A Long Way Home

I have everything, but I feel as if I have nothing. To find new meaning to my existence I choose to get involved in charity work – not because I care, but because I want an escape and the farther away the better. This venture lands me in a remote village in Africa, and there I meet Zuma. She operates a small school where she teaches the children English. Unlike me, she has nothing, but she smiles as if she has everything. Her heart is made of gold and she is one with her village and the people around her. I have a burning desire to give Zuma an opportunity to enjoy all that I have taken for granted and to show her that there is so much more beyond the forest. There is a whole new world waiting to take her brilliant mind to places beyond her wildest imagination, but getting her there seems almost impossible. Zuma captures my heart, and the way she blushes when I smile at her tells me that she knows it. As the date of my departure nears, I can hardly breathe because I cannot stay with her and I cannot take her back with me. All I know is that she is the only bright spark in my life and I need her. She becomes my mission, and I am not sure how to go about this, but I will not rest until Zuma is by my side, even if she has to take the long way home.