Page 76 - The Mending Season

“Dumelang,”they greeted.aAshe,” the aunts greeted back.The strange men came in, all the young ones sitting on thefloor and the older ones sitting on the sofas.“What time did they say?”one ofthe older men asked, tak­ing offhis hat.“Not long, I think. It should be soon,” MmamaneMalebone said. “Can I offer you some water?” she asked the older men.They looked at each other and said, “Er ... no. No, thank you, we are fine.”We watched the crowds who had gone to meet Mandela at the gates, many of them with cameras, some sitting on the ground, some sitting up on high walls to get a better view. We felt envious of them for being so close. The television announcer said that many people had been waiting since the night before. In our living room, no one said a word.When he walked out, he was holding Winnie by the hand. When the crowd roared, they raised their fists, “AmandlaT They roared like lions in heat. Everyone raised their fists, including the young men on our living room floor. I was mes­ merized. I dont think I fully understood the meaning of the event until that moment. We were in awe. No one had seen a picture ofMandela for 27 years, but now we saw he had aged gracefully. I looked up and saw Mmamane Malesedi and the two older men silently crying.76