Onbeskof

My Dear Princess and Dear Friends,

Today, I had a chat with Fazzy. I had been worried about her last week. She just seemed so sad. 

I won't go into detail, but essentially it boils down to homesickness for her friends in South Africa. She was really quite down about it and I tried to make things better.

But the more I talked, the sadder she got. 

It occurred to me afterward that I was doing that thing where I try to "fix" things, when the person I am trying to fix doesn't want to be fixed. They want to be allowed to feel sad. 

Today I asked her if she was feeling better. She told me that she was.

"It's strange," I said. "I think it is something hardwired into male brains that we just want to solve problems. I'm sorry if I made things worse. I was just disappointed that I couldn't help."

Fazzy looked at me, kindly. Her eyes softened. She is such a sweet-natured woman, I thought to myself. 

"I was very disappointed in you too, Symon," she replied. 

Then she LAUGHED and LAUGHED and LAUGHED. Until she CRIED. 

"Your FACE!" she said. "You looked HORRIFIED!"

Then she laughed some more.

Which reminds me. Fazzy also taught me a South African word. "Onbeskof" which - if you have a South African accent - you pronounce as "onbeskawwwf". 

It means "rude". 

ONBESKOF, Fazzy. ONBESKOF.

S.