INVISIBLE CLOAK

If I am out with my daughter, I become completely invisible. Everybody looks at her and nobody looks at me. I don’t (really) mind – it’s just an interesting phenomenon to suddenly become invisible like that. I’m intrigued about the way everybody (both men and women, girls and boys) seem to look her up and down and it makes me feel slightly protective. She seems to be completely oblivious to the interest. I need to go shopping with my mother instead, that way I can take off my invisible cloak and reappear, as if by magic.

I had lunch with my daughter today in the hope of getting her to talk about her life, friends, feelings and so on. It worked to a degree, but it’s a delicate process…one probe too many and she retreats back into her shell like an anemone. In fact, she told me nothing of any interest. I do however now know about all her friends phones. What make they are, whether they are on contract or pay-as-you-go, what upgrades they want, what servers, colour,….fascinating stuff.

Then I read a blog from a mother in Nairobi and it puts everything into perspective. She is highlighting the day to day accounts of the unrest. Apparently there are 42 different tribes in Kenya. The woman writing the blog emphasises however, that Kenya should not be portrayed as particularly tribal as there are lots of inter-tribal marriages and a significant middle class as well. Lets hope the visit by Desmond Tutu has succeeded in diffusing the anger.

Oh dear. I have had two days of no drinking and thought I was doing quite well. But my ex husband has just appeared at the door to collect my son and I invited him in for a beer. “No thanks” he said, completely shocked that I asked him. “You have to” I told him, “I need an event, before I can have a drink and this would be considered an event”. So he did! Hooray. I’m now drinking a glass of wine and it tastes lovely.