"Youths of Bulawayo, good morning!!! It's time for party!" kosamu, the youth leader going from house to house inviting youths. Now he was at yosef's compound where he found the ladies washing.
"Hey Bri! Beatrice, it's party time, come on stop washing.Go take a bath! No stories, I give you both 30 minutes to prepare and come to the party." He turned to take his leave, then he remembered something, "hey Bri, make sure you make Gabby to come too.
Two hours later, the youths where gathered at the Chief's house. A cow is slattered, it's a joyous moment, youths are enjoying themselves in dancing as the elders are sitted watch them going on stage dancing one by one on traditional dances of their own choice.
"Come on Brianna, Gabby, show us your kingdom's traditional dance. Everyone supported the idea and then, they where pushed on stage.
But does Gabby know know any traditional dance? No.
"Come on you guys, I can't dance, especially traditional dances. I have never done that before. He defended himself.
Everyone's curiosity was raised to ask, why, if he is really an African who belongs to a Kingdom with tradition.
"How is it possible that you don't know any traditional dance? Aren't your family traditional?"
Those questions made him freeze silent, on stage. He turned a look at Brianna, expecting her to defend him with a lie as she's does it many times in the past two weeks they've stayed together.
"The thing is, he is someone a little bit shy. He has never danced on stage before." She said these, while looking at him.
"Oh, that's not a big problem! She will dance with you, go on Brianna, we trust you!" Now it was noisy as everyone was cheering for them to dance. She then begin the dance moves her family dances with her in every traditional family day.
Little by little, Gabby was following her moves, while staring on her face. Her breath always changes every time he looks at her. She doesn't seem to figure out what has been happening to her in the past two and a half weeks they've stayed together. Neither Gabby understands what has been happening to him. He has been calm around her and always listens when she speaks.
Gabriel is one man who never listens to a woman, more less, controlling his emotions when he is angry about something. He has realize that with her, it's something different.
They danced and later were joint by everyone. Brianna and Gabby forgot all what was happening and all that where around them as they got lost in each other's eyes. Yosef watching from a distance, he has forseen this coming. He walked and a smile flashed from the corner of his mouth.
After a while, they realize that everyone's eye were on them, they got embarrassed and backed out from each other, shamefully.
They walked from the party to the house, the two of them in the dark. Gabby noticed she was shivering from the cold. He knew what he suppose to do but how will he do it if they are not really familiar with each other? He doesn't know how to do it because he hasn't been a gentleman, to any woman before, not even to his longtime girlfriend, Princess Shelley.
They walked a long distance, all the way he battled in his head on how to do it. The goose bumps on her hands, gave him the courage to remove his old looking jacket and cover her body.
"I'm sorry, but you have goose bumps all over your hands.
With look at him because she was shy, she said thank you.
They continued walking in silent , untill they where home where they found everyone waiting for them, very worried about where they may be.
Upon seeing them, they all run after them with batch of questions.
" Where did you go, we thought you got lost?" Joseph spoke.
"We just took a long way, relax." Made a tap on his shoulder and walk past them with a good night.
She said goodnight to everyone and then followed him inside. She found him snoring without a cover. The moment he hit the bed, he fell asleep without any strength to cover himself up. Those traditional dances really did him badly.
She stood there, watching him snore like a baby that was stressed out from his played . She is was very scared to cover him up, but then she thought of how cold the night was and then took a blanket and cover him up.
*******
Manoah's men are still searching the forest despite not finding anything, but following their boss's order, they can't go back unless they go back with her.
The royal directives are as well on search, but no single information they came across.
Her highness haven't been able to find sleep since the prince went missing. The king and prince Lawrence have been trying to keep her busy by day, so that she can be forgetting her worries, but during the night, it's something she can not control.
"My queen." He drew close where she was standing, staring outside the window. "How long will you stay like this, for him who doesn't care about how you feel?"
"What are you saying, your majesty? Of course he cares. Even so, he is still our son. We should be worried for him."
"That boy disgraced me..." He spoke with so much anger and hatred in his voice. "He humiliated me and lowered my status." He turned away looking very upset.
She turned him to face her, "For how long will you be angry with him?"
"For as long as he doesn't behave!" raised his tone in anger then he realized from his inappropriate behavior and apologized to the queen. In turn, she didn't say a word and get in bed quietly.
Just as his mother, Prince Lawrence haven't stopped thinking about Brianna. How she must be coping up with a stubborn man as his brother, although he's not very worried on his brother's behavior towards her, since he knew his true feelings towards her. He stands by the window, watching bright star, that shines so bright in the dark sky.
For a month now, Mrs Kumwenda has been weeping for her daughter's disappearance. She kept asking God for her safe return back to them. Some nights, she could have nightmares about her because of thinking about it too much.
Michelo has proved to be a true friend to Brianna, since her disappearance, she has been always with Mrs Kumwenda, acting like Brianna's replacement by giving her comfort and help whenever she needed it.
******************
It's another new day, a day they consider to be a holy day. On this day, Bulawayo people believe that God for give people of their sins, no matter what they maybe.
Everyone is expected to be in the house of the Lord, should their sins be forgiven.
Everyone was busy preparing when Mr Yosef called out everyone to start off. All came come out, except Gabriel who remained back in the house because he has never prayed before in his lifetime.
"Brianna, where is Gabriel?" Mrs Yosef asked.
Everyone looked at her, waiting for an answer. " He refuse to come."
"Why?"Yosef asked.
"He gave me no excuse, of a sort."
"You may all go, I will join you later. I need to have a talk with him."
Everyone obeyed and left, although Brianna wasn't really happy about it knowing very well, how rude he had answered her when she tried to force the church talk. How he will answer the old man, is what worries her.
Beatrice noticed her awkward silence, so she. took concern, "Brianna, are you ok?"
She turned to look at her with a fake smile, and then nod rapidly. Then she focused ahead and extended the Vail she had coveredg her head, down her forehead in order to hide her worries.
From the blues, a voice asked him a question, "Why have you refused to join the rest of the people to the temple?"
Sorrow filled his heart, through his eyes, Yosef could see that he had many things to say.
With a sigh, he turned his back on him, "I have never been in God's temple before." He said these with a map of tears in his eyes.
"Is that the reason you decide to stay back?"
"Yes." He looked away tearful, "Look, I'm not a good human being to stand before the Lord."
"Listen my dear, God is not like human. He is faith and just to forgive our sins.
"You have no idea the terrible things had done, in this life!" He lost his temper and yelled. I am a murderer, a thief, a kidnapper, a jerk! Just to mention the few." He then fell on a sit with tears rolling down his cheeks.
" I don't think I have any chance with the Lord. I have done some many thing that injured him.
Yosef sat with him on sofa. And spoke to him consciously, "allow me to talk to you about this man called Jesus." He handed him the Bible.
Holding it in his hands, he asked, "please, take it away from me." He thought of giving it back, but he insisted that he should hold.
"I want you to open on act 9:3_5 and Chapter 22. "
Yosef left him to read by himself. Gabriel read while shading tears.