SEBASTIAN AND HIS ZAZI

chapter 6: are you mad at me

Zazi went to Anna's room to take her dirty laundry.
She found Anna about to leave.
"Good morning zazi,"

"Good morning Anna."

"I'm sorry today I won't be around much I'll be catching up with my brother."

"Its okay Anna, I understand. You must have a lot to talk about."

She wanted to ask why  didn't tell her he was coming or about Katrina but held her tongue.

"I told dad who had suggested you return to working for my brother no. I don't want any extra work added on you. They actually kept him coming a secret I learnt about it last night before going to bed. And his so cold girlfriend, she already looks annoying... "
Zazi just chuckled. Girlfriend.... They really were together.

"Where is ondi? I haven't seen him in two days?"
Anna had a huge crush on ondi for some time now but she never told him because he liked someone else.

Ondi didn't know Anna liked him and zazi didn't know ondi liked her. Anna knew zazi liked another boy she had met a  years ago and wanted to find him again.

She just didn't know who it was. The fact that zazi wasn't with Ondi or liked him like that made her have hope that he might notice her.

But she was white and the daughter of the man who enslaved and beat him and his people. Will he ever want her. She was 16 but she was in love.

Zazi took her laundry and with other girls and women, after the family had their breakfast, they went to wash the clothes in the river.

They sang some traditional songs to lighten the mood. Non of them had converted to the white man religion because what god was this that told them its okay to treat people like that.

They sang their songs to their gods and their labor song.

They had it a little easier than the people who worked at the farm and had the hot sun burning them all day and everyday.

But that doesn't mean they had it good either.

They had past a tree with one of the maids hanged half naked with her hands. Her whole back was badly beaten and some white ranchers kept poking and mocking her.

She looked so thirsty and her wounds were bleeding. They beat her again when they felt like it.

Why did they do this you ask? she accidentally spilled coffee on one of them while serving them. This has happened before and those women would even end up being raped.

The  village did not want any white babies so a herb was immediately made to stop any pregnancy from occurring.

If she ever had a white baby, the baby would be an outcast and if she insists on keeping it, the child would be forcefully taken away.

The hatred for the whites was so bad that they didn't want their blood to mix with theirs.

That was why Anna could only wish for ondi, who knows if he would ever accept her.

And why zazi had to stop this fantasy on Sebastian. The son of Jacob, the blood of Jacob should not be mixed with theirs.

Just then, just as she sank into their song, everyone went quiet. Binti then whispered. Here comes Sebastian, your old friend. Zazi turned and saw Sebastian walking towards her.

"Hello ladies," he said with a smile.

"Hello master Sebastian." They answered in unity.

"Please, keep singing, that was a beautiful song. Don't let me stop you."

The women smiled and started singing he then tapped zazi.

"Come with me."
Zazi was a little hesitant.

"I'll finish up for you." Binti offered.

She had Jacob clothes but she was almost done.

Zazi walked behind Sebastian as he lead them to distance away.  He then stopped near a tree under and turned. His eyes and zazi's met only for her to look down immediately.

She waited quietly for what he had to say. Sebastian kept staring at her face. She was so adorable when they were children, and now, she is beautiful.

She had this eyes, and this cute nose, this pretty lips. He couldn't even describe her. And she had this medium height, which gave her long legs.

She must look very beautiful in her African attire.

"How have you been, its been 10 years."
"I'm good, Master Sebastian."
He chuckles at that.
"Did you miss me Zazi?"

Of course she did, she waited for him patiently even though she didn't know if he was going to come back.

She  held on to her promise, to the books, to the necklace, she had the scarf though it was old and had holes in it. Just then she looked at his hands and didn't see her bead bracelet. Her heart did a little stung. She couldn't say what she thought, she held on to a child promise, but he didn't.
So she didn't voice her feelings.
"What about the books?"
"I made sure I learned everything."
She kept it formal.
"Zazi, are you mad at me?"
Zazi kept her head down. She then put his hand on her chin and made her look at him.
"I'm sorry I left without a goodbye. I missed you."

Zazi remembered the kiss he gave her when they were kids. She was just about to answer only for them to be interrupted.
"My love!'' They heard someone behind zazi, she turned and saw Katrina in a black dress with an umbrella walking towards them.  She went up to Sebastian and hugged him.
"Sebastian, my love. I've been looking for you."
This made zazi take a step back. 'My love? She called him my love twice and he was okay with it. Are they really together? They were really engaged?'
"Excuse me" she excused herself and ran back to the river. She couldn't watch her touch him like that and smile at him. She ran back and brushed it off so that Binti doesn't notice.

"What was that about?"
She asked anyway.
"It was nothing, really."
"You guys were friends when we were kids."
"He just wanted to know how I'm doing."