I had come for a short visit to my parents-in-law's farm 160km from the capital, principally to oversee the work being done on the portion of farming land we had been allocated on a temporary basis. I also wanted to try if I could sound out my mother-in-law about some problems I had with my husband.
My phone vibrated twice on the bedside table. I read the two WhatsApp messages. "Praise the Lord," I responded. It came from a friend of ours, a singer in the choir. Since I had come here, he made a point of sending me an early morning greeting every day. I dived under the covers to check my phone for them as soon as I awoke. He had a very poetic way of phrasing them, too.
"I have swam the River Night without incident and climbed ashore onto Today," he went on, "What about you, sweetheart?"
The previous day he had promised to share an idea with me, which left me very curious, and with a feeling that if I pursued him on it I would take some irrevocable step. I felt like I would be jumping off a cliff-edge, yet that I would be safe with him.
In the last few weeks my feelings towards Tom had undergone a substantial change. Now here in this environment they were changing yet more. Maybe it was the clean air, the wide-open spaces, the sounds of the flocks of sheep or a combination of all three. I was more ready to take the risk of a deeper friendship with this man, which was very unlike me. I had been married for almost 14 years and had never felt anything like this about any man before. My finger twitched with emotion as I teetered on the edge unsure whether to take the plunge.
"I would like to hear what your idea was about, and perhaps give it a thought." I used this stiff formal way to give him room to turn away if he wanted to, but in reality I was dying to know.
"Aren't you coming back to the city on Monday? I want to suggest that you leave on Sunday afternoon instead. On your way, you stop off at my place, then we would go together to the choir practice on Monday." Just like that. No introduction or preparation. I was right that I was on the threshold of something big.
Now it was not just my thumb but my whole body that was trembling with anxiety. I did not know what to reply though something deep inside me wanted to accept his invitation. There would be no turning back if I did, however. The talk with my mother-in-law was not a roaring success, when she seemed to take the side of her son. Naturally, I thought bitterly. Turning these things over in my mind, I found that it took me until evening to bring myself to respond to Tom.
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The bus slowed down as it approached Oniko, and I edged towards to the door. As I bent to see how close we were I realised we had arrived and caught sight of him looking up at the bus windows as if he could see me. My breath caught in my throat. Soon I would be in his arms!
When the bus stopped and the door opened I climbed out. I looked towards where I had seen Tom but he was already on his way to me. We hugged hungrily and I was glad that it was almost dark so that not too many people would see us. He bought us supper at a rather nice restaurant and we took a taxi to his house. When we got to his gate, I asked him why he had to spend money for such a short distance. He merely looked sideways at me and gave me a smile.