After that call I realised that my day had just started and on a very high note. But I had to ignore the call because it was a Sunday and I had to prepare myself for church irrespective of what had just transpired. This has always been the case – I never let anyone or anything come between me and the day of my Lord. Even studying is futile on this day as nothing ever goes in. I have my mind conditioned since high school, that Sunday I should be doing nothing except feeding my spiritual being.

As I was busy ironing my trouser I received an email. I didn’t really have a look at it as it was the last thing i would want to receive on a Sunday, so I continued preparing for church.

As I waited for a taxi to pick me up by the roadside, something deep inside me made me think of that strange email I received earlier. It was very unusual for me to receive an email on a Sunday. I thought about it a while until I heard a taxi hoot in front of me.

BEEEP BEEEP!

“Downtown,” I screamed at the taxi driver.

“Yes, malaiti, palama,” the driver said.

I sat beside a very fat lady who could not stop staring at me. I kept pressing my phone so as to keep my attention away from her. I unwarily ended up in my mailbox and I had one unread mail its subject being: “I love you too”. It was from Emihle. I started to grin from ear to ear from just reading the caption, forgetting that I was in a taxi. I then read through the email as if I was in my own fantasia world.

Hi Brad

Your love, Emihle.

It was after reading the mail that I then really thought about what Thabiso had said on the call. I had ignored it until now. Emihle’s email made me recall what Thabiso had said but it was all unimportant as Emihle chose me, her love at first sight. I wanted to reply immediately but I couldn’t. I was on my way to church and I replying would cause my mind to be far away while the priest was giving us a sermon. As I locked my phone the fat lady was still next to me, though I had hoped that she’d get off somewhere on the way.

She was still staring at me and from the look in her eyes, she had read every little word in the email. My phone had a big screen so it was not hard for her to see what was written. I awaited her to say something but she remained quiet. I told the driver that I’m getting off at the next left corner.

“Bye church lover boy,” she said humorously when I got off.

Church was good. I was able to put off the matters of the day aside while I listened to the priest’s powerful sermon. It was on “Tribulations coming to pass in time set by the Lord”.

I had accustomed myself to have nothing in mind except matters of God and spirituality whenever I was at church.

And now that church was over, the thought process of Emihle’s mail regained consciousness and I promptly became the most excited person ever. Thinking of me and her together would mean the world to me, judging by the scale of my love for her.

The first thing I did upon my arrival at my Res was to contact her. I picked up my phone and dialled the last number on the call list. To my surprise, I didn’t wait a second to have the call answered; it was as if she had anxiously waited to hear from me.

“Hello Brad, you don’t know how much I’ve been waiting for you to call. Did you get my Email? How was church? And how has your day been? Do you think we can meet up and talk if that’s not too much to ask?”

“Wow take it easy… One question at the time,”

“I’m sorry,”

“Yes I got your mail and reading it was the peak of my day, especially the last part where you signed: “Your love Emihle”. Emi, I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself had it been that you’re serious about this Thabiso guy.”

“Sorry it took me a while to get back to you and sorry that you had to hear whatever nonsense that Thabiso had to say… it was really uncalled for.”

“We are past that now, all that matters is us now because he is out of the picture.”

“I’ll come to your Res now so that we get to speak properly,”

“No, let me rather come to your place because I’m still a first-year and it’s law here that we may not host female visitors.”

I then quickly rushed to her place. She was still dressed in a manner that depicted her as having just come from church. Her attire fully displayed her moral fibre and etiquette. I felt proud of my heart for having fallen for such a lady. I knew that Emi as a true woman of God.

She was still as beautiful as the day I first met her and I felt at that moment to do nothing but to just keep quiet and give her the warmest hug and kiss ever. The kiss was the best ever. It was like that one that the priest grants to a newlywed couple after they’ve just recited their vows of commitment to one another. I felt something being added to my heart as I kissed her.

I felt something so immense in me that I had never before felt. Maybe it’s the love that everyone speaks so mightily of, I thought, but they always say it’s just an ideology. But is it really? If it is then why are there such institutions as relationship or marriage? Why were women created for man? There has to be something that binds them together, that nail that keeps the timber and zinc together. It cannot be just an ideology. It’s as real as happiness, anger, joy or sadness, it’s an umbrella feeling for all the others.

It was love that I felt, it was love.

***

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