FOR THE DREAM OF 5 YEARS Chapter One: New Face

Michelle was going to till the land another day after the heavy rains seemed to cease that week. Dan didn't show up the previous day, and she hoped that he would on this day. The sun shone bright, and the ground looked beautiful with the dew on the plants while a cool breeze whirred the tree branches around. The nearby paddocks surrounding the farm were all green with very long grass because the cows had died the previous season due to famine. This year things were different; the rivers were flowing, the rains were consistent, and there were floods all over the roads. Despite the challenges of movement because of the sloppiness of the ground, there was plenty of food. The place was beautiful with green trees, flowers, even in the wild, and green cover stretched to all corners of the village. Michelle's mum had decided to turn two of her paddocks into a vegetable farm since she knew it would take her a long time to decide whether to rare livestock again. She had people working on the paddocks when it was not a tea picking day. Her tea plantation was doing well despite the little pay for the hard labour, and the intensive investment. She had considered doing away with the tea sometime back but always brushed those thoughts away. "You never know, maybe one time the farmers will be able to do away with the brokers," she would say. Although she had not tilled the land before, she needed a distraction from all the happenings in the country. Rumours indicated bloodshed and the smell of death during and after the presidential elections if either of the top two parties didn't get the presidency. The news was full of fearful remarks, propaganda, and threats, which forced Michelle to avoid the media at all costs. She preferred being busy on the farm awaiting the voting day to see what would transpire. She had convinced her family that during that period she was home, she would be fully engaged in farm work and help the family reduce their expenses by adding up as a farm labourer. The mom was a little skeptical about it because then it meant that she would be the one taking care of Michelle's 5-year-old son, Mike. Nevertheless, she agreed to it. Previously, Michelle would go to her husband's rural home during long holidays, but this time her tribe would be her cause of death if she dared show up at her husband's village. Mr. Freeman was a Kikuyu, and everybody from that tribe was automatically considered an enemy of the Luo tribe, from where Mr. Amos originated from. Additionally, Michelle chose to avoid the city because if things went bad, smoke would rise from the city first before getting to the rural areas. She felt she needed to protect her son, her half Luo half Kikuyu little boy. This time, it mattered what tribe one was born in, what tribe one was married to and had friends. Although it wasn't said aloud, even Mike, a 5-year-old innocent boy, knew why they couldn't visit grandma at the lakeside. Even though Dan was a decade younger than Michelle, he was certain he could not restrain himself from thinking about her. He thought about her fair skin, her beautiful legs, which she covered in brown boots when she was at the farm, her long black silky hair that fell over her shoulders whenever she left the bathroom outside their house, her attractive shapely body, her soft voice, and gorgeous smile. She had a way of treating people that impressed Dan. She treated everybody, even those with no educational background, despite her being a graduate of a prestigious university and pursuing a Ph.D. Dan was held up at his home feeding the cows because his cousin was unwell, and he had to cover for his turn. On his working days, Dan ensured that he prepared the cow feed before bed so that it didn't take much of his time in the morning, lest he disappoint his boss. After feeding the cows, Dan quickly looked at his tall frame through his dressing mirror. He brushed his budding beards with the tip of his fingers and wished they could grow longer and faster. He smiled, and his dimples ran deep into his lean cheeks. His eyes sparkled when the thought of seeing Michelle crossed his mind. He straightened his blue T-shirt that hugged his lean body and tucked it well into his blue jeans. Dan was so brown he could see his veins deep into his lean soft skin. He hated that his complexion was light, and he spent most of his time in the sun shirtless to turn darker because, according to girls, women loved a tall, dark, handsome man. He was tall and handsome; his male friends joked that he was a beautiful woman. He didn't like that he was light and handsome. He wished that he was dark and ragged. He wanted to look like a strong caveman who would fight for the entire village to avert danger. One that would go hunting and skin an animal with his bare hands and that girls would drool over because he was so strong and uninterested in praises. The sun shone bright, its rays warming the earth, and the children were already leaving their homes to play on the not-so-busy roads. Children were making a lot of noise, singing and shouting each other names after being in their houses for days because of the heavy rains. Dan smiled at the children he met on the way, wishing Michele allowed Mike to play outside with other village boys. He could teach him a thing or two about village games and tricks if Michelle allowed. Mike spent most of his days in the house watching cartoons, reading, and playing with toys and his rabbit pet, Dodo. When Dan entered the gate, his boss asked why he was so late when all the other workers had already started their job on the farm. After giving his explanation about feeding the cows, his boss asked him to repair Dodo's hutch since it was leaking when it rained. He got all the tools he needed and started the work. While at it, Mike came outside to watch the hutch being repaired. Dan looked closely at Mike and noticed his stunning eyes like his mother. He was a dark and handsome boy. Dan wondered if his father was the tall, dark and handsome type. "Michelle is so beautiful; she deserved nothing less than a tall, dark, handsome, and loving man," he thought. "My name is Dan," he said. I will give you another rabbit, so you have a total of two if you can play with me just a little." Mike was excited. "Sure, Dan. What games do you play? I bet I can beat you in all the games on my computer," he said. "No, Mike, I would like us to play outside. Something like football, racing, or bike riding. You could ask your mom if it's okay to play with me. I'm not a bad guy," Dan said. "No problem, I will ask mom when she comes back for lunch," responded Mike. They engaged in more talks as he continued making the hutch while Mike helped pass some of the tools to Dan whenever he asked. Dan was through with the small task and was headed to the farm when he spotted Michelle among the other workers. Michelle was in a red turtleneck, a body-hugging t-shirt with a long neck, tucked neatly in her skinny blue jeans, her brown boots fitting her legs to her knee level, and her hair in a bun. She was beautifully built, tall and curvy. Her hazel eyes were perfectly placed on her attractive face, while her full soft lips curved into a beautiful smile whenever her eyes met another's. "Hi, everyone? I hope you all had a good night," Dan greeted them. "Hi, Dan. You are late," they responded. "I was held up a little. Better late than never." He said. "Hi, Dan. Thank you for showing up. Today we shall release everybody soon after lunch because tomorrow is a holiday. Others were informed in the morning. You will receive your day's pay in full," she said. "No problem, Boss," responded Dan playfully. Michelle was her boss technically because Michelle's mum was the one giving them work. Michelle smiled without saying a word, indicating that she was getting used to Dan's jokes. On the farm, Dan kept wondering what compelled Michelle to work on the farm despite them having enough money to have other people work for them. He looked at her most of the time and wondered if she thought about him in any way more than a worker. He wondered if she noticed how he overworked himself to please her, working overtime almost every day and getting there early in the morning before everybody else. He wondered what her husband looked like and how lucky he was to have such a beautiful, selfless woman. He found Michelle so sophisticated. After the first day on the farm, Michelle had blisters all over her palm. She decided to wear gloves while working since then. Dan found this intriguing. He wondered whether Michelle had worked in her life because her hands were very soft. Also, he wondered whether any circumstance forced her to be on the farm. At the farm, their eyes met a couple of times, and there was an undeniable gaze lock, at least Dan thought so. One time, Dan believes he caught Michelle looking at his chest and bulging biceps and quickly looked away when Dan looked at her. From that moment on, Dan was both working and flexing his muscles simultaneously, which was quite tiring, but he didn't mind since they were working half a day. All the people on the farm chatted and laughed together as they told different stories about each other. Time was moving fast, and lunchtime was approaching. Dan felt that he needed to talk to Michelle on that day, on whatever topic, even if it meant telling her a story about the hare and the tortoise. They had had minimal time together this week due to the heavy rains that made working on the farm difficult. Dan also needed a break from his books because he had been reading most of the time he was not working for Michelle's mom. He was preparing to sit for his final high school exams but looked for money in his free time. ******* Michelle noticed every move Dan made, from touching his baby chin to flexing his tiny bicep. She found it very childish. She thought he was a fine boy, but she didn't think of him in a sexual way. He was tall, polite and soft-spoken like Dave, but Michelle didn't entertain the comparison thoughts. There was no way she could let a small boy destabilize her. Around lunchtime, all the workers started leaving for lunch and home except Dan and Michelle, who were left to pick up some of the farm tools so they would be taken to the store. The weather suddenly changed, and it started to drizzle. "Dan, we can leave before it starts pouring; I'll come to finish the remaining tasks after the weather clears," said Michelle. "I think we should finish picking the tools before it starts pouring heavily. Besides, four hands are better than two," convinced Dan. So, for the next few minutes, they gathered the tools at one point, and then it suddenly started pouring heavily. They ran under a big tree nearby for shelter as they waited for the rain to stop. They were both a little wet and cold from the short drizzle. Not much was spoken under the tree. It was the usual chit-chat about how the day was and a few things about the current political atmosphere in the country. However, Dan, on the other hand, being the taller person, just stared at Michelle's hat and how some of her silky hair escaped the bun and curled against her wet neck. Her shoulders were tiny; he wondered how she managed to carry tools and half-full sacks filled with materials on the farm. From the side, he could steal a glance at her beautiful smooth face, and his heart skipped a beat every time their eyes met. Michelle was the keeping-to-self type; hard to read her mind. Dan wondered if she knew he was developing feelings for her, and if she did, what could she do or say. She was the unapproachable, serious type of girl. However, he was lucky they had something in common to talk about, the farm. Besides the farm work, they had nothing else in common. Michelle was very advanced in her education and age, married with a son, and very serious in life. Unlike Dan, whose day involved seeing Michelle, working for her mom, and listening to music while perusing his Chemistry book, Michelle's day started with a lot of planning. She woke up at 4:00 in the morning, did her daily prayers, meditation, reading, and did some coding before going for her morning jog around the paddocks. It was getting too cold, but the rain was pouring heavily, so they couldn't leave the tree and dash home yet. "Michelle, I need to tell you some things, but I'm afraid you won't take them lightly," Dan said. "Well, how do you know? You've never told me anything that gave you that impression. Have you?" asked Michelle. She could see Dan shaking with terror like he was afraid she would beat him up. She wondered what it could be, but being the woman she was and having kissed a few frogs on the way to find Dave, she was used to such lines. She was in no mood to listen to such a conversation. She had many thoughts about Dave back in the city, her mother's farm, her morning jogs and how they were not helping cut her weight, and many other important things. Michelle knew she was beautiful, pretty-faced, tall, and with a curvy figure. However, she knew Dave wanted a petite woman like she was before giving birth to Mike. She was working herself on the farm and running in the morning to shed some of her weight. Even though Dave complimented her shape all the time, she wanted to get back to the size she was when they met. She felt stuck under a tree listening to Dan. She wanted to be polite, but she was unsure how her response would be if Dan told her that nonsense. "I love you, Michelle. I love how you look at me, how your lips curve when you smile, and how you walk. I admire the way you organize your day, the way you work hard, and the way you speak to people. If only you could allow me to show you love, Michelle. You don't know what it has taken for me to finally declare my feelings for you. I have waited for a chance to be together alone; it seems the heavens heard my prayers. You don't have to say anything. Don't say anything at all; I don't want you to say anything," Dan said firmly with courage. "Wow, is this boy serious right now? That is too much information; he should be embarrassed! Oh my God, give me the grace to remain calm and respond politely to this servant of yours. How dare he tell me that? What does he think of me? Wait a minute, has he bought into the rumours of my divorce?" wondered Michelle. She was taken aback; she looked up at Dan and saw his eyes firmly looking back at her. They barely locked gazes in the past because their relationship was based on work. Michelle's heart flinched for a moment because she never saw it coming. Although she knew Dan had some feelings for her, she did not expect those feelings to be declared. People are always attracted to others, and these feelings are mostly buried in people's hearts. Michelle was about to say something but held her breath. She wanted to remind him that she was happily married with a five-year-old son. She wanted to mention that even though circumstances allowed it, they had a huge age gap for her taste in relationships. He was just a kid. He is a decade younger, still in school, unemployed, and living with his parents. Michelle looked at Dan's face, so young and innocent. He did not have a single beard on his soft chin; she almost laughed at her thoughts. However, he was growing taller by the day. His arms were long and lean, with a substantial amount of biceps, which he flexed every time she looked at him. It was like he wanted to show off his toned body to prove he was a strong man. The rain was dying off, but they still stood awkwardly under the tree that had sheltered them from the rain for the past twenty minutes. "Well, since you don't want me to say anything, we better get going. They are probably wondering where we are now," Michelle said as she stepped away from the tree. She was already wet on her shoulders and chest area, which her cowboy hat couldn't protect. Her nipples pressed against her red shirt, making Dan go crazy whenever he saw them. Her arms were covered in goosebumps. She was feeling cold; it was evident she needed to get home soon to change into dry clothes and have some warm tea. Dan wished he had a coat to offer her or hold her close to keep her warm. Even if he had one, maybe he could have hesitated to hand it to Michelle because of the sweat smell and dirt from not being washed for weeks. Dan wanted to be a caveman of a kind, so he rarely washed his clothes. He was not so dirty, but he wasn't so clean either. On the other hand, Michelle was very keen on how she looked and smelled. She dressed so well; one would be mistaken to think she wasn't going to an office. She wore her lipstick to the farm. She put on clean boots over her fancy jeans. She wore an expensive cologne and put her hair neatly in a bun. "No. Say something. Please tell me how you feel about what I've told you today. It will kill me if I don't know what you think about me. What do you think about what I've told you or about us?" Dan said, holding Michelle's hand to stop her from walking away from the tree. Michelle could not fathom what had just happened. She could not believe Dan was holding her hand at her wrist and demanding a response. What if people saw them? What would people think about her? That she was taking advantage of a young boy because she was rich? She almost jumped out of her skin, realizing that Dan was still holding her hand. " I am married, so you must know your feelings are too late. Additionally, you are still in school and very young. Even if I were in a position to have an affair, it wouldn't be with you. Please don't take offence to my response; you are a good person that I enjoy working with, respectful and polite. I admire you, Dan, and I like you, but not in that way. I hope you can understand and don't let this affect our working relationship,” She said, looking at him and waiting for a response. Dan closed his eyes, leaned back, rested his head on the tree, and released a long sigh. There was an awkward silence, and Michelle walked off after saying sorry.