Wayback When

I can't get my body to be still. My foot continues to tap to the beat of my twitching eye. Couple that with my rebellious mind with thoughts like starving vultures. They prey on my worry and ever growing anxiety. Funny enough my surroundings suit my countenance. In a universities library,pass midnight and stressed out;I am no different from any other student. Although every other student doesn't have to catch up on almost a whole year of work like me. It's hopeless,this feeling festers as I page through all the options to make up credits. I do not know what this professor thinks, there is only one month left till holiday.

Feeling utterly wrecked I announce my distrust with the universal learner moan.Maybe if I bury myself underneath all these papers I could absorb it's knowledge.How perfectly normal do I look?

Before my stressed out tears could be pressured out, he comes.

A warm gentle touch on my shoulder jerks my body into an upright stance with simulatneous twirl of the neck. His smile greets me, it is an unwelcoming comfort. My teeth gritt against his infectious joy. Antonio,what are you doing here?

Mo,you seriously gonna ask me that,i was searching all over for you.

Annoyed by his sudden accusatory tone I ask him as nicely possible to leave me alone. My inner voice taps me on the shoulder,umm why is he so upset MO? Let's see,his stance has changed, hands on hips like a discerning father,eyebrows frowned with inquisitive eyes. Okayyy, I can confirm he is upset.

Antonio let it out?

MO,it's Friday.Ringing any bells?

My mind scoured ovet everu record,ripped open every transpondence recorded to get a resound, I have no idea.

Friday is or was movie night,I planned it for you,I mean uh us,never mind.

His body folded in and he pulled away from me, I feel terrible.

Tony I got a lot of work and you know I can't,I won't go back.

He melts just like that and reaches for my hand, to say he's gonna be my rock. Blushing like a schoolgirl (which I am technically) I hold it. His stare is transfixed to my eyes and mine at the floor, pull away from the alarming new sensations his close proximity brings. Embarrassed by the truth,that he eases me. So I might as well tell him my predicament because I know he will help. A serious tone latched onto every word I said in my explanation but melancholy danced on my thoughts.

Antonio, although he is too polite to ask,is definitely wondering why i just didnt get on with my life. My life huh,mine. Maybe it was the echo i feared the most,of their laughter, warmth. It sufficates me to kniw they not here, breathing the same oxygen into their lungs. Life stole my time from them, so i thought best to befriend death for a while. On my own burying their memory seems far less painful than embracing their absence. I will not go back home as i haven't these pass 2 years. I shall stay in this foreign country, and disappear.

A tear forms at the fringes of my eyes to see Tony agitated as ever looking over papers with me. Uhh what time (yawn) is it Mo?

Sloth-like response follows 1am. Fed up with this whole situation i pull the first paper i see, this is the one. Antonio interested takes the paper from my hands, im too nervous to look. You must write a 10000 word essay about a sophisticated 17th century civilization,choose one from the available countries. The options are Egypt,Kenya,Laos and Turkey. Pleasantly surprised I pick Kenya, a country me and my father use to study together. Him a history professor me a 5 year old eager to learn about true great adventures. A Mona Lisa snatches my face for a second. Antonio springs up, determined goes hunting for relevant books. Tired but refreshed by his resolve I slowly write down ideas. Not even 10 minutes pass and Antonio plops massive books onto the table sending a ringing groan throughout the old library. Grabbing at the books, Tony is catching his breath like an old man. History students don't get alot of walking in a day, too bust looking behind us. Sorry. I grab the books until Aha, Tony this is what I'm gonna do,Gedi the mysterious City of 17th century Kenya.

Antonio looks on waiting for a follow up explanation. Well go on..

The City is said to have once been home to a sophisticated Swahili civilisation for a long time. But it mysteriously was abandoned by all inhabitants. Historians today still don't know why they just left. Some new historians believe it was other African kingdoms wanting to make them slaves. I strongly disagree though.

Tony seems convinced this is a good choice, which gives me more confidence. A light blue light starts filtering in not to soon, so i go looking for a now searching Antonio.

One thing about him that gets on my nerves is his obessession with order and control. He hates spontaneity and risks. This is just totally opposite from me.Thinking of Tony where us he?

Tony!?Where are you?! Worried my feet directs my reluctant body around the creepy library, and there he is pulling on a painting. Strange.Whatare you doing Tony?Heis really clutching this paintings edge of what seems a depiction of tye 17th century King of Portugal John IV.Mo can you help me, I want to check the date of this painting, just to make sure I'm right about who I think this is.Soon enough I am tugging with all my might alongside Tony,perspiring for a while. Eventually we feel the effect of our determination in the sound of the painting nudging. Tony yanks it off and then I see it. A tunnel behind the painting about a meter from the ground. The tunnel seems to be made of old mountain rock with odd scratches along it. Curious I climb in, needing this distraction,Tony screams after me but follows me. His mumbles of annoyance infiltrate my brain as we crawl further my hand drops and I go with it.

A warm light envelopes me instantly revealing a room. In awe I see old books stacked up on shelves but no dust or sign of damage. They have not been touched by time it seems, later Tony steps out orderly and he straightens his Hoody out. This one particular book lures me in, it's smell reminded me of strangely enough,my father. Antonio let's his irritation subside as he takes in all these books. While he deals with his new crushes i page through this dust free book,with a golden cover with no title. Soon I realize this is a direct account astonishingly of a person in Gedi, Kenya. I cannot believe what I am looking at right now I call Tony over. Just like me he can't believe what he is seeing, how rare is it to find such a book that has a direct account of a civilisation. This proves there was settlers in Gedi, it must have been the portugese who wrote this account. I was so excited I frantically page through the book with such glee.

Then...

Wet,damp smell of dirt,chirping birds and a giant trees all around bombard my senses. The book is not in my hand anymore, I look back and no tunnel, no library. I grip Antonio's hand and turn to him for a logical explanation for all this,but none came.Just as astonished as me, his mouth gapes open releasing a loud gasp every minute. Antonio? Shaking his hand, Antonio? The desperation in my voice rose, Antonio?! My hands clasped the sides of his cheeks,Look at me, breathe with me, In Out . We did this until I couldn't hear his heart beating through his chest. He nodded to me to assure me he was okay, so I flung my arms over him like a lifeboat in a sinking. Clinging onto each other like frightened fools , unaware of what they done, where they are or what they about to go through. He pulls away while whiping a scared tear from running. His stare dislodges all tough feelings stuck in my throat. He rubs my back, attempting to soothe me with a knowing stare. Stare that says I know your sadness eclipses even the strangeness of a world.

He grips my hand and we walk on into the forest,no words. Hoping to hit a town, village just something. We trudge through this seemingly never ending dense forest we see humans. So relieved we run up to them without a thought. The lady is wearing a colorful skirt with no shirt.Her breasts are revealed and Antonio blushes. Look at him, a minute ago his hoody and the ground wasn't as interesting. The woman possibly surprised runs off,hopefully getting help. Tony what's wrong you look a little red, Free the nipple Tony it's the 21st century for God...Tony. I see men with large spears with full on animal skin running towards us. Their manner does not scream welcoming, so I grab Tony's hand and run.

We do not get very far before they catch up to us,to find us panting loudly in the forest. The men drag me and Tony back from where we ran. They however take us farther until we see a break in the tree line. I gasp when I see, a grand city with tall rock buildings similar to that of old Roman buildings. Children playing with what seems like a ball made out of plants, its as if we took a step back in time.Impossible.The man pierces the back of his spear into my back to nudge me forward, this makes Tony visibly angry.

His eyes seem to be burning with fury, but I whisper I am okay to settle him down. I know he wouldn't do anything because he never takes risks but I need him to be in a collected mood.He probably already has a plan.

The men lead us to a small rock building with a wooden door.A man with a friendly countenance ushers us into the home.Skeptical of everything I am seeing I see all the tools,decorations and lack there of.These all were used only from 17 to 18th century Africa before colonizers influenced their life completely. The men with spears leave us with this man.Their absence gives Antonio new confidence so he directly addresses the man,Excuse me sir, can you please tell us where are we? No response follows,only a title of a head and a lift of his eyebrows.So I ask in Swahili, just to test my hypothesis and suddenly he understands. My name is Bulwayo and Gedi,as we the call it is where you are, where you from?I catch some of the Sawhili words to understand as I only understand a little because my father taught me some.Wondering how to respond as Antonio is beginning to connect the dots,and he is not taking it well.Uhhh far South by the sea, many moons to get home.Surprisingly he understands even through my thick English speaking accent. The man insists we sit down and rest.Antonio was already seated trying to process everything, I've never seen him so shocked. Politely the man leaves us after he tells me he's getting food. Finally alone I turn to a perplexed Tony, so I snap my fingers to get his attention. Nothing. I slap him across the face and that gives me more satisfaction than I thought it would. Antonio can see it on my face so he protests with a grin and rub of his cheek.Tony what are we gonna do?Do you have a plan? Uhhh okay let's try and get some information from this man then we can...

SHHH

What was that?

I can hear little footsteps against the ground followed by giggles. Two little kids run in front of us with such glee until they see us. Their faces turn from smiles to curious frowns. One of the kids is what i think a 10 year old boy, he comes closer to us. I walks around us, possibly searching for peculiarities besides our clothes. They both jump when they hear the door open, so they scurry away. The man is back with fruits, herbs and fish in a basket. Only now do I notice when he walks in a limp in his step,from his right leg. Strange I am so caught up in myself I forget sometimes, I'm not the only one here,feeling,breathing with me.

Starving ,me and Antonio gobble down the fish the man cooked for us over a fire.He whistles out and this alarms the kids because they coming running in, a tall woman follows them not to so long after. She has beautiful dark brown skin,a gentle demeanor and like the man a friendly countenance.They all sit down forming a semi-circle around us.We eat they slowly chomp and stare,as if we are new a new Netflix show. The kids run off after dinner,while me and Tony struggle to keep our eyes open.We have not slept for almost two days. The man shows us to a room with a single bed on the ground. So tired I thank him and we collapse into bed together.

Morning comes and I feel like I had the craziest dream,I giggle thinking about it. My giggles stop when I become aware of my surroundings. A chicken staring at me, a rock house,no mattress and him. Antonio's arm is wrapped around me and I can feel his body cover mine like a large hug. His faint snores make me feel safe so I snuggle up closer and he holds me nearer. A yawn followed by a quiet gasp, Tony slowly trys to remove his hand from around me. Successful he moves away but I can sense his smile as he gets up. Pretending to just wake up, i stretch and whisper Morning Tony we are in the fricken 16th century, what cool. Not finding anything amusing he looks on with a blank stare,the room gets cold from his worry. We need to get out of here Morgan this is serious. Your problems got us into this,I'll just...sorry. My eyes wander so as not to give it a chance to show the hurt.I didnt mean it like that,Mo. I am sorry. We just need to get out of here,okay. Just after he said this the kids burst in and yank my hand. I go along with it and allow them to lead me. They bring me to the woman from last night, who has bucket with water in. She tells me her name is Furaha so I share mine. I can tell she thinks my names strange because eveytime she says it she checks my eyes to see I'm not joking. We have a long conversation about family,love and life while we bathe. Although most of it I vaguely catch like an untrained juggler most end dropping into confusion but I got the gist of it all.

She introduces her family properly to us and they take us in with open arms. 3 days have passed since we arrived and Tony is still obsessed with a plan to get out, so he spends most of his time in the house. I on the other hand have grown quite fond of the family.Today is beautifully sunny,people dancing in middle of the city to drums and shakes.Outside the house I watch the boys play with their kind father and something takes possession of me.An ugly beast that makes me loathe their happiness, and wish harm.Ashamed I look down, I feel a hand tilt my head up.Its Furaha,she says I should never look down when all around is such great heights of joy.She said to look down is easy, but to stay up when lifes beating you is true power.These words I take to heart and so I with them I charge into their house,right up to Antonio.His astonished look contrasts my composed confidence.We are going dancing now .No buts, you need to get out this house.

Before he can complain I pull him out the house and tell him to let loose. So we head to the center of the city by following a crowd. We arrive with all eyes on us but Furaha and her family dance with us for a bit which makes others ease.Antonio gets in touch with his latin heritage,going with the rythym. I have never seen him so relaxed,he's dancing with others and me also. The drums begin to beat faster so I find Tony, we move in-sync with the beat of the drum.He pulls me close, then pushes me out into twirls. He picks me up as we fall into a ball of laughter,he whispers into my ear wanna bring the tango to Africa. Before I know it we waltzing and gathering so much attention that the drummers start drumming to our steps.We whisked around the floor while my African wrapped dress begins to come undone. Im proud of you Tony can feel it so he clasps my waist to keep it intact and I smile.We danced even when there was just one drummer man left and no crowd. Eventually we thank the drummer and proceed to walk back. Banter gets thrown back and forth while we occasionally bump into each other by "accident".Antonio holds out his hand in fron to stop me from walking.We both hear a rustling in the woods, without question I go to inspect. Tony whispers for me to stop.I stop ahead behind a tree to find just beyond the tree line is a man. Dressed in what then would be associated with the fancy or esteemed. It seems he is relieving himself against a tree. Tony creeps up next to me that's when he notices something.He points at the particular emblem and he tells me that this is one of King John IV of Portugals soldiers.

Tony says we should go back and warn the others. We go and warn the whole family about the portugese.They in turn alert the chieftan who alerts everybody to leave. We go help people pack when we hear the gunshots, bam,bam. They here, we pack faster. Furaha gets the kids but Bulwayo is nowhere to be found. We are forced to run with the others as the gunshots got too close to the house. The whole night we ran,then morning came and the frantic search for loved ones began. The toilet mother over a child not in her arms, to the wails of a young girl searching for her baby brother. Amidst all this I see Furaha,holding onto her children like they are balloons that might fly away. We go up to her to hear if she knows what happened to Bulwayo. Furaha said she found out he was shot trying to helping two kids escape and that they lived. Baffled by her lack of tears,her lack of pure heart wrenching sorry I ask is she not sad he is gone. Without a flinch she reaches for my hand puts it on her heart and she takes her hand and places it upon my heavy heart. Her eyes reflect back a pain I know too well. Not Gone.Thats all she said but I understood.My heavy heart felt all the bit lighter. I embraced her and her beautiful sons. Held them tight before I let them go forever.

Let's go home Tony, don't be mad but I knew where the book was the whole time. It's just behind the tree where we landed,are you mad? I squint my eyes bracing for what hes going to say as we are walking back.Nothing.No response just silence,which makes it actually worst. We get the book and just page through it like I did before and we are back in the tunnel.Before I could say something Tony crawls out the tunnel and I'm now the one following him.

He's walking rather fast, I have to do a couple of jumps to catch up with him. He stops in front of my room,opens it because it's usually unlocked,steps in hands me a laptop and tells me to write.Write about this civilisation,these people and their wonderful culture. I began and I did not stop only for toilet breaks,food breaks,walk breaks and a couple of naps but mainly just writing. See we were gone for 4 days but somehow now it has been 28 days in the 21st century so now there is only 2 days till hand-in.

After some tears,a transportation into the past, nearly becoming a slave to the portugese I have finished the essay. I give it in and the next day I get my mark back from Mr Almeida. He calls me up to him after class and says that the essay was by far one of the best he has ever read. But I only can give me a C minus because of the fiction. I got a warning to not make history fiction and that made me laugh since history now is fiction written by the well-fed,trigger happy,in this case portugese, but at least I passed. I walked out of classroom back to my room. Standing their with a book titled time travel for beginners, was Antonio. He asked me how it went,he chuckled rather loudly when I told him after everything I only got C minus.

In a more serious tone I told him I'm finally gonna go home this year, and face the 5 stages of grief,lovely.I need to unknit this tight scarf of pain around my neck and breathe.

I'm proud of you Mo oh and I was not mad at you when we left, I just really wanted to finally do thi... Yes we kissed, my feet grew wings I swear, I can't believe he actually took the risk.Not really a risk because i would have kissed him one second later anyways. And If you want details you are in the wrong place little naughty.I am a 17th century lady now,sauce is scandal,oh me oh my,just kidding. (Note history degrees dont give you comedic timing skills.)

I'm sure my dad would have liked him... after a couple of years...maybe.

Anyways,I love you dad,thank time it brought me back to you.