When in doubt, panic

There are a few things I inherited from my mother. Flying with her around Lusaka gave me my love of flying and the knowledge that I could do it. As the 4th child I inherited her red hair. I also have her height and before the surgery I had her shocking eyesight.  I can live with all of those, but I also inherited her tendency to assume the worst. I am a panicker of note when it comes to my children.

M

Me, brother no 1 and my sister

Brother no 2 who lives in Cambodia, with his gorgeous wife

When my sister was a tiny baby she had febrile convulsions. My mother, who was all of 19, locked herself in the linen cupboard, leaving her mother-in-law to cope. This strikes me as a completely natural response; the mother-in-law clearly had more experience so she removed herself from the situation. She also had a tendency to faint when things had gone horribly wrong (like when I was lost on Lake Tanganyika for 9 hours in a storm) which I haven't inherited, thankfully.

Today's worst-case-scenario has been brought about by the fact that Scientist no 2 is driving himself to Kruger Park. This is a rich source of panic material for any doomsday follower, made worse by:

1. He has only had a licence for around 9 months
2. We have drivers with no regard for the rules of the road here

compounded by:

1. He may get lost
2. The car could break down (or worse, much worse)

and... as someone who grew up with wildlife, I am all too aware of the dangers that a city boy won't be aware of like:

1. What if he goes into the park and is charged/trampled by a raging elephant in musth (do I have enough time to tell him what to look out for before he leaves?)
2. He could be attacked by a hippo, they are faster than rhinos and kill lots of people every year
3. What is the risk of malaria at this time of year
4. Will he have enough warm clothes

And so on.

 Scientist no 2 when he was 12 and I knew exactly where he was all the time

Scientist no 2 with Walter, pretending to be gangstas.

Of course it's not the first time he's been away in charge of a car. He went on matric vac to the south coast when he'd had his licence for around 6 weeks, one of 2 licensed drivers (the others had learner licences). They drove from the south coast to Plettenberg Bay for heaven's sake through the Transkei of all places.


My coping skills are going to be sorely tested today, I hope my liver is up to the challenge.