Change the Conversation

Change the conversation

The  MacNallys  were invited  for Saturday night dinner. They were invited by the Johnsons. This was an invitation to which the McNallys had long been aspiring.

“How  nice of them to ask us,” I said to  Henry, “ Now you will have the chance to impress Frank with your understanding  of the real situation on global markets. It could mean a step up the ladder in the firm.”

The firm, was the family business of asset management, now in its third generation,  Frank  being the grandson of  Oscar, the founder member.

“If only I didn’t have to wear this goddamn  tie”  muttered Henry, as he knotted it round his neck.

“Hi Abby, how nice to see you,”  I  gave Abby a small peck on the left  cheek. The other guests had arrived and were standing around chatting.

We  sat outside on the verandah for pre dinner drinks, and the conversation followed the usual mundane but safe pattern.

“Anybody played golf lately?”

“What do you think of the new Shopping Mall on Ladies Mile?”

“ The Checkers and Brewery are so new.  The Brewery fills up your demijohn with their  home brew and  very good it is, too.

Isabel was there, with a new man, the Watsons, Jeremy and Mary and then Ivy and Paul Greenwood.

“The dinner is on the table.”

Abby had gone to a great deal of trouble  with the table setting and the menu.

First off, was Seafood Tagine with the aromatic spices of Morocco: ginger, saffron, cumin and allspice.

After the first glass of wine, the conversation became more animated.

“ I think Trump is a complete idiot.” said Paul.

“ But look how he has made America great again!”

I  always thought Ivy’s pronouncements showed a complete lack of careful thought.

Changing the subject I threw a spanner in the works.

“Has anyone heard what has happened to Kataza the Chacma Baboon? He was darted and wrenched from his home in Kommetjie and put in the Tokai forest .  Hikers coming down the mountain, heard him shouting in anguish, soon after.”

“The authorities were totally misguided to do a thing like this. The poor animal had to fend for himself in a strange area and forage for food that had no resemblance  to the diet he had in Kommetjie.  More than thirty thousand people signed a petition to send him back to his own troop. The whole world knows the story,”  said Frank.

“Don’t be so silly about an animal! They should not come into the urban areas and make pests of themselves! Dangerous beasts!”

“Jeremy Watson. I think that is quite uncalled for. Why should  baboons be exterminated in order to satisfy humans and their  selfish desires. The authorities responsible, want to traumatise the baboon  so much that he raves, and then they have an excuse to  kill him, like they have already killed so many. The baboons will soon be extinct the way they carry on. That is what I hear anyway.”

Well that put the fat in the fire!

“So I must live, surrounded by huge baboons who terrorise my wife and children and me?”

“Jeremy, you are obviously one of the’ haters.’ How would you like to live in a world devoid of wild life. Humans must learn to live in harmony with creatures from the wild.”

I kept a low profile while the discussion got more heated.

“The number of paint balls fired at baboons is in the thousands. They have been compared to rubber bullets regarding injuries sustained. Then there are the injuries caused by dog bites.  All this to protect  humans from wildlife. I call it gross animal cruelty,” said Henry.

“Well, do you think it is alright for wild animals to come and raid our bins? Right on our doorstep? Some creatures are OK, the ones that keep to their own part of the world and not forage in my wheelie bin for food.”

“ You are maddening . So now you want to be selective about what to kill and what not to kill! You want to play God to all other forms life on earth, as long as you are happy.” This from Henry again.

“ I heard they  use  ‘bear bangers’, that make a loud noise and frighten the daylights out of the animals.  This is to keep the animals from getting too near the  houses. They are loud enough to cause deafness. What is to like about that?” Isabel  put in, looking at Greg, the new man. He returned her gaze with undisguised admiration. He was smitten alright!

“Tell me Jeremy,  “ said Paul, “why is David Attenborough so revered? He has helped ignorant people like you to understand the diversity and universality of the natural world. Only none of his wisdom has rubbed off on you.”

 He made a film of the Mountain Gorillas in 1979. In the 80’s there was a film with Sigourney Weaver called, Gorillas in the Mist, the true story of Dian Fossey. She was murdered for her trouble but succeeded in protecting the gorillas in the Congo and Rwanda from extinction. Here in Cape Town we have our own story playing out before us,  of inhumane actions against a primate, and you can only think of yourself!”

“Shall we change the subject?”  I said.  Henry,  I could see, was getting very worked up . He often watched the TV programmes produced by Attenborough so had a feeling of empathy for what Paul had just said.

“You are like a little Hitler , you only lack the moustache!”

In the midst of this, Abby rose from the table and brought in the main dish over which she had slaved all day. She maybe thought to put a stop to the arguments which were becoming very heated. The sweat was shining on Henry’s forehead.

I have made a Filet de Boeuf en Chemise. Bon appétit everyone. There was a temporary silence while the guests helped themselves. But the interruption was only a temporary one. Jeremy had got the bit between his teeth and he was not going to let it go.

“You mean that some vicious animal should be allowed to make my life a misery because you all want to take sides against a marauding thief, who invades my property whenever he feels like it?”

“You are actually evil to think that you can kill other living creatures for you own comfort. I hope you live to regret this,” from  Henry.

“Please help yourself to vegetables,”  Abby was screwing up her face with anxiety. It was turning into a dreadful evening. “ Underneath the pastry is a mix of truffle and liver pate. Enjoy!”

I had kept a low profile throughout . If I had known what result, the introduction of Kataza in the conversation would have, I would never have mentioned it.

“This is delicious Abby .” I said quietly.

“Yes, what a good way to spend an evening with  good friends.”

This did nothing to placate Jeremy.

“I think you are all repulsive! None of you have the faintest idea what it is like to have baboons roaming around your private property. You live further away from the mountain.”

By this time Abby’s was trying to smile but her eyes were crumpling up and she started to shake  her head in distress.

Whereas I had stayed more or less silent and only tired to pass a few placating remarks, Henry decided to do something more drastic. Seeing the hostess about to burst into tears he stretched his arm across the table reaching for the salt and in so doing, knocked a jug of gravy off the table on to the floor . The contents of the jug spilled in slow motion over the Persian carpet and oozed its way around in a large mess of liquid gravy.

“Right this is it. Come along Jen, we are going home. ”

In the car I sniffled in disappointment and a certain amount of fear for the conswquences.

“I am afraid you can wave goodbye to any promotion. You might just be lucky to keep your job.”

We were very subdued after the unpleasant event.

Still subdued, the next morning.

“ Henry , is there anything you can do or say to redeem yourself with the Johnsons? You did get really worked up and everyone knew you knocked the jug onto the floor on purpose .

“ I  did that to change the subject. Jeremy wouldn’t let it go. It was a dreadful  evening”

The phone rang.

“I’ll get it. Hello McNally here. Oh hello Frank. I want to say sorry for my bad behaviour last night . Please give my apologies to Abby. What? Oh? I didn’t know that. Thanks for telling me. I am both surprised and grateful. Thanks for the call. Thank you very much”

“What was that about?”

“That was Frank to say that he was not upset about anything that took place last night. He has been a sponsor for Baboon Matters for the past few years and supported the activists who fought for Kataza to be returned to his home at Kommetjie. He was pleased I stood up for what was right! He says more members of the public should get educated and if it takes a few calamitous dinners to do it, then every one of them is worth it.”