However, Simon was going to swallow his pride and found accepts some help from Susan. The problem about Simon was that he doesn’t like to run on women for help because he believed that help from women is just an act of surrendering to them. Well... I know as men we are difficult to understand but Simon was even making so harder for Susan to understand him. Simon’s son Aron as the only person who can talk with his father with a good understanding was nowhere to be found as he was busy preparing the exams and also writing exams I believed Susan never gave up on Simon because she wanted all the best for him anyway after he lost his livestock to the Dutch man nothing was the same to him and the recurring reactions of anger towards everyone who tries to get inside of him I mean like his thoughts and etc. as much as Susan was willing to help Simon but he didn’t want to be helped I guess sometimes pride will kill us anyway Aron overheard them talking the other day as Simon was arguing with her telling her something like he don’t need her help and Aron knew very well that His father needed that help because there was nobody who will be helping him so later on that day he tried to talk with his father and finally Aron managed to soften up his father to change his decision. And luckily after Simon agreed to be helped by Susan, his son suggested that he call Susan and tell her that he agrees. As for Susan with her pure heart went back the old Dutchman to take what fully belongs to them and you would tell by the look on Simon’s face that he was so happy for the first time to be helped by someone who actually live the way she wants. Along the way to the old Dutch man they were talking and teasing each other like 10 year olds finding their first love I guess you know what they say ‘First love is truth love’ some people believe that so do Simon and Susan. Well... what really made Simon wasn’t just Susan has proven herself to be a good woman but... he was going to get his livestock back and that was going to regain his dignity to the village as the respect he deserves. And as African we have this beautiful bond with livestock and nature I guess. When they arrive to the old Dutch man you could see the confidence in Simon and all that pride in himself of feeling a powerful man and I am starting find out sometimes Simon was representing how it means to be a man you know all the walking tall when you finally got your hands in what fully belongs in you. Even the old Dutch man was surprised about his mood you know... sometimes when you are finally free I guess you get to express some energy usually get used to. Since they were bringing transport for the transportation of livestock back home so the old Dutch man merciful volunteer to do the honours and they were so grateful to Mr Van Roebuck. Two days later the livestock was back home and Simon’s fear faded just as he smiled approaching the Dutch man’s big truck and you would the sound of the livestock behind and it was the goats whose they belong to Simon. Aron jumped from his room to check outside and he screaming “Yes, you did. Yes, you did” hugging father then he went to help offloading even his father was surprised about the reaction of his son I guess he had his ways of showing his happiness. Susan was standing outside the front door smiling looking at her lover and stepson having the tie of their lives and you could tell that she was holding tears of joy from her eyes, just a blink of eye and she make it rain. Well... she is a lady every man wants to marry but she chose the Simon whom her heart belongs to. Well... the maize field is place of taboo and nobody wants to be around that place because it brings trouble and it is the trouble that will terrorism around you. Simon learnt his lessons and he vowed that he will never allow such thing to happen again in his life I guess he realised that he made mistakes and as long as you do something about them and he believed that if you just say “Yes” some people will help you without even asking thing for return. However, then love which was taken away from Simon was brought back again by the love of his life Susan. You know from started hating the maize field and he vowed that he will never in his life let his livestock go alone to the veld and besides he chose to put first his interest before anything he has went through in his life. He really believed in that way nothing was going to come between him and his livestock. Well... the maize field ended up building with good fence so that no animal will be there because many villagers were losing and the miserable thing about all of that is people were tired of living in fear and they finally stood on the old Dutch man so he would take his maize field in consideration you know. Anyways the maize field wasn’t just a taboo to many villagers because to others it was the pride they were wishing of, the reason is some people were not sleeping with empty stomach because of that maize field and food was enough in the village because of that maize field even the livestock during harvesting season were grazing there so it will get enough food in dry seasons but... you know animal will do it all over the year as long as there is enough food security. Well... any wrong time and right place put a good solution to the table. But, I am glad that we can learn from what happened as Simon did when he was.

© Makaziwe Gotyana