Nic didn’t have a great day and his third cycle of chemo is coming up in about a weeks time so I thought I would treat him to dinner.

He gets tired easily so I wanted to leave early. I thought about going into the next town as there is a Protea Hotel there with a nice view over the bay.

We set off and 10 minutes into the trip my troubles start. The setting sun is at the wrong position and I can’t see a dickie bird! I start to panic. I don’t know the road that well and can’t see my lane.

Nic keeps saying go left go left

So I keep left. The car that’s behind me passes me and next minute it become very bumpy and I can hear we’re driving over stones. I’m not on the road anymore! As I think that I hit a puddle of water. Nic shouts stop. I was stopping. In stopping my lights shine on a road sign I’ve missed by literally inches.

We get back on the road again. Road works up ahead. Panic. Bad enough in the day time. Now I can’t see. So I pull over. Nic freaks. I freak back. He says get back on the road I’ll tell you where the road is. More panic.

So I get back onto the road. Get through the roadworks. Almost there. Happy.

So there I am wanting to show Nic I found another route all on my own and turn. He starts going berserk. In between I’m trying to say ‘chill, I have this’. And I’m thinking ‘please don’t get lost, this is not the time to get lost’

So I get to the main road. And announce ‘see’. He says what a long way around ‘you were almost there’.

Finally the Protea comes into sight. No parking outside. One parking but I have to reverse. That’s a big problem and an expensive car to reverse into. Why does it always have to be a BMW or a Merc. Why can it never be something cheap?

I try and reverse. Nic gets irritated and gets out the car. Tells me to go forward and reverse again. He’s showing to hard lock the steering wheel. I’m thinking, flip is it opposite? I can’t remember. So I try. Wrong. I try again. Sweat breaks out everywhere. He comes to the car and says, go park accross the road. This is just not working! Every time you try you go more into the road. Relief. At least I didn’t hit the other car yet, I think. ‘Sure thing’ I say and step on it. He has no patience these days.

A bit of deja vue

The drive makes me think of trips I used to make to Durban many years ago. Way before I met Nic.

I didn’t really know Pietermaritzburg well so just followed the B&B owners directions.

It was about 8pm. I turn of the N3. It’s dark. I see all these cars driving past me and I can’t figure out what’s going on? I’m going up and coming down. Driving on smooth surfaces and then rough surfaces. Tar and gravel. I’m trying to figure it out when my lights come up on some flowers and some small wooden pegs. I stop. Ah no. I’ve been driving all this way on the Pavement!!

Like the time the Rocket Scientists (Town Planning) built a taxi stop right at a garage entrance. I turn into the taxi stop and have to drive out again because there is no garage there!

Or like the time they were renovating the shopping Centre in Durban. I see no one is around but there is one of those old fashioned weighing machines. It’s now or never! So I get the kids to act as a baracade and put the money in. I rub my hands together. Psyche myself up and stand on the plate. There the dial is at my not so ideal weight and it’s flickering. And I’m going what the heck?  Next minute I near this sniggering from behind me. It’s a security guard. He blended in so well I didn’t see him. So I got off and got footed it out of the Centre.

Of course the time with the ‘Hot Machine’ was the worst. My son says  ‘Mom, go and see how Hot you are’. Now I’m not one to miss a challenge you understand. So I put my R2 in the slot and put my fingers on the pad. All of a sudden the machine lights up, does a wobble and says, You’re so hot you’re off the charts and the Thermometer shows 10. The only thing is I can’t get the machine to stop yapping. Everyone is walking past pointing and giggling. Some gasping. That’s it. I pull the plug out of the wall and walk away.

Well That’s all folks!