Growing up I had a very naughty cousin. He stole everything that came across his eye. He’d steal food, money, and everything else he would find. I heard he grew to steal other people’s girlfriends too because he was a good looking guy and a sweet talker too 

He didn’t mind taking the bread out of the oven, cut his piece before everyone else got to, put it back, and then disappear 

We were the least fortunate family so we would eat meat on pay day or when the social grant was due. As a result, we ate stamp a lot at home. But he always had our backs, because he would steal a beef cube and oil to make our food delicious 

There was no penny he would come across and let it slide. He took them, even those hidden in other people’s wallets when they were not looking. Sometimes we would come back from school and be asked about the money that had gone missing, at the time we didn’t know anything about it 

The great thing was, that he never ate alone, through his mischievous acts, he never forgot that he had other siblings and cousins. If he bought a chicken foot, we will get fingers, if he bought bread, we were guaranteed a piece. Even if we were not with him at the time of the purchase, he made sure he found us to share whatever he had 

We took our chances when we bet in games like soccer, marbles, coin spinning, etc, but as the stakes get higher, he was the man to take over and compete with the best and he never disappoints. He was just good in everything we participated in on the streets 

 We knew that with every win, he wins for all of us. We will be there cheering him when he plays because, with every coin he collected, we were guaranteed a sweet, snack, or anything his winnings managed to buy 

When they stand us up against the wall asking for money that’s missing, we would say we don’t know not because we are lying, but we really didn’t know except that he bought us something at school or at the playground even when we had our suspicions sometimes that he may have stolen the money but it was difficult to tell anyone because whatever he bought he always fed us, shared with us before his friends 

They say blood is thicker than water, and he proved that without a doubt because there was never a day that he chose his friends over us 

I hope you find that cousin, someone who chooses you over everyone, someone who looks for you not only on difficult times but when it’s time to eat too, to celebrate and enjoy their small winnings. 

“It’s all about one day at a time, one day at a time” 

Picture by Edge Training on Unplash.com