Opinion

Rolls Royce of walking frames

My mother, now in her 70s (sorry mom, but your age is no longer a state secret), recently got herself a new set of wheels.

When it comes to transport, my mother has never been flashy. Her first car was a red Beetle. I was around four years old when my parents decided one family car just wouldn’t do. After all, it was my mother’s responsibility to taxi my sister and I to school every day.

It was a second-hand car with quite a lot of miles – yes, the odometer was still marked in miles – on the clock, but my father always ensured it was in perfect running order. There was this odd little space behind the back seat which I duly claimed as my own.

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Being a scrawny boy, I was comfortably snug in my private seat.

I was in my early teens when my mother finally traded in her beetle for a second-hand white Ford Escort Sport. With a 1 600 engine, it was like a race car compared to the beetle. My sister was pleased, as she was at that age where she was embarrassed to be seen in the old skedonk.

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Suddenly, my mother could drop her off in front of the school gate, and not a block away. An Opel Kadett, again second-hand, replaced the Ford when I was at university and I was already a married man when my mother finally got a brand-new car – a silver Chev Spark. To this day, she drives her little Sparky.

The other day, she called me and told her about her new set of wheels. Having visited a number of dealers and after “test-driving” a few different models, she finally decided on a shiny, metallic red machine with all the bells and whistles.

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Nonslip grips on the steering, leather seat, ample space for her shopping, lightweight yet sturdy, aesthetically pleasing design… I must admit, I was rather sceptical despite my mother’s lyrical enthusiasm.

Then she sent me a photo. True, it is a masterpiece. An engineering marvel worthy of being called the Rolls Royce of walking frames.

“It’s not a walking frame,” corrected my mother. “It’s a Rollator!”

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So, mother, I hope your Rollator gives you as many trouble-free, memory-making miles as all your other vehicles have done.

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By Danie Toerien