Vive la diff�rence | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Vive la diff�rence | Previous Challenge Entry
By Graham Keet
02/01/15
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Ever since I can remember there was tension between our two families. One could hardly call it a feud – we never came to blows, or anything – but we never got along all that well either.

I guess it is often the case when there are major differences, especially physical differences; one party may be tempted to think they are slightly better than the other. This was unfortunately the case between us Hoffmans and the Geoffroys. My brother and I were about the same age as the two Geoffroy boys. We were probably not as gifted in many of the areas that some may consider important, but then we outshone them in many other respects. For example, the country where we grew up was rich in forests, lakes and rivers, and as kids we spent most of our time climbing trees and swimming. One could say that this was the idyllic lifestyle that city kids only dreamed of – but then the differences between us always spoiled what could have been paradise on earth.

We Hoffmans were not as athletic as the Geoffroy children, and although we could climb trees, the Geoffroys would always beat us to the uppermost branches; they just seemed so much more nimble. The same applied to races on the ground – we could never match the Geoffroys, who would tease us, calling us ‘slowcoaches’, ‘plodders’ or ‘dawdlers’. But it was a completely different story when we landed up in the river together, because swimming was our forte. We would often climb a tree with branches overhanging the river, and after suffering the humiliation of losing a race to the top, we would gleefully fling ourselves into the water. The Geoffroys were always a bit scared of the water, and preferred to play around in the shallows. “Race you to the other bank,” we would shout, knowing full well what the outcome would be.

I always felt it was unfair of them to pick on our family trait of being slow and cumbersome, after all, not everyone can be slim and nimble; it’s just the way God made us. As for them hinting that we were ‘retarded’, I never felt that my thought patterns were slow, in fact I was often streets ahead of either of the Geoffroy boys when it came to mind games – such as ‘I spy with my little eye…’ To this day I believe there was a fair amount of jealousy in their criticism of our family.

Then one day we were forced to leave the area, which we understood was earmarked for township development. We were provided with alternative accommodation in a faraway town by the people doing the development, and to our surprise, our next-door neighbors were the Geoffroys. Although the two families were given their own dwellings, we shared a fairly large park area that, although not as vast as the forest from which we had come, still had trees, sports facilities and a swimming area.

We Hoffmans remained, however, the 'slow' family. The locals got to know us and accepted our differences, but many visitors to the area would stand and watch us at play and pass remarks. I guess one of the biggest revelations of my childhood came about when a group of school children visited our area. I clearly remember one little boy asking his teacher why some of those playing in the park were faster and more nimble than others. His teacher pointed to a board on the other side of our park fence, which we had never bothered about because the writing faced away from us.

“There are two different species in this cage, Johnny,” the teacher explained. “The ones hanging upside down are the Hoffman Sloths and the others swinging around are the Geoffroy Spider Monkeys. The sloths move very slowly, except in water. If anyone calls you ‘slothful’ it probably means they think you are slow and lazy.”

Yeah, right, I thought, glaring at the teacher who should have known better. If it took you thirty days to digest your food, like it does me, you wouldn’t exactly be called ‘Speedy Gonzalez’ either.

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