Home sweet home

My Nephew OB

The Air Malaysia plane roared unrepentantly West, full throttle all the way. We all sat , elbow to elbow. Some writhed and some twitched. Five, six hours and my eyes finally closed, I sat there huddled with the rest and replayed my own movie.

In the next scene, I find myself at Cape Town international, breathing in that familiar African air, more precisely that salty Cape air. The green of the jungles melted away, leaving a brown canvass behind; giant trees shrink and become dwarfs before my very eyes.

In the distance I see my parents, looking, searching, has the prodigal son indeed returned… Our embraces are so powerful and I can feel my heart pounding against my dad’s chest, I fight the tears and in broken sentences and hugs, kisses and touches we realise how much we have missed each other.

The days raced past, sights on the chequered flag. As to be expected, too much to take, not enough time. Slow boats on the driveway and lengthy conversations, made me feel as though I had never left, I was simply returning from one of my trips, it was all so normal.

But I, drunk on the affection and emotion, sponged it all up, not wanting to lose a drop. During this time, I could not stop thinking about Sue, I clung on to every word she spoke and reread all the words she wrote…

Nonetheless, the show must go on. All the Onyx Benjamin cuddles disappeared, the tastyfishdishes and lazybeachdays, Gone, all gone.

Enter Genie:

Genie is my little African flirt, a kind of love affair. I know her well and am drawn to her like a magnet to steel, I submit, give in, I am in her hands. Genie is a working girl, top end, Exec’s only. Luckily in the world of “who you know”, I get to have her for free. There was however a few strings attached. One condition would be that I would have to share her… a thirteensome to me more precise, I would also be responsible for her maintenance and protection, all in  all, a fair trade off.. Genie belonged to a German, who acquired her when she but a wee baby, I remember the day well, he drove around, showing off, cigar in mouth, proud daddy… he was indeed proud and Genie could not have found a better home, many like her are not so lucky.

So, with a wad of cash, tightly wrapped and counted and double counted, it asphyxiated under the strain of the elastic bands. The flip-folder heavy with writing, all packed, checklist ticks all over my pages, I head out into the salty darkness. I am brimming over with excitement, like a volcano ready to erupt I start her up and head off into the silent darkness. Crisp, salty air snaps me awake, I realise how overwhelming it all is, one day lounging on the golden sands of Borneo and the next in a truck, with the full responsibility of 13- 16 people on my shoulders. Go with the flow, is normally a good philosophy, and with this in mind I collected my clients and headed North… To Livingstone. It was hard to believe I was back in Africa and on the road, doing the job I loved so much.

It did not take long before I switched to “Trip mode”. My ears tuned into the surroundings, slowly, slowly it all came rushing back, and steadily I fell into the rhythm of the land. All that mattered was the land , the animals, the stars and so forth… The OB cuddles became sweet dreams, which I tried with all might to hold on to, all the while the tastyfishdishes and lazybeachdays edged me forward.

It was as if I had never been before, as if I had forgotten what it was like. After 8 years and still it takes my breath away. Although I was little rusty and had grown soft and fat on my holiday, the thrill to be out there was still burning strong. I must confess though, my clients did not always share my enthusiasm for nature, and often thought I had gone a little bush crazy, a condition otherwise known as “Bosbefock”. Regardless, I did what I wanted and they rarely had a say. That’s the beauty of being the boss… Most would not be disappointed. My love for Genie, burned stronger, even though  she had gone through many transformations, her spirit still burnt strong. She was dependable and never spoke back, and when she was in trouble I went out of my way to save her..

But, I knew this affair, was going to be short, so I was determined to absorb as much as humanly possible, for who knows when it will be the last.

Genie, knew she still had two more journey’s to finish, she knew the last two would be critical and she could not let me down now. She did not, on the return leg I was able to swing past my Moms place in Beira, Mozambique and surprise, and it would only be a 7 hour detour, perfect! I will never forget the look on her face, when I popped out of nowhere, legendary! It was so overwhelming for her, being a stutter, she could not get a word in edgeways, so resorted instead to landing  many affectionate blows on my shoulder…When she could finally talk, the first thing she said was “E PA! TU ES UN MALANDRO”!

You naughty boy, she repeated over and over… It was to be a really emotionally satisfying week, even though I only lived with my mom for a few years, I felt truly welcomed and like a belonged. I felt like an immense weight had been lifted off my shoulders and the relationship with my mother took on totally new boundaries. It grew strong and we both realised we would have to cherish these short moments.

I wrestled with the thought of more clients and one more trip, and soon I was building my goodbye shield. Pointless to fight time, and with my family a mere speck on my side mirror, I left and ,made my way South again. For the last time.

During this time I was forced to accept that I took many things for granted. Forced to accept that I was indeed a selfish person, and that my priorities were set in stone, and most importantly that I could not live with Sue. It often felt I was casting my family aside, in my desperate escapade, fooled and blinded by love.  It was such a blessing to hear them wish me well and no matter what they where there for me. Indeed I felt loves tender wings touching my soul; I felt the proud to have African blood pumping through my veins. Armed with my goodbye shield I turned my back on the people I loved and head East again, Sue filling all my dreams.