“Did you hear that Metrorail is on the brink of a collapse?” A young commuter turns to his fellow passenger.

“What do you mean a collapse?” The fellow passenger asks.

“Well, it’s financially ruined.” The younger commuter is obviously shocked.

“Oh, isn’t that old news? I thought that happened a long time ago,” his fellow passenger answers with a ‘whatever’ expression. He wears a T-shirt with the words ‘I survived’ printed on it. His younger, fellow commuter, scratches the back of his head looking confused and then asks:

“What do you mean a long time ago? My parents never told me anything.”

Mr ‘I Survived’ replies: “Parents normally tell you what you need to know not what you want to know,” and continues running his eyes over the page of the morning tabloid.

The younger commuter goes quiet, processing the statement of the older guy before firing back: “Our family discusses many things around the dinner table even newspaper articles, sport, politics and just about anything.”

Mr ‘I Survived’ looks up from the newspaper with a surprised expression. “Sit jou family ommie tafel innie aand?” His voice is controlled; almost as if trying to hide his surprise.

“Yes we do. Why are you surprised? Is there anything wrong with that?” the younger commuter asks, looking curious.

“No, I thought that tradition died out long ago,” Mr I Survived answers, before turning his eyes to the newspaper again.

“Do you call that a tradition? That’s the only practise I know. My dad says that’s the time we all are in the operating theatre. He can tell what’s bothering us or what is different in our demeanour,” the younger commuter explains with a smile on his face.

I need to bring back that tradition; my kids are becoming strangers to me, Mr ‘I Survived’ thinks quietly.

“Even when my sister and I have friends visiting, they need to join us at the dinner table. The toppie reckons it’s the perfect opportunity to check them out,” the younger guy goes on to explain.

Mr ‘I Survived’ looks at him attentively. Jirre, wanne laas het ek daai gehoor? he thinks with a sense of shock at how surprised he is. The thoughts of his childhood days growing up at his grandparents rush through his mind.

He sees his grandfather in his mind’s eye; a big man with a stern look.

In the evening at 6h00 pm exactly they all had to be at the dinner table and beware if you are not there.
‘Maria, I’ll have a second portion. Donovan isn’t in need of it. If he was then he would be present,’ he can hear his grandfather saying (Donovan is his older brother).

It is because of the discipline I received at that house that I never became a gangster. That discipline took me through my school career. It took me through my days at technical college, his thoughts continue to wander.

He hears the younger guy talking in the distance but his mind is not present. He sees himself way back in the past some thirty years ago. He remembers how many times he came to a crossroads in his life. The times he should have buckled under peer-pressure. Then it dawns on him; it was not luck. It has nothing to do with his intelligence nor the gods or the alignment of the stars. It was the values his grandparents taught him. How did he get so caught up in the trends of the ‘modern times’?

“Hello, excuse me, did you hear what I just said?” the younger guy interrupts his train of thought.

“Sorry guy, but I was not here for a moment,” he confesses.

“Where were you?” the younger guy enquires, inquisitively.

Mr ‘I Survived’ folds up the newspaper and shoves it in his bag; looks at the younger guy and says: “You took me back to a chapter in my life which I’ve completely forgotten about. I think it’s a good time to introduce my family to a period in my life which shaped me and made me the person I am today. I must thank you for reminding me.”

The younger guy has a bewildered look on his face. “Me? What did I do?” he asks pointing to himself.

“Yes, you buddy. I owe you.”

The young guy looks at Mr ‘I Survived’ and then looks around.

“Are you ok dude?” he asks.

Mr ‘I Survived’ smiles and says: “I couldn’t be better.”

Urban Dictionary
toppie An Afrikaans slang word for “old man” or “father/dad”.

jirre The Afrikaaps word for “here” which means “lord(s)”.

“Sit jou family ommie tafel innie aand?”

“Does your family sit around the table at night?”

“Jirre, wanne laas het ek daai gehoor?”

“Lord, when last did I hear that?”