German Rende zvous

"Love is not love, which alters when it alliteration finds or bends with the remover to remove."

-William?Shakespeare

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I GREW UP WITH ALL THE LUXURIOUS?things in the world but I still didn't know what made me truly happy, yes my father made me happy after all he was the only family... I had besides my two best friends and my nanny Sis Thembi. She was in her early Forties, she had been there through all my life and I couldn't imagine my life without her. My first Period I thought I was dying but she was was there to teach me all the things I needed to know?the things my mother should have been doing.?Even though the void was there deep withing me, my father made sure I got everything I wanted. I remember when I was six and I asked my father what was a mommy because everyone had one and why did I not have one; his eyes brimmed with watery substance and he knelt down and whispered "Why don't we get some ice cream and I will tell you all about it?" I nodded well because of my excitement for ice cream, I forget about all the questions I had.

I was quite the loner as a child, I hardly went out because all I wanted to do was watch television with Sis Thembi. As soon as I learnt how to write, I'd write my name on all the furniture, all the walls around the house you would think my father was furious but no he would simply smile and say great what about your last name then I would scribble my last name in a not so perfect hand writing.

My father was a well known lawyer in Johannesburg, he had his very own Multi-Million company?Legal Urgency which had only the best lawyers, attorney and Prosecutors in the business.?I loved to watch him work especially when he took me to one of his coart cases. Everyone knew that there would be no way in hell or heaven, he would lose a case; he was my hero and i'd say when grow up I wanna be just like my father. As I grew older than ten, I realised how my hair would get tangled like a beehive and it was always curly while my father's hair was just plain brunette and it made me wonder why was I so different so one day I asked Sis Thembi why my hair was different from my father and she said it's because my mother was black and my father was white meaning I was Coloured (like we say in South Africa) or rather mixed race, although I really wanted to ask where my mother was, I just decided to hold my peace because such questions made my father very tense and it would change his mood instantly.

When I was twelve years old, I realised that I was inlove with history even though many people would say it was such a bore, all I wanted to do was research and find out interesting facts I didn't know about other parts of the world. That's when I met my two best friends in seventh grade, Leanne and Amanda. We were in the same 7th grade class and from there we just became incredibly close, they came for sleepovers and we did all the girly things that every twelve year old girl found amusing and I remember how they would always tell me, how they wish they were me because of everything that revolved around my life. I lived in a suburban area in Johannesburg North called Sandton, our house was okay but people would exaggerate and say it was basically a mansion. Sandton was a quiet surbub and very much boring, the day I finally slept over at Amanda's house in Soweto (South side of Johannesburg) everything was different and I had never been to such a place before everyone was so care free and the streets were full, in Sandton the only time you ever saw someone was when they would come out to pick up their mail or driving out or walking their dog. There were a lot of black people in Soweto since I was so fascinated by history I knew it was because of apartheid, it was a time when South Africa was colonised by Dutch and British they moved all black people to downtown Johannesburg then only Whites lived in sandton. I felt bad but I wasn't white well I didn't know who I was, I had a lot of questions but no answers.

Amanda's family was so welcoming and sweet although they didn't have much and their house wasn't even close to being as big as mine, they had a beautiful family, one which I always wished for. Amanda spoke the language isizulu from the late Shaka Zulu, I was fascinated by languages in South Africa there were twelve languages but I could only speak two which was Afrikaans and English. The school we attended was very expensive only the extravagantly rich could attend it although Amanda's Parents didn't have much they worked really hard for her to attend a school of high class. Amanda was black but really beautiful, I envied her dark skin that didn't react when we stood in the sun for too long.

Leanne on the other hand she was one of the most caring people, one thing I loved about South Africa was we had more than four races. Leanne Naidoo was Indian she was the most disciplined girls I knew but as soon as her family were out of sight she would turn her party on. Leah like I'd call her came from a very strict Indian family, she wasn't as rich as I was but her family had money just a bit stingy because apparently her father was a saving freak. I didn't blame him, Leah was a perfectionist when it came to clothing.

Anyways those were my two best friends and without them I would die. Finally when we finished Senior Year (Matric), my father had promised me that if I scored high grades he would let me and my two friends go to Germany. I had always wanted to go to Germany, it was a beautiful place besides the history there was breath taking, every since freshman year when I learned about Hitler and Nazi Germany I was fascinated. If I could go back in time I would go and interview Hitler. When you bottle up your sadness you destroy everyone else around you because you can't deal with your own unhappiness.

Here we were just turned eighteen and in Germany what a dream, we would be staying here the whole summer until we returned to our normal lives which was applying for University. I wanted to pursue law like my father or just be a historian, travel around the world and just learn each history behind that place and event. Germany was beautiful and besides this was the best present my father could ever give me after completing high school.

Berlin was so beautiful and breathtaking all I wanted to do was take pictures of each and everyplace I saw. The history about the Berlin Wall how separation destroyed so many people's families and how can I forget Anne Frank, I read her book more than I could count with my fingers. You know its really amazing what this thing called love can do to you. Anne Frank was in hiding with her Jew family during the holocaust but she was in love with this boy who she wrote about each and everyday in her diary making her forget about all the bad things that were taking place in her life, unfortunately she died at a concentration camp when she was fifteen. I'm so bipolar I swear this book makes me cry more than Romeo and Juliet, my friends think that's weird but Anne Frank is a true story and well Romeo and Juliet is just fiction.

"Nella, back to earth." Leah clicked her fingers in my face.

"What the??" Amanda screamed like a fan girl, fangirling over our hotel suite, I had to admit it was breath taking. I wasn't a fan of hotel rooms because I spent half of my eighteen years in one watching my dad try to crack a case moving from city to city.

"Is this our suite or we are lost?" Amanda said in shock.

"We are lost Amanda." Leah sarcastically said looking around. There were three single beds, a lounge area, jacuzzi, walk in closet etc but what caught my eye was the view the magnificent view on the balcony.

"The balcony guys!!!" I bluntly said.

"Its beautiful." Amanda said in awe.

"This is going to be the best summer ever." Leah said unpacking her suitcase.

"I know right." I replied unpacking my suitcase too.

"But in Africa its winter." Amanda said reminding us how smart she is.

"Geography teacher please not now." Leah made a remark making Amanda scrow at her.

Suddenly someone entered our suite and yes my father wouldn't allow me to go half way across the world alone that's why George was here.

"Miss. Antonella your father is on the phone." He said handing me the phone.

"George just call me Nella please." I pleaded, I didn't like people to think I'm some spoiled brat, I know I kind of am but I didn't want people seeing me like that.

"Hello daddy." I answered the phone making my way to the balcony.

"Nella, I was worried sick. I told you to call me immediately when you land in Berlin." He sighed through the other line.

"Yes, I'm sorry I lost track of time." I breathed in the cool breeze that passed by this place was beyond beautiful.

"Alright,? I'm glad you are okay, how do you like it there?"

"Oh, its even more beautiful than I imagined." I smiled looking down from the 11th floor building, it was almost sunset and the view was worth more than a million.

"I knew you would love it, tell me if you need anything and take George everywhere with you so he can protect you."

"Daddy, its so embarrassing remember when all the kids would laugh at me in elementary school because I walked around with a bodyguard."

"Yes but its for your own good."

"Yes I know."

"Have fun Nella but not too much fun." I giggled at the thought.

"Daddy I know, good night." I smiled hanging up the phone, this summer was going to be awesome. I had a good feeling about it.