We discovered that the young guy at the meeting was called Thabo. We also discovered that his uncle’s big house was just around the corner from where we lived. Well, just around the corner, if you can walk with ease, that is. He already had elbow crutches, and walked with difficulty. I could see it in the tensing of his arm muscles and clenched grip. And he knew very little about what MS was going to take from him. New diagnoses are the hardest.

But hey, this guy was so determined to “keep on going”. We said, “Come around on Saturday, we’re home all day”. So he did.

It was the time of the food shortages. He was very respectful to arrive at 2.30 pm. The fact was that we had not eaten yet. I was about to serve our lunch, when the bell at the gate rang.

He followed me up the drive, and took a seat. I said, “Now, listen, I can see that you walked all the way here. We were about to have lunch. It is chicken wings and gravy with rice. And some spinach from the garden. We would love you to join us in our meal”.

The tall, skinny young man beamed bashfully. “Only if there is enough…” Yeah, I thought. He had not eaten yet today either.

“Today, there is”.

So there we sat, the three of us in our lounge, with trays on our laps. And plates piled with real food. I silently thanked God that on this day, we had enough food for everyone.

We had a lovely conversation after that, with our bellies full. He could tell a good story, that Thabo.

©2019 Allison Wright
[285 words. Total time: 11 minutes ]