منتدى استراحات زايد

Breeze turned her face toward the sun. The hot, dry air blew up from the savannah, blowing her sandy hair around her cheeks. She reached up and snatched the hair, hastily sliding it into a hair tie. She glanced toward the sun, and just as it seemed to touch the high anthill she sprinted across the African grassland. She ran and ran, the grass hissing to the side as she sprinted through it. Soon she reached the anthill. She leaped into the air, grabbing a bright red blossom from the flamboyant tree, and scrambled skillfully to the top of the red pile of dirt. She did all this with ease for she had done it almost every day for the past seven years.

When she reached the top, she balanced herself, and, rising to her full height, she waved the red flower high in the air. Soon she could see Akwakwa’s figure skirting across the waving grass. Breeze slid down the anthill. She tossed the flower aside and reached up to her hair. She pulled out her hair band and shook her head.

She closed her eyes and thought of the first day she had met Akwakwa. Breeze had been only seven. She had been climbing the flamboyant tree which still stood beside the anthill when Akwakwa had suddenly appeared below her. Excited to have found a friend, Breeze yelled a greeting. From that moment on they had been good friends. They had arranged the signal of waving the flower, knowing that Breeze would have finished her homework and that Akwakwa would have finished her chores by that time.

Breeze came out of her daydream when the grass’s sighing turned into moaning with Akwakwa’s approach. When Breeze opened her eyes, she saw Akwakwa quickly tucking her chitenge back around her waist. Akwakwa raised her head and smiled. Breeze returned the smile, thinking as always of how beautiful Akwakwa was.

Akwakwa’s skin was soft and her big brown eyes were very deep and full of life. Breeze thought that her lips were perfectly shaped, even though they were considered too small for the likings of the other villagers. Her nose was oval and slightly turned upwards. Akwakwa broke the silence by asking, “Would you like to go to the river?”

“Sure,” replied Breeze in a happy tone. In fact, that was exactly where she had wanted to go.

Somehow, Akwakwa always knew where to go.

“Let’s race,” added Breeze.

Breeze stepped beside Akwakwa as another dry wind blew. Both turned to face the small river which had formed during the rains.

“Ready, steady, GO!” shouted Breeze. They leapt forward and ran with all their might; they ran as if they were never going to stop, past the bunch of eucalyptus trees in which they had built a small treehouse kingdom, hurdling over bushes and fallen logs. Their feet pounded on the hard, dry ground, creating little puffs of red smoke. Soon they were running on smooth, hot rocks. It made them step more daintily, as if they were walking on needles. Suddenly they both stopped, for they had reached the river. They turned to face each other.

“Another tie,” puffed Akwakwa.

“Another tie,” echoed Breeze as she waded into the water and lowered herself onto a smooth rock.

Akwakwa followed and when both were relaxed she asked, “How was your day?”

“Pretty normal. I can’t wait until our long break!”

“Why? I thought you liked school.”

Breeze couldn’t help smiling. It was such an innocent question. “I do, it’s just, well, it gets boring and so routine. I need a change.”

“I think I understand. Sometimes I wish I was still young so that my grandmother wouldn’t always be reminding me to act grown up. She says that I need a husband. This is the only time when I am free to act what is in my heart.”

“I know what you mean, my mother is very picky. She is constantly telling me to sit up straight, not to bite my nails, not to put my elbows on the table. The list goes on forever. Would you please hold my hands, I want to dip my head in.”

Akwakwa rose and took Breeze’s hands in her own. Breeze leaned back, letting her hair dip into the water. The cool water swirled and jumped as if angry that something had come in its way. It cooled Breeze and relaxed her. She tightened her grip on Akwakwa and leaned further back.

“I’m starting my initiation ceremony tomorrow,” mumbled Akwakwa.

“What?” asked Breeze as she jerked her head from the water.

“I’m starting the initiation ceremony tomorrow,” repeated Akwakwa.

Breeze sighed. She looked out into the waving grass. Without turning her head she said, “You’ll be gone for over two weeks, you’ll go away from the village to live with an old woman. You’ll have to do back-breaking work. Then you’ll have to go to a ceremony where they’ll cut your forehead to put medicine in and then they’ll knock your two front teeth out. You don’t really want that.” Turning back she asked, “Do you?”

“They don’t knock people’s teeth out anymore,” stated Akwakwa defensively.

Breeze sighed again. “I’m sorry,” she said, “It’s just that I’ll miss you, and after your initiation ceremony it won’t be long until you get married.”

“Don’t worry. My grandmother says I’m too childish for any man to want. No ceremony can change what’s in my heart.”

“I sure hope so.”

“Come, let us walk to the sun.”

Breeze smiled and stood up, “OK, let’s run!”

“To where?”

“Nowhere! Just run toward the sun. Ready, steady, GO!”

The girls ran and ran, each heading toward the sun. They ran with the grass whipping their legs. They ran so long that it seemed forever and still they ran. When they finally stopped, the sun was low in the sky.

“Akwakwa, I don’t know what I’ll do without you,” sighed Breeze.

“I won’t leave you!” yelled Akwakwa, exasperated.

“You’ve got to marry sometime,” stated Breeze matter-of-factly.

“You’ve got to go to boarding school sometime,” shot back Akwakwa.

Breeze looked away. “I’ve gotta go home,” she whispered, and with that she ran away.

“Meet me in two weeks!” shouted Akwakwa to Breeze’s back.

When the time came, Breeze was overjoyed. She still had three weeks of her school vacation left and it had been exactly two weeks since she had last seen Akwakwa. The day had slowly dragged by. Finally, it had been time to go watch the sun. As she stood there, she hopped from one foot to the other, thinking that the sun had never moved slower. At last the sun touched the anthill.

Breeze reached the anthill in record time. She shinnied up it and almost fell off when she waved the red flower.

When she got down she didn’t wait for Akwakwa but went to meet her. When the two reached each other, they hugged, rocking back and forth and smiling with joy. When Breeze finally pulled away, she suddenly noticed the rings of copper on Akwakwa’s neck. Her eyes quickly traveled to Akwakwa’s wrist and then to her ankle. Both had silver chains on them. As Breeze’s eyes surveyed Akwakwa she saw that Akwakwa had a new chitenge and earrings as well. Akwakwa’s smile faded. “You were right,” she whispered. Breeze only stared. “Come, let us play, for this will be the last time.”

At this Breeze found her voice. “When are you getting married?” she inquired.

“In five days, but I must start preparing tomorrow,” answered Akwakwa.

“Let’s go to the kingdom,” was all Breeze said.

The girls sat with their legs dangling over the edge. The sun was big and hot and as they sat the sun warmed them with a tingly feeling which made them feel drowsy. There was no joyous chatter between them as usual. Finally Breeze asked, “What’s he like?”

“He has a large farm with many cattle and . . .”

“I don’t care whether he’s rich or not. I want to know what he’s like! I don’t want you married to some idiot who will beat you!”

“He’s very nice, I have known him a long time although I have only seen him about ten times because he lives about twenty kilometers away . . .”

At that Breeze gasped, “I’ll never see you again.”

“I know,” replied Akwakwa, biting her lip to keep from crying.

“We have to go visit all of our favorite spots,” cried Breeze as she grabbed hold of a branch and swung down.

The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur. The sun had set and the first star appeared when it was time to part. They embraced each other for a long time, both trying hard to hold back their tears.

Breeze stepped away and looked into Akwakwa’s brown eyes. They were not dancing with excitement as usual but steadily looking back at Breeze.

“Do not cry, for this day will live as long as we live, for I know that it is in both of our hearts. Once something is in your heart it never leaves.” With those words Akwakwa hugged Breeze once more and then ran into the darkness. Breeze watched her disappear as a dry African wind blew her hair onto her cheeks, their childhood days carried away by the winds of Africa.