Written by Dear Pineapple
Quiet? In Brida? Oh, bless. If only.
You’d think summer would slow everything down, but nope—our Mayor was caught in a tornado of “getting ready for the busy times.” If this is “quiet,” imagine the noise.
So, what did His Worship actually do all day, you ask?
Well, events, events, events. Not the fun kind—oh no—planning them. Fruitloop and the Mayor were hunched over a shortlist of possibilities when she suddenly switched the kettle on… and then, poof, vanished. Classic.
Meanwhile, the Mayor stayed behind, wrangling the events’ website, Eventbrite showroom, event descriptions and the dreaded Monthly Events Booklet. (“What a ghastly name!” he muttered, but still typed away.)
Learning by doing—very Brida.
And then… the real work. A VIP is coming. Nine days in August, with the Presidential Suite booked once a week until January. Of course, the Mayor overthought, overanalysed, overcomplicated, and possibly overcooked the plan. Fruitloop? She rolled her eyes and applied her female perspective. She is co-hosting these VIP soirées, after all.
The jury’s still out on the VIP plan. Secretly, the Mayor loves this—watching younger Council members (read: Fruitloop) shaping Brida’s future. He even scribbled “succession planning” in the Pineapple Box, where all the secrets go. Naturally, she read it too.
The Spud Meeting
Tuesday rolled around. Time for the regular Spud Meeting.
Apart from the VIP preparations, the Mayor unveiled his shiny new brochure draft. Fruitloop approved the text but sighed at the French and German versions. “How,” she asked, “am I supposed to squeeze these into your tiny format?”
Mayor just waved his hand and said, “Timeless African artwork.”
A slight haze passed over Fruitloop’s eyes. “OK, not a problem,” she replied. (Translation: This will be a problem.)
Mystery Boxes also made the agenda. Points, badges, certificates? Fruitloop simply said, “Leave it with me.” After all, it’s her project. And maybe, just maybe, link the Mystery Boxes to a Brida Experience Programme?
The Mayor glanced at the crooked calendar on the wall. August was sprinting toward him.
Meanwhile, the stalwart few still in Brida were receiving their rations: Haikus, Fruitloop Questions, and Art Therapy Mystery Boxes.
Early Wednesday, Fruitloop did her school run while the Mayor sat in his courtyard, sketchbook in hand, tackling this week’s Art Mystery Box.
In a moment of frustration earlier in the week, he texted her: “Art Therapy is ABSOLUTELY necessary. I NEED it!”
Why? Because Fruitloop’s infamous line—“The Mayor is overthinking”—was still echoing in his head. But it also showed that Fruitoop’s Mystery Boxes can get under one’s skin, given time and gentle encouragement.
Peeling Potatoes
Friday, they recorded another Peeling Potatoes podcast. The topic was Heritage Day in South Africa, a celebration steeped in culture and memory. The Mayor couldn’t resist gently quizzing Fruitloop about the traditions—what it meant to her, how she remembered it as a child. Her body language gave her away: the flicker of a smile, the glint in her eye as she leaned ever so slightly forward. She was enjoying it, letting the questions pull her back into a space she didn’t often visit.Â
And then she said, almost with a soft laugh, “I remembered things I actually knew.”
It was one of those quiet moments that lingered, a shared understanding of how personal history anchors a person, even when life feels scattered.
So, dear Pineapple, can you see the bigger picture? The Mayor, juggling public office and his own restless mind, pretending not to care that what looks “silly” has become his way of staying sane. Fruitloop, mischievous yet thoughtful, teasing him just enough to keep him balanced while quietly supporting the whole town in her own way.
This is Brida. A place where you can laugh at yourself and with others, where meaningful moments and absurd ones live side by side, where conversations carry you to unexpected places, and somehow, almost accidentally, your English grows along the way.
And as for their Friday choir practice? Mayor’s and Fruitloop’s rendition of “Just the Two of Us” still hasn’t cracked the charts. But maybe one day.
Yours deliciously,
The Brida Scribe
