The sunset at dawn

" Oh! Romeo, Romeo, thou rejected part of me

Here I kneeleth beside thee

Thy bleeding piece of earth

How I wish I could curseth thy death

And bring back thy precious soul

Thy blood that feedeth the thirsty soil 

Can't we travel past this time

And go back to the day we met

To plan our escape to the ends of the world

For the elements of life have conspired against our word 

How did life taketh so long to bring us together?

We would have had a lot of memories to gather".

" Romeo, can't you please give me just one last word, just one word to tell me what do I do next", those were the words Julius said as he was kneeling beside the lifeless body of Romeo. 

He and Romeo met before they graduated at high school. They became inseparable as close friends. Everyone knew that where there was Romeo, there was Julius too. Back then, the only thing they knew was friendship. They carried on freely without being judged. Who would judge the two young boys who seemed to be fond of each other. Yes, the phrase 'Romeo and Julius' became an  everyday thing. No one was anxious about anything. They were best friends just like that.

Then the time came for them to go to varsity. They went to the University of Zululand. Life at university was totally different from the village life. They felt a sense of independence. There were no parents to watch their daily activities. Each of them had to live according to their choices. That is exactly what happens when one leaves home in persuit of greener pastures. If their parents failed to give them life lessons, they would fumble until they find themselves in trouble. The same applies to those who forsake the teaching of their parents and go with the flow of peer pressure. 

At first things went normal as they carried on best friends. They were introduced to the new world. They lived their free lives. No one would tell them to come home early to milk the cows. Not a single soul had dare to tell them not to spend the whole day together. They became closer than before. 

Romeo and Julius grew up in the villages of Mahlabathini and Ntlangwini respectively in KwaZulu Natal. Romeo was from the Khumalo clan while Julius was a descendant of the Dlamini clan. At that time, there was a dispute between the residents of Ntlangwini and Mahlabathini. They  were fighting over chieftaincy that was taken by the Khumalos a while ago during the time of their forefathers. It was a generational battle and there seemed to be no resolution over the matter. It carried on until the time Romeo's father took the seat as the reigning chief. On the other hand, the Dlaminis wanted Julius's father to be their chief. They claimed that he was the heir to the Dlamini chieftaincy. The matter was taken to the high court, where the Khumalos won the favour of the presiding judge whom the Dlaminis claimed to have been bribed by chief Khulubuse of the Khumalo clan who was Romeo's grandfather. It was alleged that Khulubuse had taken a hundred heads of cattle from his farm to give the judge who was presiding the case. The speculations went so far to reveal that the judge owned a farm which some members of the Khumalo clan were managing. So, the judge was deem'd to be biased.

The battles had gone worse to the point that even the visitation rights were restricted. The residents of these respective villages were not allowed to visit each other. Should anyone found crossing the border which was a river between these villages, trouble would begin. Some were injured while others were killed during these battles. Even the young boys and girls would suffer the consequences should they were seen crossing the border. They were not even allowed to be in  intimate relationships with those from the other side of the river. Not even the intermarriages were allowed. If the couple from these villages happened to be head over heels in love with each other, they would elope so they could leave their happily ever after. 

It happened in the case of Romeo and Julius. When they discovered that what they had was more than a friendship, they ended up being involved in a intimate relationship. At first they were not sure about their true feelings until they saw other gay couples went public with their relationships. For them it was difficult to express themselves though the feelings were overwhelming. They came from backgrounds where men were expected to fulfill their duties as men and expand their families. It was a duty of the father to teach a young man how to become a real man. The young men were expected to take responsibilities from their as heads of the families. In order for them to do that there needed to be strong women at their side. Sometimes that woman was recommended by the family members. They would choose someone who came from a stable and respected family. But, owing to the fact that young men and women went to school,  they would choose their loved ones to be their spouses. So, the custom of choosing a bride for a young man became a thing of the past. 

As for Romeo and Julius, things became difficult. Besides the fact that their families were in dispute, being a gay couple was totally frowned upon in their communities. So, it was difficult for them to express their feelings when they in the villages. They would sneak when they wanted to see each other. They knew that the battle would begin should they decided to come out. Although there were rumours that were buzzing around about them being a couple, no one had ever came forward to face them. May be their families were in denial since cases of such nature were rare in the community.