As we got out of the car, I ask my son Sipho to take a picture of my head from the back. I want to look at them sometime but not while I am here (U.S.). I know they will take me back home at this point and I don’t want to be. Jim opens the door, I am in, I want it to be beautiful. The conversation ends in my mind. Hi. Are you here to see Brenda? I know she is African American. I praying and hoping Jim will know or God this is hapenning and fast too. Jim yes Brenda. A woman welcomes me, she gives me a short tour the selfserving soft drinks bar. Whatever she said my mind was thinking will Brenda deliver the look? I did not want to do anything to my hair for months. Waiting for her to give the look of a woman. A look I feel I am slowly losing it. I choose to believe she is the one who is meant to touch my crown. I am so ready for this Brenda. I am not even rushing I am relaxed, so that we will have our time, the moment it arrives.
Hi I am Brenda. Hi Nonzwakazi. Sorry I did not get your name, I repeat for her. We practise twice and I say don’t think about it. Already I feel she is the one. We work and talk about Africa, more South Africa, I tell her what I used to do, how I met T and Jim. How my two daughters got to be at school in the U.S. That part took us to talk more about women crosscultural. I shared my talks in this topic and how I do believe if we would come together as women we will cure our nations. We touched a little on slavery. At some point I said words like: I believe we should acknowlege the hardship of our mothers and fathers that had to live that life and won the battles of it. I refused to live as the slave today by being angry. If we continue with the anger and resentment, we ourselves does not believe those who have lived as slaves has worked hard so that we will not endure the pain. Not to forget about it, but not to continue living in that pain. I suggested to Brenda to come and visit Africa special South Africa. Also shared the situation that might make her to cry and possibly angry. Also for her to look at her beauty of all that is there. We went on talking about HIV/AIDS in the continent of Africa. I told her my views about the disease. She seemed shocked and she ask how does people take that? I look at her and found a soul that I can talk to about being a soul in the journey of life.
(I will share with you what I told Brenda about AIDS in the near future.)
– Nonzwakazi Gertrude Sgwentu
(transferred from Nonzwakazi.com on 3 August 2007)
