It’s was a mystic dawn in Zimbali. The sun had just set; the seemingly orange horizon at the edge of the sea made the evening bliss. And all the residents at this estate were in their balconies admiring the daily wonder of nature. The slightly cool breeze killed down the fuming heat they endured during the day.

While the climate was smiling down on the ground, very calm and peaceful, in Thabo Mokoena’s house it was the exact opposite. Workers were moving up and down, in and out of the house, packing things and unpacking some. In the front yard, a massive white marquee tent stood. Inside, a tall, petite woman was giving orders – what must be put where, what needed to get out, what needed to come in, who was putting what in the wrong place and who was breaking what.

Stacy, Pam’s best friend, came out of the house carrying a tablet and a pen. You could tell from the look on her face that she ran things around here. In the first bedroom at the left wing of the house, Pam was sitting on top of the bed, looking at herself on the wall mounted mirror. She was wearing a gorgeous Oscar Delarenta Mini dress and 6 inch gold Gucci shoes.

She was not looking like a typical bride-to-be; it was actually as if she’d be part of a funeral rather than a wedding. Someone knocked at the door and quickly came in.

“Hey, honey,”

“Hey Mom,” replied Pam.

“Almost time for the dinner, are you ready?” asked her mom. “Pammy, why the long face?” she continued as she sat next to her, consoling her.

Pam answered with half a smile. “It’s nothing Mom. It’s just that I can’t believe that I’m really getting married,”

“Yes, and you should be happy. I myself never thought you’d get married,” replied her mom.

“Oh wow, thanks for the vote of confidence,” said Pam sarcastically.

“What? You were so busy with your career. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad thing but honey everybody needs to put a ring on it,” teased Stacy which made Pam break into laughter. This was somehow therapeutic to Pam as her mood changed instantly. She hugged her mom for a lengthy moment till her mom backed out.

“OK! Enough now, you’ll crease my dress and ruin my hair and it’s too late to call Frederique for a touch up,” complained her mom.

“You know Mom, I just wish he was here to see me on my big day and walk me down the Aisle,” said Pam sounding distraught.

“Honey, your father would be proud of you, and I’m sure he is looking down on you smiling,” reassured her mom in a warm voice.

Pam knew she could always count on her mother for comfort. At that moment she felt nauseous and ran out of the room. A few moments later she came back to the room to a worried mom.

“It’s OK, probably just nerves,” said her mom while patting her gently on the back,”

“Argh, I hate this, it’s been happening for two days,” said an annoyed Pam.

“Two days you say?” asked Pam’s mom with a smile. “I must go now, prepare for the dinner. Nice dress,”

“Mom, you bought it for me remember?” replied Pam rolling her eyes.

“Oh, no wonder I like it so much. Well I must go mingle with those dreadful in-laws” she added.

“Mom, they are not dreadful, they are conservative and they are from villages in Qwaqwa. You can’t expect them to fit in instantly,” said Pam defensively for her soon to be in-laws.

Her mom got out of the room and headed downstairs. Pam went to the mirror to fix herself and someone knocked slightly on the door and came in. It was Thabo, baring all smiles.

“Hey beautiful,” he said going over to give Pam a kiss.

“So this is it, we’re getting married,” said Pam excitedly.

“And you better believe it. And this time I’m not letting you go,” replied Thabo.

Right then, Pam was so happy and felt like she was on top of the world. She had it all – a successful career and the love of her life. They both went downstairs where the two families were meeting for dinner. The families surrounded the long oak wood table. At one side there were Thabo’s parents, his uncle, his two sisters and his friends. On the other side was Pam’s mom, Stacy, Pam’s uncle from her father’s side, who negotiated the lobola, and his wife.

It was for the first time that they were going to sit together as this one big new family and actually try to engage in a conversation. Pam’s mom was not keen on this as she saw no popular topic she could converse on with “rural dead brains”. She sat quietly and enjoyed her chicken liver starter.

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Tell us what you think: Do you think city folk look down on people from the rural areas? Why do you think this is so?