My toolbox thrown across the prefab wall flattened a couple of daisies while Missy barked with an element of confusion and excitement at the unfamiliar entrance of her owner.
“Don’t ask me to explain”
I said to Missy as my feet landed on the soft earth behind the tool-box. The jolt in the injured toe made me wince with discomfort. Inside the house I hear the telephone ring. I race over the lawn, across the back-porch, through the kitchen and into the hallway.
“Hello”
A vein on my temple pulsates wildly as I massage a cramp below my ribcage.
“Hello daddy it’s me Tiffany”
“Hi sweetheart what are you guys up to?”
“Grandpa took us to the movies this morning and now we are going to visit Grandma’ grave-stone.”
My mind raced back three years earlier to the hospital bed - the breathing apparatus trying to force oxygen into her resistant lungs, to Grandpa Evan’s broken posture, sitting sternly hours upon hours next to the bed, holding his wife’s hand until her final breath.
“Can you place a flower for daddy?”
“I will daddy. I miss you. Grandpa wants to know why daddy’s cell-phone doesn’t ring”
“Daddy dropped it into water by accident. I’m going to take it in to see if they can repair it”
“Janine my friend at school got water in hers as well. They said it’s cheaper to buy a new one. Clio wants to talk to daddy....bye daddy”
“Bye sweetheart......”
I waited awhile as the phone exchanged hands.
“Daddy Grandpa made pancakes with syrup. I put one in my bag for daddy and one for Missy”
Clio whispered.
As I drove to the mall my thoughts were muddled. Angela’s parents were very close. Grandpa Evan had always taken care of his family in an almost effortless manner with a calm inspiring approach. Why did I struggle to maintain the same balance between work and family virtues?
Of course I wanted to have the same respect Grandpa Evan had from everyone who knew him but I knew it came from years of consistent values. Somehow I felt I was always in too much of a hurry – as if there was something chasing me. Perhaps it was time- the faster it ran out the more concerned I was that there wasn’t enough of it to accomplish all the things I still needed to do.
I realized that I was tired from trying to keep pace with life’s tempo. So tired I could not play games with the children as often as I would have liked or think of ideas to keep my marriage or even the conversations stimulating. If only I could regain the passion that I felt was slipping through my fingertips before it disappeared completely and left me waking each morning with a feeling of purposelessness.
Inside the mall I handed in the cell-phone for repairs. The assistant behind the counter tells me to return Tuesday at mid-day for an answer on whether the cell-phone was repairable or not. Unsure what to do the rest of the afternoon I buy a ticket at the cinema. Standing behind me in the queue for the pop-corn and cold-drinks is Sally.
“Hi Martin are you stalking me?”
I turn my head at the familiar sound of her voice. For a few seconds I silently try to contemplate whether some-one secretly planted a tracking device underneath my skin using it to despatch strangers lingering close-by. Some sort of ‘let’s ruin Martins day’ project.
“Stalkers usually hide in the background. Hello Sammy...”
“Sally”
“Sorry I have never been good with names. What movie are you going to watch?”
“Spiderman I always had a thing for heroes. What are you....?”
“Same”
I cancelled my order for the pop-corn. Tempted to do the same with the movie for the small voice in my conscience is tapping lightly on the warning bells upstairs but not piercing enough for me to really pay attention to.
“Another co-incidence how about that? Some might argue that it’s fate”
We were walking down the short aisle to the seats. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Sally was going to share a seat alongside me because of two observations. The theatre was approximately one third occupied and Sally’s steps were not indicating that they intended following a different route. My presumptions proved correct as I settled into a seat close to the upper section and Sally took the seat beside me. As she sat she crossed a pair of legs that were protruding from a mini skirt. Somehow, as the lights dimmed and the previews commenced on the big screen, I felt I was treading just slightly on stormy waters.
“I know that you are married Martin but I sense that you are not satisfied” Sally whispered.
I almost choked as the coke I was sipping went down the wrong channel. The abruptness of the personal statement caught me off guard.
“What makes you think that I’m not happy?”
After I stopped coughing I asked.
“It’s in your eyes. You do know they are the windows to your soul. They are virtually screaming of monotony!”
She said it with such vigour I found it difficult to argue. I had not realized it was so obvious.
“I take it you are not married or never have been. All marriages go through a slump now and then but that doesn’t mean it’s a reason to throw in the towel”
“I agree with you. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy but maybe sometimes.....”
I kept my eyes on the screen. What was she trying to say? I waited although I had the feeling she was waiting for me to pursue the subject.
“Sometimes what?”
“Sometimes you have to play on the other side of the fence first to re-evaluate your life”
The faint tapping on the bells had evolved to the beating of wild drums. The conversation had stepped over the boundaries awhile ago yet I couldn’t find the determination to put an end to it. Even though Sally made me feel good for the wrong reasons I found I wanted to hear more.
“I don’t think there would be time to evaluate anything else than a divorce settlement after a stint across the fence!”
On the screen a group of students are studying a rare spider in a hall. This I register with a mild interest.
“Who mentioned screwing around? I said ‘play’ Martin. This watching a movie – losing a few rand at the casino this is child’s play if you are searching for answers. What you really need is something much more persuasive to awaken the lifeless pit you are festering in Martin and I think I could show you how!”
In South Africa today security plays a vital part in any business or private home. This book and the volumes to follow, will guide you step by step through the essential precautionary measures to be taken in protecting your family and valuables. From employing security guards, evacuation of your site and security measures to burglar bars and alarms in your private home.
a Book compiled by me from experience gained after 10 years in the security industry as Industrial relations officer with Nosa qualifications, 1st Aid, fire protection and also S.O.B. grade A.
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