Ma would have been 90 years
old today! Happy Birthday, to one of the
strongest women I will ever know!
Saturday? We would have had a party for her.
Everybody would have been
assigned a cake and soda, to bring. Or
macaroni. Or something that a person
could eat and not use as a weapon
should the need arise. I’m saying that
because sometimes? The need did arise. At one of Ma’s birthdays? The need arose? But no weapons were used? Ma said, “When
I woke up this morning? I prayed that
there were no fights on my birthday.”
You know things are a tadddddddd
bit volatile when your gran doesn’t pray for blessings on her birthday.
Nevertheless. I know I was inching
towards a point. Oh! Oh! Oh!
Back to Mission “Just In Case.”
The pensioners would have
cooked a pot of food, each. “Just in case” it was her last birthday
with us. Her last decade, of birthdays, if I recall correctly, were “just in case” parties. The ring leaders would have met on a Wednesday after church and during.....hot bread. Don’t ask.
And once they were nice and comfortable?
One can easily note when the comfort point has been reached. Their legs are curled under them on the
couch. Actually? You can tell our entire
blood line of women! Just from that position!
Visitor #1: “Pssssssssst?! That one’s
sitting on the couch. Both her feet are
touching the floor? She can’t be a
Samuels! Musta? Married into the family!”
Visitor #2: “Probably. I’m looking around
right now? And look at them? That’s a two-seater couch? But see.
How? Look at how they’re all
facing one direction. I heard someone
say something about one cheek one cheek just now, but I couldn’t really make
any sense of it? How do they fit six of
them on one couch?”
Visitor #1: Just smile and wave. You’re
staring too hard. Haven’t you
heard? They call Ma...Mafia. She lies on the couch at parties at 3am with
sunglasses on. F is up with that?
Visitor #2: Why don’t you ask one of them?
Visitor #1: How did we get here?
Visitor #2: huh?
Aunty Becky: Does anybody know when’s pension?
Ma: Becky?
Aunty Becky: Okay, okay.
The “just in case” plan would
be discussed? And thennnnn! Executed. Just like any plans we already had for Saturday. I'd walk in from work? Lovey would say, “Uhhh. You must tell Wendy tomorrow that everyone
must bring a cake, or mineral, or something, to Ma on Saturday.” Continue making my tea in silence for a
second and then jump right into it, “Oh,
so there’s a party for Ma's birthday? Again. This year.”
(Don’t worry if I was booked into Entabeni Hospital to have my spinal
cord adjusted, it’s quite alright :-\) My
spinal chord is fine. I was just using that as an illustration of “too bad if you had plans.” And why?!?!
Drum rollllllllll please.............drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrdoodoofdoofDOOF.......O_o (It
sounds like that in my mind.) The
closing argument. “Just in case. You know? It’s her last birthday.”
In hindsight though? I wouldn’t
trade it for the world. The memories we
have of being at Ma’s house are as fresh as the day that “someone” fell. Twice! >_< Uhm, that musta hurt. Thank goodness “someone’s” body was numb by then.
If “someone”? Okay, wait, let’s
give someone a name like those Dear Monica letters in magazines. I gave her a name too. Let’s call “someone”? Hmmmmmmmmmmm?!?! Floors!!!!!! We’ll call him, Floors! Coloured’s like
nicknames like that! I know of someone
nicknamed Jurassic Park! For REALLLLL. For real!
HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ooooh man!
I’m thinking about my cousin, Pastor Shaun Johns? I could listen to him for hours and not yawn once! He was preaching at Ma’s funeral? And he started naming all the nicknames in
our family? Mingloo, Tupper, Cootchie, Lovey, Di, Mulloo, Gela, Tonties, Pudding, Toosie, Tutty, Mutyloi, Tittyloi......he said hahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!! He said, if you say those together, someone
could mistake you for talking in tongues.
HAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!
Did you have a nickname? Mine
was, Mother, and? Face. There are one or two people that still call
me, Mother. Face was...Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. ^%&^#^%@#)(&*&^#^%$#*(_%#@#&(^*&^% (I am
not cursing...I am merely expressing myself in symbols!) Why did I bring up nicknames, of all things? Now,
I’m a few sentences short of embarrassing myself in France and some other countries
I haven’t been to! Errrrrrrrrrrr, OKAY! I’ve
said it. I shall move forward. I shall take one for the...?!?! The?!
Crap!?! Alright?!? You know the
A-Team? BA and them? Mmmmmm. Yeahhhhhhhh!
I was young. And I had a
face. I love how I constantly use that
excuse for when I’m about to admit or have already admitted something that I
should have just, kept inside. Deeeeeeeep inside. Folded away in the subterranean ruins of my
memory. I seriously hope that you’re not
sitting there, staring at me all hopeful?
Thinking that I’m gonna say more that the A-Team? SMH. Literally.
In remembrance of our Ma...I’d written this on behalf of all of us back in 2010.
Our
Ma
Ma,
how exactly do we say good-bye
But?
Who says that we have to?
If
we just look at each other, a hand, or an eye?
So
many little things, in each other, will remind us of you
All
of the moments, of which you were the core
When
we all ran to gather around you, tripping over each other
It’s
just so hard to accept that, we can’t do that anymore
We
learnt through you, the true meaning of being a Mother
Mother’s
Day will never feel the same, not even Christmas
To feel what you inspired? Where do we go now?
That
closeness, that family feeling…that’s what we’re gonna miss
How
do we move on from here…Ma? Tell us how?
We
feel this, sudden, abyss, a void, just a gaping hole
What
emptiness…It? It just doesn’t seem real?
You
were supposed to live forever, you weren’t supposed to go
We’re
trying to put on brave faces, but how are we supposed to feel?
Just?
Don’t stop looking down on us, please Ma..just?
Be
an Angel, to us, we’re your children
Please
know…that…You will never leave our hearts….this?
This
is just…good-bye, for now…until we’re together again
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