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Jackass Penguins
Coming home, tired and hungry after a day's fishing for the family. Zane and the Penguins
He sidled up to us as we peered through the wire netting at a couple of sleepy-eyed “Jackass” penguins, more properly known as African Penguins. Their nickname is evidenced by the wild honking and braying that erupts from time to time as the next team arrives home from a day’s fishing and each male attempts to shack up with the wrong missus.
Just as he opened his mouth to tell us about the penguins, a canon fired from a naval vessel docked a short ways north at Simonstown, its boom echoing around the mountains. Zane and a couple of fluffy penguins, swished under their mum, winced and took a moment to recover. When Zane did recover, though, the torrent of information that poured from him, punctuated only by the repeated boom of the canon at unpredictable intervals, was consuming - all-consuming.
Unsure if we were going to be asked for money or other favours, and overwhelmed both by the degree of passion Zane held for his subject matter and from a day clambering excitedly around the Cape of Good Hope and its lighthouse under a hot sun, we felt guarded and confused. Zane, at 14, was small for his age - I took him to be no more than 12 - and had none of the cynicism I might have expected from a young teenager. He was carrying a small fishing net, which, he explained to us, was for catching the tiny fish he then fed to the penguins, and for catching crabs, which he played with. Maybe that’s why I felt so confused and touched by him; he reminded me of myself at a slightly younger age, being interviewed for secondary school and telling the headmaster, to his amazement, that I loved climbing trees, building huts, and playing make-believe in my garden at home. “Aren’t those rather strange hobbies for a boy of your age?” he boomed. “Don’t you like cricket and rugby.” The inference was obvious.
Zane poked the bamboo shaft of his fishing net in front of a penguin, which twisted its neck in a half-hearted show of aggression and took a swipe at the end of the stick. He wanted to warn us not to put our hands near the penguins, and told us that when he had first arrived in Boulder, he had had his toe chomped by a penguin guarding its nest and he didn’t want us to get hurt.
He took us down to where we could get better views of the creatures, walk right up to them, take as many photos as we wanted - and enjoy the late evening sun.
From time to time, Zane interrupted his own discourse to ask if he was not bothering us. Still confused and guarded, but not wanting to be unfriendly, we replied that we were delighted to have his company - all the while secretly longing for a bit more breathing space. We told him that, with his passion, he should become a biologist or zoologist, and he looked pleased, but said he was going to be a “technician” like his dad, working for Renault.
Walking back to the car, he reminded us to look under it before driving off in case there were any penguins nesting there - as apparently they do, then stopped to pluck some honeysuckle from a bush and offer us the most succulent flowers.
As we took our leave, he looked shyly at us and asked if he could ask us a question. Our hearts sank, sure that he was going to finally ask us for a contribution for his guidance. “Yes, of course,” we said in unison. Again, he asked “are you sure.” “Yes, yes” we replied.
“Do you think you will come back here?”
Unsure what was behind this question, we hesitated, and then said we would love to come back to South Africa sometime in the future.
“Be sure to come back in June,” Zane said. “Then I can show you the whales and dolphins, too.”
We choked back a flood of emotions, overcome by his sincerity and sensitivity.
On the way back to Cape Town in our hired car, we felt sad and wished we had exchanged more - given this young boy more of our hearts.
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Tanya
non-member comment
wow, have fun
Its a pity we have to be wary these days, what a cool boy, was he just there, didnt he go to school? Thanks for the blog Jane and Hilary, (isn't some technology great). I will read with interest, and envy. Have an awesome trip, Tanya