36 Questions to Fall in Love...in 36 days!

Chapter 11: Afrikaans Lessons and a Serenade

6th November 2023 🥀

"Ek hou van jou!" Dominique spat, the moment I opened the door to leave the house.

That wasn't a greeting I was expecting.

I raised my brow, locking the door behind me.

" Hello to you too."

He chuckled, running his fingers through his curly hair.

"We're writing Afrikaans today" he answered, as I walked alongside him.

" I know that, I studied."

He scoffed, shaking his head. "Why would you study without me? Since grade 6 I've been your personal Afrikaans dictionary."

This made me laugh.

"You were the reason I almost failed Afrikaans. I'm not taking that risk again."

You see, Dominique and I became friends in grade 6 when I was doing so bad in Afrikaans the teacher was so close to letting me cheat. Instead she decided to ask one of my classmates who were fluent in Afrikaans to help me.

That classmate happened to be Dominique Van De Merwe who was suspiciously enthusiastic about teaching me everything I needed to know in Afrikaans.

"Trust me. After about a month you'll be praating like a King" he had said.

"Praating means talking right ?"

"No," he scoffed. " It means killing."

I frowned. " That makes no sense at all. After a month I'll be killing like a King?"

Instead of answering me he just laughed really loudly. I thought that maybe it was an expression that when translated sounded wrong.

The day came for the Afrikaans test and I was more confident in Afrikaans than I had ever been. I walked into class smiling but that smile was wiped off my face weeks later when the teacher said I did worse than any student had ever done.

"I don't understand. Dominique helped me."

"Don't lie Leonardo did you even listen to Dominique because he got total."

" I promise I listened to him. He taught me so much this month. I'll show you" I said, clearing my throat and then I spoke.

"Ek is 'n seekoei wat heeldag visse soen en poet, maar tog vra ek jou hand in die huwelik."

I remember her pausing, blinking rapidly and then she started laughing so hard in my face. This made me more  confused.

I had just told her that 'I was a student who was honoured to be taught by her and I'm thankful she never gave up on me.'

Dominique and I had been practicing that sentence to further impress my teacher but instead her cheeks had slightly reddened and she was falling into a coughing fit because of all the laughter she'd been doing.

She drank her water bottle that was perched on the table and her eyes landed on me again.

"I haven't laughed like that in a while thank you" she said, sighing.

"I think I understand what's happening. Leonardo, do you know what you just said to me?"

I told her that I understood and explained to her the meaning.

She chuckled. " That's not what it means. What you just said right now translated to -I'm a hippo who kisses fish and farts all day but still I ask for your hand in marriage"

I still remember how I flushed with embarrassment and then anger because I realized Dominique had been purposefully teaching me the wrong things all for the fun of it. That's why he had been laughing so much.