25. Hard Times: Happy Birthday

I don’t consider the hijacking experience itself a hard time, but not having a car for the next couple of months made everything a little more difficult and complicated.
I was actually amazed at the grace that I felt despite the extra complications. I guess it comes with being in the place that you know you are supposed to be in.
No matter how difficult the situation is that you find yourself in, there is grace and peace to go on.
November rolled in with my 21st birthday coming, in the first of the month. The word got out on the streets and many of the kids were preparing birthday presents for me. My 21st birthday truly turned out to be one of my most memorable birthdays I have ever had.
On the Tuesday before my birthday, Sidney, one of the older boys who was a leader of a group of about fifteen kids at that time, told me to stop by that night even if we didn’t have any soup, because he had something he wanted to give me for my birthday.
Now, this is a big deal, because all the kids know that we bring soup into town every Tuesday and that we will go to the different groups every week, but they are usually NOT very happy, to say the least, if we were to tease them by showing up with the “soup van” and have no soup.
Anyway, I decided to take him up on his offer. I had already told another group of boys to look out for me with the soup that night, and sure enough we ran out before we got to Sidney’s group.
But remembering Sidney’s request, I went, without soup to his group.
When we pulled up, Sidney and all the boys were anxiously waiting. I could feel the excitement in the air when I stepped out of the vehicle.
They all had huge grins on their faces.
Sidney came up to me first and greeted me and gave me a big hug. He then informed me that my present, that he had been making in a metal workshop (a program that another organization in town offers), was not quite ready and he had to do finishing touches on it but would have it ready for me by the next day, my birthday.
He said that they had prepared something in the meantime. He then made all the boys, and the DTS students that were with me, form a circle around me. Then he whispered something to one of the boys and the boy ran off.
He came back a minute later holding something behind his back.
The small boy walked up to me slowly and then pulled my birthday present out from behind his back.
It was a live pigeon!
They had spent the whole day trying to catch a pigeon for me. It was definitely one of the most unique gifts I have ever received! Then they put the pigeon over to the side and they all started singing “happy birthday” to me. As they sang they closed the circle closer and closer in around me.
Finally by the end of the song, they were all fully packed around me and they lifted me up above their head. They then went into some other traditional Xhosa choruses that they sing to honor people.
And an honor it was.
They went on and on, bouncing me on their shoulders, singing and dancing with huge smiles on their faces.
Before we left that night I got an enormous hug and birthday greetings from each and every one of those kids. Then the DTS group, my new pet pigeon and I were on our way home.
The next day, my actual birthday, would prove to be even more exciting! I went into town and walked around like on any other normal day.
I was told that I needed to meet someone on Adderly Street around 3:00pm, but I wasn’t told why. I suspected that it had something to do with my birthday but I had no clue what was going to happen.
Little did I know that some people from another street kids’ organization had arranged a whole birthday celebration for me.
Around 3:00, I showed up and waited in the median area of the middle of Adderly Street, where they had told me to meet. There were already a couple of kids there so I just sat on the railing and talked with them.
All of a sudden, I saw a man from the organization coming from one side with around ten kids. Then I looked the other way and saw another lady from the organization coming, also walking with ten to twenty kids.
The next thing I knew, kids and other people that also work with the kids started coming from all directions! There were probably no less than fifty people all squashed onto the median of Adderly Street.
Then I heard saxophone music playing and I looked up and saw two men in tuxes walking up. One was playing the saxophone and the other was carrying twenty balloons and a crown.
They came up and put the crown on my head and the kids, once again, hoisted me up on their shoulders, and everyone sang “happy birthday” as the guy playing the sax played along. A lady from a nearby flower vendor came over and gave me a HUGE bunch of flowers and an even bigger birthday kiss.
The kids thought that was hilarious.
Traffic was getting blocked because people were slowing down to see what in the world was going on. All they could see was the majority of the population of Cape Town street kids, holding up some scrawny white kid with a crown on his head. It must have been quite a sight!!!
It was truly such a humbling and amazing birthday celebration.
During all the dancing and celebrating, Sidney and another older boy who also works in the workshop, ran up and looked relieved that they weren’t too late. He proudly handed me a handmade metal and wood candleholder that hangs on the wall.
It truly was an amazing piece of work and it looked like something that you could buy in a fancy shop!
I was taken aback.
The other kid also gave me a black metal wire candleholder that he had made for me. Those gifts meant more to me because they had made them just for me!
The crowd eventually dispersed and I walked with two of my friends to the train station. We put my one friend on the train, with all of my birthday gifts, and then my friend Worm and I went back into town, because we were going to sleep on the street that night, for my birthday.
What better way to spend the night of my 21st birthday?