ENCOUNTER

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1
Lionel was herding cattle in the village. All of a sudden, a dark cloud
covered him, and within a few seconds, he was wet. He laughed at
himself. He didn't think about checking the weather that day because
he was busy thinking about his love life and his future with Mercy.
Mercy was his girlfriend, the love of his life, his heartbeat, his liver,
kidney, and bone of his bones. People in the village knew about these
lovebirds, but they were surprised at how they fell in love; their
backgrounds were worlds apart. Lionel was from a poor background,
yet Mercy was from a rich family. Lionel attended the local school in
the village, while Mercy went to boarding school.
During holidays, that's when they would meet up and tell each
other sweet nothings and have air pies. When they were young in
lower grades, Lionel used to go to school barefoot, go into the school
toilets without shoes, and never had a proper lunchbox or bottle drink.
Mercy attended her primary school in the city, and during the holiday
she loved being in the village.
Although they saw each other during holidays, it was love at first
sight; they were real soul mates. There were times when children
would come together and play hide and seek. These two would always
choose to be in the same group. Mercy's mom would always say "son-
in-law" to Lionel, and he would smile from ear to ear.In Grade 8 during the December holidays, that's when Lionel
expressed his feelings to Mercy. They were sitting on a mango tree
branch, eating ripe, juicy, sweet mangoes. Lionel lied to Mercy, saying
that her tongue looked like that of a cow from stealing mangoes from
his family farm. The moment she opened her mouth to check, he kissed
her deeply. She was still in shock when he started fondling her breasts;
that's when she came back to her senses and slapped him across the
face.
The following day, children were swimming in the river. Both girls
and boys were running from the slopes and then jumping into the
river. Mercy was so happy; it was her first time swimming in the river.
She fell on a rock. She cried, and most kids laughed at her, saying,
"Cheese girl, this is rural life, get used to it."
Lionel got closer to her and held her hand. They walked to a dry,
safe place and sat on a rock. He said he was sorry about what
happened the previous day in the mango tree. He was too forward, but
he was the kind of boy who respected girls. He also told her how much
he loved her deeply. She didn't answer; she just kissed him, just a peck
on the cheek. He asked her if that was a yes; she nodded but with shy
eyes rolling on her face. This is how their love story started.
Lionel was thinking about how they started dating when the rain
started to pour on him. There was heavy rain, so he went to hide in a
cave. He noticed he was not going to reach home safely with this kind
of rain. He decided to hide in that cave for a while. A few minutes
later, he heard footsteps running towards the cave. He waited to see3
who it was, only to see it was his queen, Mercy. She told him she saw
the cows, that's why she knew it was safe to get into the cave. She was
holding a basket full of mushrooms that she collected from the forest;
every rainy season the villagers would collect different kinds of
mushrooms. She gave him the one they called the Reds. She told him
red was for Valentine. It was early February, a few days before
Valentine's Day; that was her gift to him. He thanked her and told him
that he was going to cook them for dinner that same night. He jokingly
said he didn't want her to give him a love potion because he was
madly in love with her already; he was going to go mad. They both
giggled and promised him that she would never mix true love and
magic; she wanted true love. They laughed and kissed each other
uncontrollably. They were lost in another world when the thunderlight
shattered the earth's grounds with its scary sound. Lionel held Mercy
closer to his chest and told her not to be scared; she was with her king,
and he was going to protect her. After the lightning, the rainbow
stopped, and that meant the rains would stop soon.
When it stopped raining, they walked towards their homes and
waved their goodbyes. Mercy arrived home; her mother was worried
about her. She told her to be careful about hiding in the cave; next time
she might get raped if she finds a cruel man there. On the other side,
Lionel went home after he closed the kraal nicely. He found his mother
waiting for him to bring the relish. She had told him that they didn't
have veggies from the garden anymore; she sold them all to the
teachers at the nearby school so she could buy groceries. He handedthem to her. She washed them nicely and cooked them; they were
enjoyed with rice. He licked his fingers till his father said, "You see
son, I married the best cook." Lionel nodded and said in his heart, "If
only you knew how my future wife cares and is a better cook than
yours, you would keep quiet, my old man." After supper, they prayed
and went to sleep. Lionel didn't have a bed but used to sleep on a mat
made of reed with a woollen blanket on the floor and a normal blanket
on top.
Before he fell asleep, he started to think about what happened at the
cave. He told himself that he would work his backbone out and get
money to marry Mercy. He imagined a vision of their wedding bells,
while family and friends would be celebrating their holy matrimony.
At the same time, he answered himself and said, "A poor man always
dreams in the palace; let dreams be dreams." After these images, he fell
asleep with a puzzled heart because he could find an answer to how he
was going to fulfil the promises he made to his girlfriend.
The following morning they woke up and left for the fields where
they were collecting dried mealies, pumpkins, groundnuts, and millet.
This is how they managed to feed the family till they planted again the
following rainy season. Farmers in this community couldn't afford to
buy irrigation equipment; they waited for the rainy season and started
planting. Around 9 in the morning, Lionel's father told him to leave the
farm and go to herd the cattle. Lionel was happy because he hated
working on the farm; maize leaves were itchy. He dashed to the kraaland moved them to the grazing area; on his way there, he would pass
by the field where Mercy and his family were working.
From a distance, he would start whistling a song like 'I will meet
you at the river'. Mercy would know the meaning of the whistle; it was
their code. She had a nice phone, but her boyfriend couldn't afford to
have one. It's true what they say, love is blind. Later that day in the
afternoon, Mercy told her mother that she was going to do laundry by
the river with her friend Linda. Her mom agreed and said she would
go with her; that was the worst reply for her; she was hoping to see her
lover. Unfortunately, her mother went with her. When they were doing
laundry, her boyfriend was on the other side.
Linda came to join them with her laundry, and she started whistling
'hello from the other side'. It was a code to the boys who were herding
the cattle. Linda's boyfriend, Lovejoy, was with Lionel. She got to the
river and greeted Mercy and her mother. The girls started singing in
whistles, 'Wish I knew you were trouble before you were done,' and
they giggled. This whistle was directed to Mercy's mom. This time
around, Lovejoy was singing 'This long distance is killing me'. Mercy's
mom then said, "Children nowadays have no moral values. It has been
long enough that you have been singing." After that complaint, the
girls went silent, but the boys continued with their whistles.
After doing laundry, the ladies carried their dishes on their heads
and went back to hang the clothes at their homes. On their way home,
Linda asked Mercy to accompany her to school; she wanted to collect
her final grade results. She was done with high school; she was scared
and anxious. Mercy's mom agreed and encouraged her to go early and