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| Josephine and Susan |
A CUP OF TEA
It had been raining heavily in May and we put our compost in a tire with dirt on the roof where this watermelon sprouted. The rain made it grow and Josephine, who helps us in the house, watched over it faithfully .
Last year a wall in Josephine's house fell down when it rained hard. She lives in an 'informal settlement' which is a polite name for a slum. So I had asked her if the house was OK after a downpour. She said it was OK. The rains continued and I kept meaning to check on the house but failed. I was 'very busy'. The day we picked this watermelon I gave her a lift to the bus stage on my way to Saturday evening Mass and as she got out of the car she said she would like to talk to me the next week. When I asked her what she wanted to talk about she said, 'My house is falling down' and rushed off with a smile on her face. I went to church and prayed for forgiveness. I should have asked about her house again as the rains continued.
So the next week I made sure we sat down for a cup of tea at mid-morning. I not only let her talk about the house I listened to her. She was married and pregnant by age 16 and subsequently had 5 children. At one time she had a little shop with a pretty good inventory but her husband drank heavily. One day when she went to visit her family he sold it all and went to his family and spent all the money on more drink. She left him but her family convinced her to give him another chance; which she did. She got her shop going again and in a repeat performance he sold everything again and she said goodbye forever.
Her oldest son is infected with HIV and sexually harassed her youngest daughter. One daughter died of AIDS and left a boy who is infected with HIV but is doing well at age 11. Her second son was a bright student but was hit by a car when he was 14 and the brain injury has left him permanently disabled. In one violent outburst he attacked her with a kitchen knife. Her fourth child, a very bright girl, was accepted to university but got pregnant. She recently brought the granddaughter back to Josephine to take care of. It was exhausting for Josephine to be doing 2am feeds for a little one at age 58. The youngest daughter is 14 and both Josephine and I are trying to keep her mind on her books and away from the boys. So far so good.
The government used to give Josephine money every month for the disabled son and the HIV infected grandson. That stopped last August without any explanation and she had asked for a loan for school fees for the youngest daughter. Now she needed money to repair her house. I have decided that enough is enough. She has worked hard enough and I can retire the loan and help repair her house, which is nothing more than mud walls and a tin roof...which keep falling down!!!
I'm just sorry that I didn't have that cup of tea earlier. I have resolved that it won't happen again. I have learned my lesson about what is important and what is just business...of no significant value in the eternal realm of things.
I will be leaving for Minnesota in a few days. Our family will remember Alex on July 15th by coming together again. I'll be in the US until the end of September as this is the year for my long leave.
PEACE OF THESE CHATTY FEATHERED FRIENDS TO YOU!
