12– Made-up story

Next morning we were woken up by someone calling Yoké's name. I jerked awake, which in turn woke Yoké up. Standing before us was a little child, a girl. She was topless and wearing a little skirt.

"Yoké are you sleeping?" she asked him. Her voice was soft and pure.

I looked around, it was broad daylight there was no one else around besides this child.

I got out of Yoké's arms quickly. "It's morning Yoké."

"I hope no one saw us here." Yoké said. "Beki where is your mother?"

"She's coming." The child responded.

"Let's go Genesis." He took my hand and we went the other way quickly.

***

Yoké took me back to the cave and we stood against its walls and waited for Gamu.

"When will you go see your father again?"

"Maybe tomorrow morning."

"I want to come with you."

"Uma told you about their princess. I don't want her to get upset seeing you with me. My father's life is actually in her hands. Those people never keep their prisoners locked up for more than a year. If the prisoner doesn't die in that year, then they bury them alive."

I gasped. "How long has your father been there?"

"He left when I was 14-years-old... So, it's about 10 years now since he had been locked up."

"Wow..."

"I know, it's a miracle. But I know that she's only keeping him alive so that I can keep coming there."

"So she just wants to keep seeing you all the time?"

"As soon as I get there, the people that she put in place go alert her. And then after a while she comes to the prison too. Then she asks me to join her and family for a meal after I finish with my father. I do and then later on we spend time walking around her village."

"So her family allows her to bring you to their hut?"

"Yes..."

"How come?"

"I don't know... I already told you. They are not as strict as us. It's not a big thing for them. They know I'm just her friend."

I nodded. "So, when-"

"Genesis, let's not talk about her. Please. She is just a pathway to my father. Don't worry about her."

Gamu suddenly arrived.

"Greetings love birds." She said.

We greeted her back.

"Gamu I need a bath." I told her.

"That's why I came to get you. Furah said it's okay for you to come back down. And Yoké, Furah says that you should go to her. They would like to thank you for your service."

"Let me guess, with corn?" I said.

"Of cause. What else?" Gamu asked.

"Corn symbolizes the richness of our soil. So, if one gives you corn, it means that you are valued, appreciate it." Yoké told me.

"Rena needs to start attending your classes Yoké, with the small children. She still has a lot to learn."

"I wouldn't be able to teach if she was sitting down there looking up at me." Yoké said putting his arm around me.

"And why not?" I asked punching him playfully in his stomach.

He took my hands in his. "That hit was too strong for a woman."

"Maybe because you are hungry." I said laughing.

"I am." he laughed and took my arms and held it behind my back. I started trying to free myself so that I can hit him again.

"Why are you two always so physical?" Gamu asked us.

I laughed. "It's not me, it's him."

"Rena we have to go."

"Yeah, you have to go." Yoké hugged me with my hands still behind my back. He then kissed me on my lips and let me go.

"See you, Yoké." I waved at him and then took Gamu's hand. "Let's go Gamu. By the way, my real name is Genesis."

"What?" She said confused. We started to walk. "Spending the whole night with Yoké is making you go insane. What happened anyway? Tell me everything."

"First what's the plan?"

"What plan?"

"What are we doing first?"

"We are going to the river and then to the well, Uma is already there filling up our buckets."

"If only Furah finds out that his new maids Uma and Yoké fill up the buckets every morning..."

She laughed. "Don't try to make me forget. Tell me what happened with you and Yoké last night."

I told her a juicy made-up story of Yoké and myself and laughed at the way she gasped throughout the whole story and then when I finished the story, I told her that I was just joking. She started hitting and chasing after me and I ran and laughed all the way. When we reached the river, I told her everything that happened, the truth, from the time she was called by Furah until this morning. She didn't believe that nothing physical happened between Yoké and me. She told me that she liked the first story rather and I told her me too. She then asked me whether the first story would ever happen, and I smiled shyly and told her not until we both got married.