She promised to look after Baka in his absence as he had practically become joined to the hip with the king’s son anyway. Tamura also knew that Mara would drive him crazy if there was nothing to eat on the way for when she got hungry. Mara lazily put on her shoes and they took off after Leona and Tamura had kissed goodbye.
As they left the compound and headed for a long strip road which meandered through the forest, Tamura looked at his sister and asked, “You are awful quiet lately, and especially today, Mara, whatever is the matter with you? Are you having second thoughts about the trip, because we can quit while we are ahead and leave it for another day?”
Mara interjected, “No, no, no, we must go, I am just feeling a bit tired from thinking that’s all.” She didn’t want to tell Tamura that she was tired because she had had interrupted sleep the night before when she had a visitation from the angel.
Tamura giggled teasingly and said, “What, you thinking? What about? You are just a child.”
Mara just looked at him with squinted eyes and marched off ahead of him without saying a word. They walked for miles until they could see in the distance smoke shooting out of Mrs Haga’s thatched roof kitchen chimney. She must have been cooking dinner at that time as she loved stewing meats of different kinds slowly on the log fire for hours before dinner time. She really was a good cook and her food was always delicious, regardless of what it was.
Mara started to increase her pace of walking and looked desperate to get there. She had surprised her brother by walking for hours without complaining. They had only stopped twice on the way, once to have a drink of water and rest from the midday heat and another to have something to eat. That was when it dawned on Tamura that his sister was growing up fast.
She was now eight years old and he was now 25 years old. He was quickly becoming a man and she was growing into a young woman very quickly as well. She knew her mind and would fight her corner if someone pushed her to the wall. It had been three years since they have been back to Huru.
Despite promising to be going home yearly, it had been very difficult for Tamura to go back home with being ever so busy working for the king and being with Leona, whom he was planning to propose to next spring on her 24th birthday, when he would turn 26.
They walked the last mile and Tamura stopped in his tracks, contemplating on what to expect in the village, which he had last seen three years earlier. He wondered whether or not the Hagas were still alive and well and whether or not the overgrowth and weeds had covered over his parents’ grave beyond recognition. A pang of guilt coursed through his veins for a few seconds at the thought neglecting his parents’ resting place.
He also wondered whether or not Mabige was still interested in the farm or had moved on. “What’s the matter, Tamura?” asked Mara with concern on her face.
“Just wondering what the village would look like after so long, that’s all,” he said sombrely.
Mara replied, “Well, it can’t be much different surely, remember we lived there for years and everything looked the same year in and year out, except Papa Haga’s hair which grew whiter and whiter every day!” She chuckled.
“Mmmm, let’s hope so!” Tamura responded. As they drew near to the village, Mabige, Papa Haga’s brother spotted them while tilling the land on a hilly ground and waved at Tamura from the distance as he recognised him. Although it was getting dark fast that early evening.
He dropped his tools to come and greet them and Tamura waved back at him and thought he was making good use of his land. They reached the edge of the mud huts near end to the fields and stopped to wait for Mabige and almost instantly Mama Haga came out of the house with a dish in her hand, filled with sunflower seeds and sesame seeds to feed the fowl in the yard.
As soon as she raised her head, Mara spotted her and ran towards her shouting, “Mama Haga, Mama Haga, look it’s me, Mara, and I am a big girl now!” Mama Haga was dumbstruck as she wasn’t expecting them at all.
Mama Haga called out, “My dear child, Mara, see how grown you have become, Ooh, I missed you so.” She cried out, tears welling up in her eyes. The two hugged so hard they didn’t want to let go of each other. Mama Haga tried to pick Mara up, but realised she had become big and stout and not as light as she was when she lived in the village. It seemed the ordeal of losing her parents was fading away from her memory.
Instantly, Mama Haga wondered, How long it would take before the memories come flooding back again once she sees the graves of her parents? She thought the little girl had gone through enough to last her a lifetime. “Tamura, my boy, ooh, see how you have become a man overnight!” Mama Haga exclaimed after hugging Mara for a while.
Tamura smiled and said shyly, “You are not looking bad yourself, Mama Haga, nice to see you, sorry we came un-announced, Mara talked me into it.”
“Nonsense, you know you are welcome here anytime, my son, this is your home, remember? Come right in and see Papa Haga, he is having one of his lazy days today, he is getting older now you see,” said Mama Haga reflectively.
As they entered the room, they found Papa Haga sleeping and he jerked himself up as he heard voices in the room. With his mouth wide open, he exclaimed, “Welcome, Tamura and Mara, what a lovely surprise!” Tamura bent over to give him
