Chapter 44

He arrived home on that hot Friday afternoon and found his parents waiting for him.

"Welcome home, Esau." Alfredo hugged his son and appeared happy at seeing him around. "We've really missed you, haven't we Lucinda?"

"Sure, we missed you, Esau." Lucinda agreed with her husband.

Esau did not talk much. He chose to be silent. He knew his parents were pleased at his homecoming. They were quite fond of him. Then Lucinda went back to the kitchen and became very busy inside.

"How were the exams? Alfredo inquired.

"Tolerable. I was in control like always, I enjoyed doing the papers and answered all the questions to my ability."

"Nice to hear that. I knew you would never let the family down, I am so glad," Alfredo said and paused: "While you were away, I also organised and got a licence for you. Now you can ride your motorbike anywhere."

Esau's eyes brightened. "I am very happy, dad. Thanks so much. Now I can ride without any worries. I will even go to the beach this afternoon."

"Go out and enjoy yourself, my son." Alfredo said as he disappeared into his bedroom but came out a few minutes later beaming, "Here it is. Have it with you whenever you go for a ride in town or wherever you wish to go to avoid trouble with the law."

"That's alright, dad."

Later, Esau left the house and rode down to the beach. He wanted to be alone and enjoy the beauty of nature and also reflect on his future.

As he went riding down along the road to the beach, the cool breeze from the ocean brushed against his face, and memories of Chaudrey's soft kisses on his cheek came back to him. She had been very kind and loving to him.

She had loved him but lived in a traditional Hindu society, which was racist. Yet she had lived ahead of her times by loving him: a non-Hindu and a black.

Esau tried to look back at the problems she had faced. Problem number one: her closely knit society had tried to ensure she did not interact with people of other races after school hours, but together, they had easily beaten them at their own game.

Problem number two: she could not live up to the high expectations of her parents, especially her father.

Problem number three and most important, their cultural backgrounds were at variance: the Hindu-Christian African world. And so it was that their affair could never have been expected to deliver or end fruitfuly.

At the gates of the Whitesands Hotel, he got off his motorbike and pushed it towards the parking space reserved for visitors. For a few minutes, his eyes admired the white and magnificent buildings of the hotel surrounded by tall trees, which provided good shade against the scorching heat.

Satisfied, he began strolling towards the beach. The sun was terribly hot. His eyes fell on European American tourists who sat under the shade relaxing. Others lay only with their swimming costumes, pants, and bras on the hot sand where they sunbathed.

Esau was certain they were enjoying themselves. He went past them and looked for an isolated place where he wanted to have a good view of everything.

He found a place under a tree and lay down to relax. From where he was, his eyes travelled over the beach, and he saw the tourists who were swimming in the ocean. Some kissed and fondled each other as they played like little children in the water.

A couple passed near him as they headed to the ocean. Oh, what a curveous figure that was! He thought as he looked at the woman.

The European woman had a slim but curved figure. God really made some of his creatures really beautiful, he thought.

Would I ever get as beautiful a woman as this one? He was still thinking when he saw another couple go past him. His eyes surveyed the woman's small waist and big breasts.

Those are even better, he thought, but all these people are attractive! Esau was now enjoying himself as his eyes feasted on the curveous figures of the European and American women tourists.

Then, his thoughts unexpectedly shifted to his future career. What was he to become? He had really never thought seriously about what he really wanted in the future because his one main goal had always been to proceed with his education.

His mind now began to walk into the past, and he recalled the movies he had watched as a child. At that time, he had wanted to be someone famous, like movie stars.

But was it now possible for him to be one? He wondered but quickly abandoned the idea when he realised he had never acted on stage.

He had admired actors on the screen but realised acting required a lot of guts for one to face the camera and audience.

He stayed on the beach for two more hours, admiring the ocean and the swimmers. Then he decided to leave the beach and walked where he had packed his motorbike, started the engine, and rode back home.