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I love Easter. A lovely time to spend with the family, without the stress and fuss that goes with Christmas. Our Easters usually entail a week's holiday in Langebaan with the Easter weekend spent with my parents who join us there (well since it IS their house!), and either a Sunday roast lamb or a braaid fillet of beef. It also brings back the lovely memory of when we first found out we were pregnant with Megan…
Picture it. We had been somewhat overenthusiastic in doing a test every month, pretty much the day after doing the deed. Needless to say we had many negative results. It was Good Friday and we were in Langebaan, and two days before I had had a little bit of spotting and of course thought that's it, not pregnant, but then it went away. So off we went to the chemist to buy another test. I diligently did it as instructed on the box, and then we both bent over the little stick to watch. It immediately started going completely blue – no two lines or anything, so my husband walked off not wanting to face more disappointment and went to read the newspaper in the lounge. I marched off to the kitchen and set the microwave timer for five minutes – after all if you are going to do something, do it properly. So I waited, and then went to check on it when the timer went off, and lo and behold, there was a very faint second blue line. I jumped up and down in the bathroom all by myself, imagining myself sashaying to the lounge and nonchalantly informing my hubby that he's going to be a father… “Oh, by the way, Honey, it's positive…”, but I got halfway to the lounge when I started running, waving the stick in the air, shouting “It's positive! It's positive!” (So much for Miss cool and calm!). But my husband being the type A that he is insisted on going to the pharmacy since the line was so faint, and the pharmacist took one look and said, yes, it's faint, but it's there all the same!
So now the big thing was to tell the family. We phoned his parents first, since mine were on their way to Langebaan. His mom of course burst into tears, all excited, and his sister went so quiet that we thought we had cut her off! Then the rest of the afternoon was spent in anticipation of telling my parents – in particular my dad, because to him it would be final confirmation that his little girl was not so little anymore! Anyway we decided to wait until supper time, and surprisingly my mom was not suspicious when I declined to have any wine with my meal (I mean that should have set her off straight away! Me? Not have wine with my meal? Unheard of.). We had bean bredie that night – my favourite “mom-cooked meal” (no matter how many times I make it I just can't get it to taste the same), and my mom gave me an enormous plate of food. I told her there was no way I would finish it but she said just eat what I want and leave the rest. So the rest of the meal was spent making regular conversation, with Clayton and I nudging eachother, waiting for the right moment to tell them. Before I knew it I had polished off the entire plate of food, to which my mom teased me, I thought it was too much! My response? Actually, Mom, I'm eating for two… Well I think her face went through a range of emotions in the space of thirty seconds… ending with a huge smile and excitement. I don't think my poor dad even registered at all, because he was just looking confused, as if to say have I missed something? After explaining to him that he was going to be a grandpa, he got into the spirit of things, before insisting that first thing in the morning we go to Vredenberg (a pretty small town) to have a proper blood test to make it official. Typical accountant! Covering all bases.
So every year since then, Good Friday to me means exciting memories, spending time with my family, and yup, a new tradition… bean bredie.
But whoever decided that Easter was for chocolate, didn't have children. I mean the thought of a three year old sugared up on all manner of sweet things… just too much. Last year Megan got so many chocolates that even with a daily rationing I still have some left in my cupboard. So this year I asked all the grandparents to rather buy her one or two chocolates and a present, instead of a whole lot of eggs. Of course when in the middle of Pick n Pay and confronted by an entire aisle of chocolate bunnies, eggs, and other sweeties I went a bit mad myself, and ended up buying far more than I intended, and this was after buying a colouring book, a Spot story and a peg board! So much for a low chocolate Easter! Oh well, we all have our weaknesses, and I guess if Megan struggles to finish them, she will always have a willing helper in me…
So as I wish you a happy Easter / Passover / holiday or whatever you may be celebrating, I leave you with one final thought: A balanced diet is a chocolate in each hand – a quote pasted up at my gym… I suppose to remind me with every bite that I must pay the gym a visit the minute I get back from Langebaan!
Have a lovely holiday everyone!
© Sally Hetherington.
