Hills of Love

The moment they set foot on Rwanda, Tessa and Onitu fell in love with the country. The terrain quickly stole their hearts and unknown to them; they would stare through the windows as they drove around and still not get enough of the view. That’s how they understood why the land was so called-the land of 1,000 hills. Why did everything centre on hills? ‘Little wonder,’ she thought to herself.

Surprises
Visiting the local church, they are treated to a teaching on the ‘Sermon on the Mount’-the Beatitudes! And when a Mrs. Byamungu is invited to pray for the country, she gives a word about the mount where Jesus would quietly slip away from the crowds and go into prayer.

And just when she thinks she is done with the mention of hills, she gets a pleasant surprise: ‘Enjoy dinner for two at one of Kigali’s best hotels; Milles Collines (French for 1,000 hills).’ She loved surprises, especially when they involved eating out, so naturally she was on her feet at the mention of dinner, then she remembered … She was suddenly worried about her growing tummy-what would she wear? Everything fitted a bit too snugly lately and she liked less and less how she looked, more of how she thought she looked. Let’s not even start on how she felt, particularly in the mornings before the ever elusive sun was up; or what her back experienced when she wore heeled shoes.

Tessa managed to squeeze into her flared, deep red, timeless dress and picked out a matching silk cravat for Onitu. For the last time, she would wear her red, wet-look sling-back shoes which, though heeled, offered far more comfort than any other in her evening collection.

Manicured lawns
Hand in hand, they walked, up Avenue de la Paix (Peace Avenue). It was late afternoon and the heat was quickly waning. Soon, the sun would set in the horizon behind the hills. This sun loves to play hide & seek, or why else had she not been successful in watching it set, even once? In 3 weeks? The closest she had come to seeing it was as it made its way through Hill No.3, but it had rained I suddenly and the sun had traded places I with the rainbow-must admit it was ” a magnificent bargain, though. After . “that, she had decided to let it surprise her when it was ready. She stopped to losen her shoe straps but would Onitu, being the gentleman that he is, let his lady bend to strap her shoes? Not him. She couldn’t help smiling; he was the perfect partner for her. She wanted to tell him so bad, that Hadassah/Harry was finally on the way-perhaps after dinner; better still, after dessert. She was happy about the surprise baby, after all. Her only concern was that it was only 11 months since they got married, yet they had discussed and agreed to wait at least two years.

Breaking news
She wondered how other couples would go through such a situation. Would they mind unexpected pregnancies? Would a baby change their relationship? What about her-would the bump encroach her waistline? ‘I will definitely never go back to my original wardrobe,’ she thought, surprised at how petty she was being. Of course this baby would bring them closer, they had always wanted to be together, raise a family, achieve their dreams and celebrate life as a team … She would worry about that later. As for now, her thoughts were interrupted by the grand view of Milles Collines.

Every thing about it was worth writing home about, from the sensor doors and the butlers in long tail coats, to the painting on the walls and the fresh, wild flowers whose scent mixed with the guests’ perfumes, giving off an exotic fragrance. Then the terrace came in view and her breath caught in her throat! That was the sun, setting right in front of her eyes, the very sun that had hidden for 20 days! The inviting pool below had changed from turquoise to sparkling gold, so had the vases. The chandelier’s glint was something between gold and silver-splendid!

‘Words would spoil the magic,’ is what their silence seemed to say as they ate the sumptuous dinner. Tonight, even the food had personality’ And the view was like a movie on big screen where lights dimmed with the setting sun giving way to countless stage lights that dotted the 1,000 hills. The sky was black velvet with the stars its polished diamonds. He took her hand in his and they swayed to soulful Rwandan tunes. It was perfect.

‘It’s about time we had a baby,’ he said, looking into her anxious face. Had he read her thoughts again? Tessa smiled and taking his cue, pulled away as she tugged her dress to reveal the tiny hill on her usually flat tummy. He stood startled for a moment and her heart dropped right into her stomach. This was what she had been dreading. Then with the most somber look on his face said ‘Umva (listen), I love you Mrs Onitu.’

Time stood still. She felt like she was hearing that for the first time. He took her in his arms and led her to the edge of the terrace. The hills were eavesdropping and the wind was whistling with the serene pool dancing gracefully to its tune … ‘To 1,000 hills and one lovely lady.’ This little Hill of Love was all she could think about smiling as she felt her bump.

Soon they were counting the city lights, laughing animatedly and wondering who their baby (Hadassah or Harry) would look like. From then on, every hill, even an anthill, would be a hill of love and those hills would definitely remain in her heart.

‘Please don’t leave evidence on my waistline,’ she implored the little lovely hill as she took one last view of the other hills.

END: PG 31 /18-19