Who is Lisa?​

Lisa (53) is the mother of two grown daughters and wife of the CEO of a successful Sandton-based Import/Export company. Since his work often takes him away on extended business trips abroad and both her daughters had left the nest, Lisa has taken up hiking and bird watching to fill her days and get out of the empty house. She frequently visits nature reserves and national parks around South Africa.

Let’s all drink to the night of the scars!

By Rabelani Dzambukeri

Lisa couldn’t believe it was their last day there. It had all flown by so fast. Even though it hadn’t ended yet, she felt a slight ache in her heart, knowing that they’d have to leave behind all the great people they’d met.

Lisa resolved to treasure all the memories and stories safely in her heart as she made her way to the fire, coffee cup in hand.
“We have saved the best for last,” Adrian declared boisterously, giving her a wink.

“Oh, dear me, my story is definitely not the best. You all are phenomenal people with great stories to share. Even though my story is nothing compared to yours, I hope you learn something from me today,” Lisa said humbly with a big smile on her face.

“Oh, Lisa,” Taki let out a soft laugh.

“So, here goes. I was 48 when both my girls got married in the same year, but in different seasons. Amber married in autumn and Ashley later that year, in summer. I was happy for them, but, oh boy, was I lonely after they had officially left the nest,” Lisa continued.

“You mentioned that your husband is the CEO of a Sandton-based company. Weren’t your days filled with business trips to New York, extravagant parties and meeting successful people?” Lee asked, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

“Yes, I was always busy, but the constant mingling with people in such social circles got tiring. The continuous travelling eventually drains you, and it surely did so with me,” Lisa said with a heavy sigh at the end.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve never actually met a rich person who is content with their life. I mean, sure, they have everything they need, but then they seem to lose touch with themselves. They do not know who they truly are, because they are blinded by the money. Not that I’m saying this is you, Lisa, but it’s just something I’ve observed over the years,” Rovha said with a hesitant voice.

“No worries, child, the Lord blessed us with brains to think and mouths to project these thoughts. No one knows who they truly are and whether they are ‘rich’ or ‘poor’. But I’ll agree with the fact that all the money can blind you and make this process harder,” Lisa said, a soft smile on her face.

“How did you do it then, Lisa? Escape from the pattern, I mean,” Adrian asked, pulling on his beard pensively.

“I disconnected to reconnect. I did the things that I loved, the things that made me feel whole again: I went on hikes, I travelled to new places, tried something new on each trip, went bird watching. I let my inner child escape the body of Mr Webster’s wife,” Lisa said, making sure she maintained eye contact with all of them, one after the other.

“That sounds fascinating. What was your favourite adventure?” Gerrit asked.

“I flew to France!!”

“Living every girl’s dream, madam,” Taki said, sighing enviously.“I

t was a dream for me too. A twenty-day dream. I went on a seven-day hike in Provence. From Avignon, all the way to Roussillon. It was splendid. I was like a bird freed from its cage. The whispering sighs of the trees, the rush of the water, the harmony of the sounds made by the insects and birds, the drum of our feet against the ground, creating unique melodies. Melodies you wanted to listen to on repeat. Melodies that spoke to your soul…” Lisa spoke with so much excitement and bliss that everyone realised that she had truly found her happy place.
“Really?! That sounds like something from a majestic Disney movie,” Lee said with absolute awe in her eyes.

“And I felt like a princess! After the hike, I rented a small house in the countryside and tried something completely new: I took painting classes. I walked around all day, took a taxi once in a while, looking at the mesmerising architecture. I walked through the villages and bought floral dresses from small shops. I had breakfast in cafes and always took a croissant to-go, bird-watched and even stood still, simply to observe the people around me. I painted it all - from the rock houses to the tiny birds.” Her eyes looked bright, her inner peace shining through.

“Who doesn’t love a good croissant?” Gerrit stated while rubbing his stomach, making everyone laugh.

“Right! There was a small boulangerie right across my place. I loved it so much, not only because of the food, but for the cat that stayed there. She was so loving. She would sit on my lap, and once I’d finished eating, I’d pet her. She kissed me and purred the whole time.”

“Aww, that’s so cute!” Taki and Shabnim said in unison.

“She was, but she once gave me the fright of my life ... and these scars,” Lisa said and shook her head, pulling away her T-shirt to expose some parallel scars on her shoulder.

“How so? She sounds way too gentle to scare anyone, poor thing,” Taki replied.

“Okay, so it was my last day in France and I was super tired. I decided to go to sleep early that night. I rolled up my hair, made myself some chamomile tea and reflected on my trip. It was time to switch off the lights and call it a day,” Lisa said, closing her eyes and putting on a relaxed look.

“As you should, madam,” Lee interrupted.

“I woke up in the middle of the night to tinkle. All of a sudden, I heard a loud clattering noise from the kitchen. I grabbed a broom and tip-toed to the source of the noise, ready to give the intruder my best shot. When I got to the kitchen, there was a glowing circle of green...”
“Dun dun dun dun!” Taki said in a sing-song voice, imitating the dramatic music from a horror film.

“Long story short – something landed on my shoulder heavily, and I felt claws digging into my skin. In the dark, I just grabbed and pulled, but I could feel how parts of my flesh accompanied whatever I managed to throw off me. I fell over and started crawling back to the door, trying to locate the light switch. With the light on, I could see the bakery cat … very indignantly cleaning itself on top of my counter, delicately licking my blood and pieces of flesh off its paws,” she said, shaking her head.

“Sometimes, I tell people that I got the scratches from a French lover, during a night of unbridled passion, but it was just a French cat. THE END!” She laughed, and everyone joined her.

After everyone had quieted down, she said: “Wait right here, I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Lisa stood up and came back a few minutes later with a flask in hand. She poured hot chocolate into their cups and raised her own up in the air.

“We should change our perspective on scars. We shouldn’t think of them as dreadful marks, but as souvenirs of memories from the past. When you look at your scars, you should be reminded of the moments of joy, growth and perseverance when you got your scar ... Let’s toast to us, to the great memories we have had - to the night of scars!”

Everyone stood up and raised their cups, “To the night of scars!”