On Sunday I visited my former maid, and now friend, Lucy. She lives in town but has a farm just across the river from where my house is and every weekend she stays there and tends to her maize.
I walked a little ways downstream to where a boat is kept to cross the river. Lucy took me across and we walked about a kilometer to where her farm is. It’s so gorgeous. There are no cars and thus only narrow paths made by ambling cattle and goats. No wandering donkeys, no power lines, no water taps. It’s like stepping back in time when Botswana was made up of only cattle posts and wandering bushmen. Alas there are no elephants or lions either. Only hyaena.
Lucy has two hectares where she plants watermelon, beans, and maize. We walked around the perimeter, avoiding snakes in the tall grass, and she told me how she does all of this herself. Her children refuse to help. Sometimes she sleeps on a mat under the tall leadwood tree on her plot alone under the stars. Other times she goes to nearby cattle post where she keeps a tent.
She is a wonderful lady and a joyful friend.
