EPILOGUE

Alex turned up the aircon on his car another notch. It was a hot December afternoon, and the summer sun was streaming into the drivers’ window as he drove along the N2 highway, the distance between him and Jill decreasing steadily every minute. In the back seat was a pile of bags and boxes: his life hastily packed up in the couple of days since he had written his last exam. The exhilaration of having finished his degree, of finally having earned the title of Doctor, had only been matched by the excitement he felt at the prospect of seeing Jill in a few days. And now the day was here. He would have liked to drive faster, but he had promised Jill he would be careful, and besides, the surfboard on the roof was slowing him down.

Marshall Bay, he thought to himself. Summer, the sea, sunshine. A few weeks of rest, and Jill. It was a beautiful thought after the months of hard work. And then – the start of his internship at the provincial hospital in PE. More hard work, of course; he had no romantic notions of what it would be like. He would miss the church he had settled into in Cape Town, but now he could go with Jill to Marshall Bay Community Church, and maybe even help with a volleyball mission next summer. It wasn’t going to be easy being away from his dad as the disease progressed, but for now this was where he had to be, near Jill, and they had plans to make. She already had her ring, their families were on the whole happy for them and now the actual date was just a few months away. He hoped to go back to Cape Town after his two-year internship, to be near his parents, and he had no intention of going without her.

It was late afternoon as he finally drove down the main road, and past the church towards the sea. He was about to turn left towards Jill’s house, but at the last minute stayed on the road heading to the beach. There was a parking spot right in front, facing the sea. He was tired; it had been a long drive. He picked up his phone, got out of the car and stretched. Then he swiped open his phone to send a message to Jill.

Ten minutes later he was standing with his feet in the ocean, and there she was, coming over the sand to meet him, hitching up her long summer dress as she stepped over the receding waves. It had been months since they had seen each other last, and as he held her in his arms he was so glad the long separations were finally over.

“Finally,” he said, kissing her forehead.

“Welcome home, Dr Palmer!” Her arms were around his neck, and she smiled up at him.

“No more living in different cities,” he said.

“Never again,” she said.

“Have you thought about what we were saying the other day?” she asked, as they walked along the beach, hand in hand. “About the test?”

“I have. Are you sure? There’s still time for me to do it before.”

“No,” said Jill, quietly. “I don’t want to know yet. But it’s all right

if you do.”

“I don’t. The results won’t change anything now. We can wait a while.”

“I’m glad,” said Jill. “That’s how we should do it. I want us to be married before we know.”

“In case you change your mind?” he teased.

“No. In case you do.”

He smiled and squeezed her hand. “I’m not going anywhere, Jill,” he said.

The sun had almost disappeared over the sea, the light golden and warm. For a second Jill remembered being on this beach all those years ago, with her friends, picturing a sunset, a kiss, a man who wanted to marry her. It was all happening right now, as she had imagined and secretly hoped it would. She smiled at the memory of her innocent, earnest seventeen-year-old self. Alex had certainly come a long way since those days all those years ago. And he wasn’t the only one.

THE END

Glossary of South African terms

Bakkie: light delivery vehicle

Biscuit: cookie

Braai: barbecue

Bru: brother/guy

Dof: stupid

Eish: expression of surprise

Handy Andy: Ammonia-based cleaning product

Jislaaik: expression of surprise

Kombi: VW minivan

Lighty/laaitie : young person

Matric: Grade 12/last year of high school

Nappy: diaper

Oke: guy/man. Used similarly to “dude”

Pap: cornmeal porridge

PE: Port Elizabeth

Rand/R: South African currency

Slip slops: Flip flops

Twak: nonsense

Varsity: College/University

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all the encouraging voices along this journey!

Thank you to all the church youth group leaders who were such an important part of my teenage years and coming to faith. Thanks for the silly games and the volleyball and the gospel.

Thank you to everyone at Calvary Hope of the Nations Church in Lesotho, and to Bridget and the Holy Trinity Lesotho mission team for having us along and being such an inspiration for this story.

Thank you Graham for technical support and Catherine for checking medical facts.

Thank you Mom for your wonderful encouragement and proofreading.

Thank you to my daughter Joanna, who read the first few chapters, patted me on the shoulder, and said, “It’s nice, Mom. Keep going.”

Thank you Candice for being the best cheerleader ever and for texting me in the middle of getting groceries to say you couldn’t wait to get home to finish reading.

And thank you to my husband Steve. This would never have happened without your support.