Chapter 1: Still a boy.
The freshness of the air blew through the youths hair as his green and yellow stripped beach buggy with black word scribed to the side "Brutus" screeched up the Umkomaas valley. Carefully he waits for his moment to change gear the sound of the engine, the whistle of the air as it blows his scarf wildly behind him he changes gear. A rough takkie slams the peddle down as the engines thirst is never quenching, slickly he shifts the steering wheel to enter the next corner. The buggy pushing itself to the limits listens intently to the driver. His goggles cover his blue eyes and a slightly cover apart of his silly brown moustache. The thrust of the engine quietens down as his foot loosens up on the peddle. He always loved this part of the world as he peered over from his buggy down into the orange orchards and sugar cane fields down the sides of the valley onto the brown murky
river. He looked ahead and saw a black merc crawling up the hill side. He smiled at the challenge and giddied up his car. His old takkies shifted the pedals and the click of the gear shift was clear, the popcorn making sounding engine hastened up. He slide behind the old merc allowing him to save his energy for the next uphill section. They arrived and it was his chance to pull ahead. With slip and mash he speed up and passed the black merc. He laughed as he pulled up over the corner, when all of a sudden a coke cola truck was in his path. Everything became slow motion as he moved his left hand onto the gear lever and his right hand pushing the wheel left his left foot automatically pushing down the clutch pedal he changed gears and pulled the wheel right to compensate for the left turn earlier
he missed the truck by centimetres. He recovered and breathed out a big sigh of relief. He speed up and went over the hill and into the green Ixopo valley below. He slowly turned to the right and delicately navigated the the speed bumps (which where the sizes of hippos) by exaggerating
his head movement back and forth. He drove on.
Until he came to the corner in which he would be able to go home. He stopped at the corner as there was a little settlement there. He snapped out of Brutus and shouted out in Zulu to the people below "Hello! Hallo! Is Tutu there?" A boy in an jacket and gumboots run out of the small crowd.
It was him, Tutu. He shouted to him. "Hallo Craig, how are you?" he said as he slapped his back.
"I am well. What are you doing now?" he responded
"I am looking after my brothers and sisters at the moment. Why?" He asked back
"No reason, Is your mom or dad at home or your aunt or uncles?"He asked in return.
"Yes, I do." He said.
"Good jump in lets go for a quick circuit!" Craig said excitedly.
"Hubo, no Craig not again."He said as he looked around.
"I saw you! You looked around! Quick, jump in." That's when the fat chief stood outside in the dusk and shouted to them "Its OK, go! I will look after them!"
"See, Tutu its destiny." He said with a smirk. The boy with the old jacket jumped in and grabbed something from inside the dash board. It was a clipboard with symbols and directions. He put on his seatbelt. Craig stretched over and gave him a dirty white, red and orange striped open faced helmet with a mic. He buckled himself up and tested the mic. He turned on the engine with a gritty grin, Brutus came alive with thunderous popcorn delight. He shifted gear and the rounded the bend with a squweech.
In moments they were in the plantation. "Okay Tutu, have you got the clock ready.."
"Yes."
"Lets DO this!" Craig shouted as his eyes narrowed and pierced through his helmet.
Brutus sped past the two green cones and begin the race. The pine trees whizzed past as the engine echoed through the forest. The lights making ghastly figures of trees. Tutu shouted over the mic, "Right 90m, straight, left 30m" Brutus ramped over an old disused railway and while in mid air its wheels changed position creating an almost ballerina like dance. Delicately Brutus shifted from side to side. Listening and obeying to every input. "Jump 40m, into left 60m,..."
the shout came again into his ear. Sweat poured down his brow as his shifted from one focal point to another. Moving and shifting gears, accelerating, breaking, shifting, hand braking, speed. The engine roared as it turned into each corner, the lights in the forest left a blur of red and white making it seem as if there was a dance of death in the night sky. But the sound burst out as the men pushed Brutus to its max! They rounded the corner and back down the hill where the two green cones stood.
They shoot past, Tutu stopped the clock. Craig did a dramatic hand brake turn.
"And..." he said excitedly to Tutu.
"twenty..." he said patiently
"Come on man.."
"Twenty ta ta.."
"two! twenty two! Twenty two! We did it Tutu! we got twenty two!" they high fived each other.
They talked and joked as he drove Tutu home.
"Oh man, that was a good one!" He said as he dropped off Tutu near his house.
He saw Lion standing outside with his daughter behind him and some other similar faces. Mbali smiled from behind his father as Craig waved at them.
He drove home which was just a few 100 meters away.
He parked his car under the chestnut tree. He snapped out of the car smiling he lend over and grabbed his bag. When he heard his mom cry out "Craigie! Craigie! Was that you!"
"No ma, it was those trucks that were going past to the quarry again." the short lady in her Pjs and a white jersey hugged him. "I am so glad your home." she said as she looked up to the boy. He hugged her back and said "Its good to be home." That’s when he heard his father shout out "Craig where have you been? We have been looking all over for you!" he smiled he never knew what to say to that.
"I've been around."he responded. His grey bearded father hugged him. "So how are things." his father asked as he kept his arm over his son's shoulder, his mom had walked on ahead. Craig with a symbol in his hand showed his father two fingers, his father looked down and read the first sign. Two his father nodded and gestured for more. "Well Dad, University is going well.
I am in the cricket team." "That's nice,.." as Craig made the second symbol. Two! "Twenty two!" he shouted! "Yes that’s right dad twenty two runs.."as Craig gestured a shoo angrily
to his father."Well that’s great son, twenty two is a good start!"
"Thanks Dad."
They both looked forward and saw the disapproving shake of the lady in the white jersey and gave them a look of 'do you think I am stupid' and with an exasperated sigh walked off.
Father and son looked at each other and smiled as they walked towards the old house.
The freshness of the air blew through the youths hair as his green and yellow stripped beach buggy with black word scribed to the side "Brutus" screeched up the Umkomaas valley. Carefully he waits for his moment to change gear the sound of the engine, the whistle of the air as it blows his scarf wildly behind him he changes gear. A rough takkie slams the peddle down as the engines thirst is never quenching, slickly he shifts the steering wheel to enter the next corner. The buggy pushing itself to the limits listens intently to the driver. His goggles cover his blue eyes and a slightly cover apart of his silly brown moustache. The thrust of the engine quietens down as his foot loosens up on the peddle. He always loved this part of the world as he peered over from his buggy down into the orange orchards and sugar cane fields down the sides of the valley onto the brown murky
river. He looked ahead and saw a black merc crawling up the hill side. He smiled at the challenge and giddied up his car. His old takkies shifted the pedals and the click of the gear shift was clear, the popcorn making sounding engine hastened up. He slide behind the old merc allowing him to save his energy for the next uphill section. They arrived and it was his chance to pull ahead. With slip and mash he speed up and passed the black merc. He laughed as he pulled up over the corner, when all of a sudden a coke cola truck was in his path. Everything became slow motion as he moved his left hand onto the gear lever and his right hand pushing the wheel left his left foot automatically pushing down the clutch pedal he changed gears and pulled the wheel right to compensate for the left turn earlier
he missed the truck by centimetres. He recovered and breathed out a big sigh of relief. He speed up and went over the hill and into the green Ixopo valley below. He slowly turned to the right and delicately navigated the the speed bumps (which where the sizes of hippos) by exaggerating
his head movement back and forth. He drove on.
Until he came to the corner in which he would be able to go home. He stopped at the corner as there was a little settlement there. He snapped out of Brutus and shouted out in Zulu to the people below "Hello! Hallo! Is Tutu there?" A boy in an jacket and gumboots run out of the small crowd.
It was him, Tutu. He shouted to him. "Hallo Craig, how are you?" he said as he slapped his back.
"I am well. What are you doing now?" he responded
"I am looking after my brothers and sisters at the moment. Why?" He asked back
"No reason, Is your mom or dad at home or your aunt or uncles?"He asked in return.
"Yes, I do." He said.
"Good jump in lets go for a quick circuit!" Craig said excitedly.
"Hubo, no Craig not again."He said as he looked around.
"I saw you! You looked around! Quick, jump in." That's when the fat chief stood outside in the dusk and shouted to them "Its OK, go! I will look after them!"
"See, Tutu its destiny." He said with a smirk. The boy with the old jacket jumped in and grabbed something from inside the dash board. It was a clipboard with symbols and directions. He put on his seatbelt. Craig stretched over and gave him a dirty white, red and orange striped open faced helmet with a mic. He buckled himself up and tested the mic. He turned on the engine with a gritty grin, Brutus came alive with thunderous popcorn delight. He shifted gear and the rounded the bend with a squweech.
In moments they were in the plantation. "Okay Tutu, have you got the clock ready.."
"Yes."
"Lets DO this!" Craig shouted as his eyes narrowed and pierced through his helmet.
Brutus sped past the two green cones and begin the race. The pine trees whizzed past as the engine echoed through the forest. The lights making ghastly figures of trees. Tutu shouted over the mic, "Right 90m, straight, left 30m" Brutus ramped over an old disused railway and while in mid air its wheels changed position creating an almost ballerina like dance. Delicately Brutus shifted from side to side. Listening and obeying to every input. "Jump 40m, into left 60m,..."
the shout came again into his ear. Sweat poured down his brow as his shifted from one focal point to another. Moving and shifting gears, accelerating, breaking, shifting, hand braking, speed. The engine roared as it turned into each corner, the lights in the forest left a blur of red and white making it seem as if there was a dance of death in the night sky. But the sound burst out as the men pushed Brutus to its max! They rounded the corner and back down the hill where the two green cones stood.
They shoot past, Tutu stopped the clock. Craig did a dramatic hand brake turn.
"And..." he said excitedly to Tutu.
"twenty..." he said patiently
"Come on man.."
"Twenty ta ta.."
"two! twenty two! Twenty two! We did it Tutu! we got twenty two!" they high fived each other.
They talked and joked as he drove Tutu home.
"Oh man, that was a good one!" He said as he dropped off Tutu near his house.
He saw Lion standing outside with his daughter behind him and some other similar faces. Mbali smiled from behind his father as Craig waved at them.
He drove home which was just a few 100 meters away.
He parked his car under the chestnut tree. He snapped out of the car smiling he lend over and grabbed his bag. When he heard his mom cry out "Craigie! Craigie! Was that you!"
"No ma, it was those trucks that were going past to the quarry again." the short lady in her Pjs and a white jersey hugged him. "I am so glad your home." she said as she looked up to the boy. He hugged her back and said "Its good to be home." That’s when he heard his father shout out "Craig where have you been? We have been looking all over for you!" he smiled he never knew what to say to that.
"I've been around."he responded. His grey bearded father hugged him. "So how are things." his father asked as he kept his arm over his son's shoulder, his mom had walked on ahead. Craig with a symbol in his hand showed his father two fingers, his father looked down and read the first sign. Two his father nodded and gestured for more. "Well Dad, University is going well.
I am in the cricket team." "That's nice,.." as Craig made the second symbol. Two! "Twenty two!" he shouted! "Yes that’s right dad twenty two runs.."as Craig gestured a shoo angrily
to his father."Well that’s great son, twenty two is a good start!"
"Thanks Dad."
They both looked forward and saw the disapproving shake of the lady in the white jersey and gave them a look of 'do you think I am stupid' and with an exasperated sigh walked off.
Father and son looked at each other and smiled as they walked towards the old house.
I like it, Craig! What is this? A South African Shuey in the making? Lovely descriptions, but I wondered what you meant by 'I am in the cricket time…" :-)
ReplyDeleteKeep writing and I'll keep reading!