Catherine Aoll was a shortlisted entrant from the 2021 SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition. This is an extract of her piece ‘The Couch’ from anthology Between Two Worlds (Hardie Grant).
What were some of the things you looked forward to as a child for when you became a grown-up? I had a few and they were: to drive a car, to own a wallet with money in it, to go to the movies just so I could eat popcorn, to be some kind of hero, preferably one of those that saves a child from a burning building, and to never have my rice and beans touch. Yes, having my rice and beans on the same plate but not touching was worth looking forward to. It bothered me when grown-ups would mix them all up on my plate. Why they couldn’t just leave the beans to the side of the rice is still a mystery to me.
But the thing I looked forward to most, was to own a couch. Size, colour or brand did not matter. All I wanted was it to belong to me. I would sit on it for as long as my body would allow.
You see, in my childhood home, sitting on the couch was strictly for grown-ups, and violating this rule was one of the domestic crimes punishable by caning. When other kids indulged in daring and rebellious acts, like sneaking out of the house to go to some party, my siblings and I got our adrenaline fix by sitting on the couch with one eye on the television and the other keeping watch for the grown-ups. And we would bribe Aunty, the house help, with offers to do extra chores in exchange for letting us sit on the couch and not dobbing us in.
…in my childhood home, sitting on the couch was strictly for grown-ups, and violating this rule was one of the domestic crimes…
When the grown-ups had their gatherings, we would take turns going past the living room entrance just to catch a glimpse of them on the couch and sit vicariously through them. Some days, after a successful bribery exchange, we would sit on the couch and get carried away watching some silly cartoon like Johnny Bravo, only to be jolted to reality by the doorbell.
In one swift move, we would slide to the floor with the agility of a circus contortionist, at the same time straightening the butt dents left on the couch. My siblings and I had mastered this art very well. If by any chance you were too slow to manoeuvre, the rule was to take your beatings like a soldier. I will blame my slowness on being the eldest, because I almost always ended up wearing the beatings. With each beating, I willed myself to grow up faster so I could earn the right to sit on the couch.
As nature would have it, I did grow up, and therefore earned the privilege of sitting on the couch freely; okay, maybe semi-freely. I used this privilege as a form of getting things done by my siblings. “If you do what I say, I will let you sit on the couch for five minutes.” I loved sitting on that couch! Occasionally I’d invite my friends for a visit just so they could sit on the couch, but most importantly so they could see me sitting on it too, because it confirmed that I was no longer a child. Throw in a soft drink in a glass and I am a proper grown-up.
Occasionally I’d invite my friends for a visit just so they could sit on the couch, but most importantly so they could see me sitting on it too
One day I was enjoying this couch pleasure when my mother showed up out of absolutely nowhere! Instinctively I flinched and assumed the manoeuvre position; then I remembered I was grown up now too, so I remained seated but barely breathing. Mother did not seem pleased. She glared at me and in a stern voice asked, “How much did you give me as your share to buy the couch?” Confused, I only shook my head in response. I hoped this would translate to “nothing”. She took one step towards me and in a split second, I was on the floor. The message was loud and clear: this was her couch and I had no business sitting on it. With that, my short-lived privilege packed up and went out the window.
As I sat on the hard concrete floor, watching the television through tears, I set a goal for myself and ran towards it. One day I was going to buy my own couch and I would sit on it all day while I sipped on Coca-Cola. Served in a glass; like a grown-up.
When I moved into my one-bedroom apartment, the only furniture I had was a double bed and a hand-me-down beanbag. I pretended to be a minimalist while I continued to save for my ultimate childhood dream. This day came when I was 26 years old. Finally I had saved enough money to afford my very own couch, and nothing was going to get in my way. I headed to the furniture store with a spring in my step. “That one!” I said to no one in particular as my eye landed on a plush white leather couch. Imagine my disappointment when I was told that I had to wait six weeks for it to be delivered from the warehouse. I actually felt faint. I was so close!
This is an extract from Between Two Worlds - an anthology of the 2021 SBS Emerging Writers' Competition. Source: Hardie Grant
On the day it was due to be delivered I cleaned the house from top to bottom like a mother does before bringing her newborn home. Then I cooked coconut rice and beans, just as they did back home. Then I called my manager and asked if I could have two days off. “Is everything okay?” she asked, concerned. “Oh yes, everything is fine. My couch is being delivered today and I need to be here to receive it, then I need to have a good sit in it.”
I sat on my couch all day, and all the day after that too
I waited eagerly by the window, my heart racing whenever a truck went past. Finally, a truck pulled up right in front of my apartment. I leapt to my feet, slipped into mismatched shoes as I had no time to find a matching pair. I opened the door just as the deliveryman was about to knock and beamed at him. He did some procedural checks and then it was time. The moment I had been waiting for was here! I followed him and his colleague a bit too closely as they brought the couch in, mentally shouting “Pivot! Pivot! Pivot!” like the couch scene from Friends.
I sat on my couch all day, and all the day after that too. I did not drink Coca-Cola from a glass, though; I was now grown up enough to know the effects of soft drinks. However, I ate my rice and beans while sitting on the couch, served side-by-side, not touching. All I need to work on now is becoming a hero.
This is an extract from Between Two Worlds (Hardie Grant).
The 2022 SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition is open for entries on August 16. Write on the theme of ‘Emergence’ for your chance to be awarded the $5000 first place prize, $3000 second place prize or one of two runners-up prizes of $1000. The top entries will also be published in an anthology by Hardie Grant. Go to to register and find out more.
