard Eight I dropped to Standard Grade — it was the only subject I didn't do on Higher Grade for Matric — and my folks still had to pay for me to go to weekly private lessons, just to help me scrape through. The only reason I did Maths instead of Typing was so I could get a university exemption; at that stage I was seriously looking at going on to study Journalism at Rhodes. As it turned out, because of a boyfriend at the time — the same one in that Matric Dance photo, funnily enough — I ended up staying in Durbs and did Graphic Design at Natal Tech instead. But I still have nightmares about failing stupid Maths.'

'Did you do Music at school?'

'Ja. Not as an official subject, like one you write exams for. But, like PE and RE, it was one of those things we all had to do up till Matric. In junior school I was in the choir. I actually sang a solo in an inter-schools choral eisteddfod. But I can't read music or play an instrument to save my life.'

'Hey, a voice is an instrument! Don't sell yourself short. The reason I ask is because, besides being incredibly artistically talented, Dylan is also a brilliant musician. I wondered if he'd passed any of that down to you.' She thinks a second. 'You sound like quite a creative kid. And what about sports? Did you play any sports at school?'

'In junior school and early high school I did swimming and athletics. I wasn't particularly good at any one discipline, although I did run relay at Durban and Districts once. I was always the third leg runner in the four by one hundred metre race.'

'That's fantastic! Must be those long legs.'

'Thanks.' It feels a bit strange giving this woman a breakdown of your whole school life, but she seems interested, so you continue. 'The only sports I did right through my entire school career were netball and tennis. But I never made it into the first team or anything. I played because I had to.'

'How do you mean?'

'Well, it's funny you ask, because there's something I wanted to pick your brain about. If you know of anyone else in the family who's got what I've got.'

She looks slightly alarmed. Bracing herself for the news that she might've passed down some weird and wonderful hereditary disease.

You push up the sleeve of your finely crocheted top to expose a jagged, pink, ten-centimetre scar on your right elbow. You can still see where all the stitches punctured the skin.

'What happened there? Did you break your arm?' Her voice is filled with concern.

'I wish it were that simple. But it's quite a bit more complicated than that.'

You sense her steeling herself for the full explanation.