The Story of Tom
Once upon a time there was a young boy called Tom. Thomas James Gettysburg – he liked to think of himself. That sounded like a grand and regal name. But he was just Tom. Tom Nel. Tom lived with his mom, Sally. Life wasn’t always easy. Sally had lots of boyfriends and sometimes she left Tom alone for a few days. He didn’t mind. He was quite capable of looking after himself and getting himself to and from school. He quite liked school. Not all the subjects, mind you, but he did ok. Tom’s dad, Steve, lived in another town so Tom didn’t see him very often. Once every few months Steve and his girlfriend, Barbie, came to visit Tom’s uncle Kevin on his farm. Tom’s mom would drop him off at his uncle Kevin and they would all spend the weekend together at the farm. Tom liked those weekends. There was always food to eat and sometimes treats, like biltong. Tom wasn’t allowed the treats. But he knew that if he waited long enough, the adults would drink too much beer, act funny, yell and figh