Chapter 14: Discovering Cape Town
I was in attack mode, ready to scream and run. The double-decker bus office was still quite far for this high-risk zone for a "little white skin" like me. I was walking through neighborhoods filled with addicts where human misery stares you right in the face. It was so tense that police officers were stationed at every single pole. On my way, a lady stopped me to explain very seriously that I shouldn't stay there, that it was too dangerous for me.
Fortunately, I arrived safely at the office, only to be told it wasn't the right place, but further away; I had to take a taxi to get there and they were going to call one for me. There were two old white ladies, older than me, in shorts (really!), and they were heading back where I had just come from. I forbade them to go, explaining what the lady and the police presence had made me understand: it was too dangerous to venture there. That's when I realized they wanted to do the same thing as me. So I shared my taxi with these lucky women who had come to stay here for a month. I sat in the front with the driver, the very kind Joseph. He was super friendly and spoke both English and French.
I had bought a ticket for a guided city tour to see the sunset. I had taken the trouble to notify everyone of my location on WhatsApp; it was safer that way. I had even written to Andy before leaving my room to let him know I still existed and that I was doing my trip without him. Anyway, when I got out of the taxi, Joseph offered to pick me up later. He suggested some very good restaurants to discover just a few steps away.
I loved my end of day in Cape Town. I would move there tomorrow: those mountains in the heart of the city, that waterfront, those wonderful colors... But once again, I was cold in my parachute fabric pants. Still, there was no way I wasn't going to sit on the second floor of the bus. Wow! It was simply sublime. We went all the way up the mountain. Since I have vertigo, I stayed leaned over and sent photos to Andy. I was so excited! The view from up there was breathtaking. I drank one of the best hot chocolates of my life. The timing of the sunset was perfect; an ideal place for lovers... but mine wasn't there.
I was disappointed and sad. I realized I was living two trips at once: one in an African paradise, and a second, subliminal one—a high-stakes mission. Andy had told me he was stuck in Ghana, held on a military base for interrogation, without papers. In my mind, he was still that undercover Marine, and he was putting me through a "Safari Boot Camp," testing me to see how far I would go. I felt like I was in a scene from True Lies.
The next morning, I was waiting for the bank to open around 9 a.m. Addicts were still lingering in the streets, their empty stares meeting mine in the harsh daylight. It was excessively dangerous. I found myself in front of those large doors that finally opened, letting in all the chaos of the street. Joseph was waiting for me in his old taxi, his eyes fixed on me. I wondered if he was going to "dump" me somewhere after the deposit, rob me, and leave me there. Fear twisted my gut.
The horrifying scene in the streets of Cape Town early in the morning, with people whose eyes were haggard was stressing me out.
At the weird bank, I had to report to an officer sitting at a wooden desk, barely three inches from the sidewalk, I swear to you, that I wanted to change my american dollars into South African rand to pay for my Cape Town stay and my day trip and and to also deposit the rest of the money in an account.
The officer pointed with his hand to go outside to the ATM windows myself to do the money transfer I wanted to make.
Of course, I found myself on the edge of the sidewalk with a wad of money in my hands, with that strange driver, his arm out the window, waiting for me. I had to do this thing that I had never done in my life; it was like having a gun to my temple. I tried two times.
Yet, I had to text Andy so he would give me his number to transfer the money. Of course everything was written he was probably scared to see my old face what ever.
So we had to redo it cause Andy screwed up the amount while Joseph was getting very impatient and I was getting irritated by all my actions.
Well yes, even after he hadn't shown up, I had come here for one thing only: to deliver the money for Andy's son. When a child's life is in danger, I take things seriously. And even if it wasn't true, I didn't care. I have only one word.
If it ever turned out to be false, I would go myself, in person, to the military base in San Diego, right near my aunt’s house, to complain to his supervisor. I still had a good Plan B
In this chaos, I had to manage Andy on the other end of the line. He was giving me that deposit number with agonizing slowness of Africa. In that moment, every second was a risk.
Why did I do it? Because at 66, I suffered from the fear of growing old and life becoming dull. I thought this might be my last time leaving home, so I wanted an adventure I would never forget. I needed that spice. Ultimately, my "big bad wolf" wasn't so bad: without knowing it, he was giving me exactly what I was looking for. He made me feel more alive than ever. I was the heroine of my own adventure.
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