He stood up as well and said to her still grinning, “So what do you think we should do to maximise our time together before I resume work?”
Leona squinted a little as if she was in deep thought and she screamed, “We could go walking in the woods for hours, just the two of us and we could have a picnic and go fishing as well, or climb that Kinagu Mountain, there are some really juicy wild fruits up there.”
Tamura said, “Whatever you want, my princess,” stroking her hair backwards and rubbing his hand gently on her silky soft cheek.
She smiled and he added, “I need to make sure that Mara and Baka have enough food to last them the whole day and to ask Mama Zeno to keep an eye on them as they practically spend most of the time there anyway playing with her children.”
Leona said, “Speaking of food, I guess I should go home and pack a basket for our picnic so that we can start off early tomorrow.”
“Okay then, dearest sweet princess, go and do what you have to do, and in the meantime, I will go and ask dear Mama Zeno to look after the two terrors for me tomorrow. Are you coming back by any chance to keep me warm?” asked Tamura with a cheeky grin.
Leona looked at him with narrowed but mischievous eyes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips and she said, “Aah, aah, aah,” waving her index finger to and fro as if she was telling a naughty boy off, “I will be needing my beauty sleep to be fresh for the woods in the morning. So, NO can do,” and turned on her heels to go and added, “besides my father would most probably kill you for trying to defile his daughter!”
Tamura burst out laughing and said, “I wouldn’t dare disrespect you in any way to defile you, I respect you and your family too much. You want your beauty sleep for the woods? Lucky woods to have a chance to capture my darling princess’s beauty,” and he continued to laugh hysterically, which he knew she loved him more for and he ignored her comment about the king killing him. She threw a cushion at him and ran out to her house to prepare the picnic basket.
She also planned to break the news to her mother when she got inside of her expedition with Tamura tomorrow, but more importantly, for her mother to assist her with packing the picnic basket.
As she burst in the living room, her mother was resting a little before going to bed and she looked at her beaming face and she knew what Leona was up to. Before Eleaza even opened her mouth, Leona gasped, “Mother, please help me put together a picnic basket, Tamura and me are going out all day in the woods to have some fun tomorrow!”
“Mmm, is that what you are so excited about, my dear daughter?” said the queen inquisitively.
“Of course, Mother, what did you think?” said Leona.
“Well, I thought you were rushing in to tell me how many kisses he has given you tonight and now you are all flushed pink in the face,” the queen said calmly.
There was something about Mama Zeno that put Tamura’s mind at rest where his siblings are concerned in terms of spending all their time in her yard. He had told her before to chase them away if they gave her too much trouble, to which she retorted, “Nonsense! They are the best-behaved children around. I want my children to learn something from them, that’s the secret,” and she giggled. Tamura was instantly reminded of his mother at that point, as she used to have the exact same chuckle about her when she laughed.
As if by maternal instinct, Mama Zeno got up to embrace him as she could read the sorrow on his face when for a moment he thought of his belated mother and thought of how much he was missing her and his father. Mama Zeno said to him, “Hush now, child, let it be, it is well, they are in a better place, you have to be strong and look after your younger brother and sister, they need you.”
She continued, “Look at them, they are full of life and not a care in the world, you should try it too, then the burden will be lifted away as time goes by.”
Tamura looked at her and said, “But I don’t want to forget them, they will always be my parents.”
“Of course, dear, they will always be in your heart, all I am asking is for you to allow your wound to heal that’s all, it’s the only way you can have your life back. You need to move on, look you even have that young beautiful girl who will be your wife in the near future.”
“Surely you can’t let sorrow continue to take away your joy, and I bet your parents would be very upset if they could see you in this state.”
Tamura thanked Mama Zeno and jokingly said to her, “We are going in the woods, who knows I might bring you something special to thank you for your kindness.”
“Aah, there is no need, just have a good time while you’re at it,” said Mama Zeno.
“Anytime you need to talk, especially about girls, come and see me for a free consultation,” she giggled again and waved him off to go and enjoy himself.
“What girls? I am a one-woman man,” Tamura winked and said, beating his chest with pride like a prideful gorilla.
Mama Zeno smiled and shook her head and retorted, “You know what I mean.”
“I know,” Tamura said almost
