*
The morning after the funeral I woke up to the cries of the hadedas.
Heute ist mein Geburtstag! From 20 past 4 on I’ll be 17…
The kids stormed into my bedroom yelling: “Happy birthday”. Greta plonked a fist sized parcel on my stomach. I undid the blue ribbon and the golden wrapping and found a milk white stone.
“It comes from the Bobbejaan River where we went to try out the dinghy. D’you like it?”
“It’s absolutely fabulous.”
Joshua was hovering with something that looked like a big box. “Look here Mathilda.” He could hardly speak with excitement. “I got that ‘specially for you.” He pulled back a cloth and revealed a cage with 2 rats in it. “They are a male and a female and they’ll have babies in no time.”
“A great gift Joshua, thank you.” I wondered if he realized that I would be gone – soon.
Lolo said her gift was in the kitchen, but I was only allowed to look at it later.
At breakfast I got a photo album from Julie and Ludwig. It was full of shots taken during my time with the Winters. I was very touched and sad. Soon it would all be over.
My birthday party was supposed to start at 12. I was quite apprehensive because most of the people coming had known Victoria, and not everybody had the benefit of Rosicrucian grandparents to help them deal with issues like death. I hoped the party would not be too sombre.
When all the guests had arrived Ludwig gave a very short speech. He said: “Life is for the living – let’s have a lekker party,” and I knew it would be all right.
People had brought salads and we braaied a heap of meat in a wheelbarrow.
“Fuck all these fancy new devices,” Ludwig said turning the chops. “In a windy place like V.B. you need a braai you can haul around easily. I haven’t seen anything that beats a wheelbarrow.”
I got stacks of gifts. The best one was a mobile made by Denzil out of some special clay, glass beads and little bells. There were elephants and giraffes, monkeys and dolphins hanging from different coloured threads, and in the middle towards the top, 2 human-beings; one could immediately see that it was Denzil and me.
Harriet gave me a book by a black guy who had written down his experiences as a stopie in a South African gold mine.
Ludwig cast one look at the book. “You better not carry that in your luggage when you go home, Mathilda. This book is banned.”
“No it isn’t,” Harriet said in a tone of utter conviction. “I’ve had it for donkey’s years.”
“Of course it is banned, Mom,” Denzil said. “Maybe it’s time you were a bit more careful.”
Everybody stopped talking and I guessed everybody thought of Victoria.
The moment passed.
Julie asked Lolo to get her special birthday gift for me. Lolo went into the house and came back with Nohandbag carrying a huge, square birthday cake. I had never had a blue cake before and I first thought it didn’t look like an edible thing. Where in nature is food blue – except blueberries, and even they are not really blue inside but if one wants to live life to the full one has to keep an open mind and the cake was really good.
Lolo announced proudly that she had decorated the cake with all the flowers and Hundreds and Thousands with the help of Mrs Vleega. The wind blew all the candles out before I had a chance. Coral said that it was a sign of good luck. All my projects during the next year would virtually accomplish themselves.
Ludwig and Denzil carried the dinghy to the swimming pool and Nohandbag brought the zinc bath she usually used for the laundry. Just about everybody did some boating and Kim’s brother Jamie sank the zinc bath twice.
Kim only gave me her gift when everybody left. “Open it when nobody is watching you,” she whispered conspiratorially.
I waited until I was alone in my bedroom. Wrapped in silky pink paper I found a pair of split panties!