Day 132: Bloemfontein and the Wessels family

It was time to move on, and before I could get to the side of the road or ask around for lifts to ‘wherever’, I received a call from Ursula. This is day nine since we met outside Orania. She wanted to know what my plans were and whether I would like to go to Bloemfontein. She was leaving Luckhoff and could pick me up along the way. And she was having breakfast with her friend Janine, my generous host in Koffiefontein, whom I have not even met. And, yes, you guessed it, Janine has offered me a place to stay in Bloemfontein.

Before Ursula is willing to release me she gives me a very generous amount of money and then decides to take me shopping herself. Winter is coming and perhaps she doesn’t trust me to make a sensible shoe purchase.

An expensive pair of Hi-Tecs satisfies her exacting standards and she cannot resist adding an emergency blanket, emergency poncho, concentrated soap, shampoo and detergent all in one, as well as socks and two memory sticks for my camera. At the till she refuses to let me pay with the money she has given me for exactly that purpose.

Ursula has arranged for us to breakfast with Janine, my benefactor in Koffiefontein, whose humour and contagious laughter fill the restaurant and have quite a few other patrons smiling.

My farewell from the kindly Ursula is sad and we are both in tears. As usual when I experience such bittersweet, sad-happy, coming-going emotional tugs-of-war, I remind myself that it would have been even sadder if we had never met at all. These people are now my friends, I tell myself. These people are now part of my extended family. (It is exactly how I will feel when I leave Janine a few days later.)

At Janine’s I have my own flat and can come and go as I please. During my five days there I am interviewed for Die Volksblad, ride a sheep, visit a boeremark and am invited to stay at the Elizabeth, Janine’s other guesthouse in Kroonstad.

Ursula and Janine were a constant on the journey and affirmed for me the fact that people are people through people.