Aunt Nancy is a friend of Mummy's. Aunt Nancy is what I took from Botswana. She insisted on Christmas presents for each child. My parents usually reasoned that the trips we took were enough of a present. We did not need physical gifts. Aunt Nancy would have none of it. She took us to a large shopping mall in Gabarone [name escapes me again]. We had been to on large mall, the East Gate, I think, in Johannesburg. So I was not surprised by the size and grandeur of the Gabarone mall. But I discovered one thing that I had not seen else where - fire works and all things explosive. Apparently, in some countries, you can buy amateur household explosives in the local store without a permit or formal inquiry into the reason for your purchase.
I remember bean cakes, made from bean flour. I think Aunt Nancy's visitors were Indians. They brought the cake during the Christmas dinner that she had organised in our honour. We were the only children, or so I remember. People tend to enjoy poking and pinching children's cheeks, I have no idea why.
Gabarone was bright and sunny. I remember smiling, laughing people. I do not remember having trouble at the border. We took a bus from Johannesburg to Gabarone. I think it was a nice drive. There was a lot of sunshine. I do not remember much else.
I took the explosives with me on our trip back home. I had them in my bag as we went through customs. This was to be my very first escapade on the wrong side of the law. They didn't even think to check a little girl's bag. I had my crackers and fireworks with me on New Year's day, and proudly shared them with the neighbourhood gang.
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