Only in Africa

Greetings from South Africa.

Today I thought I'd give you a taste of Africa to whet your appetite for novels set in this beautiful continent.

I'm writing a Christian cozy mystery, Polka Dot Feathers, which has a South African background, so I'm always on the lookout for interesting characters and situations that could be found only in Africa.

Recently my husband was admitted to hospital for surgery on his feet. He went to the bed allocated to him, drew the curtains and changed into one of those stylish gowns with ties at the back that our hospitals issue. It was only for a couple of hours, so he donned it without protest, but he balked when it came to the voluminous pair of bloomers compulsory for surgical procedures- were they designed with Sumo wrestlers in mind? He decided his own cotton briefs were much more suitable. He placed the bloomers in all their glory on the table that straddled the end of the bed and I opened the curtains.

The ward sister waltzed in to see if all was in order. She snatched up the bloomers and said, "You're not wearing your G-string."Our mouths dropped open as she plonked the “G-string” on her head. Then she stuck out her bottom denture and danced round accompanied by the laughter of all in the ward. As the finale she placed the bloomers back on the table and drew the curtains with a flourish.

My husband and I looked at each other. Now what? Was he expected to wear the bloomers after they'd been part of the dance routine?

"Are you ready?" enquired our dancer.

I peeped out of the curtains. "There's no ways he's wearing this pair. Bring him a new pair and he'll put them on.”

So she did and he did.

What a way to prepare a patient for theatre. What a wonderful character. Only in Africa would this happen.

Thank you for visiting my blog and please drop by again.