Pushing my limits

Wedding night was so unusual with his parents sleeping in the living on mattresses and his sister, Wynette and future husband, James, in the bedroom next door. Although Wynette and her son Matthew threw some rose petals in our room to make it romantic, we had to cancel the wild affair we wanted and cuddle quietly in each other's arms.

We skipped the honeymoon part now, partly because the holidays were coming and the in-laws returned with us at their home in Ngdowana, a small community located at some 200km from Pretoria and 50km from Nelspruit, the nearest town. Staying with the in-laws was a bit awkward and challenging in the same time - I was invited last time I went to South Africa to spend some days with them, but this time we spent holidays together - that is almost two weeks.

I didn't feel so comfortable until maybe the very last days, when I got to cook a chocolate cake for them using one of my Romanian recipes, but the dough didn't grow at all. It was useless, then his mom helped me, while I kept my idea of the icing - in fact, that was the best part and the tastiest too. Thank God they liked it. I strictly held myself to washing the dishes or serving breakfast - anything else would turn up complicated - I must admit I didn't want to mess up things in others home. I like to keep it simple: my house, my rules. But I was at the in-laws.

I didn't like to stay inside that much. Unfortunately, after some hot days swimming in the dam near the village and riding the boat, the heavy storms kept us inside, watching TV and talking. I wish I could have spoken more, but I didn't know what to say. Most of the days we spent going to Nelspruit to raid the Riverside Mall and play some cash at Emnotweni Casino. I have never been into a casino before, but I was starting to like the whole picture once we doubled our money we played - 300R and came home with 600R.

I took most of my time reading magazines - from the local editions of Cosmopolitan to Elle and Entrepreneur. I knew that once I was back in Pretoria, I must think seriously about what to do with my life. Ricky always suggested to involve in a business I would love to do - he was himself hating the idea of working for a boss, paying your bills and count the money left - always not enough - for savings.

I didn't get much time to think of it - the holidays were at the door and I promised myself to enjoy them with my husband. It was due to be the first tropical Christmas of my life. For 23 years I was living expecting snow on Christmas Eve - now I was only praying for sun and 30 degrees. Perhaps God didn't hear me, because the very 24th of December, on our way to Rick's sister, Wynette, who was now at her workplace in Ulusaba, Sir Richard Branson's private game reserve, the most horrific tropical storm unleashed under our eyes. We were traveling dirty wet roads in the in-laws Mitsubishi Colt 4x4, unable to see what was ahead of us.

Luckily, as we approached the unspoilt road to Ulusaba, I saw my first two big lion males. They were sunbathing so close to the road, unimpressed that we were starring at them with our cameras flashing. Apart for a pack of Impala, there was nothing more of big game to see that day. The rained stopped when we got to Wynette's place, but the rather colder atmosphere remained until the next day.

Christmas Eve in a fetched grass roof-house in the wilderness was something new to me. We had a braai (seriously, what else can South African do? maybe their stew, called Poijtkie Kos) and we exchanged gifts, while the rain started again pouring.