H-H_H

Heaven and Hell in Hilbrow

 

Hilbrow Tower JHB

The ghosts of the past from the Hell hole in Dunottar to a piece of heaven in the shadow of the Hilbrow tower.

It is a long haul from a  holely(spelling intentional) Dorp let to a Towering   long drop, a shot left from the” Hossietaal.”( Clinic spelling intentional)

“Klein Fransie” had his head slightly stressfully shrunk. He spent most of his time in the H.N.E. Hilbrow Nicotine Exchange a.k.a. the smoking Garden at this esteemed facility, where one cuckoo flew out.

I considered starting a smokes – stokvell(Informal saving scheme unique to S.A.), Kasi(Township)-style. These Oakes where bietjie “getik in die dop”( slightly off colour).

They were lunar tuned so to speak and all that matters was something you could legally get addicted to like nicotine.

I had some heavenly advice at hand courtesy of my brand, my less intellectual property like ek sê.

So we traded all brands anything that gives a lungful even from dung full. To mindful.

It happened that Virginia crossed my path. She had a skin ailment that left her with unsightly spots and I gave her the advice to use Moringa and oil and glycerine as a paste at the same taking Moringa powder orally.

She came into my one man bachelor suite room beaming. “Sir Look just look!” showing me her hands and arms. “Look at the colour also it is coming back.” She was ecstatic I was elated she had a personal medicine man. I had a one girl fan club.

I was sent to Alberton but saved my own life by escaping promptly. I rejected it before it could destroy me. Former inmates arrived with weird and wonderful stories most consisting of drugs trading among patients.

Sylvia

I found a piece of heaven in Hillbrow where professionals treated me with empathy and care. That goes for all and sundry from workers to Specialists in their respective fields of medicine.

A place you get pricked by vampires. “For your blood, you dick.”

A place where some are millionaires and others serenade and others are romancing Don Juan’s. Ordinary people all, with psychedelic psychosis.

My elder daughter arrived at my doorstep and transported me there.

It was excruciatingly painful when I finally eavesdropped on Google the hell hole mine while searching for Gold mines in and around Dunottar. It was close to Grandma’s house where we used to board in a red brick semi as children.

I differ from some holy men on the biggest sin of all that cannot be forgiven; they want to couple it to the unseen I want to couple it to love. I believe robbing a child of security and love is the biggest sin that cannot be forgiven.

We shall be arrogant in the extreme of our own importance by suggesting we can insult a creator. We are seven billion specs of stardust settled on a spinning rock hurtling through space .

A bird in the hand and a bird on my shirt. Rhe bird on my shirt is my branded Sparrow Intaka notice the Moringa leaves on its head.

A security and I saved a pigeon in the H.N.E. Both of its feet entwined so severely it suffered painful extraction. Don Juan supplied a pen knife. I held the dove and the Security guy did the surgery to remove the string, I set it and myself free. One escaped the cuckoo’s nest the other returned to the sky.

I found out exactly how chronically I am deprived of love when an Angel in white nurse’s uniform entered my room to charge her phone. On exciting she gently touched my bare foot where I was lying on my bed. Something stirred in me and literally rose to the occasion.

I could feel sorry for myself but instead I started writing as writing is my self-medicated therapy. It has been most my life. I write myself out of the doldrums, out of danger out of depression.

All wired up to have the skull shrunk.Do not know

If they found nothing there because I still have not

received a report of this scan

It also stopped me from throwing myself down the long drop. After all I found out I am still alive whem I was touched by an Angel. Now it is time to get my head out of my ass.

One evening I was looking for Gogo(grandmother) that served refreshments and was told she was off duty. “Baby girl” was her replacement and was not heavy on the eye and she shared a little secret with me. I would have blushed if I was younger but instead endeavoured to find her a young white male that she could share thoughts with. I was a “madala”(grandfather) after all albeit one that was still alive.

A lady approached me to ask that I would look after a young female acquaintance as she was discharged and she was concerned about the beautiful bubbly young girl’s safety with so many men around. I adopted the young girl as my grandchild and she 

Sugar Plum and Oupa in Pink.

promptly called me “Oupa”(Afrikaans for grandpa)

One evening my grandchild gave me a juicy shiny plum as a gift and shall henceforth be known as Sugar Plum.

It was twilight when a bouncer type and his trophy wife was busy at reception getting him admitted. I dubbed him “Die Breker from Brakpan”Bruiser from Brakpan Town), as he immediately strutted around showing off his physique and informing all and sundry he is a professional fighter.

I suspected he was more embarrassed than frightened when six black security guards constrained him after he tried getting to grips with another patient. They strapped him up and I listened to his moans from the H.N.E. I suspect embarrassment as he was white and this is Racist South Africa after all and Brakpan in the East Rand of Gauteng province is mainly an Afrikaner enclave. Not that all Brakpanners are bruisers or racists. I know a lot of talented and gifted individuals from there.

Now I must recall the big bad wolf or maybe the witch from my encounter at Alberton, now my former Therapist. I christened her thus after three guys from there appeared at Hilbrow and I was thinking about the three little piggy’s and the wolf from childhood memory

I am as Afrikaans as her but not nearly as biased and self-important as she is. I am also much more professional and shall not reveal names as I do not want to be liable for crimen injuria law suites. The soonest I want to lay eyes on her would be at the pearly gates although I suspect she might be at a warmer place.

I shall bless her as Terror the Therapist from hell and she nearly drove me to the brink of suicide with her condescending remarks and attempts to put me on a guilt trip due to her own incompetence. Thankfully my psychiatrist introduced me to a young savvy black female psychologist.

Well if it ever gets to that I shall reveal all the WhatsApp messages in court as evidence as I saved them to my computer. She is most welcome to do the same. I have plenty of experience with courts as my first real job was as a Supreme Court Reporter and late I fired 43 gentlemen in one day and spent two years fighting the Union in hearings an labour courts.” I therefore am confident that I have my facts straight madam.”

I know I may sound condescending but that is not my aim my tongue is firmly in my cheek as I write this bit of satire of my trip to Hilbrow that lasted a full 21 days.

 It was 21 days that included the Entire Easter Week end. It took a lot of me trying to contain myself amidst misery being shared about like Easter eggs by unfortunate souls on the troubled waters of life.