Chap III: African Daisy

I have to wonder here and there before I can rest and sip lightly and watch you all over in a hue of purple & orange. So here I go..

Today I won't be writing about sex because either I am full of it or I get none of it. Rather, I would talk about the textuality of hairs and the effect of modern shampoos and genes on it. So once I visited Africa and slept under a baobab tree with a local girl or a woman. I did not know her age because she spoke in a language I could understand but I could not comprehend. She was a tribal girl or did she board the train that brought me to the outskirts of the village where I met her. Now you must be wondering first off, why I always happen to meet a girl. I mean I could have met a dingy man who would bore me with his manly jokes which frankly I never pay attention to and hardly care. I could have met an old retard who would pass on his memories of youth with a nagging frankness which I find unnerving or even a cute little boy of thirteen whom nobody cares except us writers. But instead, I met a girl not because I intended to but simply because she found me. Yes that's my version of it.

So I was on this train from Lere Lere to a town called Yamba Tchangsou. It was on this large station called Pala, that is almost halfway across to my destination, when I felt someone was following me although I was just sitting by the window and watching the lush grasslands outside. It was summer I guess because everything was green and fluffy. I didn't turn my head (I was enough bored already) but I focused on grading a poor student's journal as the African landscape laughed at my audacity. I might have missed a couple of giraffes and a horde of elephants and maybe a lion or two on my way. When I arrived at Yamba T, it was pretty late. It was a small town but I knew just where to rent a car and head out of the town as soon as I arrived. It was an old car, had a really good feeling about it. Scrap metal, interesting seats and a different scheme of steering. I could still feel someone following me while I started driving. I don't know what happened in the night. I must have stayed at a inn or in someone's house, dead tired but the next morning, I was on my way when I met her at a small, unnamed village where she seemed to be my guide as I planned to buy some groceries. I'll leave it to you to imagine what I bought. She decided to hop on to my car and we chatted about a whole lot of things.

When I finally saw the landscape changing from green, grassy to occasional trees, bushes and hedges, I picked a perfect tree, took the side road and parked my old man. I sat down the tree and started to write. She watched me and asked me occasional questions. I barely answered. I noticed a distant bull watching us from far away. The only witness to the fact that I was not alone. And to the fact that I was with her.Now because you readers won't trust me that I was really in Africa and this is an authentic story, I will add that the sky was deep blue from the top but before it disappeared into the far horizon, it had become purple. The color of the grass here was corn yellow, intersected by small bushes and patchy trees here and there. From where I was sitting , I could see the grass land with green spots all over its expansive body and a lonely bull standing atop it.

It was when the sun was about to set, I asked her what shampoo she used? Her hair was to fall in love with, I told her. She laughed, the kind of laughter you shower on people when you disdain and mock them. I shamefully fumbled my hand through my hair and said that it's pretty thick. She laughed again. She said she would take me somewhere. So just when the sun set down, I followed her. It was semi dark but not fully. I finally realized that I was all alone in the middle of nowhere with her. This did two things to me. It created a fear, a feeling of haunting. What if she isn't real? What if she disappears into the shadows of this jungle? I wouldn't really mind if she turned into a monster though ( thanks to all the horror movies and genres, I wasn't afraid of any kind of form) as long as she was with me. But I realized I was afraid of the lack of it. The sudden loneliness would be nothing less than a monstrous fear and it would encompass me completely.

The other thing it did was it aroused me. Now this is quite natural. Here you are so close to a place which is believed to be the cradle of mankind and also lonely with a woman who happens to be your only hope, philosopher and guide and you won't even get a turn on. I promised I won't be talking about sex here but all I am saying is I didn't do it since last month. Who wants to talk here about the painful breakup with Veronica, how she left me, all smartypants she is, saying you are too good but not my type. I mean we were real good in bed and we started off so well but no, I am fading off. I mean that's the point. She was so good in bed. Urrrr. I mean how Nick had said dude why are you going to Africa, I'll find you another girl and she'll be even better and you will forget the whole thing, one night down.

Damn, the point is I was terribly aroused. The only thing which crossed my mind was when. Will she agree? How will I make a move? How difficult is it going to be to convince her? She broke the silence when she pointed to a distant light somewhere, saying she was born there. I had to ask her if she was taking me there to which she didn't reply. Now it was quite dark. And with the darkness, the visuals died down but the audios improved. The droning sound of some persistent insects, a hissing blow of a breeze and some faraway cries of animals became more and more prominent. I wanted to light a match, put up a tent and eat. I told her. She walked on heedlessly. I had to follow. The trees here were more dense and probably we were getting into a forest or something. Because I could feel being constantly brushed and rubbed by leaves and barks. For some unknown reason, I did not resist this journey even though it was dark, kind of scary and even threatening. I was still aroused but only this time, my desires extended beyond her body to the wildness here, this seemingly impossible thing I was doing, how desperate and crazy it might sound to most of us. I thought of Veronica again, what she would be doing if she was here. She was a pragmatic girl, she would probably have never agreed to a trip like this lest she had a hotel to stay, an organized safari to travel. Indeed, I was better off with her. I felt a wave of freedom inside. Thank god, I wasn't with her now. I laughed inside to think she is probably screwing that dude, Kyle. He doesn't even know what he is saying and to think he is smart and all. I felt good. Suddenly something bit me. Or so it seemed. I asked in a fit of anxiety to her, if it's dangerous. She said it's an African mosquito which rarely bites humans. It is considered to be a good omen here when it bites. I asked her straight away considering this African omen as my best chance if I could kiss her. What followed was a bit unexpected.

As usual, she didn't reply. We kept on walking. Walking & walking. Down the roads which seemed non existent. Down ancient trees which smelled of sweet carcass & rotten flowers. Down bushes which fragrated sweats of animals I have never seen and of humans whom I have never witnessed. I realized that no twelve pegs of Johnny Walker could do to me what this place did. I was truly and completely intoxicated. And then it happened. I felt a tingling feeling inside me and then in a split second, she came close and amidst all the darkness, her body odor which was no different from the surrounding air, engulfed me. A few seconds had elapsed but for me time had stood there. I could feel her getting closer and closer but it was still all instantaneous to me. I felt her lips, thick on me. It felt like water after a long desert odyssey. I drank and I drank and I drank on. The more I drank, the more unquenchable my thirst was. Desire had a primal instinct, I felt nothing which I had ever felt before. I didn't even realize when we stopped. When the surrounding dense trees had cleared up and there was an open grassland. There was a baobab tree sitting right there where the forest ended. When we had sat beneath the tree, lit a fire and undressed. Slowly. It was all dark. It was wild beyond any dream I have ever dreamt. My eyes closed in pleasure. My eyes closed.

When my eyes opened again, the gentle rays of the sun were falling on my back. Yes here I was sleeping beneath a tree. My lunch box, my backpack lying around me carelessly. I had no idea where I was. I picked myself up and based on the sun estimated where I needed to head to reach the village where I had last picked my grocery. My car shouldn't be far from there. I started walking. The sun started beating down on me. I felt thirsty. I realized I had left all my water back in the car so I brisked up. I decided to avoid the jungle if I could but before I could run into it, I saw my car. Parked near that same tree where it was parked and I saw the mule still standing there, giving me a fleeting look.I headed towards my car and started the engine. By now, you have all realized what I am going to say next. She was missing.

When I went back to the village, I didn't find her. Instead I found a number of twelve-fifteen year old toddlers who came all running after my car. I ran to the local market and asked for some food. There was someone who knew broken English. It was good enough for me. I asked about her. I had to describe her. Nobody had ever seen her or nobody cared. The girls who were clad in a classic African robe dress, a local favorite in that region wanted to sell me a local herbal solution. They said it's great for the hair. You add it once to your hair, and you will never worry about your hair, again. I bought two bottles. They added that this is the same formula westerners use but they screw it up by mixing other stuff to it. It's a rage they said. I smiled back.

When I left the village and headed towards Yamba T on that same road which had the depressingly green and corn colored grasslands on its sides, I got reminded of Veronica. It was an intense feeling, I never felt this much longing for her since we broke up. When I got to Yamba T, I found after some chagrin and search, a phone booth which promised to connect me wherever I wanted to call, in the whole world. The man in charge was pompous and very confident.

When I dialed her number, it took her precisely four seconds to pick the call. Her voice was muffled and uncertain. I just said I want to see you. She said she needed to talk. Very badly. I just replied "You know where to find me" & hung up. Something felt right.

I bought a jack fruit after a persistent vendor convinced me how much a worthy aphrodisiac it was. I took out a small piece and started eating. The local market was all crowded and in action. I gave that all understood, all accomplished smile. I kept on watching.


© Nothing Personal. January 28-29, 2011.

Author's Note

The inconsistencies if you find any in the above chapter are deliberate and intentional. A more clearer narrative, a more rational driven this one may seem. But it still remains a chapter in this book and not a standalone piece. Thanks for reading :-)

Reviews

[YouoweYoupay]

"Today I won't be writing about sex because either I am full of it or I get none of it."

That was a clever sentence to attract us readers and make us wonder what your piece is about! I congratulate you! You have fully captured my attention.

You took me to moist, hot jungles, various pictures, sounds, and scents. The girl seemed beautiful from your description. I wonder where she went. Was she even real? Great Story! Keep writing!

[Ice QueenJen]

Another great tale about being in Africa.

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

This is wonderful. I am thinking this woman was not a person at all.....Perhaps an elusive spirit......

[Loner]

What a chapter .... my eyes were glued to my monitor an i can swear on it
Beautifully portrayed ..... an awesome write !

[fernii]

great :) keep writing

[Calypso]

Wow very interesting.

[Stef Outsiders]

Good chapter!... keep it going...

[Priyankaabhilaashi]

Good..!!!

[roarke]

yep, it's definitely a clearer narrative and more rational than the first two chaps. although I got an allegorical feel to the woman, illusive, spirit of the land kind of thing. The exotic interest ties it to the previous pages, and what follows will tuck this in nicely. The style turns lead into gold.

[Lilly Negoi]

no, thanks for asking me to read!! this is totally delicious!! :D gosh i love your prose!