carma

friday 12 march. a highway turnoff. a BMW loaded with food and booze for a farm wedding. 5 people, including a bride and groom. a colorful cake precariously balanced on a wooden plank in the back seat.

my slow driving diligence (70km/h on the N2) didn't help me while taking the right turn off onto the R382.

"what the f@#$?"

SCREECH.BOOM.CRASH.SKID.CRASH.

alex shouting. wondering how all of a sudden i am flanked by a plastic bag thing, why the zip on my moonbag is broken, why my glasses are next to me. why ian can't really speak when i turn around and see him getting hauled out of the car.

a random guy sticks his head in the vehicle and sees alex's sealed mini-bottle of fish eagle in the passenger footwell. urges us to hide it.

"it's not open."

the cake. gone. two tiers survive while the rest lies in a colourful mess on the back seat. the sugar scarecrow couple for the top of the cake are saved.

i lie over the steering wheel. wondering how i couldn't have seen the white toyota speeding towards me. why i didn't just wait longer at the stop street.

richie, justin and danielle were behind us. they help unload what survived the impact from the car. the boot is soaked in melon juice and beer.

i have eventually managed to get out of the drivers seat, via the left passenger door. i climb out unscathed. shock numbing my disbelief.

a tow truck guy is asking me questions as i sob over the phone. the other guy in the white car gets towed away before the police arrive and ask me for my licence.

ian and laura get taken to the nearest hospital in the ambulance. everyone is asking me if i am ok.

"you know, someone could shoot you right now and you wouldn't feel it" says the ambulance man. "are you sure you don't want to get checked out?"

yes. right now i don't care about me.

the wedding was the next day.

thankfully i had a support system to fall back on, and insurance.

the BMW was gone, but the wedding went on, after the cake lady spent 8 hours redoing the cake, and ian and laura returned from hospital, slightly bruised, but ok.

thursday 11 march. a violent cloudburst at the farm. the wind gale force. we couldn't even open the back door.

we thought the worst when we couldn't see our tent at the end of the field.

but the tent is tundra-proof, and equipped to deal.

hopefully, i am too.