The Best Birthday Gift Ever
Reza got a bit of a cold feeling. This sounded like something bad.
“What is it, Yaz?”
“Nothing man, just put Mommy on at the same time.”
On the other hand, thought Reza, Mommy never let anyone have a phone conversation without talking non-stop in the background, so maybe this was better anyway. And maybe – suddenly she felt a bit excited – maybe he was planning to come for a surprise visit for her birthday in June.
“Mommy, I’m putting the phone on speaker. He says he wants to speak to both of us.”
Her mother took her reading glasses off and sat forward in the old green armchair, the one her husband used to read The Cape Argus in every evening, after dinner. Reza put the phone on speaker.
“OK, Yaz. Mommy can hear you now.”
“Hi Ma,” he said. It always sounded like there was a smile in his voice. There was usually a smile on his face too. Reza missed him terribly.
“Hello my bokkie, how are you? How’s Fati; how’s our little girl? Did Uncle Sami say if he got my card?” As usual, thought Reza, lots of talking, no listening.
“Ja, everything is fine. But wait, Ma, shush a bit. I want to tell you guys something. I have a surprise.” Reza started smiling. He was coming to visit.
“What now, man? Yazzie, you know I hate surprises. What’s going on,” said her mother, pulling her collar together with two hands, like she always did when she got nervous. Or more nervous than usual.
“OK, Reza, you’re turning twenty-five next month, ne?”
Reza laughed. “Yes, Yaz, you know I am.” Yaz was exactly six and a half years older than Reza. It was always easy to keep track of their ages together.
“So listen, guys, I was thinking …”
Now he was playing with them and Reza started giggling. “OK, come on, tell us. What’s your surprise?”
She’d already thought that if he came, she wanted to be the first to tell him about the beautiful new park near the Green Point Stadium where they could all go and have a picnic. Maybe that’s what they could do for her birthday.
“OK. This is it …” and he took another deep breath, obviously enjoying drawing it out.
Her mother was getting irritated.
“Agge nee man, Yazeed, come now. You can’t make an old lady guess like this. Are you coming to say happy birthday to Reza in person, or what? You guys coming to visit?”
“No … ” he said and paused again, enjoying the moment. “Reza, Sissie, I want to buy you a ticket to come and visit me and Fati and Riya. For a week, in June, when it’s your birthday.”
Reza took in a quick breath. And then she got up from the chair and danced up and down saying, “Yay, yay, yay!” and then “I love you Boetie. Thank you thank you.”
For once she was the one making all the noise. Yazeed was laughing in the background.
When she finally calmed down and stopped dancing around, Reza saw her mother’s face and fell silent.
“Sissie? Sissie? You there?” said Yazeed.
“Yes … I’m here. Thank you Yazeed. Thank you.”
“Mommy, what do you think? Don’t you think it’s the best birthday present I ever thought up for Sissie?”
Yazeed always thought up good presents. He was the one who had brought her a kitten, that had turned into the fat, lazy Katinkie who was now lying curled up in the corner of the couch, on Ouma’s old crocheted blanket. And the time he got her gift vouchers for the movies and she saw one movie a month for a year. And the time he got her a subscription to House & Leisure Magazine.
Her mother was silent, and sitting dead still, with her elbows still on her knees, leaning forward towards the phone.
“Ma?” said Yazeed.
“Ja, I’m here, Yaz.”
“So what do you think?”
She kept quiet for longer than usual. Eventually she said: “And what about me Yazeed, huh? Did you think about me?”
***
Tell us: Why do you think Ma isn’t happy about Yazeed’s lovely present?