Читать книгу One Face in a Million Book 1: Mu Shangaaniana - William Bond - Страница 11

Chapter 5

After she had finished her course of studies at St. Mark’s, Christine presumed that she would continue her education somewhere in America. She had no idea what she would eventually do for a living, but her mother had wanted her to consider teaching, nursing, or missionary work. However, no decisions about a college or a career had yet been determined. Although her dorm mates had not been teasing her about being cross-eyed or trying to pass for white, she hoped that her appearance and the stigma of her Indian ancestry would not follow her after she departed from Africa.

It seemed important to develop her potential in whatever areas that she could. She liked playing the piano and had dreamed that, someday, she might play the piano as well as Mrs. Leonard. In many ways, Mrs. Leonard continued to inspire her. She admired her bearing, her dignity, and her poise, and she was also kind and gracious and dressed in a way that revealed good taste. She seemed aristocratic—she even seemed regal.

She liked the fact that Mrs. Leonard spoke English with a lovely British accent. She preferred a British accent to an American or a South African accent. At home, Christine spoke using the English that was used by her mother and other Americans, but at school, British English was the norm, and Christine had taken up the intonations, expressions, and phraseology that are characteristic of British English.

If Christine could perfect her British accent, people abroad might assume that she was from England, and she wouldn’t need to acknowledge her Indian or American ancestry and her African background. People in America wouldn’t need to know that she had grown up on a mission station amid poverty. They didn’t need to know anything about her background. People might just assume that she had come from England. Or perhaps she would just be secretive and not reveal much of anything about her background to others. Would that be possible? Perhaps she could be a mysterious gal full of intrigue. That would be interesting!

Appearance was clearly a priority. She had already determined that a smile went a long way toward making one more attractive. She would make a point of seeming friendlier and smiling more often. She did not think of herself as beautiful, but she did have good skin, nice teeth, and unobjectionable features. She considered that her looks had potential, and she doubted that the idiosyncrasy with her eyes would prove to be detrimental. The girls hadn’t made any negative comments about her for quite some time, and she hoped that all hurtful stigmas could be left behind when she finally left Africa and went abroad.

Smiling was one thing that helped her appearance. Other things would include neatness, hairstyle, and clothing. She didn’t plan to overdo the use of makeup, but surely a little of that couldn’t hurt. She had been thinking about her hair and was considering a possible change.

At school, uniforms were usually worn, but for church attendance, one could wear other clothing. She had a couple of outfits that were quite satisfactory, but she didn’t have nearly as many nice clothes as Helen, Anne, Elizabeth, and many others. At this point, she didn’t have much of a wardrobe, but she certainly hoped to have nice things someday. Mrs. Leonard was not especially beautiful, but she was classy and attractive, and Mrs. Leonard’s clothing was always tasteful and appealing. She didn’t seem to have a lot of jewelry, but she did have pearls, and they contributed to her often elegant appearance. Of course, clothing was important, but poise, dignity, confidence, and the way one carried oneself also seemed to matter. Being kind, gracious, friendly, and ladylike all contributed to the qualities and characteristics that Christine wanted for herself.

Christine knew that she had many things that she could work on, but she would not reveal her self-improvement plans to her dorm friends. However, she simply hoped that people might note some improvements in her. With luck, Jim Pearson would notice her and like the things that he saw. Time would tell. For now, she needed to get busy and study. She needed to concentrate while her room was still quiet.

When Helen returned to the room, she suggested that they go to Elizabeth Winston’s room where some girls had gathered to socialize until dinner. Christine would have liked to have had some downtime, but in light of her new self-improvement plan, she excused herself by acknowledging that she had a lot of homework to do. Christine knew that she wanted to do well in all her classes, and she hoped to conclude the year with the best grades that she could achieve. She knew that if she got better grades, that would certainly help boost her self-esteem. Her improvements would be gradual, of course, but she was becoming determined that she wanted to make something of herself. She didn’t know what career she would follow, but she was sure that her future was not in Africa. In America, perhaps, she would someday achieve wealth and fame. Who knew? If one was going to dream, one might as well have big dreams! If she wanted a successful life, she’d have to work for it, for she knew that no one was going to give her the world with a ribbon wrapped around it!

For Christine, the highlight of a school day was being in class with Jim Pearson.

Fortunately, she sat behind him in two classes, so she could look at him, from time to time, without him knowing it. Sometimes, she found herself daydreaming about what it would be like to run her fingers through his hair or to be held in his arms. She fantasized about kissing him, giving him back rubs, and lying at his side. Sometimes, she fantasized about times of wonderful intimacies, but then, she would glance sheepishly around the classroom to see if anyone had been reading her thoughts.

One day, as Christine was daydreaming in class, she remembered some of her goals, and she recalled that if she wanted something, she would have to work for it. She decided that she would initiate a conversation with Jim as they were leaving class. She inquired if he was going home for the school vacation that was approaching, and he replied that he was. She learned that his father was a doctor who was working at a mission station at Akornhoek in South Africa. Christine acknowledged that her father was deceased, but she stated that her mother was a missionary in Mozambique. Their conversation had been quite brief, but Jim had been friendly, and she was surprised to discover that they had a few things in common.

On the following day, they exchanged a few more words, and Christine was hopeful that they might soon become better acquainted. She wanted him to know that she was interested in him without seeming to be overly interested or too pushy. At least they had opened themselves to conversation, but before their relationship could develop, a school break occurred, and the students left St. Mark’s for a short vacation.

As Christine made the long trip back to Tavani, she thought about Jim a lot. She wished that she had a picture of him and knew him better, for she hadn’t learned of his interests or heard of his career plans. When she got home, she told her mother about how things had been going at school. She acknowledged that she had not been doing very well in math and that her teacher had suggested that she get some tutoring. Both she and her mother knew the importance of doing well in her classes, and Mother acknowledged that if tutoring was necessary, she would pay for it.

Christine also told her mother that she had become better acquainted with a fellow student named Jim Pearson. She proceeded to tell her mother a bit about him, and she seemed happy to know that he appeared to come from a good family. Christine also arranged with her mother to take a couple of her photographs back to school so that she would be able to give a photo of herself to Jim—if he should happen to want one.

Christine enjoyed being at home, once again, but the slow pace of things and the general loneliness made her realize that she could not be happy living on a mission station indefinitely. Another family had moved into the house where the Rankins had lived. She had met the Davidsons at church, and they seemed like a nice family. Mr. Davidson and his wife seemed to be well trained for the kinds of tasks that they would be doing, and she learned that they had three children. Their two oldest sons were attending college somewhere in the United States and their youngest son, Adam, was still living at home.

Christine’s heart went out to the young lad, for she understood what a lonely life he would be having while he lived at Tavani. In time, he, too, might have to make the long journey to a British boarding school in Swaziland. Christine felt sorry for the lonely boy, and she was grateful that her own days of making the lengthy journey would be ending before long.

Of course, she did not look forward to being separated from her mother. Making the eventual trip away from Africa, one day, was going to be difficult for both of them. But for now, they would live in the present. They enjoyed playing games together, and they visited with each other many times each day. Mother still favored Christine becoming a teacher, a nurse, or a missionary, but again, no definite plans had yet been formulated. The time of being together at home passed quickly, and before long, Christine found herself again bidding her mother farewell as she began another long trip back to St. Mark’s in Swaziland.

After school resumed, Christine talked to Mr. Edwards about getting some tutoring in math, and he said that he would be happy to work with her in the classroom on weekdays after school. She was surprised that he was not expecting a fee for the tutoring he would do. She was not looking forward to putting in extra time with math, but she hoped it would help.

Little did she know that Mr. Edwards was greatly attracted to her, and that he often indulged himself in some fantasies that involved a lovely young gal named Christine Cartwright. She was unaware that, during class time, he had gazed upon her rather lustfully and had thought about her more than she could ever have imagined. Now, she would be meeting with him alone after school!

One day shortly after school had resumed, Christine arrived after school for some tutoring in math. Mr. Edwards greeted her cordially and asked her to be seated. He then went to his desk and appeared to be looking for something. He took a furtive glance at her and saw, once again, how appealing Christine was. She was youthful, attractive, and rather more developed than many of his other students, and he loved her eyes and found that her demure smiles and her innocence were rather provocative. Her loveliness had often aroused him, and he had often entertained lustful thoughts of her when she and the other students were working quietly at their seats during class. Even when he was enjoying a time of intimacy in bed with his wife, his thoughts were often on the young gal who now sat alone with him in an empty classroom. As he rummaged through a drawer, he thought of the intimacies that he would like to have with her. Might she be wanting to do the same thing that he wanted to do? What if she was as eager to be with him as he was desirous of being with her? Was that possible?

“I suppose you have some boyfriends, don’t you, Christine?” he asked, casually, as he continued to look for something in his desk that seemed to elude him.

The question took Christine by surprise, but she acknowledged that she had no boyfriend. She might have acknowledged that she liked Jim Pearson, but she felt this was none of Mr. Edwards’s business.

“Well, you are a most attractive young lady,” he continued. “Even though you have none at the present, I’m sure you shall have many of them in the future.”

Christine received the compliment with a smile, but she said nothing, for she didn’t know what an appropriate response would be.

“You know, Christine, I think you may be the most attractive young lady that has attended St. Mark’s. Your appearance is quite exceptional.”

“Thank you,” she replied, with a demure smile. The compliment was probably well intended, but she was starting to feel uneasy with the conversation centered around her appearance. She wished that the compliment had come from Jim rather than her middle-aged mathematics instructor.

“Ah, here we are,” he said, finally locating the slender telescoping pen which he used as a pointer. “Now, we can begin.”

Mr. Edwards came over to where Christine was sitting and began his instruction with a review. He paged through beginning portions of the textbook and asked a few questions, now and then, to see where he should begin. In time, he came to some examples where Christine seemed uncertain. As she answered his questions or asked for some clarification, she was unaware that he was standing by her in such a way that he could see her cleavage through the open collar of her white blouse. He seemed to respond to her questions, yet he was also imagining what she might look like if she was completely uncovered.

He brushed against her gently and put one hand on her shoulder as he used his other hand to point to the steps of an example that were shown in the textbook.

Christine was feeling uncomfortable by the close proximity of her teacher. She had felt him brush against her in a subtle way, and she could feel his hand on her shoulder. As he continued with an explanation, she felt his hand move down her back somewhat. Was this kind of touching appropriate? Suddenly, she found it hard to concentrate on the subject before them. His hand had moved further down her back, and she wondered what she should do. One of Mr. Edwards’s hands seemed instructive and innocent, but the other hand and his occasional bodily contact seemed cautionary.

Was Mr. Edwards’s subtle contact appropriate? Was she reading something into the subtlety of his touch? She now recalled that, in church, she had often glanced around and found that he seemed to be looking at her. Did he admire her a bit too much? If Jim had been standing this close to her, she would have enjoyed his touch, but Mr. Edwards was a married man in his forties. He was balding, bespectacled, and slightly overweight. This was not a man for whom she felt an attraction, and she turned and glanced directly up into his eyes.

Mr. Edwards loved those eyes. It seemed that the focus of her eyes converged slightly. Was that because he was so close to her. He had hoped that she would look at him with eyes of desire. But her expression seemed to convey a sense of alarm. He had hoped that he might experience with her the kind of things that he had fantasized about, but he knew that that could never be. He dared not give in to his physical desires, or he could lose his job and jeopardize his marriage. The nearness of Christine was ever so tantalizing, but he had to be in control of his emotions. His fantasies might continue, but he needed to be completely professional.

“Now look at this,” he said, redirecting Christine’s and his own attention to the subject at hand.

Christine followed the example and was glad she now better understood the concept before them. She sensed that she had benefited from her first tutoring session, and after several other sessions, she learned a lot and was able to improve her grades dramatically. She found that Mr. Edwards explained things very well, and she was glad that his relationship with her was professional. Mr. Edwards’s attraction for young Christine did not end, but he was able to conduct himself appropriately. He had grown to have real affection for Christine, but he also knew that he could never have a relationship with her. She would soon leave St. Mark’s and disappear from his life, and he would be left with memories of his unrequited love.

Christine’s efforts at self-improvement went slowly, but she could see that her academic situation had improved. She had cut back on her socializing and had increased her studying for each class, and consequently, she was becoming more confident that she might do quite well on her matriculation exams.

She was not satisfied with her social life, however. She had spent very little time with the girls in her dorm, and a closer relationship with Jim had not developed. She had groomed herself in a way that seemed becoming, and she had even cut her hair. Some of the girls had acknowledged that they liked her perky new look, but Jim had not made any comments about her hair, and she had hoped that he might like the difference.

Was Jim just reserved and bashful, or had he heard the rumors that had circulated on campus? Was he keeping his distance from her because he had heard that she was a half-caste? Was it possible that he had heard that she was trying to pass for white? Who knew? She only knew that a relationship with him had not developed. She didn’t think of herself as scheming, but maybe there was something that she could do to improve that situation. She decided that she would give some thought as to how she might get a relationship going before time passed and it would become too late. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

One Sunday, she noticed Jim sitting across the aisle and slightly ahead of her at church. She saw that he was alone, and she was tempted to go and sit by him, but she hated to be too forward. Soon, the service had begun, and it was too late to make such a move. Some announcements were made, and then, there was singing before there was a time for personal prayers, a pastoral prayer, and the congregation’s unison reciting of the Lord’s Prayer. Then, the choir sang, and some scriptures were read before the pastor began his sermon.

Although Christine had become accustomed to an Anglican service, the sermons could run a bit long, and in this regard, they were like some of the sermons that she had sat through back in Tavani.

Sometimes, a sermon really captured her attention, but as she looked at Jim, she again imagined how wonderful it would be to be loved by him. She loved his dark hair and his powerful athletic build. He was so good-looking, and her thoughts soon took her to intimate situations with him that were far from church! As she thought about him, she wondered if she could think of a way of really getting his attention. As the sermon continued, a plan was forming in her mind. But would it work, and dare she try it?

She soon realized that she had failed to get the point of the morning’s sermon, and now, the pastor was concluding his remarks. A few moments later, people opened their hymnals and sang all the verses of “The Church’s One Foundation.” After the benediction, people began to make their way out of the sanctuary.

Christine could have walked back to the dorm with some of the girls, but she purposely spoke to an elderly lady until she saw that she needed to excuse herself in order to activate her little plan. She purposely left the church before Jim did, but she soon cast a quick glance backward so that she did not get too far ahead of him. When she sensed the time was right, she glanced up as if she was noticing some birds in flight, and at the same time, she feigned turning her ankle before she began to stumble to the ground. It had been an awkward bit of acting, but it had the desired effect, for it brought Jim quickly to her.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, with sincere concern.

“I’m not sure,” she replied, untruthfully. “I think I’ve turned my ankle. I’m afraid I wasn’t watching where I was going. This was very clumsy of me.”

Christine felt her right ankle in a way that suggested it bothered her—yet she was trying to be stoic.

When Jim offered to help her up, she accepted his help and tried to remember to favor her right foot as he assisted her back toward her dorm. Christine enjoyed the contact she had with Jim, and because she wanted to prolong their togetherness, she limped along at a pace that was slower than necessary. Because they had classes together and a few other things in common, they had no trouble finding things to talk about. In truth, Jim’s firm strength pleased Christine, and she really loved the scent of his cologne.

As they neared the dorm, she smiled and asked, “Would you like to study for some exams together?”

He looked at her lovely eyes that seemed to regard him with such admiration. “I’d love to,” he replied.

Amazingly, with Jim’s help, Christine seemed much better by the time they approached the entrance of her dorm, and she acknowledged that she felt her ankle was going to be fine. Then, she made a proposal.

“Would you like to get together sometime this afternoon?” she asked. “I could bring a blanket, and maybe we could take our books and study on the lawn down near the creek.”

“That sounds like a great idea!” Jim beamed. “Could I stop by for you around two o’clock?”

“That would be splendid!” Christine replied. “I shall look forward to seeing you at two.” With the promise of a date, they bade each other goodbye, and after Jim had headed off toward his dorm, Christine entered the door and raced upstairs to her room. She was excited that she and Jim now had a date, and she was beside herself with excitement. However, Helen was in the room, and although Christine would have loved to have shared her good news with Helen, she decided to see if she could sit on her secret.

At two o’clock, Jim came to the dorm and found Christine standing near the entrance. “How’s your ankle?” he asked.

“I’m going to be fine,” she replied, with a smile, and then looking up at him admiringly, she said, “Would you mind carrying my books?”

“At your service,” he quipped, before he received them from her.

Although she was no longer limping, she took the initiative of holding Jim’s arm.

Without any pressure, she could feel that he had very muscular biceps. Some of her dorm mates were in the vicinity as they walked away from the dorm, but Christine felt proud that she was walking closely with Jim Pearson. If truth be told, she was happy that they were seeing her with one of the most popular guys at St. Mark’s.

In time, they reached a pleasant grassy area near the creek, and with Jim’s approval, Christine spread a blanket on the ground and they seated themselves. They visited for a while, and then, they studied for two upcoming tests. They applied themselves to their task for quite some time, and then, Jim made a suggestion.

“How about stretching our legs a little. We could take a short walk along the creek. Our books will be fine where they are.”

The invitation was one that Christine had hoped to hear. “Let’s do that,” she said with a smile.

Jim stood up and offered a helping hand to Christine, and she was glad that he continued to hold her hand as they proceeded along the banks of the small stream. Conversation came easily for both of them, and when they reached a somewhat secluded spot, Jim stopped and turned to look into Christine’s eyes.

“You know,” he said, somewhat bashfully, “I think you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

Christine beamed. “That’s a lovely compliment,” she said. “I’m very flattered.”

“I wish I had gotten to know you sooner.”

“Why didn’t you?” she asked.

“I’ve noticed you for a long time,” he continued, “but I guess I thought you wouldn’t be interested in me. I didn’t know what we would talk about, but I see we don’t have to worry about that, do we.”

“I guess we don’t. I have had my eye on you too.” She smiled, and as she gave him a gentle hug, she said, “I guess I’ve been waiting for you to make the first move.”

Her small gesture was encouraging. He turned and looked into the eyes that regarded him with such interest. “Would it be all right with you if I gave you a kiss?”

Christine nodded affirmatively, and as they embraced, their lips met for a brief kiss that was soon followed by another that was much longer and more intimate. It was a moment that pleased them both.

“You have the most exquisite eyes.” He grinned. “You are much better looking than my roommate. I wish I could exchange him for you.”

Although such a trade was impossible, Christine quipped, “Wouldn’t that be fun?”

No doubt both of them would have loved to have let their urges take them to a deeper level of romance, but that would not happen on this occasion in this place. They returned to the spot where they had studied and acknowledged their regret that they hadn’t come into this relationship much sooner. It was sad to realize that their time for being together had been reduced to weeks, and before long, it would be reduced to days. After picking up their things, they walked arm in arm back to the girls’ dorm, and because the tests were still some time away, they resolved that they would meet again to study. They also acknowledged that they would find other opportunities to be together before they left St. Mark’s and made their last departures from Swaziland.

When Christine returned to her room, she had no plans to tell Helen about her date with Jim, but some other girls had seen them walking on campus together, and they came to the room to see what they could learn about the time that Christine and Jim had spent together.

“We just did some studying together for a couple of our upcoming exams,” Christine explained matter-of-factly.

The girls suspected that there was more to the story, but Christine didn’t volunteer anything else, and they soon went on their way. Helen asked a few more questions, but Christine was not ready for a tell-all, so she simply restated that they had studied together and would probably do so again.

“Well, did he kiss you?” asked Helen.

“I had hoped he would,” Christine replied truthfully, but the shrug that followed seemed to indicate that, on this occasion, nothing intimate had occurred. Soon, Christine and Helen left their room and headed to dinner, and Christine was relieved that she had been able to keep part of her afternoon with Jim a secret.

After dinner, Christine and Helen returned to their room and studied for a while. Later, Helen went down the hall to visit with some of the other girls, but Christine decided that she needed to do some more reviewing for her math class. The tutoring that she had received from Mr. Edwards had proved useful, but she still had a feeling that he was attracted to her. Perhaps he had entertained thoughts of her that were much like the fantasies of Jim that she had entertained. To his credit, however, Christine had to admit that after their first tutoring session, Mr. Edwards’s behavior had been entirely professional.

In time, both Helen and Christine got ready to turn in for the night, and after the lights had been switched off, Christine relived some of the important moments of the day. Her little stumble after church had brought about the results that she had hoped for. Jim had come to her assistance, and they had been able to make plans to study together in the afternoon. More importantly, however, they had walked hand in hand, they had shared a kiss which was her first ever with a young man. Although time was growing short, they planned to meet together, now and then, before the school year ended and they departed from Swaziland.

Christine had enjoyed that kiss, and she could imagine how nice it would be to have a truly romantic relationship with Jim. She didn’t know much about his background except that his father was a doctor and Jim had also been giving thought to becoming a doctor. She knew that the Pearson family lived on a mission station at Akornhoek in South Africa, and they had come originally from Seattle, Washington, in the United States. She didn’t know Jim very well, but he seemed like the kind of fellow with whom she would like to spend the rest of her life. Unfortunately, their time together at St. Mark’s was growing shorter every day.

She had to smile to herself when she recalled that Jim had said, “I think you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.” She remembered that he had also said, “You are much better looking than my roommate. I wish I could exchange him for you.” Such words were nice to hear, and as she began to get drowsy, she imagined sharing a bed with Jim. It would be wonderful! There was no doubt about that.

Although Jim did invite Christine on a couple of dates that took them to some restaurants in Mbabane, most of their dates were for the purpose of studying for their dreaded matriculation exams. It seemed vitally important that they do well on their tests, so they took their studying very seriously. Nevertheless, they did find time for casual conversations as well as for affectionate hugs and kisses which were usually initiated by Jim. Although they may both have wished to have a more intimate relationship, Jim continued to keep his natural urges under control, and his behavior with Christine remained both gentlemanly and appropriate.

There came a time when they discussed keeping up a correspondence after they left St. Mark’s and they exchanged the addresses of where their parents were currently living. They also wanted to exchange some photographs, and Christine gave him one of her professionally taken school pictures and a casual one that had been taken of her as she was sitting on the veranda swing at Tavani. Christine received a professionally taken school picture of Jim that did credit to his good looks, and she had acknowledged that she would treasure it forever.

They continued seeing each other, and they frequently took time to review for their final exams. The time finally came when they took their dreaded exams, and afterward, Christine and Jim discussed the exams and seemed to feel that they had done quite well. Christine realized that if she had not undertaken her self-improvement plan, her grades might have been much worse. She had to thank Jim for the help he had given her during their study sessions, and she knew that she ought to also thank Mr. Edwards for the help he had given her with his tutoring. Understandably, it felt great to finally have all their tests behind them.

On a Sunday afternoon, there was a ceremony at church to recognize the upperclassmen who had successfully completed their studies at St. Mark’s. The happiness of completing a course of studies was tempered with the realization that many people were seeing one another for the last time. After the formal ceremony had concluded, refreshments were served from tables that had been set up on the lawn. People mingled and visited as they enjoyed a few refreshments, and later, people could be seen posing for informal photographs and giving hugs to one another. Some parents had come for the occasion, but Christine’s mother and Jim’s parents had not been able to attend.

Although Jim and Christine spent some time together, they both wanted to take the opportunity to bid farewell to various teachers and friends, and Christine found an occasion when she could thank Mr. Edwards for the tutoring assistance that he had provided. When he acknowledged to her that he was really going to miss her, she knew that he was speaking the truth from his heart.

“It’s hard to leave St. Mark’s,” she replied truthfully. “There’s so much that I am going to miss too.”

Christine also saw Mrs. Leonard and decided that she would tell her that she had been a real inspiration to her and had influenced her more than she could possibly imagine.

Mrs. Leonard was completely surprised that she’d had a positive influence on one of the students, and she thanked her for her lovely compliments.

“I’ve surely enjoyed knowing you,” she said at last, “and I do wish you the very best. Good luck to you, my dear, with all that lies ahead—and God bless you!”

Christine took time to bid other teachers and several dorm friends goodbye, and then, she returned to her dorm room and began organizing things for her departure. There was only so much that she could carry home with her, so she decided to leave her books, her bedding, and some of her other things with Mrs. Gibbons who could see that her things could be used by other students in the next term. Naturally, Mrs. Gibbons was another person who wanted to wish her well as she moved on to the next phase of her life.

On the following day, she bade farewell to Mrs. Gibbons and to other students that included Helen, Anne, and Elizabeth. Jim was waiting by the entrance when she came out of the dorm with her luggage. His bus was not leaving until later in the day, so he had said that he would help her with her luggage as she made her way to the place where she would be meeting her bus.

As they walked away from the campus, tears came into Christine’s eyes, for she suddenly realized that she was ending an important phase of her life. She didn’t know what was in store for her, but she knew that she would probably never return to St. Mark’s. And sadly, her brief friendship with Jim seemed to be coming to an end.

“I’m so sad to be leaving you,” she said, glancing over at Jim with her tear-filled eyes. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“I’m going to miss you too,” he replied.

“Will I ever see you again?” she asked plaintively.

“God willing,” Jim replied. “Anything is possible.”

They discussed writing to each other, and they intended to do so, yet they sensed that their individual destinies would take them in very different directions, for soon, they would be thousands of miles apart. Jim suspected that he might continue his education at the University of Washington in Seattle, but Christine had no clue as to where she would be. For now, her destiny was a complete mystery!

Before long, they came to the bus that would be taking Christine to the border of Mozambique. Most people had already boarded the bus, and Jim handed Christine’s luggage to the driver who placed her things atop the bus with other pieces of luggage.

Before boarding the bus, they shared a lingering kiss and a few more words. “Even if you become rich and famous, I hope you will remember me,” he quipped good-naturedly.

“I will never forget you, Jim,” she said before they shared a final kiss.

With a promise to keep in touch, Christine boarded the bus and took a seat near a window. Jim saw the tears in her eyes, and that touched him deeply. Soon, the driver boarded the bus, and moments later, they departed. The wave between Christine and Jim lingered, for a moment, and then, the bus turned onto the mountainous highway that would be taking them down to the border of Mozambique. It seemed so sad to be leaving Jim. Theirs had been a promising relationship, but it seemed to have ended unless, God willing, they should meet again, someday. She had no clue as to what her destiny might be, but she instinctively knew that she would remember Jim Pearson long after she had departed from the lovely green mountains of Swaziland.