When I grow up

I remember when I was I was in Grade 6 I read a Sidney Sheldon book about this young ambitious and naive woman who was taking her baby steps in her law career. On her very first day in court, she was part of the prosecuters research team, she was set up by the crime boss on trial to deliver a package to the state's primary witness. The package was a canary with its neck broken. Obviously a play on the "sing like a bird" adage. The witness refused to provide the state with any more information so the case was dismissed and the crime boss was back on the streets and she lost her job. The bad guy wins.

But then the tenacity of this fictitious woman, Jennifer Parker was her name, broke down doors and she built her career victory by victory. Anyway this isn't a book review it's about how this book changed my life. I've always had precocious reading tastes because in the same year I read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The difference between the two however was that Pride and Prejudice didn't make me want to be a strong-willed social climber even though it may be the reason I've always expected romance to lean towards story-book perfection. Sidney Sheldon's book made me want to be a lawyer, no debate, no trial just pure conviction of what my calling in life was. So what if I wasn't argumentative, who cares if I hated paper work. I wanted to be Jennifer Parker.

My dad was wary but delighted with my choice of career, as far as he was concerned he was raising a future lawyer. English has always been my strongest subject in school, I didn't understand what my teachers meant when they said "Your daughter is such a good reader Mr Tshabalala", I was flattered but I was also thinking "well that's useless". So when I got to matric and had to seriously consider what career path I was going to take, taking passions, talents, and strengths into account I figured I'd make a shockingly bad lawyer. So the only thing I could think of that I was good at besides athletics and sports was English and how much I loved to read and write. So I figured Journalism was my safest bet. My dad was gutted! From imagining the six-figure salary a lawyer could command to a dishevelled underpaid journalist he tried to convince me to convince myself that I didn't want to be a journalist.

I didn't. because a journalist is supposed to stick things through to the end right? Whatever. So I crossed borders and settled in Durban in pursuit of my dream. Jennifer Parker still lingers in the crevices of my memory because journalist or lawyer, man or woman, good reader or not everyone needs the drive which came so easily to Miss Parker.

Sidenote: She ended up dating the crime boss who set her up. The inspiration I drew from her was very selective. No crime bosses for Nono Parker...err...you know what I mean.

Daddy and the journalist...is that pride I see?