‘Glynis, you are too heavy to ride in my car.
‘It’s a 300km trip on a very bad road, and shocks are expensive.’
With that said, the matter was settled: gran’s sister with the buggered thyroid was staying home.
He was the most straight forward and honest person I ever knew, my late grandfather that is, and always said it exactly like it was.
Aunty Glynis must have surely felt quite offended and probably hurt too, but the seriousness in Oupa’s voice allowed no room for argument, plea or debate.
I once told him I want to be a vet when I grow up.
He told me I’m too much of a dreamer (stupid?) and my parents are poor, so best I aim for something more realistic, ‘like a plumber or a journalist,’ he said.
Sleeping on the job
Today I know he was right because when we buried auntie Glynis we used a bakkie, and if I was a veterinarian many people’s pets would’ve surely died.
The world is in dire need of his sort: straight forward people who say it like it is.
There’s none left and children, especially, are set up for disappointment by being told lies, that they can be anything they want to, even President.
Wait, President is a bad example because you can indeed reach great heights in the public service sector even if you have the mental capacity and efficiency of a common garden slug.
But there’s only so many positions for sleeping on the job in government, so the rest will have to try their luck in the private sector, where being able to mime all of Snoop Dog’s rap songs is not recognised as a skill.
Stop lying
With SA citizens having proved they can out-breed any rodent species, there are hundreds of applications every time a single vacancy is advertised.
So to get that dream job you need divine intervention of the same type which helped Jonah when he was up to his armpits in a whale’s stomach acid, and realists like my grandfather know it’s not going to happen.
The people needs to be told the truth; that nowadays if you’re just slightly average your prospects of becoming a rich rapper, or even just affluent enough to afford a house, are extremely slim.
It’s not necessary to tell all the Glynises in the country they must take the Ikhwezi bus, but we do need to stop lying to youngsters and not make them believe they are extra special.
Who wants the job?
