“Train 3225 en route to Cape Town will arrive in exactly one minute,” the voicemail lady announces. She sounds positive and upbeat this morning.
Exactly one minute later the train makes its appearance, the doors open and the platform is left desolated. Surprisingly the carriage is not overcrowded.
A lady sits with her arms folded, head bowed and staring at the floor, looking deeply concerned.
“Don’t be disheartened. You need to be strong now. It’s a tough decision but there’s no way around it,” the lady next to her says, almost whispering. She’s still not looking up.
“I want to assure you that I’m with you and share your grief Yolanda,” the friend says again, putting her hand on that of her friend’s.
This time she responds by looking at her friend. She steadies her gaze for a moment and whispers, “thank you.”
She continues: “I had such high hopes and ambitions for that child. She’s the apple of my eye. It breaks my heart,” and then she bows her head again.
The friend continues to gently rub her hand.
“I’ve been through this. I really understand Yolanda,” she says with empathy.
We arrive at Vasco station where a handful of people enter the carriage.“Mornings my ma se kinnes. Ek het hulle hiesa.”
“As djy kwaad is, as djy nog vaak is, ek het ’ie energiser.”
“Boeta Ballie is here to serve,” a vendor shouts just as the train is about to leave the station.
“Auw Yolanda… Hoe lyk djy soe offbeat? Sleepless night of wat?” he teases.
These vendors get all too familiar with commuters over time.
She’s not looking up. Her friend wags her finger with a stern look showing Ballie to back off. He takes a step away down the aisle encouraging commuters to try his new produce.
“Let’s go see her tonight. Let’s try to get some sense into her head and get her out of the claws of that criminal,” the friend says in an attempt to encourage her distraught friend.
Yolanda looks up with a determined look in her eyes.
“Yes it’s game over. My child is coming home tonight. I have more to offer her than that useless drug lord and she knows that.”
“She also knows my love for her is unconditional and without reservation.”
“That drug lord’s just overstepped his boundaries. This is for all the kids who ended up in his dirty claws.”
“Now you’re talking Yolanda. We are not taking this lying down. Your child is coming home tonight!” the friend says with a steely look in her eyes.
This time the friend’s hand has her hand in a firm grip.
“A mother is prepared to lay down her life for her children,” I quietly think to myself…
***
Urban Dictionary
kinnes – The Afrikaaps version of “kind/kinders” which is
Afrikaans for “child/children”.
hiesa – The Afrikaaps version of “hierso” which is the Afrikaans word “right here”.
vaak – The Afrikaans word for “sleepy”.