There he stood under a big, bushy tree, shivering. The bad weather was not enough to demotivate him. He patiently waited. She promised him they would meet at the exact spot he waited on.

The rain came down hard and within minutes he was soaked. A fire had started a long time within him, a fire of love.

Minutes passed, an hour passed, and he still remained. There was no moving him and as he patiently waited.

Four animals came running towards him.

They completely ignored him and took shelter right next to him. The two bulls, cow and ram were unfazed by his presence. Puzzled, he stared at these animals and noticed that the bulls were bruised and bloody, as if there were involved in a fierce battle. The cow was scratch-free though. Were the bulls fighting for the cow’s affection? he thought to himself.

Suddenly, he thought of his girlfriend. Was there another man in their relationship? Was that the reason she didn’t come?

He looked at the ram as it stood there looking at the horizon, chewing grass emotionlessly. It looked as miserable as he was. Was it in the same predicament as he was? Slowly, the fire within him began to die as the weather kept on worsening. A troubled look appeared on his face, he was in agony.

The cold weather proved too much for his young body. His whole body was getting numb. He knew deep within him that it was time to go home, but he feared her disappointment.

What if she came and he wasn’t there?

The pain was great. He began to cry and his tears blended easily with the falling rain. He closed his eyes and thought of her face, her touch and her voice. But it was useless, the fire that once kept him was dead.

It was crystal clear that she was not coming. He knew this, but for a while he chose to ignore it. He finally accepted it and slowly, he began to move. With every muscle he moved, he felt like he was being stabbed by a thousand needles. With each step he took a piece of his heart broke off. In his mind their relationship had seen the last of its days and so he headed home.

When he arrived home, his mom asked what happened and he failed to respond.

He headed straight to his room. Before he could enter it, he saw his older sister from a distance. His sister looked at him smugly as she tore a piece of paper. He entered his room and remained there for the remainder of the day. Hours passed, days passed and still there was no word from her.

He remained in his room most days, it was the holidays, and he was not obliged to do anything.

Until one fateful Saturday, he had no choice but to go to town with his cousin to buy groceries. To him, it felt like a lifetime going from one shop to another. As they left the last shop, he saw her, walking in his direction. Time stood, only she and he existed.

Her big, combed afro crowned her beautiful make-up-free face. Her lips were polished with gloss. Her flawless skin and figure seemed sculpted by a French sculptor. Her walk was effortless and decisive.

Not only was she beautiful, she was smart as well.

“Hi,” she said walking past him.

Still stunned, he tried to recover.

“Wait, what? Is that all you’re going to say?” he asked in annoyance.

“I should be asking you that, I have not heard from you in a week,” she responded firmly.

“Like a fool, I waited for you. I waited and waited. There was no sign of you,” he said sincerely.

“I was an hour late, so instead of going to that tree I told you about, I went to your home. Your sister told me you weren’t there, so I left you a note. I gave it to her,” she said.

He was puzzled. His sister didn’t mention anything about a note.

“My sister did not tell me you came to my home or that you left a note,” he said politely.

A bright smile spread across her face.

“You know how your sister is, and she probably hid it to hurt your feelings. I must go now but let’s meet today, same place at 5 p.m.”

She turned and walked away. Just before she disappeared in the corner, she turned around and waved at him. He waved back. At this point there was only one person in his mind, his sister.

The walk back home felt like he was riding a donkey. He found his sister laying in the sun next to the kraal. She looked up at him, she had that menacing smile she always wore. Funny enough he was no longer angry, he just laid next to her.

It was fast approaching 5 p.m. and they laid there as the setting sun kept them warm.

***

Tell us: What’s the worst thing your sibling has ever done to hurt you?