June 28/29
We were awoke this morning just before Mandla came into Elna’s room to tell us goodbye before he went to school. He had been peppering us “Are you leaving now?” all last night, and now that the time had finally come, he seemed very nonchalant about saying goodbye. He came in to tells us that his mother was letting him take his soccer ball to school and that they had to write his name on it. This seemed to be the drama of the moment, and either covered up his feelings about goodbye, or he’s just too young to have them anyways. He didn’t even give a hug while we sat in bed listening to him, he just promptly walked out at the end of the telling of the story.
It will be quite interesting to see where Mandla is when we do return to South Africa in the future. Elna fears that his parents may take him back to Zimbabwe, where he’ll herd cattle, or that because of his education and life in South Africa (where he was born), his older brother and sister will come to resent him for being the ‘spoiled’ child while they remain in Zimbabwe. Continue reading
The African File 