The most beautiful sound ever

I have been extremely fortunate, or blessed as some would say, to have heard some brilliant performers live in action.

In my days at Wits in the ’80s – yes, the 1980s, I am that old – I experienced extraordinary local bands like Bright Blue and The Kêrels. One of my regular hangouts was Jameson’s, a pub in Commissioner Street in the Joburg CBD. There I was introduced to the sounds of The Cherry Faced Lurchers, and a host of other artists.

Later, when the cultural boycott against our country was lifted, I heard international stars like Sting and The Rolling Stones perform live here on my home soil, buying golden ring tickets when my budget allowed so that I could get as close to these musical icons as possible.

All these artists had a profound and lasting effect on me and I often listen to their words, their tunes and their message. But musicians aren’t the only ones to have played a pivotal role in my life with their voices.

The most beautiful sound ever to embed in my brain was when the love of my life said she loves me for the very first time. My heart missed a beat. Three words spoken by a single person, without any background music, no tune, blew me away.

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Well, now on the wrong side of 50, I can say that I have heard the most beautiful voice in the world say the single most life-changing word.

For the first time in many years, I had all three of my girls “home” at the same time. The whole lot of us spent an entire weekend together. We had a big family braai, went to restaurants together and slept very little as nobody wanted to waste a single moment of our precious time together.

It was, however, the little Olive who stole the show when she spoke her very first word, for all to hear. Not one to miss out on any action, little Olive was sitting upright on her mother’s lap, eyeing us all out and babbling away in her own unique gaga-language.

Then, out of the blue, she looked me in the eyes and said it loud and clear: “Oupa”.