When She Was Naked by Claude HATUNGIMANA

Far at distance, but not far away from his home, he walked slowly with a heavy luggage weighing on his shoulder. He was sweating so much and his heart beat wildly but with confidence. He was next to his home and could see a little fire burning approximately near his house.

His house had no compound, it was instead surrounded with vast green fields of maize, beans, bananas, huge avocado and mango trees and so on. He was extremely happy to see his lovely helper, and the two offsprings, a family he did not see for all the three years ago.

It was 8:33 min. The evening was dark and no moonlight. It was also quiet, no wind, no shierks, except croaks, hoots, and barks far in the swamps and around valleys.

Like other soldiers do, Boris’s arrival was a surprise. Hillary was not aware of the coming of her husband, no idea. Boris saw her wife cooking outside of the house. He then planned to surprise her with a funny joke. He hid his luggage at distance amid the field and sat between sucking bananas with young green leaves next to her. He planned to slightly cough and see how his wife and the two children will run away throwing stones at him. Before coughing, he sighed slowly while peering how Hillary became astonishingly beautiful than before. He felt like she was the first female creature he came across. It was like he was seeing a beautiful mountain or a spectacular lake no one had discovered before. He contemplated her average height in the fitting loincloths. He looked at his two children Sam and Gregg where they were playing on an old mat, reciting french songs they learnt at school. He felt pity of the brutal surprise he was going to trouble her with.

Boris saw in front of him that famous night he was going to spend again with his helper, a wife of his lifelong, Hillary. He held his breath and punched the air with clenched fists by raising them like Messi does when he scores a goal. “What if death can swallow me now?” He mumbled under his breath. He felt then coward as if death was next to his elbow. He imagined how his soul and corpse would be unfortunate to die there without having kissed Hillary’s warm and thick lips. He imagined how Hillary could shed floods of tears to find out the corpse of her husband next to the house. While he was breathing a bit to sound his joking cough, he suddenly saw a tall silhouette in black clothes coming from the other side heading into the fire place. The silhouette shook her hand and sat down on the mortar. Boris did not exactly know him but he looked like a neighbor living at less than one kilometer, known as great logger. Hillary sat next to him and they spoke in a law voice so that he couldn’t catch their whispers. The only thing he heard was: “…no, it can’t work, unless you come at night when my children have slept…” They stood up and the silhouette embraced her with countless whispers. They finally laughed loudly, kissed and kissed. The silhouette gently passed his full palms across her plumb buttocks slowing them down as if they were pinned. He raised his voice and said: “Be ready tomorrow, the same hour.” And she nodded. The evening was a bit hot but Boris became terribly cold, and shivered with disappointment.

She approached the fire place and ordered her second born daughter to carry the basket of flour inside the house and her telephone rang. She picked it up and talked. Boris couldn’t hear what her interlocutor was saying. What he could hear was that she claimed with insistence that it had been long time he did not talk to her, that she could not understand how he only remembered her that night before Messiah’s birthday in the whole year. “It seems like you don’t know I spend all nights alone.” She added and then laughed a little. “Yes I am free tomorrow like wind”…

Boris was then troubled. He felt like his back was taped to the banana trunk. An another incoming call immediately rang, as it rang, she put the bowl down the trivet and picked up the telephone. “Hello dear Doctor, yes I am good, and you? No. Why? There are three years. Yes but it depends. If the place is safe I am okay. One hundred dollars. Sorry I can’t. Thank you. No, set your own time. 10 am is okay, I will be there for you…”

She finished to prepare the cassava bread and fed her children. It was 9: 06 min. Boris had an empty mind as if a strong wind cleaned it. Then, another call rang again. Boris wanted to scream loudly but fought it back. Hillary hang up and then recorded a voice message. “Good evening George. I am sorry for disturbing your call, I am busy. Would you mind sending the voice mail?” Her interlocutor already replied. “ Yea Good evening Hillary! How are you doing. I wish you first of all a happy night. And I would like to ask you if tomorrow we can share a glass.” “When do you exactly wish it?” “I wish we be together from A.M till night. What do you think?” “No, that can’t be possible coz I will go to church A.M.” “ Oh okay. What if we meet about midday till night?” “ Let us meet from one P.M., shall we?” “That is okay” “But Hillary, I wish you don’t come with your children. I will buy them whatever they wish so they stay at home” “Don’t worry about that.”…

Boris stared at her in darkness with despair. Immediately, another call rang. But she did not pick it up. It rang again and she did not pick it up. Boris then suspected maybe she saw him. He looked around him and next and assured himself she did not see him. It rang again and again to the sixth time, and she picked it up. She then spoke slowly with nonchalance. “ Yes.” “Yes.” “Yes.” “No.” “Why?” “No I have a husband.” “I am married.” “Why can’t you get me, are you deaf?” “No.” “No.” “No.” “Because I have no time for that.” “Would you mind hanging up?” She angrily hang up and laughed. “ What? What does he have? Nothing. A dog shall hunt a dog. Two times one equals two. That’s math.” She mumbled in a monologue.

When children finished eating, she ordered them they will have to wake up early morning the following day and go to church. “And I will be cleaning the house and preparing delicious food for you.”

She threw some water to the fireplace, and kept the mortar and utensils,… She got in and closed the door. He stood up from bananas and lifted his heavy luggage. It was 9: 11min. While torching his way, he saw next to the fireplace a folded paper. He picked the dirty folded piece of paper and unfolded it. Most of all the paragraphs were unreadable as oil and ashes destroyed it. However, only dates and the last paragraph on the bottom were visible: “Saturday, 24th December, 2020. “I wish you a happy good night indeed. See you tomorrow to the aforementioned appointment. Richard.” Boris folded it carefully and squeezed it into his pocket.

He knocked at the door calling the name of her. “…. Hillary, are you there? Boris coming tonight.” She quickly opened the door with cheers in nightwear. She lifted his luggage and put it down. They hugged and everyone’s heart beat like a drum. As Hillary remarked her husband was tired, she proposed him smooth water in the bathroom, fast-food and a drink but he refused. “ I washed on road, ate and drank there. I am very tired. Allow me to sleep.” “She moved tips of her fingers around his chin. “I love you dear and there were uncountable nights I missed you.” She whispered in a lovely voice. “Yes, I love you too. But because I am tired than what tired can be, let us postpone everything tomorrow.” Boris closed his eyes but failed to fall asleep.