From Strangers to Family

by Mary-Ymaculate Omondi (Kenya)

I didn't expect to find France

I stared into the inky, almost black sea water before me for a long time. A shiver ran through me despite the heat. “J’ai peur,” I said. I’m afraid. Julien turned to me, concerned. I could tell he was about to step into the role of Protector, as he so often did, so before I could change my mind and give him a chance to tell me something comforting, I jumped feet first into my biggest fear. Julien was my teacher, who taught me much more than just the French language. His dark hair fell to his shoulders and he ran his hand through it or scratched his salt and pepper shadow of a beard when he was frustrated. He was a character who loved to regale us with fantastic stories and take any opportunity to drop names as big as Monégasque royalty to impress. He smoked often, the smell of cigarettes always hanging in the air when he left a room. I always found that smell off-putting until I met Julien. The cold water shocked my entire system, and I sank deeper than I expected. Immediately, I began to panic. My heart was beating hard and fast. A hundred and one thoughts about all the dangerous fish swimming below me ready to attack, and the propellers on the yacht already pulling me toward them to cut me into pieces flooded my mind and I began to panic. Among the cacophony, Kat’s soothing voice broke through in her signature drawl. “Relax, girl. All you need to do is relax.” I met Kat, like all my friends on the yacht The Office, three weeks prior, in class at L’Institut de Français. Her chestnut hair fell in endless waves down to her hips. Her smile was cute and infectious, with her freckle-covered nose crinkling slightly, revealing her deep dimples. Despite what anyone might assume from looking at her, she is the toughest person I have ever met. The absolute embodiment of strength, she had been a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Marines for five years by the time I met her. She was always so full of wisdom. Anything I asked her about, she had advice for. Even my fears about swimming in the ocean. I focused on Kat’s voice in my head. Just calm down, I thought. I swam to the surface and took in a huge gulp of air, to find the others splashing each other, laughing loudly. Time moved slower underwater – what I could have sworn was several terrifying, dizzying minutes, were just a couple of seconds. I was about to join in the conversation with Kat and Petra, when Yuki splashed in next to me, startling me into a fit of giggles. Yuki, our resident photographer, was a ray of sunshine. His infectious smile could cure all. Yuki could have been another cog in the wheel as an employee of a huge Japanese multinational corporation. He awakened my curiosity about life, and the art of dabbling to find one’s passion. Meeting him set me on the track to moving to Japan for half a year four years later – which turned out to be the best decision of my life. I quickly got comfortable in the water, forgetting my fit just a minute earlier. My blue and white bikini bobbed in and out of view as I swam around with my friends. Rainer called us in eventually. “The sun is nearly setting; we should get back to the shore soon.” The Office was Rainer’s most prized possession. As a wealthy businessman who split his year between Monaco and Dubai, he loved to sail her every chance he got. The oldest man in the class, Rainer fell into the fatherly role; offering Hiro a flurry of advice when his first son was born and inviting everyone onto his yacht to all be together, one last time. Back on the deck, both wine and conversation were flowing, the sun setting behind us. We chatted and laughed about everything, yet nothing at all. We took photos to immortalize precious moments we would otherwise forget. We were all elated to spend this time together, completely disregarding the dread of soon saying goodbye forever.