" ... I got a feeling …. Umm….ummm …."
Calista hummed a tune unknown to her world as she descended the hill, in one hand holding a basket and in another holding a fancy bag, which usually drove a lot of women crazy whenever they saw her holding it.
It was a bag she purchased when she went to the city some months ago and it cost a fortune. The bag didn't have a lot of functions most women in villages would want. After all, spending silver coins to have a bag which can only fit a few things didn't seem to be practical at all.
They would rather carry baskets which would fit a lot of things than a decorative bag. So, knowing how wasteful Calista was, the women were always targeting her. But what did that have to do with her?
As she descended the hill, she smiled gratefully upon seeing the ox-cart that was waiting for her.
"They never disappoint!" she mumbled with a smile as she increased her pace.
After walking for a while, Calista finally was on the flat ground and face to face with her best friend.
"Good morning, Suzie and Ba Grace!" Calista greeted the wife and husband cheerfully.
"Hey, Cali! I can see you look so fine!" Susan complimented genuinely as she scanned Calista from head to toe with a smile on her face.
"Good morning, Madam Cali!" Ba Grace, Frank, greeted Calista respectfully.
Despite being around the same age, Frank couldn't call Calista by her name in person. It was disrespectful, especially since she was once married. Even though her husband was late, that didn't mean that he could blatantly call her casually.
So, he was supposed to give her a title despite his wife calling Calista by her name like that.
Calista smiled brightly upon being complimented. Who didn't like getting praise?
"Thanks, dear and so do you!" she didn't forget to return the praise before facing Frank, the man her friend loved so much she was willing to sacrifice all and responded, "It's good seeing you all fit. Are you ready for the long journey?"
"Couldn't be any better!" he responded with a smile.
Calista smiled subtly before looking at her friend, who was now eyeing her basket.
"Just carry it. We will eat something on the road!" Calista said as she passed the heavy basket over.
Susan didn't stand on ceremony and hurriedly took the basket from Calista before carrying it on the ox-cart.
Calista followed Susan to the ox-cart and climbed skillfully before settling on the cushion that always accompanied her whenever she was traveling.
The trip to Silverbroke town was a long journey that would drive people crazy. The ox-cart wasn't a stable means of transport and with how there were potholes in the road, Calista hated suffering the most.
Maybe it was time to buy a horse carriage. At least that one looked more stable than relying on a cow.
"Hiyaaa!" as soon as the women were on board, Frank cheered the strong cow for it to start moving, and shortly the ox-cart was once again on the move.
"Dear, what did you bring today?" Susan asked excitedly as she worked on the basket, opening it to see what delicacies her friend had prepared for the road.
As Silverbroke town was five hours away from Cropville Village, bringing food was the only way to go. T was easy to go hungry and struggle on the road if one didn't bring something to pad the stomach.
Besides, as villagers, buying things in town was much more expensive, so they were quite used to bringing food. As long as it doesn't go bad, then everything was prepared in advance.
"I didn't bring much. Just millet porridge for now and mixed rice with rabbit meat for later," Calista truthfully responded.
She had never hidden delicacies from her friend. Susan, despite not being as rich as her, was a very good friend who always thought of her all the time.
To Calista, food was nothing. She was by herself, so adding a few plates to the mix wasn't a big deal. Besides, she wasn't the only one giving. Susan contributed a lot as well.
When Susan heard about the rice and rabbit, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva in anticipation. When was the last time she ate a rabbit? She didn't recall.
"I brought your favorite. Salted peanuts and mageu. Oh, I also added some boiled eggs as well. We have a lot to eat today!" Susan informed Calista as she rummaged through the basket she had brought along.
When Calista heard about the mageu especially, her eyes lit up with happiness. Mageu was a special traditional grain drink which was made from mealie-meal and sorghum.
To cook mageu, there was one well-known method which was to cook porridge using corn powder (mealie-meal) and then let it rest until it was very cold.
When the porridge is cold, you would add water to it until you find the right mixture, whether you want it to be thick or watery. That would depend on the amount of water added.
After doing that, powdered sorghum which would help the corn mixture to ferment would be added. The mixture would be placed somewhere with high heat or where there is a lot of sun and let it ferment for two to three days, depending on how much fermentation you want.
Once it is done, you add some sugar, put the drink somewhere cold and drink it when you feel like it. Mageu is a fulfilling drink but can be a costly one as well, as a lot of sugar is required. So not every family cooked it.
As for Calista, it wasn't like she didn't know how to cook it, it's just that she didn't have a talent for cooking it. Her version of mageu didn't taste as nice as Ma Susan's, so she rather give the old lady sugar and let her prepare it than waste resources and make something unpalatable.
"Great! I will have those on our way back!"
With so much food to be eaten, there was no need for the three to worry at all.
One hour after leaving Cropville Village, the oxcart passed by Nicosa Village, the village where Calista used to live before when she was still married to her late husband, John Green.