A broken code of Promise

A Decade Away

Jaxon’s POV

For ten years, I secretly lived in Tanzania, contacting no one at home. Life there was amazing; no one could’ve created problems for me. I began staying at an affordable hotel until I depleted my money. After that, I had to look for a job, which I found in less than six months. A tree-cutting company, which was desperate for employees because of the holiday, employed me. In no time, I rented an apartment and settled.

At work, I met different people and made new friends. My employers liked my activeness at work, so they promoted me to supervisor. In the end, I worked in my own office. The money I was earning was enough for me to pursue my studies, so I went to the University of Dodoma and started my biological science degree. I was an employee during the day while I was a student at night.

Life in Tanzania was very remarkable for me. I visited Serengeti National Park with my colleague, Amanda. We saw elephants, giraffes, and zebras. I would rather not leave the chimpanzees that I admired the most. Those visits made Amanda and me very close. She was my workmate and was lovely. In our leisure time, we visited Mt. Kilimanjaro and tried some mountain climbing, although we never climbed high because Amanda was afraid of heights. We were having fun; moments with Amanda were awesome.

Life was good, but it changed after I graduated from the university. I was thirty-two years old by then, and I missed my mother. I remembered my last hug with her. The memories that were far from me came so vividly, making me remember everything—from how and why I ran away from marrying Cassie. It was the dumbest thing I ever did in my life. Cassie was the best girlfriend in my life during my youth. I blamed myself when I couldn’t even imagine how she felt when I left. I disappointed everyone who loved me.

When I was on my bed, tired from work, thoughts about my mother didn’t stop. I needed to speak with her, but I didn’t have her phone number except for Cassie’s, which I knew by heart if she hadn’t changed it. However, it was difficult for me to just dial Cassie’s number. I had no words for her after breaking her heart. To escape the thoughts, I started preparing supper. While I was busy at the stove, I heard a familiar knock, and I knew it was Amanda’s.

“Come in, Amanda,” I said, looking at the door.

“I should stop knocking because someone has gotten used to it,” she said, coming inside.

“You’ll save much of your energy,” I laughed, receiving the plastic bag she carried. She realized I was preparing to cook, so she didn’t waste time helping.

“Let me cook tonight. You must be tired,” she said, washing her hands. “Did you see your favorite meat… the oxtail? I bought it for you.”

I checked inside the plastic bag, and I appreciated her efforts. I pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. Oxtail meat was my favorite since I was young. My mother knew that too, and she would cook it specifically for me.

While Amanda took over the cooking, she urged me to take a shower even though I didn’t want to. It was a frosty night. However, she continued insisting, so I complied.

I know you believe Amanda to be my workmate, just like I told you. But hear this development: by then, she was no longer working at the tree-cutting company. She resigned after having a quarrel with our boss. Believe me, she was talkative and had opinions that our bosses despised every time she put forward her suggestions. After her resignation, she lived with me while looking for another job. However, she ended up deciding to get married. She married a rich man, and after a few months, they divorced. She married again, and time went on until she divorced again. The second divorce was hard for her because the man left her pregnant, but she terminated the pregnancy. She was lucky in marriage because she got married again for the third time. It was good, and they survived only eight months before she broke up with the man. She claimed the man was a drug addict. So, after all of her failed marriages, she surrendered. Thus, she came back to live with me.

Don’t forget I was bathing. But I didn’t stay long in the shower since it was cold. I dressed up and went to the kitchen. Amanda had my food ready on the table. I went straight to eat my favorite supper while she also went to take a shower. As for eating supper, she said she was okay. While I was eating, the news struck me. Linx James, my best friend, was dead. Nothing came to my mind except going back home.