by Bob & Lasma
Setting: Mary is talking to a friend in the park whilst giving bread to her two children to feed the ducks. She is well dressed, but casual. The children are also well-dressed. It is mid-morning. The friend is also well-dressed casual. It is mid-June, when it stays light very late.
Mary: Yes, I’ve grown up here. My parents still live in the house where I was born. It’s just over there, you see those lovely little houses just behind the skateboard area. One day Peter and I hope to buy our own home over there. But it’s so hard. So you’ve just moved here? How do you like it here?
Friend: Well we’ve come down from the North, but it’s really difficult because we’ve had to move so far from our family and friends. But these days you have to go where the work is. We don’t know anyone in the area yet.
So what’s this area like? Do you like it?
Mary: It’s a nice area. I like it. And you know on Mondays, some of us mums meet at the Cafe in the park for a bit of chat and some coffee or tea. If you come this Monday, I can introduce to some of the other mums. They’re very nice, and would love to meet you as well, I’m sure. We have some plans about some changes that we’d like to see in the park.
Paul, give your sister some bread too! There you go Linda, there’s a bit of bread. You can feed those ducks over there. But don’t give it to them all at once; break off little bits like your brother is doing. Watch Paul.
Yes, there are the usual problems I one would expect, but we like it here. We love coming to the park. The children love playing on the playground, the swings, etc. You have be very careful though, because sometimes the teenagers play on the swings and see-saw and they break bottles and leave the broken glass around. But we have a very good gardener, who makes sure that the broken is always cleaned up quite quickly. He really does a very good job.
Friend: I’ve seen some elderly people over the other end of the park. Do you have much to do with them?
Mary: They are very peaceful. My parents go there sometimes. And Pieter’s parents, too. When they’re there, I usually go over and spend a bit of time chatting to them. They don’t like coming here in the evenings though, even though they don’t have a lot to do at home. They’re a bit afraid of some of the youngsters that hang around the park at night. When I go over there, some of the elderly folks complain to me about this and that in the park, you know, ”It’s not like it used to be” and that sort of thing. But mostly it doesn’t bother me. The young people they just want some place to hang out. They don’t cause me any trouble.
Friend: What about all these women with the burkas? It’s getting to be like we’re not living in our own country any more.
Mary: Don’t worry about them. They’re not dangerous or anything. Sometimes I’ve gone over to talk with them a little. Sometimes our children even play together. It’s funny to see them playing together because their children don’t speak the language so well. But they manage.
They’re very friendly, and usually offer some of their food when they’ve got it. They have some lovely sweet things; tastes great. You’ll have to meet them with me some time and try it.
The only groups I worry a bit about are the drug abusers. Have you seen them? They tend to hang out on that little hill over there. The locals call it ‘Needle hill’. Sometimes they leave their used needles about, and I worry about Paul and Linda coming across them, but I avoid going that way.
The ones that I’ve seen look really quite miserable; I can’t imagine it’s a happy life.
Friend: Oh, yes, I know. My younger brother got into drugs for awhile, back home. We were very worried about him for a few years, but he’s okay now.
Mary is talking to an elderly man, her father-in-law. He comes to the park every day after lunch for a few hours to chat to the other men in the park. It is later the same day. She is wearing the same clothes. She still has her two children with her.
Mary: So, dad, did you see Pieter here last Friday. He was playing on the football area, and he was so happy. His team won for the first time in about a month.
Father-in-law: Yes, he couldn’t help himself but come up here and tell me about it. By the way, did you see that broken bench by the Cafe? It’s not broken anymore. I told the gardener about it, and he had them come it fix it really quickly. It was done within a week. But it’s such pity someone’s already written on it. Brand new, and already covered in graffiti. It’s going to need a paint job already. They should use that anti-graffiti paint for these benches. It’s not enough that they have a graffiti wall, they still have to write on the benches and other places as well
Mary: Oh yes, I saw it on Monday when I was meeting at the Cafe with the other mums. It was already covered with the graffiti, so they must have done it over the weekend. What a shame!
Say hello to Mom, and tell her I really enjoyed the cookies that she made for us the other day. She must give me the recipe.
Peter is talking to Mr. Arkan Bourkanyana, a local shopkeeper. They are in the park. Peter pops into the shop regularly on his way home from work, and is quite friendly with him. The body language shows that they are quite good friends despite the age difference.
Peter: Arkan, we won! What a losing streak but it’s over.
Arkan: Yes, I saw the end of the game, after I closed up. You played very well.
Peter: You think so? Thanks. We were so happy but these youngsters were laughing at us. They were giving us a hard time, being a bit rude and insolent because they wanted to come on the pitch and play. But in the end, they got impatient, and went to play on the nearby grassy area. We need a few more football pitches here. There’s not enough.
Most of those kids are okay, but there’s a few of them that really like to give you a hard time.
Arkan: Yes, they sometimes give my wife a hard time when she comes to the park. She’s not in good health, and with our five children, she can’t cope with a lot of stress. I don’t like when they say those things to her. Some of them are racists. Not all of them. Most of them are quite nice, but a few of them, need to be taken in hand. I don’t know what we can do about it. But my wife is thinking is thinking that maybe she no longer wants to come to the park
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