Imperfect Strangers

Petra reached the stream just as the last glimpse of sunrays dissapeared behind the Fako mountain.It was a little past dusk,perfect,it was the perfect time to be right where she was,she will have the stream all to herself.The cool mountain breeze blew across the area,swinging the trees back and forth,the water flowed gently down the slopes,it's surface glittering like tiny pieces of diamonds.She took off her slippers and felt the cold earth beneath her feet her heart skipped a little.She went a little further into the water, spread her arms wide, closed her eyes and took a deep breath,the feeling was heavenly.She just stood there,basking in this feeling.She stroke her tummy gently and immidiately felt the movement,she smiled,it seemed she wasnt the only one enjoying the scenario. After what seemed like ten minutes,realization stroke her and she looked around her to find that darkness had fallen,she had to go,it was a long way home.She filled her small clay pot with water and started home.

Petra was lost in thoughts,again.She thought of her friends in the big city,her school and most of all,her family.None of them had called her in the five months that she'd been here,it hurt,a lot,but she wasn't mad,she didn't blame them.

Once upon a time,she had been the pride and hope of the Yong family,she was the first among three girls,a Sunday school and youth leader at her church, a course delegate in school and a part time worker at G&G restaurant.She had a lot of people looking up to her,she couldn't falter,couldn't be weak or scared.Her sisters,parents and even friends counted on her and she did her best to not dissappoint them.She had very specific objectives and none of them included risk.She was the daughter every parent expected their girl child to emulate.She had lived her life playing this part until during their school first semester break,she when she met Aaron.

He was a young reporter for The post news paper which was perfect because she was a Journalism and mass communication major.She was an intern at the same media house and he had been assigned to train her.He was a little reckless and carefree,he didn't care what others thought of him and never was he afraid to just be himself.Petra found herself admiring him for that.As they went out for work,they talked more and grew closer ,she could unwind around him and just be free,just be herself.She didn't need to impress him.He made her do things she had only dreamt of doing,daring her to take risks.It wasn't long until they became more than friends. She had wanted abstinence until marriage but he had convinced her otherwise,they were in love after all and will get married definitely,besides,it was time she learned to take risks.Petra was not very informed about sexual relationships,she wasn't completely ignorant but she had zero experience.Just a month of intimacy with Aaron,she'd found out she was pregnant.He had not freaked out or anything,he had promised her they'll talk after he returned from visiting his parents.Two weeks later,she had found out that he had left for Canada,no word has been heard of him since.Eventually her parents had found out and all hell had broke loose.Not that they had sent her away or anything but the look of dissappointment in their eyes,the coldness towards her and the way everyone looked at her as she walked along just tore her heart to pieces,she was alone amongst people.What shocked though was the fact that she felt no remorse for what happened.She was pregnant yes,but she didn't regret gmeeting a boy,falling in love or just living.The situation she was in wasn't easy and she knew her life will be put on hold for a while but somehow,she was scared but not regretful,she knew she could do this and she wanted to do it herself and in her way.she'd decided to go to live with her uncle Puis and his wife in the small village of Bokova.Her dad had not said anything about her decision,he just didn't care anymore.

Petra was so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't realised just how dark it had became or how slippery the narrow path was,before she knew,she missed her steps and landed in a pair of very strong arms.Her clay pot had been shattered on the ground.She lifted her head gently to find a very handaome,dark face with defined cheek bones staring at her,a look of worry on his face,worry for her and obviously her baby, a look of worry on the face of a stranger for her,she smiled.He gently steadied her paying particular attention to her tummy,he was holding a Torchlight in one hand.He looked her over" are you ok?". Petra noded in acceptance,she was fine.He took her hands in his without further questions and led her home.She showed him the way to her uncle's house,they were seated on a bench outside when she arrived,her uncle and his wife were used to her desire for solitude especially at dusk but it didn't stop them from been worried especially when they saw her soaked and been led by a complete stranger.They all thanked him for bringing her safe home and he left.Petra went inside changed and took her bath behind the thicket in the back yard,pregnant women weren't allowed to enter the pit toilet at night,it was a taboo.She went to bed and fell asleep after thirty minutes of tossing and pondering on the evening's events,especially the handsome stranger.

Moran shifter his small reading table away from the wall so that light filtering through the cracks in the wall from the parlour could be reflected on the picture.He sat down,stared at the picture once again and squeezed his eyes gently,he dropped the picture and went outside,he stared into the dark for long.Not much had change in the two years he'd been away,he grew up here,bath naked in the rain here,fetched water from the stream everyday after school and he had helped the old hew wood and taken part in every development project yet they all had never accepted him as one of them.His mum had been pregnant when she'd arrived Bokova,his dad,the man who raised him had married his mother despite warnings from his kinsmen not to.His dad had loved him,he knew he was illegitimate,but he had thought after been with the people all his life,they'll just accept him as their son,but no.After his father's death,they'd took everything from his mum and given his unclu and they had been left with just the small house and a small piece of land from farming. Life had became hard for them.He had develope hatred for the village and had done his best to leave the village,his mother always told him" no matter what anyone says, this is your home boy,everything you need is right here,if only you could see".Well,he didn't.He had left for the big city to continue his University education and proceeded to making his dreams came true.It was just ironic that no matter where he went or what he did,something always happens to bring him back here,one dissappointment,failure or sickness.He would came back here and when he was sure things were better,he'd go again,hoping it was the last time,but no,something always brought him back.He had began thinking it was a spiritual problem,so he'd called his mum and told her,she had smiled" maybe you should came here for a while,find yourself,really look at this place and just maybe you'll realize that all what you need is right here". Moran had been adamant,he wouldn't came back again with noting.,but then his mum had passed away three months later in her sleep and he had thought seriously of her last words,and here he was.Suddenly,he thought of the pregnant girl he had met earlier,why was she there alone in the dark?,she wasn't from the village,he knew that so where did she came from and why was she here? He imagoned she could be like his mother. He sighed and went inside.He had his own problems to worry about.

Thursday was the weekly market day in Bokova,it was a big deal.The market was once a week so everyone went,very few people went to their farms.Petra and her aunt left for the market early,it was a long way.She had to buy baby stuffs and she wanted to do that before the sun came up.Moran had planned on buying a solar board for the house,the village had serious electricity problems and his phone battery was dead,he made the trip to the market.

Moran arrived at the market and walked around trying to find what he was looking for,he couldn't.He saw a shop for baby stuffs and went inside to ask for directions,as soon as he walked in,he saw her seated beside a woman.She looked up and their eyes met,she recognised him because she smiled.He noded and looked around the shop for the owner,she stood and walked towards him" the owner stepped out to get something,she'll be back soon". Again,he noded.She continued" thanks for helping me the other day,I didn't get to thank you". He looked at her as if trying to find something,an answer ? " It's ok,happy to help". She smiled again:" do you need to find something?maybe I can help".To her surprise,he accepted" I need directions to where I can get a solar board". She walked past him and stood at the door looking straight ahead,he followed" it's straight down,come,I'll show you". He noded,she informed her aunt and left with him.He cleared his throat" what were you doing at the stream at night? What's your story?". She stopped walking,looked him straight in the face" am the girl who left everything behind to find herself here, what about you? What's your story?". He stared at her" am the guy who left everything here to go find myself". They both stared at each other for a while and smiled,she looked past him and pointed ahead,there,the second shop,you'll find it there". He noded,as she turned to go,he called after her" Moran". She turned" what?". He took a step towards her" my name,it's Moran" . " Oh,am Petra,nice to meet you ". He shook the hand she held out and continued" Petra I'll love to call you sometimes if you don't mind,after I charge my phone,that is". They both smiled," sure" she answered and gave him her number" . He write on a paper and put in his chest pocket" thanks,I'll call you". " ok,I'll be waiting". As he turned to go,Petra added" maybe we need this place as much as this place needs us". He stared directly at her,his gaze was so intense,so deep as if he wanted to talk to her,like he was holding so much inside he needed to let out and she was more than ready to listen,instead,he said" we'll see about that". She noded,waved goodbye and they went the opposite directions.