I woke up at 7:20 to a message from my boss asking if
I could pick him up at the airport, his flight is scheduled to land at 7:45.
So, without further ado, I got dressed and dashed off.
On the highway, I saw clear evidence that the city’s
leadership has changed: Once again you see potholes everywhere. It’s also the
first time I drove over 80 km/h since the repairs had been done in May!
I was a bit surprised that my boss had no luggage, I
don’t think I’ve ever seen him without at least his laptop with him! In the car
he explained why he couldn’t get a rental car: his license had expired, he
applied for the renewal but the printing company went on strike – so, he is
still waiting for his new license.
When he told me that he sees no alternative but for me
to move back to Pretoria – I didn’t fully take it in. I instinctively reacted
to his … distress sounds so strong, but something like that. He felt bad that
he had to tell me that I will have to leave the Eastern Cape. I’ve never
believed in shooting the messenger. I think he feared some reaction – I don’t
know. At any rate, I thought it extremely good of him to take so much time out
of his busy life to fly all the way here to tell me in person – he could have
told me over the phone! After all, I am just a Secretary.
He also told me what he’s doing in Pretoria and where
he sees my skills most effectively used – and at the time, it sounded really
exciting! He would be making use of my Industrial Engineering skills more than
Secretarial – and I love a job that challenges me! He mentioned a software I
should look into – I think he’s already purchased it, or if not he’s going to.
I’ve been down this road before … and have quite a few misgivings. But: That’s
an issue for later, much, much later. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I took him back to the airport around noon, and the
first thing I did at home was let my mippies out! Ziva had been in and out
during my boss’ visit – but since I’d have to take him to the airport, I didn’t
want to risk Mips refusing to come in; and kept them shut inside throughout his
visit. Mewthos hid under the bed almost the entire time – Lady Jane came into
the lounge to mip at me to be let out or played with.
Then I went to visit Rose. Her flat is so lovely and
cool in this smothering heat! Mine is like an oven! I tried keeping the
curtains closed to keep it cooler, but it didn’t work and I opened them.
As I was talking to Rose, the reality of what I had
been told, started to sink in and my mind started to spin out of control …
jumping from one thing to another: ‘what if?’ ‘how do I?’ ‘where will I find’ ‘when
can I’ and so forth and so forth.
Just yesterday we had had a long chat and I finally
revealed a project to her, which I had been working on … I had kept it quiet
for so long, because I was afraid to jinx it! And guess what? It’s jinxed! It’s
over. Well, at least it’s on hold for a long, long time.
My life, as I’ve known it, is over. A new life begins.
All plans, ideas and dreams will have to change to fit the new situation. Oh, I
know this sounds very melodramatic! I’m allowed! And it’s not meant
melodramatic, but simply a statement of fact. Pretoria is very, very different
from Port Elizabeth. For starters, it’s nearly 2000m above sea level whereas PE
is … well at sea level. It’s deeply Inland, and dry whereas PE is on the coast
and somewhat humid. And windy! Pretoria is rarely tickled with even a breeze.
Pretoria is much larger, almost 3x larger than Port Elizabeth. Crime is a
serious issue in Pretoria – not yet in Port Elizabeth. After all, I’ve been
held up at gun-point twice already, both times in Pretoria. Life is much faster
and people more stressed in Pretoria. Along to coast – whether Durban, East
London, Port Elizabeth or Cape Town – if you want to go outdoors, into Nature,
you can go to the beach. Either for a walk, or just park the car somewhere and
drink in the ocean, or go for a hike! In Pretoria, any outdoor-nature is either
dangerous (isolated areas = soft targets) or expensive; as in pay a high entrance
fee to basically join the crowd.
That is why, having lived most of my life in Pretoria,
my hobbies and interests are mostly ‘at home’, ‘indoor’ activities. Like
reading, sorting my music into files, stamp collecting, drawing, digitalizing photos,
etc, etc. East London was a whole new lifestyle for me! I spent so much time
driving around, finding historical sites, photographing the architecture,
learning the history and all those hikes and walks along the beach and
coastline! I’ve explored so much, seen such a variety of plants, rock strata,
architecture!
When I moved back to Pretoria from East London, I made
many attempts to find something similar. I tried the Wonderboom Nature Reserve –
paid entrance fee, only to find the path is even worse than the one maintained
along the Nahoon coastline! I tried open fields on the outskirts, I tried the
views from the top of Voortrekker Road. I just couldn’t get enthusiastic about
any of it. I even tried gardening, as much as one can with only a balcony.
The only thing I really did enthusiastically was
packing for the move to Port Elizabeth!
Funny thing though: Here, in Port Elizabeth, I’ve never
had any desire to go and explore the coastline, or go for walks along it!
Instead, I got completely involved in the garden! I’ve not explored Port
Elizabeth, nor gone for many drives – oh, yeah, I did go for a few at first,
but when the first seeds started to sprout in my garden? I had no desire to
step beyond its enchantment! Apart from the outings with the Historical
Society, I’ve had no real desire to explore this city nor its surroundings.
Even though they are every bit as – if not more – fascinating as East London’s.
And since the kittens were born, there’s no place I’d rather be than home, with
them!
I guess, in a way, I’ve lived Pretoria-type life-style
here in Port Elizabeth. At least the stay-at-home part of it. Though I’ve had
loads of Nature – in the form of my garden. Well, it was pretty wild when I
arrived!
I spent the rest of the afternoon just trying to calm
down, stop my mind from running around like a hamster in a wheel, spinning,
spinning, spinning. Without much success.
That night, I struggled to get to sleep. Finally slept
only to wake up an hour or so later – wide awake, again unable to sleep. I was
surprised to wake up early the next morning.
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