Francis Tsawayo Another month-end weekend has dawned. What is this aroma that fills my nostrils, is it the sweet air of an early winter morning or just the excitement in the air? There are only 52 weekends in a year, which gives people reason to celebrate them. To be honest, the most celebrated of the 52 are those that come at the end of the month. This trend seems to have developed over a period of time. Let us take a trip and see what a month end weekend feels like. On a day like today, five long working days have gone by and all you can think of is Friday. On a Thursday morning, you wake up and wish it was a Friday but then again comfort slowly slips in as you come to realise that the weekend is around the corner. As you walk out something strikes you, the air is filled with a strong scent, so strong you can almost taste it on your tongue. The sweetness of month end weekend. The day goes by like magic, people are so busy like army ants, and there are people lined up at banks and atms. Beware shoppers are on the loose, almost every shop has a sale on. Friday morning dawns, you don’t have to be told it’s a Friday – the DJ on the morning show is playing music that just makes you move and before you know it, you are lost like Alice in wonderland. Time check, you are running out and the madness sets in, the tempo of the day has picked up and so have the spirits of many. Occasional hellos are thrown between strangers, oh the “world is a perfect place”. The early night is characterised by braais, loud music and movement. You actually wonder if people will last the night. The nightspots are rife with activity. People are having fun and the good times are definitely rolling. For some reason, people are now hard of hearing, they shout in conversation, screaming here and there, dancing and before you know it, you are spilling into the early hours of Sunday. The body has taken a hammering but in spirit you can still go another two or three hours. Of all days in a week, I must say I think even if you were to go to the Americas, Europe, the moon you will feel it in your bones that today is a Sunday. The moment you open your eyes it all sets in – exhaustion, fatigue, the hangover, you name it, it all comes at once. And then it hits you, tomorrow is Monday and it is the first week of the month. You finally bid farewell to the weekend. This is what it looks like from the outside, and yet the reality of it is that everyone has problems; fuel has gone up, interest rates, bills and many other responsibilities but as humans we still have it in us to overcome and have a joll. We have cunning qualities, I must acknowledge, but for now I have a score to settle with the Friday monster.