I am 16 years old and my first car, my mother tells me excitedly, is in the driveway. She points at our battered, off-white Ford Escort, aka The Fair Lady. Although lacking in power and looks, the Escort purrs dutifully whenever she starts. She’s a sturdy vehicle made for family outings to the beach where we live in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha); a car for sandy feet and muddy boots and taking dogs to the vet.
I look at my mom in disbelief. I doubt my father has sanctioned this decision. I can’t drive yet, nor have I ever expressed a keen interest to do so. But I go along with it and smile and act as if it’s all hunky-dory. She puts the keys in my hand and tells me to park it. As I climb in, my father appears in the doorway. He’s irate. My father does not want me to park the car.
“She’s sixteen! She cannot park the car, Gerda. You park the car!”
All I hear is that I’m sixteen. Maybe I’ll be young forever.
Years passed and I was in my early twenties when I finally summoned up the courage to write the learner’s exam.
At least an exam was something I was good at. I scored top marks on the written front and felt really proud of myself. But the real test, of course, lay ahead. The driving test, when you had to complete a faultless circuit of checking your blind spots, indicating at the right times, and all that. Despite my mother’s best efforts, I never got that far.
This story is from the October/November 2023 edition of go! - South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October/November 2023 edition of go! - South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The wilder shore
The final leg of a 30-day trek across East Africa sees lan Tyrer and the Africa - Wild & Untamed crew explore both shores of Lake Malawi. Get ready for an overloaded ferry, a croc attack and being surrounded by elephants...
A river runs through it
Sabie is onthe Drakensberg escaromentialongMpumalanga’s famous Panorama Route. Want a weekend away surrounded by forests and waterfalls? Here's wnat you need to know.
TAKE A HIKE
Harkerville's mini Otter
Sweet & juicy!
This issue's recipes all include lush seasonal fruit like nectarines, plums and apricots. Enjoy!
Big mountain magic
On a clear day, as you approach the Cathedral Peak Hotel, it happens involuntarily: You start to grin. You'll be standing up there soon, gazing over this valley, and the scuttling of ground-level life will seem irrelevant. Join us on a five-day adventure into the heart of the high Drakensberg
Your next weekend away
A self-catering house in the Tankwa, a campsite next to the Orange River, a guest farm near the Drakensberg... Toast Coetzer travelled a lot last year: Here are six of his favourite places to stay if you're planning a road trip or weekend escape.
A life through binoculars
If the name Hugh Chittenden sounds familiar, it's probably because you see it every time you use your Roberts Bird Guide he's one of the co-authors. He lives in Mtunzini on the KZN coast and birding is as much part of his day as a cup of coffee.
Wanderlust in the park
All great cities have great parks, writes Dara Kell: spaces where you can exhale and slough off the stress and grime of urban life.
The Kalahari remembers
The Kalahari is a place of magic and heartache, where drought is an ever-present threat. Drive a loop from Upington to the Kuruman River and discover soulful landscapes, brilliant skies and resilient people who never give up.
Take a Hike
Hug a baobab in the Bushveld