A love letter

So on Sunday I was driving around - exploring the forest which is "old" Johannesburg. I made way through Parkhurst and Parktown into Rosebank, finally stopping at Zoo Lake for a leisurely lunch. The sun was out - it warmed the tar which in turn warmed the air which flowed into the open window of my car.

The jacarandas had begun to bloom. Joburg was smiling at me - putting on her make up as she set about reminding me why I fell in love with her in the first place.

There are few things as beautiful as Joburg as she changes seasons - shedding her winter coat and slipping on the strappy summer dress which fits her just right.

I moved here in 2007. A scared coastal boy not sure what to make of the big city. I fell in love with her the moment I arrived. Working and living in Rosebank meant I could discover the most beautiful parts of Johannesburg as a consequence of every day life.

I quickly fell in love with the way she smelt just before it rained. I fell in love with the sound of the thunder and swollen raindrops hitting the ground. I fell in love with her people - the black kid in the Italian suit, the white kid with dreadlocks. I fell in love with the pace of things and also with the sheer size of a city which allows for solace and anonymity or for fortune and fame.
I fell in love with the bars and restaurants, with the Zoo Lake Bowling Club,the rush of Melville, the sidewalk cafes of Parkhurst and the cocktail bars of Sandton.

Joburg is a place of contradictions, complications and opportunities.

It's been a while since I had taken the time to stop and smell the jacarandas - as it were.

When I was young and naive I wrote a letter to Johannesburg.

Here's what I said:

Dear Johannesburg:

You don't know me but I wanted to take some time out to introduce myself. It's important for me to let you know who I am because... because... well because I love you. I know you get that all the time but I really love you. And for a small town boy to be in love with a girl who is completely big city is tough. I am not street savvy like the men you are used to spending time with and I would rather buy a good book than play with my money on the JSE. But I am honest and hardworking and just an overall nice guy.

I know I should not be in love with you and that it will never work and that you will tire of me in 10 or 15 years and spit me out like you do every naive wide-eyed boy who comes here thinking he is going to make it. I am ok with that and if my fate is to be just another small town hobo reminiscing about my days in the big smoke then so be it. Until then I am going to love you as if my life depended on it. It does doesn't it? I know it is in your nature to be cruel but if you can try, just this once, to be kind it would mean the world to me.

I'll write again soon.

PS. You don't have to tell me you love me now. I can wait.

********

 



I wrote that six years ago. Wow. Not much has changed. I still don't care what is happening on the JSE and Joburg has shown me her more harsh side. For a while there I got stuck in the horrible, dredge which is the surburban west of the city. But I am back - and Sunday reminded me that the charm of this beautiful city lies in all the quirky, one-of-a-kind places which are at its heart. Johannesburg and I have not seen eachother for a while. My experience on Sunday was like seeing a long lost ex-girlfriend and striking up a spark. It was like sitting across from her in a cocktail bar - reminiscing about the good times, oblivious of the bad times; noticing and remembering the way her hair curls or how she mispronounced a word in a way you always found endearing. Joburg showed me her best side this weekend and I fell in love all over again.

Dear Johannesburg - I love you.