The time has come for me to start talking about the sequel to African Hearts. This book started its own journey in when Justin and Kizza came to Surfers Paradise, Australia to study at university. Justin was tapping on my shoulder wanting his story told because his mind was in turmoil and he thought by getting his story out he would be able to find peace and make a few decisions about his future.
When he arrived in Australia, the beauty of Australia captured his photographic eye. He felt a sudden affinity with the sea and often found his own moods reflected in it. The sand between his toes was different to the soils in Uganda. He loved the grainy feel of the sand and the way it moved beneath his feet. He loved the freshness of the surf and the way it tossed him in its waves.
The shifting sands beneath his feet had him thinking about his own fragile life and how, as he was contemplating university whether this was the future he wanted, or was there something else? The Australian culture was so different from Uganda.
But he had Kizza, his soul mate who watched out for him all the time. Kizza was also adjusting in her own way. She seemed not to be so shaken by the differences. That was who Kizza was, able to blend in wherever she was.
He was fascinated by her beautiful, dark-brown skin and the gentle ways she had with people. She had captured him from the moment they had met when he was eight years old, and now as an adult there was more on his mind. Would she accept him as he did her and be with him in the way he wanted?
There was a lot for him to learn about life and how you lived it in a first world country. Aunt Gina had mentioned to him that he would adapt, that Australia was an easy country to live in. There was a restlessness within him though. A tiger wanting to break free from the cage. Did he have the courage to let that tiger free or would he acquiesce to what others wanted for him? More importantly, how would the decisions he made affect his relationship with his beloved Kizza?
African Hearts sequel is a work in progress. This sequel has taken me some time to get started because I had no intention of writing a sequel then, one day in a moment of quiet reflection, Justin tapped on my shoulder and requested I tell his story. For quite some time I argued with him that the time wasn’t right, but now it seems the time is right. African Hearts, the sequel is progressing and I hope to finish it by the end of the year.