Alone Again

Cindy went home last night, so I'm back to bachelor life. We had a great second week (plus a couple days). My cousin John and his wife Renae happened to be vacationing in Cape Town last week, so we spent Monday together. It was fun playing tour guide, seeing some places I hadn't bothered to see yet. We also had fun watching Renae "negotiate" with the market vendors. She walked away with a couple huge bargains, including a pair of masks for 25% of the asking price. "It's all about the thrill of the hunt," she said, and it was clearly true.

On Tuesday it was back to work. Cindy came to the clinic with me to see what it was all about. Tami happened to be sick that day, so I had to be the pharmacist and Cindy got to play technician. It only took her about 30 minutes to get the hang of things, with Ntombikayise holding her hand a bit. She agreed that it doesn't feel as busy as it is, since there are no computers or telephones or insurance claims. But it gave her a good feel for life in a township clinic.

Wednesday and Friday were spent at the Centre. We went with Yvonne to a couple homes, including Nancy's home for disabled children and Priscilla's foster care home. It was an eye opener, especially at Nancy's. Like before, there were about eight kids in the small room, some on the floor and others in cribs. None of them talk, except for the occasional babble. We spent about 20 minutes there, just holding hands and tossing a big rubber ball around. I think the two helpers felt good to have a break - I'm not sure I could be in that environment for hours at a time under constant pressure to make sure no one hurts themselves. At Priscilla's, most of the kids were in school so it was pretty quiet. We chatted with her for a few minutes and then went on our way.

On the way back to the Centre Yvonne told us about a student at a local primary school that she heard about. This girl, 13 years old, was discovered to be pregnant just recently. The father? Her own dad. Her mother passed away and her father is still at home, so the school principal is trying to get her placed into foster care so that she can have some chance at a "normal" life. The baby will probably be placed for adoption, but that isn't definite.

We stopped at the school to speak with the principal about the girl. During the conversation the principal told us about another young student at the school who was nearly raped recently by a neighbor. The man was going to pay her R150 ($22) to have sex with him. The girl managed to get away before anything happened. She told her teacher, who informed the principal. The principal called the parents, who said the neighbor apologized and they accepted, and now the whole thing is forgotten. The principal is convinced the neighbor gave the R150 to the parents as hush money. She is not going to let it drop, though, and is getting the police to open a case. We'll see how that ends up.

(Zethu told me just today of another 13 year-old girl at a different school who is pregnant by her father. Her mother also passed away and her dad has now disappeared. I asked Zethu if this is a common occurrence. She said it's not common, but no one knows how many times it happens and goes unreported. It seems to me that 2 stories in 1 week indicates a big problem, in any case.)

On Friday we spent some time with Mandla Majola at Treatment Action Campaign. We happened to arrive during one of their leaders' meetings, so we were invited in to listen. We were introduced as the mural sponsors and received a nice round of applause. Zackie Achmet, the founder of TAC was there, so I finally got a chance to meet him. He doesn't seem like a powerful activist (he's about my size with a pleasant demeanor and nice smile), but looks can be deceiving. When Zackie talks, the country and its politicians listen. I showed Cindy the two completed murals as we drove through the shacks of Khaylitsha and she agreed they were well done and informative.

Saturday was spent at Kirstenbosch Gardens, a very large nature reserve right in the heart of Cape Town. It was a perfect day, with lots of sun and a nice breeze. The Gardens contain just about every plant you can find in South Africa and every one is marked with a name and other interesting facts.

Sunday and Monday were rest days for Cindy. I spent Sunday afternoon visiting Rosie with her family, and Monday was spent at the clinic. We spent Tuesday doing last minutes tourist stops, including the District Six museum, the Castle of Good Hope and Rhodes Memorial. I'll write about them another time.

As far as Rosie is concerned, things took a dramatic turn today, and not in a good way. I saw her last Thursday, and she was the most lucid, talkative and happy I'd ever seen her. She was walking the halls, albeit with a walker, and most of her pain was gone. She was looking forward to going home soon, although it would be at least a week or more before that happened. On Sunday, when I was there with Amanda and Nokubonga (who I discovered is her half-sister, not just her roommate), she had just woken up from a nap so she was a little groggy. But, she was still talkative and responsive and we spent a good hour together.

This morning, I got a call from her nurse. (I gave Rosie my number when she was first admitted, and it was the only one the nurses had for family contacts.) Sister Namona said that Rosie had deteriorated since yesterday, refusing to eat or to do her physical therapy. She asked me to have the family come for a visit to see if that would improve her condition. So, I had Zethu call Nokubonga (only because her English is not so good and we've had misunderstandings before) and arrange for her to be ready for me to pick her up. Zethu also told her to see if Amanda could get out of school and come along. Zethu also offered to come, which I gladly accepted.

When we got to the house, Nokubonga was ready and Amanda was home from school. We all piled in the car and drove to the hospital. No one said much of anything; we were all expecting something bad. And, that's what we got. Rosie was in a private room now, and she had a look that I haven't see since I worked on the Mounds Park Hospital psychiatric ward. She was staring into space, occasionally focusing on something on the wall or on the ceiling. She was cold and clammy and her arms were constant twitching. If you called her, she would look at you, but she either wouldn't respond or would say something totally unintelligible. The nurse said that she was actually improving from earlier in the morning, but that would have meant she was catatonic at one point.

The doctor had made arrangements to transfer her back to GF Jooste so that she could be evaluated. I don't understand that, since it seems like a big step backwards (Jooste is a little hospital with big wards and few services, while Tygerburg is a huge place with small rooms and "real" hospital departments). My cynical nature says they're sending her there just to fade away. I plan to see her tomorrow afternoon and will pray for the best. I hope it's not a stroke (she's been laying in a bed for the better part of four months) or a brain infection (meningitis or worse), since the long-term outlook for those here is very poor.

Two other things which bring home the impact this is having on the family:
1. When I brought Amanda and Nokubonga home, Amanda asked for R5 to buy some bread. I could tell it was hard for her to ask, but I heard her tell Nokubonga she was very hungry and I'm sure she hadn't eaten in at least a day. I took Nokubonga to the grocery store instead and got them stocked up for a few days.

2. Amanda's neighbor called me this evening and said they received a letter about needing to pick up their child support check by the 5th or it would be lost (this is apparently money from the childrens' father, not the government grant). I asked when the letter came, because today was the 5th. She said it came last week but Amanda was scared to open it. Now, she and Amanda will have to go to the Social Services office and fight to get the child support payment that is due them. I can only hope the office takes into consideration Rosie's health and does the right thing.

More to come.