Jampie (Jam-Pie to friends) said he fell on hard times 46 years ago. Assuming he was my age, a quick mental estimate put him at 13. I asked how one falls on hard times at that age, is one not born into hard times at those early stages of life? Jampie affirmed, ‘yes no’ he fell hard onto a concrete floor when friends swung his hammock in 360 loops. Jampie was ejected at the apex of the 3rd loop when momentum spluttered and gravity took over, losing his peripheral vision forever. I tested this by stepping slightly to the left and right; his blank stare affirmed I was invisible at those oblique angles.
Not so long ago, Jampie got commissioned to build a windmill. Presuming it was life-size, I was surprised to see him carrying a miniature from the workshop. A garden ornament 1 meter high complete with working parts: pump, dam and recycling water. The client disappeared once he heard the price. I wondered why this wasn’t discussed upfront. I got the feeling he wanted me to take over where the previous chap left off, but oddly I already have three in my garden; two bought on the side of dusty Karoo roads and the 3rd swopped for a half a bottle of beer late one night driving home from a party. They aren’t as complex as Jampie’s, but three windmills of varying sizes and stages of rust are enough for now.
Jampie asked if I had seen the lamb with the bent legs, adding that it would outrun me. Kitty, Jampie’s wife, took me to the back where the sheep were. My heart broke into a million pieces when I saw Cassidy (the lamb) running about on what I suppose would be called her knees. I asked if it was possible to strap the legs with pieces of wood, and Kitty promised they’d tried. In the meantime, she wrapped the knees in cloth which made me happy. But Jampie was right Cassidy did bolt around the yard, which made me extremely happy.
Christine, Jampie’s mother-in-law, said that Cassidy should be a lesson to all of us on how not to give up so easily in life.
I promised I would see them again before leaving town, which I did, and we are all good friends now. I got to call him Jam-Pie.
Karoo 2022.
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