rue, Oct 31st 2009

The morning light slithered into my half open eyes – you were one of the people that found it rather amusing that I actually slept with my eyes semi-open. I shut them, rolled them around a couple of times then opened them to find the September 2009 Playmate glaring down at me with a wink and a sultry smile, as if to say “good on ya, girl!” I looked around.

My head hurt.

Oh. No.” I sighed as I quickly pulled the covers over my head. I shuddered as your scent filled my cocoon of shame as I realized where I was.  I foraged around the covers for my phone and found it under the pillow. Saturday,  9:49am. A couple of missed calls and texts regarding my whereabouts. I switched it off and threw it on the floor.

The TV was on in the next room. I figured you were there, so I writhed out of bed and grabbed a tshirt off the floor and tiptoed to the door. I opened it slightly and peeked through. You weren’t there. I headed for the bathroom, looking around for traces of last night. Nothing. I passed by the kitchen, poured a glass of water then made my way back to you room with a magazine I found in the bathroom. “how on earth did I end up here?” I didn’t remember calling you. Or you calling me and from the messages on my phone, I just disappeared?

I must have ended up sleeping again in that as gentle as you were trying to wake me up, the hangover just made it so much worse.

huh?” I turned around and you stood over me grinning, hand behind you. The smell of coffee filled the room.

I got this.” You held up a mug, “get up, I’m making brunch.”

C-cool.” I straightened up, “got any painkillers?”

Bathroom.” you kissed my cheek as you handed me the coffee. I sat up and took a couple of sips , located my garb and placed in neatly on your chair. I hurriedly showered and put on your shorts and that same t-shirt and offered to help you but you banished me to the couch. You had “When It Falls On”- the album you had so badly wanted me to hear, and I did. “Morning Song” came one and you told me about the parallels you found between it and Sylvia Plath’s poem of the same title. You explained, “it seems kind of like it could be a take on the poem- or at least parts of it and that the poem seems to be about motherhood and not being around forever… Plath kind of knew she was going to kill herself and not always be there for her kids, so ‘tomorrow seems…just an illusion’ “

I said that there comes a time when we take the idea of  “another chance” for granted because we believe it in so much that we forget to embrace the instance when something amazing happens, but you laughed at me and said that I was just full of regret.

I laughed and stared at you wondering if we’d ever make it.

After brunch, I challenged you to Fifa 10 – like I knew what it was – and I only lost because I have poor hand-eye co-ordination and I didn’t have my glasses with me. You put in “The Village” and got a couple of beers from the fridge while I grabbed a blanket and we snuggled up with you behind me. You stroked my shoulder, I was antsy at first – you forgot I hate being touched – but I eased up a little. You asked if if I had seen the film before and I slyly responded with a “non” just to get you to hold me during the creepy parts, which you did.

It was warm under that blanket and that did not go too well with the arduous suspense that was stylistic of M Night because I soon felt you slide your hand gently from my left knee up my thigh. I took a deep breath and I think you felt me tense up. You rested your hand on my hip and tapped your fingers. I closed me eyes and felt the blood rush through me.

I love you.”Your warm breath tickled my as you came closer. I shivered gently then effortlessly tilted my head to the left, exposing more of my neck to you. Your hand navigated from my hip, up my stomach then to my breast as you pressed your warm lips on my neck. My back arched as you traced an imagined pattern with your tongue along my neck. I could feel your heart beat faster, as did mine. I turned around and looked me dead straight in the eye. I consented to your pending actions by biting my bottom lip. You peeled my top off, pulled me closer, pressing my breasts against your naked chest. All the time our bodies undulating to a rhythm we could only feel. I tried to control my breathing as you nibbled on my ear. I pulled your face towards mine and I remembered what you had just whispered.  I smiled and stroked your hair before parting your lips with mine…

We’d done this before – without the three words.

Is that the time?” I jumped up pointing at the clock.

What’s wrong?” You scratched your head.

Crap! I have to go.”

Wha-why?”

I forgot I had to meet whatsherface in like 20 minutes.”

Work? It’s Saturday. Can’t you reschedule?” You stood at the bedroom door and watched me dress.

Yeah, no. Sort of… Look, I’ll call you.” and I didn’t. Although, I did message you later that day hoping for a “let’s pick up where we left off.” and you didn’t reply.

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The #Coinage Book Drive

Rexie drowning in the first box of books.

Rexie drowning in the first box of books.

It was Dr. Seuss who once said that “the more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” and we agree.

The #Coinage Book Drive is an initiative to collect and distribute new and used books to various community libraries across South Africa.

We aim improve and promote literacy and to instill a passion for reading in various communities across the country.

Our beneficiaries so far:

  • a community library run by Nyakallo Lephoto in Phuthaditjhaba (near QwaQwa) – fiction in Sesotho and English
  • a homework centre run by Maki Mokhine of Realogile High School in Alexandra – newspapers, magazines and books
  • an entrepreneurial library run by FadedBlack Innovations in Bekkersdal (near Westonaria) – mostly business manuals and books

Help us give the gift of reading across South Africa!

Don’t hesitate to contact us regarding donations.

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The “Please Call Me”

a "please call me"

– the most useful thing since well, before they were created.

A “Please Call Me” or “call-back” or PCM, depending on the circles you run in, is a free service that you dial. sends a short message to your recipient that simply requires the recipient to do as its name suggests, call the sender! If you are a respectable PCM sender, your recipient WILL call, if not, well…
During my high school days , circa 2001, when PCM’s were unlimited, could only be sent to someone on the same network as yours and simply read “Please Call Me”. Gabsie and I would communicate solely via PCM; one meant one thing; two, something else; three, another and so on… to a point that when they could not capture your thoughts one just had to send a text and if the text could not get the message across, only then would a call suffice. Today, this PCM code still exists but it is only used in those cases when you know that the recipient of your text messages has no airtime or SMS bundles to reply, so you send something like “Are you still coming? Reply one PCM = yes, two = no” and if the person is prone to mess that up you a further “ thereafter odd number of PCM’s = yes, even = no” CONFUSED? Be glad I didn’t explain the one, two, three PCM convo-alphabet-code!
After a while, either people complained of random people sending them PCM’s and when they called back – because that was the primary function of this great new service – people would say they just “made-up” the number or there was something called PCM stalking or there was just such a high volume of PCM traffic because these networks got smart, firstly we could now send PCM’s to any network BUT they started to charge us.. 20c. Luckily, this didn’t last long, so they made them free again but they were limited – BUMMER! No more one,two,three PCM convo-alphabet-code, we still used it even if we had to pay – don’t ask. We basked in limited PCM’s – bloody networks – and to keep us happy they gave us a treat – personalized PCM’s! Well, not fully personalized, all we could “personalize” was the “me” to something under ten characters. Boy! Did we eat this up! We ate it up like we usually do with Debonair’s latest offerings. They were the best thing well, since the unlimited simple PCM’s – the iPad of PCM’s. They were:
  • “Please Call Coin”
  • “Please Call Me” (the people who thought they were being funny)
  • “Please Call Mxit” (for people who wanted to carry on with a conversation on Mxit)
  • “Please Call FB (or Facebook)” (for people who wanted to share news on Facebook)
  •  “Please Call (student number)”  (this one was actually sent to a Unisa lecturer)
  • “Please Call IluvU”
  • “Please Call ImisU”
  • “Please Call HepiBday”
  • “Please Call MryXmas”
  •  “Please Call HepiNuYr”
  • “ “Please Call Marryme” (I can bet you it’s been done)

and “Please Call Noairtym” (although this is redundant because some networks offer the “Please Recharge Me) ..and many more!
PCM’s had now created the why-send-a-text-or-call-when-you-can-sum-it-up-in-ten-characters attitude which was basically about being short, direct and most importantly you said it for free! Companies also jumped onto the PCM band-wagon and networks made even more money with the PCM ads – luckily one could enable or disable these ads because you’d get “Please Call Noairtym. Blacklisted, need a loan? Call 0860 00 00 00 in seconds”. Again, we were smart about the new PCM’s, especially since this new cyber-speak of dropping vowels and some consonants and shortening phrases like “had to be there” to HTBT or FYI and LOL etc… With these new PCM’s you had to be with the “right” network because some allow you to change every PCM while others allow you to change your PCM message once a day – like the one I’m with.

So, if you’re me and you happened to have met a potential SO, who happens to live his life through PCM’s, you wouldn’t be surprised to one day – after a third date *yes, since I’ve overcome my fear of dates since that disastrous one – to receive a PCM that read “Please Call BeMyGF” Unfortunately, I was with Ava -who thought it was the cutest thing ever! So I accepted with “Please Call Sure”. After a couple of months things had run their course with Mr PCM, I was forced to send “Please Call ItsOver” and  this time I was with Try, his reasoning was since it started with a PCM, let it end with one. I couldn’t argue.

UNFORTUNATELY, I subscribe to the network I do, and it was one of those SMS bundle-free, data bundle free, airtime-less days. I was forced to send PCM’s to people – including the authors of my life. So I received calls and texts ranging from: “what’s over”, “you dumped him via PCM – naaice”, to “PCM break-up, you can be so heartless” and one call as requested by my “Please Call ItsOver” . Luckily the initial recipient of the break-up PCM got the message and didn’t put up a fight, he just replied “Please Call Cool”. Evidently, PCM’s are handy – if you’re with the network that meets your PCM needs, they’re brief and direct but seriously can we really say all we need to say for free and in under ten characters?

*Even Twitter tried with the 140 characters thing but out of a need to say more TMI Me Twitlonger were born -Ava*
If so, then this post would’ve simply been “Please Call PCMsRock
– Coin

 

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