1.
The plane bumped down softly and no sooner had it come to a standstill, when most of the passengers stood up, impatient to disembark. As if their eagerness would help the process go any faster – not at all – and so there they stood.
‘Nana, you ready to go?’ Gorgie asked as he held out his free hand to help me out of my seat. The plane was now empty of passengers, bar one or two elderly persons like me.
‘Thank you, dear, I am.’
Gorgie was the most darling grandson any grandparent, from the moment he was born a unique bond had developed between the two of us. Now, at thirty-five, he still spent a lot of time with me and had passed down his loving nature to his son Lance, with whom I too enjoyed a very special relationship. At times, the closeness the three of us shared was much to the annoyance of the rest of the family.
Gorgie, Lance and I found our way through the King Shaka Airport in Durban to the car rentals and made our way swiftly to Amanzimtoti, my childhood hometown. A place I had not been back to in sixty years! Yes, I was extremely nervous as I stared out of the window, finding specific landmarks and trying to remember what everything had looked like so many years ago.
‘You remember any of it?’ Gorgie asked, sensing my anxiety.
‘It’s changed so much, but yes, some of it does still look familiar, to a degree…’
‘You’re going to be just fine. I’m sure no one will even remember what happened sixty years ago, Nana.’
As we approached Amanzimtoti, I could feel my body tensing up, my heart pumping a little faster and my hands beginning to shake more than they usually did. Such a feeling of anxiety was not good for my heart even if I was an extremely fit and healthy eighty-one-year-old lady. I lived in a granny flat in Gorgie’s backyard and could still get myself around by taxi or bus without any help from anyone.
‘Stop at that pharmacy on the left, please.’
‘Are you okay Nana? Do you need a doctor?’
Gorgie’s face paled as he glanced at me and I knew he thought I’d have a heart attack from the nervousness.
‘I’m fine dear; I just want to find out if an old friend is still around. One of the few that never judged me…’ I trailed off.
As we slowly drove down the road, Gorgie is looking for a parking space, I couldn’t help but see things the way they had looked sixty years ago. Yes, the town was completely different, but I could still see the bakery, the hardware store and the pharmacy next to one another. I could still see Mr Petersen standing in the doorway of the hardware store, watching everything that went on in the streets like a guard dog on duty. I could almost smell the aroma from the bakery, inviting me in to buy a few cakes that I could not resist…
Gorgie parked the car and switched off the engine. The silence woke me from my daydream. He got out and made his way around to my door, opened it and held out his hand to assist me out of the car.
‘Should I come in with you Nana?’
‘No, you wait here. I won’t be long.’
Hesitantly I walked towards the pharmacy, feeling a tiny hand slip into mine. Lance was not going to sit in the car; the curiosity of a six-year-old child was far too strong to hold at bay. The pharmacy, although redesigned with modern furnishings and fittings still had the feel of my era. My nerves stirred in the familiar surroundings.
‘Did you work here Nana?’
‘No dear but my friend did. I want to find out if she’s still living nearby.’
‘Will you be sad if she’s dead like your other friends?’
The truth of a child’s words.
‘I’ll be disappointed,’ I said as I felt my heart drop.
There was no time to dwell on the subject as a young lady came up to me and asked if she could be of assistance.
‘I’m looking for an old friend. She used to work here, a very long time ago, and I was wondering if anyone might know of her. Her name is Daphney McNally.’
‘Let me ask the owner if I’m not mistaken, he’s related to her.’
She scurried off to the dispensary area and a couple of minutes later returned with a very tall gentleman in her footsteps.
‘Good day madam, how may I help you?’
His voice meant nothing but business. I told him I was enquiring after Daphney and that we’d known each other many years ago. To my surprise and delight, he disappeared and came back with a piece of paper. On it was the address of an old age home where she was living.
‘I hope she recognises you, she’s my wife’s grandmother.’
‘Julia? Are you talking about Julia?’
‘Yes, Julia is my wife.’
I thanked him, at least, a hundred times and hurried as fast as my little old legs could carry me, back to the car.
‘She’s alive, we going to visit her!’ Lance yelled as we approached the car.
‘Who is alive?’ Gorgie asked curiously.
‘My friend Daphney, and she lives at the retirement home a few blocks from here. Can we go there now before we go to the hotel?’
Gorgie just bowed.
‘Your wish is my command, madam,’ he mischievously offered as he opened the car door and presented his hand once more.
Very happy that I would get to see an old friend again, I relaxed into the car seat and closed my eyes.