(Fiction)

For chapter 1 click here: Chapter 1

His morning ritual of running was one way Owen was getting to know the parts of the town near his host family’s house in Lilongwe, Malawi.

“You’ll be all right if you stay on the main roads.” His host, Mr. Jelani Aguda, had warned him.

There were thirty volunteers in his batch undergoing the pre-service training for the Peace Corps — mostly men with five women. He hadn’t met everyone or gotten to know them. He had been busy getting used to a foreign country and adjusting to living with his host family. War duty in Vietnam had been stressful. He was placed in many dangerous situations and never had contact with the locals except on R&R visits to bars or restaurants. As a Peace Corps volunteer he hoped it would be different — a chance to meet people and help them.

The Peace Corps administrators had received him and other volunteers who had flown with him from New York. They were taken in a minibus to stay with their host families. Staying with the locals was part of the assimilation with the Malawi culture.

On the fourth day, as he ran, he heard a woman’s voice. He ignored it first, but when he heard it again he turned and looked. An attractive blond woman, with pig tails bouncing, was closing in on him. He slowed down.

“Nice morning for a run don’t you think?” She said.

“Sure is,” he replied.

“I saw you in class. I didn’t know you were a runner.”

Owen had noticed her too and thought she was attractive. But he hadn’t tried to talk to her.

“I’m Owen,”

“I’m Rachel.”

They were quiet for a while. Owen didn’t know what to say. He hated such moments.

Continue reading “What did you say Your Name was? – A novel, Chapter 2” →