Words: Cupcakes, Grandma, Spaceship and Africa (for Simone)
My Grandma was born in Egypt. She says the sand and the
heat and mystery got into her blood. She moved to Australia when she was still
a young girl but I think she brought the desert and the dunes and the pharaohs with
her packed away in a deep part of her soul. Tetta (Arabic for Grandma pronounced tay-tuh) is old now but she hasn’t stopped
travelling. Every time we visit her she tells me about her latest expedition to
a new and thrilling destination and every time I beg to go with her. Mum and
Dad always laugh and say that I’m too young.
“Charlie you’re just a little
boy” my Dad always said, “You must wait until you are grown up before you can
have adventures like Tetta”
This always made my Tetta
scowl and shake her head but she never took it any further than that. That is
until my 12th birthday. Tetta arrived at our house for a special
birthday dinner and presented me with a long thin parchment coloured envelope.
“Happy birthday Charlie Bear”
she grinned, her eyes positively beaming.
I eagerly tore open the
envelope and discovered two plane tickets....to Africa! I immediately ran over
to Tetta and hugged her before jumping up and down around the kitchen like a
demented wallaby.
Mum took the tickets out of my hands and bit her lower
lip.
“Ommy...” (This is Arabic for Mum), “This is very generous of you but Charlie can’t
go with you to Africa he’s far too young and he’s got school”
Tetta stood her ground, “No you cannot refuse this time.
I have booked our trip for the September school holidays and we will be staying
in a very safe resort in Cape Town, how can you object?”
My parents looked at each other and realised they couldn’t
possibly say no this time. Then Mum piped up “What if anything happens to you
while you’re over there? Charlie’s not big enough to cope with that”.
Again Tetta shook her head, silvery hair glinting in the
kitchen light. “We will be meeting up with a group of my very close friends so
you needn’t worry on that account”.
I was going to AFRICA!
What happens next!!! What happens next!!!
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=903530577 | 04/12/2010 at 08:21 PM