A dull, humid morning, while performing my post-run stretches, a familiar tune began to play in my ear plug that brought back memories. With that I found myself hurtling back in time. Like being sucked through a time warp that transported me back decades, to a childhood memory.
The suddenness with which I was sucked back in time, with the same suddenness I found myself in an Oh so familiar setting. Here I was standing in this 1 room-hall-kitchen, which I called home for over decades of my life, in a room filled with people that I had bid a tearful farewell to.
Here I was, a school boy in standard fifth, my Godmother alive and kicking and a nursery school teacher, directing people to do things, very often to a point of it being a bit nagging (as she always did). But then it was her school's annual day and we were helping her to make her costumes. She was putting up a Hawaiian dance and we were helping her with it.
So here we were, all seated on the floor (except maybe for my Baba Aunta and my papa), busy drawing lines on green crepe paper and cutting them to make hula skirts, all the while trying to be careful we didn't cut the fringes too thin. As my godmother gave directions, she and one of her teachers put the skirts together.
Once the skirts were done, out came the bags of marigolds of yellow and orange. We had to make garlands and bangles with these flowers, needling them, one orange and one yellow. I never threaded needle but I could see on that day I did. Threading the thread through the eye of the needle (is this right way of putting it?) and then threading the flowers, one yellow, one orange. All the while making sure we didn't poke ourselves or injure each other.
Our hands were red from pushing the needle through some tough stems, and green from the stalk. Our fingers even started to smell like marigold, all red, green, yellow and orange.
Low and behold we finished making the required number of garlands and bangles. Suddenly I found myself disapparating from the room only to apparate in the backstage of a crowded hall. My aunt and her teachers, along with the helpers were getting the children. She looked a little tensed as her class' performance drew near. A lady who seemed calm under pressure, it was strange so her tensed. Maybe it was the nerves, the butterflies, not wanting to get it wrong for her children. What I would later learn was that some of the children were down with a fever and missed some practice, but still wanted to be part of it and was here.
And so the time came for her class to perform. She led her children on to the stage, with her helpers and her teachers. A little hesitant, a little excited. They gave a bow, a curtesy to the crowd, occasionally craning their necks trying to get a glimpse of their mumma or dada. And when they did they have them the most enthusiastic wave, happy to be the centre of attention. But then there were those who were on the verge of tears, wanting to be anywhere but on the stage.
As the music slowly played, they began to sway, trying to pay attention to what their teacher was doing in the front, directing them. Their parents, as if sensing their nervousness, began to clap and cheer enthusiastically, trying to egg their child on to do well. And it seemed to work. With every clap, nerves seemed to go out of the window, the energy level went out of the roof and they began to dance with great gusto, great enthusiasm. All around there were cheers and smiles, and why wouldn't there be.
Luckily cellphones were not yet invented, hence there were no view blocking or anyone missing a single moment. The end of the performance brought smiles and thunderous applause and kids jumping all around, with my godmother breathing a sigh of relief.
Once again I found myself being sucked from the room, through a a time wrap, only this time moving forward in time. I found myself lying on my yoga mat, completing my stretches, as if nothing had happened, with that familiar tune playing...
Agadoo doo doo
Push pineapple shake the tree
Agadoo doo doo
Push pineapple grind coffee
To the left to the right
Jump Up and down and to the knees
Come and dance every night
To the Hula melody
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