The Red Dress

This is a story about a young teenage girl who's rescued from street life by a rich middle class family but as time goes on, she comes to discover that she means nothing to them but a slave.

It was a rainy cold evening and Joyce had just got in her car when in the left side mirror of her Toyota Land cruiser, appeared a small figure yelling and waving hands after her. Poking her head out of the window, she noticed that it was a young girl of twelve or thirteen hustling her way through the parked cars on speke road. From the distance, the middle aged accountant observed that the young girl was none other than one of those homeless kids who wandered from car to car begging the middle class people for money. Jesus Christ! She wondered watching the poor young girl running swiftly towards her car. Her scruffy clothes were dripping and her uncombed hair looked as if it hadn’t been shaved since she was born.
“Good evening Mama” greeted the young girl tapping on the window.
“Good evening child” answered the Joyce in a friendly tone.
For a moment, Joyce stared at her rubbing her foot against the other and slowly shoved her hand into her small hand bag on her lap.
“Child” She said holding out coin of five hundred shillings. “Am sorry, this is all I have, perhaps you’re so angry, ain’t you?”
“Yes, am so hungry, I will buy some pan cakes with that, Mama” The child said pointing at the coin in Joyce’s hand.
“Wait child” Joyce said. “ I’ve another suggestion dear. Would you want to hear it?”
The child nodded, keeping her hand stretched out through the window.
“Good child” said Joyce smiling at her. “ What if I give you a job?. You would sleep well, eat well and have new clothes for a simple work a child like you can afford to do? Would you accept child?”
The child nodded again and retrieved her hand smiling.
“Good child, what’s your name dear?” asked Joyce scanning her dark dirty blouse that looked as if it had been glued on her because of rainfall.
“Anja” answered the girl softly.
“A-?
“Anja” she repeated it louder
“Anja” confirmed Joyce shaking her head. “ Good, now Anja, do you’ve your parents?”
The young girl shook her head, looking away in a silent protest and Joyce while still staring at her sorrowful little face, knew that she was getting nowhere with her interview.
“Fine, fine child. You’re talking to a woman who would like to be your another mother, giving you everything a mother gives to her child”
“I thank you Mama.” The young said with a grinning face
“And am taking you with me, child” continued Joyce opening the door for her. “Come in dear”
“Thank you Mama” The young girl said and climbed into the car without hesitation.

As far as poor Anja could remember, she had been in a car once, that had been seven months ago when her father, a construction worker had brought her to Kampala. It had been a long journey from Kisoro to the capital but she had wished the journey would be quite longer. The seats in the coach had been comfortable, the small TV in front had been something she had not seen before, and the whole experience of looking out the window and watching trees, houses and hills passing by had excited her beyond any description. Months had passed with her dreaming of when she and her father would travel in the bus again because he had promised her that they would go back to Kisoro on Christmas but her dreams had been shuttered when her father had married a violent single mother in Kampala shortly after her arrival. At first, things had been good between her and her step mother, then with her father’s frequent absence, she had been held responsible for every coin lost in the house, every plate broken, spoons , forks…and all this had came with severe whackings and floggings. One day after being denied of food by her step mother, Anja had prayed that an angel would appear and carry her back to Kisoro, into the hands of her loving grand mother but the angel had not, instead, she had decided to find her own way into the street where children of her own age roamed freely as they wished. Not familiar with the street life and survival, she had regretted having left the abusive and violent step mother but now that God had sent an angel with a beautiful car and wonderful promises, she started wondering how long it would take them to arrive at her new mother’s home. she was hungry and the wet dirty clothes on her were starting to heat up but this didn’t seem like a problem at all as long as she kept the thoughts of new clothes and good food in her minds. This rich good hearted woman was going to be her new mother forever and this could only be a miracle that rarely comes to many people at the time when they need it the most; Anja's mother had died shortly after her birth and despite the fact that she had not even tried to imagine how she had looked like, she could see her now driving her home in a beautiful comfortable car. She felt loved. she felt safe and she couldn’t keep the excitement secretly confided in her heart but then, there was a problem, this new mother was not talking at all and she wanted to get her into a conversation. She wanted her to know how thankful she was to be in safe hands of a good hearted woman.
“Mama' she muttered softly “Where are we now?” she said looking at the buildings through dark window glasses.
There was silence at first and a glow of smile swept at the woman’s cheeks as she stretched her left hand to reduce the volume of her radio.
“What is it child, Hungry?” inquired the accountant.
“Not so much Hungry, mama” answered the child anxiously.
“ Patient” said the accountant patting on her shoulder “ be patient dear. We shall be home in few minutes, okay?”
“How far is home Mama?” asked the child impatiently. It was getting dark and the sparkling City lights glowed on the dark windshield of Joyce’s land cruiser like a morning sunshine upon a hill. Far in the distance, a residential apartment building stood tall with it’s elegant security lights alighting the way and Joyce with one hand on the steering, she pointed her finger some miles ahead.
“look, child!” she said pointing. “A few yards behind that building, we will be home”. The young girl smiled and tilted her butt as if she was on a hot seat. Her dirty evaporating clothes were drying up slowly on her but the bad odor that came from them hit Joyce’s nostrils like a smell of a dead rat whenever she tilted herself uncomfortably. It was disgusting but it was bearable.

As soon as the Toyota land cruiser pulled into the parking yard, a looking middle aged man came out of the house with two little kids yelling and clinging to his dark brown shorts. He took a few strides down the stairs and pointed his finger towards the Land cruiser.
“look, Jack!” he whispered and pushed the little boy in front of him. “ It’s mom coming”
On hearing the word mom, the little girl who was busily pulling his father’s shorts withdrew her hands and came the way running to meet the accountant. The boy, lazy as he had always been, came running behind her sister and they all fell into her wide arms without giving any attention to the figure which stood there shivering and wishing she was in their place.
“My dears” said Joyce reaching for the young girl’s shoulder. The children turned their eyes on the little starving fellow, her eyes narrowed with a deep feeling of fear and embarrassment as they looked at her like a chalkboard in front of school kids.
“This is Anja” continued Joyce “She will be staying with us from today. My dears, lets go ” .The children exchanged looks in anxious anxiously. Joyce observed their uneasiness and started thinking of a way to explain the whole story once they were inside and settled.
Before the super was set on the table, Anja was already smiling in a new a blue-white dotted dress, her hair combed, her long dirty nails that had looked like eagle craws had been cut neatly and she stood elegantly in front of a dressing mirror with Joyce standing close behind her.
“It’s a nice dress, isn’t it child?” She inquired boastfully laying her hand on her shoulder.
“Its very good mama. Thanks very much mama” answered the child joyfully
“ Shania worn it once, that was a year ago, on her twelfth birthday but from now, it’s yours”
“ I thank you mama” said the child again.
“Shania is quite shorter than you but it still fits you well” continued Joyce stroking the young girls back “and there many more clothes she doesn’t wear anymore. You will have them too”
The child smiled and turned to look her new mother in the face. By now, she looked lovelier than a few hours ago when they had met. There was that typical sincerity in her eyes and she wished she had met her many years ago. Joyce’s hands felt soft and tender on her cheeks as they both looked into each other’s eyes.
“If you be a good child” said Joyce “I will be a good mother. Will you, dear?” .The young girl nodded and before she could speak, Shania entered in with a pile of less worn clothes and old shoes in the basin. Her mother quickly reached for her and set the basin down on the floor.
“Come on dear” she said to Poor Anja. “ Try on these ones too” she added holding out shoes, skirts and dresses from the basin.
“Thank you very much Mama”
“let Shania help you child. Take your time and when you done, you will both come to supper” said Joyce leaving the two girls in the dressing room.

The TV news anchor appeared on the 63 inch flat screen for the 9:00 PM news when Joyce set the dishes and plates on the table for the family supper while her husband lay on his usual comfortable couch holding newspapers. They were the only two people in the dining room, with exception of little Jack who lay sleeping on the couch and Doctor Samuel knew it was the right time to discuss the issue without a leak of word into the ears of their children. He tossed his daily monitor on the couch and walked slowly to the dinning table where Joyce stood setting the plates.
“Am worried you’re making a mistake dear” said Samuel tapping gently on her shoulder.
“I know what you mean dear” she smiled. “I should’ve hired an older girl”
“That’s not my worry, she doesn’t look a worthy hand and-” He paused for a moment as if looking for a proper explanation that would sink deep and put some sense into her. “ am wondering where you might have picked her. You know that will have an impact on our children manners”
“I know. Can we discuss this after the supper? The kids will be deep into their sleep and am sure we can go about it in details” assured Joyce.
“Fine, don’t forget we have always discussed similar issues” he said and gave her a peck on the cheek “ and don’t forget that Jack and Shania's lives are our responsibility” Explained the doctor walking back to his couch.

Although Anja had never tasted minced beef served with Italian spaghetti, she found the meal more delicious than any other she had ever tasted and before the others ate half of their shares, she had cleared her plate and she was busily licking her fingers. Dr. Samuel, watched her sitting alone on a small mat that Joyce had put for her in the corner of the dining room and shook his head in disbelief. His hand on his mouth, he gave Joyce a disgusting look and said “Your little girl, perhaps she wants more can’t you see?”
Joyce’s eyes caught the little girl holding an empty plate against her mouth and gave her husband a sad look.
“She was very hungry. You can’t scorn the poor little girl for that” whispered Joyce rising from her dining chair.
“Don’t bother going to the kitchen dear. She can have this. It’s too much for me anyway” he said pushing his plate to her. Poor Anja, had another plateful of spaghetti and minced beef consumed as faster as her earlier share and she felt her energy coming back to her as she sat there with two empty plates in front of her. Joyce called her over the family dinning table and asked her if she was satisfied. she nodded her head astonishingly while Dr Samuel kept her in the center of his sight.
“Good girl” said Joyce smiling “ You and Shania can take all this to the kitchen. Do it in hurry my girls” she added motioning to the unwashed plates and glasses on the table and the two little age mates did as told without hesitation.

Joyce, hurried to the small store room where a small bed that had once been slept on by Shania when she was eight and started hauling the dusty moth eaten thing to the center. There were all sorts of old abandoned things piled up on it and she had to re-pile them somewhere in the corner before she beat the dusty off the little bed. There was also a small dusty old mattress, same size as that of the bed and an old thin blanket that looked much like a thing trampled on for ages, a pair of old torn bed sheets that have not been used for years was too, picked from the big dust covered box . Joyce folded the old blanket a little and kept beating it against the dusty bed, then on the small dusty mattress until the whole room was filled with rising dust. To let it out, she opened the small window and begun making the bed with the dust free beddings. Not neatly of course, there wasn’t any need of it to be, because to a person like Anja, this was luxurious, therefore she walked to the door and called in the poor girl in a loud authoritative voice.
“This is your bed dear.” She said to the little girl sweetly as she stepped inside. “ Hope you don’t urinate on bed, do you?”
The little girl shock her head, feeling embarrassed.
“A joke, dear. It was just a joke. Good girl. You can sleep on it now because it’s bed time already, and remember to rise early tommorow morning” she added and walked out the store room.

Dr Samuel and Joyce had separate beds adjacent to each other in their modern spacious bed room but with the unfinished discussion regarding Anja’s role in their house, Joyce joined her husband on his king sized bed for the unfinished business. It was already coming to midnight and they were sure the children were asleep, so the middle aged doctor begun in a calm loving voice while Joyce sat close laying her right hand on his shoulder.
“Darling, you know how much I love you and our children” said Samuel looking up on the white painted celling. “and I would do anything to make sure our children's manners are not affected in any way, whatsoever. You know what I mean here, don’t you”
Joyce was quiet for a moment and when she spoke, her voice was calmer than in any sensitive debate she had had with her husband.
“I know what you mean dearest” she whispered and withdrew her hand from his shoulder. “Anja is nothing but a homeless young girl looking for a place quite safer. Just a place she can call home.
“That’s something I want to understand. How can we be sure that her troubled life style won’t have an influence on our children manners and behaviors?” Insisted the doctor, this time in a deep conservative voice.
“Not if we are here to give her what she wouldn’t have got out there on the street”
The natural inexorable doctor watched her closely, scanning through her dark persuasive eyes and shook his head in a disgust fashion. For one reason, Samuel understood Joyce’s preference of the young ill mannered homeless girl to a mature understanding house keeper. The reason behind it all had presented it’s self a few months ago when his wife nearly stabbed their twenty one years old house maid accusing her of tempting Samuel sexually. The argument had been intensive enough to leave a suspicious attitude that would linger about forever.
“And what’s that you’re going to give her for the little work she can do?” asked the doctor sarcastically
“Everything a child of her kind would ever ask for”
“Don’t tell me you will pay her school fees, Joyce. Will you?” insisted the doctor adamantly
“Well” said Joyce before a deep sigh. “School is not the only thing a child like her needs. There are people whom things like food and shelter means much more important than mere education, dear”
“ I can see where you’re driving your point Joyce. It’s fine and sounding to you but not to me until you explain to how your going to deal with the implications” The doctor said anxiously.
“look” said Joyce drawing his attention. He jerked his head, placed the pillow case against the wall for the comfort of his back. “ Dear, you have nothing to worry about the girl. She has her own room and her little time with Shania and Jack will be closely watched. We shall leave the doors closed every morning when we go to work, including the main door if that’s part of what you’re worried about” Explained Joyce looking at husband’s uneasy face.
“Right” He said and cleared his throat with a small cough “And you think it a good idea locking the poor child all day long?. And what will she be doing inside here anyway?”
“If it’s what can do, yeah. There’s no harm in it. Not for so long of course. After a month, we would have discovered the inner person in her” Joyce said persuasively.
“What can a young child like her do if she is locked inside here for ten hours then?” demanded the doctor easing his deep arrogance tone.
“ She can do lighter work; washing plates, cups and pans. She can as well wash Shania and Jack’s clothes. That’s not too young of age to be useful”

Dr Samuel lost in this argument as he had always did and lay there wishing he had not started it. His back leaning on the pillow case, he watched his wife beautifully dressed in her sexy silk kimono and wondered why in the world would such a beautiful woman be jealousy to the point of feeling insecure about ugly house keepers tempting her husband into a sexual affair. She was very beautiful, sexy and appealing in each and every way. There’s was never a day Dr. Samuel had thought of cheating her with another woman, not even with his young sexy surgeons at Mulago hospital where he worked as a senior neurosurgeon. To him, her position in the all beauties of the world was unmatchable but why would she not see it? The question became bolder in his head.
“Darling” he said reaching for his hand “ you have won. Just like you have always”
Her eyes narrowed, her heart beat faster than ever and her lips felt softer as she drew closer to him.
“ Am sorry dearest. Forgive me for being a thorn in the foot” Apologized Joyce surrendering herself into his wide warm chest.

Despite Dr Samuel’s earlier misjudgment of the poor little girl, Anja proved herself a hard working spirit than any girl of her age would ever be. She kept the kitchen clean, even more cleaner than all the former house keepers the Samuels had hired before. She washed clothes well, only laundry machine could be her last critic, she peeled matooke and fed the dogs, she moped the floors and swept the yard and she knew her place well enough to distinguish a play time from work time. Dr. Samuel watched her everyday as she sat on her little mat in the corner of the dinning room eating her supper and felt a deep sympathy for her. she couldn’t join the family on the dinning table because Joyce had forbade it and Joyce’s word carried such a strong influence on the way how the Samuels family was to be run. Her orders were almost undisputable and her decisions unchallenged.

On good Friday evening, Dr Samuel left his office going home and paused to check in the garment shop for Easter shopping along Jinja road. There were all sorts of garments from men’s fashionable suits, women’s and children wears of all sizes so the highly reputable doctor got himself a good kaki suit, a blue linen dress for Shania and white leather closed shoes, a black suit for Jack and a pair of black shoes and a red dress for Anja with a pair of high heeled shoes. Anja’s dress was not your ordinary dress you would find in any of your down town shop. It cost him same price as Shania’s dress and Jack’s suit combined but it didn’t matter to Dr Samuel, after all, it was her money and he felt that the poor child still deserved things better than just a red dress, a roof on her head and food in her stomach. She was hardworking and he couldn’t deny it that she was being cheated but what could he do? Nothing! . Her wife was a different person with a different perception of things. Her voice was too loud to be silenced and although she talked to Anja with in the same tone a loving mother talks to her daughter, her deep attitude towards her was different: She clung to the idea that a poor former homeless girl like Anja, growing in a modern civilized home was a sort of privilege a few girls of her class came about in their life time and she strongly objected to the Dr. Samuel’s claim that the little girl was being denied of her right to education. To Joyce, Anja was being schooled and there would never have been any sort of education better than this on the street where she had roamed here and there begging: she was leaning things here; cooking good food, keeping the home clean, learning good manners and that alone would make her a good wife to somebody someday. If that wasn’t Education, what was it? she would argue.

When Dr. Samuel’s Pajero Mitsubishi entered the gate hooting, the children came running with open hands to meet him and, he let them carry the heavy shopping back into the house while he walked behind listening to their childish merry songs. Anja was busy in the kitchen and the tired doctor sent for her to come to the sitting room where shopped items lay spread on the table. Joyce herself was there smiling and commenting on the items.
“Aw!” She mourned holding out the red dress. “This is too short for Shania’s height. Look, Sam”
“ That’s for Anja?” answered the Doctor watching out the kitchen door for Anja. “Shania’s is the blue one. Call Anja. Test her to hurry please” he added motioning to Jack.
“Sam” murmured Joyce surprised “You are spoiling the child, do you even know what you are doing?” she said accusingly
“What have I done” wondered Samuel looking straight in her face
“Shania has a pile of dresses she doesn’t wear anymore. Anja will have all of them, where was the need to spend on this?”
“We have one day to Easter Sunday. You’ve forgotten that, dear?” Reminded the doctor
“I don’t see any point in that. Anja doesn’t know what an Easter Sunday is and even if she did, she wouldn’t care any way, but this dress,” she said swinging the dress over the table. “ She will feel flattered over it and it won’t be to long for you to see the outcomes”
She was still talking and her tongue went dead when Anja stepped into the sitting room rubbing her wet hands against her thighs. For the first time, Joyce gave her a hateful look which was observed by her husband with a startling gesture. The poor girl raised her hand to receive her gift and Joyce handed it to her with a silent reluctance. Running to the dressing room immediately , Shania and Anja stood in front of the dressing room trying on their dresses and whispering to their own reflected images excitedly, they touched one another on the shoulders and posed as their favorite fashion models on the TV. Then to their disappointment, Joyce stormed in without and stood behind them shaking her head to show her disappointment. The two children kept on posing and laughing. Her temper slowly rising, she asked them to remove off their dresses, for it was the time for supper preparations not modeling.
“Girls” she yelled. “Time for work. There will be time for that but not now. Put off your dress, I will keep them for you. okay?”
The children obeyed reluctantly and left the dressing room for kitchen as Joyce folded their dresses into the same shopping in which they had come.

The Easter Sunday came with a sweet morning sunshine feeling on everyone’s skin like a mother’s hand stroking her child’s back. A wave of smile swept on Anja’s face as she swept the paved yard all the way to the gate. Songs of joy were being played loud in the whole neighborhood to cerebrate the resurrection of the greatest man who ever lived and little Anja imagined herself being driven to church in her new red dress and high heeled shoes. Then her, Shania and Jack marching into the church hall with Dr. Samuel and Joyce behind them admiring their fashionable strides. It was going to be the greatest day in her life, she thought.

After the Samuels had their breakfast, Joyce asked Shania and Jack to get ready for Easter service, she had ironed their clothes the night before and now she was yelling at them to go to the dressing room. Anja was there too, waiting impatiently for Joyce to give her the red dress that Dr. Samuel had bought for her but she didn’t, instead, she asked her to go the kitchen and attend to the dirty dishes, plates and pans.
“You will have all of them washed and you can have a rest for the rest of the day dear” She said to the young housekeeper in her usual sweet voice. “We are going to church and we won’t be back till late in the afternoon. What shall I bring for you, child?” she asked
Poor Anja bent her head for a moment, her mind seemed very far and when she looked up again, her face looked pale and withered like a lifeless flower. She looked about, not wanting to meet Joyce’s sharp dark eyes but the persuasive accountant still had her in the close range of her sight.
“Tell me dear. What shall I bring for you? Perhaps, a pack of biscuits will do for you” insisted Joyce laying her hand on the poor girl’s shoulder. “Biscuits or candies, which one do you prefer?”
Anja, only nodded and rubbed her foot against the other just like she had always done in such situations and Joyce gave her a treacherous smile.
“Well, I will see to it. Perhaps you will have both” she said hurrying to the dressing room.
Samuel's Pajero Mitsubishi parked in the yard hooting before he got out roaring furiously like a fierce bull. He had been in the car for twenty minutes waiting for Joyce and the children to get out of the house and now that it was coming to 11:00pm, he wondered what the hell they were doing inside there. He hated bumping into the church late with all eyes on him.
“What the time do you think it is now?” He yelled at Joyce and the children coming out the house. His eyes fell on Anja standing motionless in the doorway, watching Shania and Jack walking down the stairs in their new Easter attires. Her inner longing to be part of Samuels family was clear on her face but what could he do about it? Nothing!

Easter was over and poor Anja worked hard as she had always done, she tried to be happy but deep in her heart, a feeling of rejection was starting to take a root. Life wasn’t the same as before anymore and it would never be not until she had the chance to wear her red dress. What was the red dress to her anyway?. To her, it meant everything. She would wear it and go out in the street or anywhere as long as there would be children of her age to stare at her with mummers and gestures of envy and admiration. Would that not be wonderful? She pondered over it.

She knew she had to do something so quickly or else she would never do it. Chance comes once and the young house keeper wasn’t going to let it pass so she hurried to the room Joyce had forbade her to enter. She wasn’t there anyway nor was Doctor Samuel. Shania and Jack had gone to school and whole house was in her hands. She could do everything she wanted now and the Samuels would only know of it in the evening but that time she would be out of reach, possibly in the streets walking in her beautiful dress like a celebrity she had seen on the TV.
The moment she stepped into the room, her eyes fell on a small table besides Joyce’s queen sized bed, there were notes of different denominations and she looked at them like a dog staring at bundles of cash. Not something she was looking for. Where was the red dress now? It’s all she had entered here for. Perhaps under Joyce’s bed, She thought and as she stood starring at the walls, there hang a big shopping bag, the very bag Dr Samuel had brought the red dress in. She reached for the small table and stood on it anxiously. She brought it down and unzipped it. Then her face brightened with joy. The red dress was there, folded and smelling good. She held it again her cheek, not knowing what she was going to do with it. Then after a moment of meditation, she ran to the dressing room, stripped off herself of the old Shania’s dress Joyce had made her wear and slipped into her new red dress. She was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, The mirror showed her, good rounded face and she smiled to it for it’s job well done.

She stepped out side the gate and stood staring at the cars passing by, then at residential buildings in the distance. The sun was shining on the roofs and she liked that it was shining on her face with that sensitive warmth but which way was she taking? Every way was the right way as long as she didn’t know where she was heading to. Contemplating over her decision to leave the Samuels house was not something she had always thought would be simple but she had no other option. Life was going to be hard again as it had been before Joyce picked her from the street but she didn’t want to think so much about it now. At least not so soon. There was going be no roof over her head, there was going to be hunger and there were going to be all sorts of sufferings but not so worse like dealing with Joyce and her bullying character. She was leaving the Samuels like a thief but she wasn’t a thief at all. The only thing she was taking away was her red dress so she comforted her self with that Idea that the same God that had brought Joyce into her life would bring another like or better than her. Without further thinking about the issue, She took the big road heading to the city and she was gone.

©Asiimwe Simon

Author's Note

Am willing to hear opinions