Oh, let me tell you about my brother jaiksana’s musical obsession! He’s head over heels for Roxette’s ‘It Must Have Been Love!’ I swear, he plays that song on repeat so much that even the neighbors can hum along by now. And guess what? His crazy obsession somehow infected me too. But you know how those catchy tunes have a way of triggering memories? Well, it took me back to the old good days in 2014, when I was on a driving school mission in Yambio Western Equatoria State.

There, in that faraway land, where time seemed to slow down, I found myself at a local church, and there i met a girl —our protagonist—the “beniya asfar” (the yellow girl) as the locals affectionately called her because of her light skin. Yambio was a place with its own charms, and this girl was undoubtedly one of them.
Let me tell you, she was a real head-turner. Now, I wasn’t exactly the heartthrob type, more like a lousy guy with a Bible in one hand and an awkward grin on my face but somehow, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to her. Call it divine intervention or a divine crush, who knows?

And wouldn’t you know it, fate decided to play its part! The pastor, probably sensing the chemistry (or just being nice), asked me to give her a ride home one day. Talk about a chance to bring us closer! I was thrilled and thought, “Alright, this is my moment!” Little did I know that destiny had other plans. She vanished for a few days, supposedly to the village, leaving me hanging in suspense like a character in a soap opera.

But fret not, dear reader! She returned, and we got to spend some quality time together during a bible outreach mission to Yambio Hospital. Man, it was like a script out of a romantic comedy—preaching and praying with her was just heavenly.

In my “not-so-subtle” attempt to win her over, I bombarded her with love messages and spiritual quotes on SMS and Facebook Messenger or chat. I was basically the living, breathing embodiment of a love-struck church boy trying to merge his passions for love and religion. But hey, the heart wants what it wants, right?

Now, the stars aligned in a peculiar way. My office was conveniently located on Masiya, Nzara Road, next to St. Mary’s Catholic Church and close to the Catholic Diocese of Tumbura-Yambio. Behind our building is her house. Can you believe my luck? I could peek out the eastern door side and catch a glimpse of her from time to time on some road on the left. Talk about having a front-row seat to unrequited affection! Front-row seats, folks, front-row seats!

Encouraged by my ever-supportive friends, I decided to take the bold step of visiting her home. They chanted the mantra “there’s no fear in love,” which I guess made sense in the moment. I met her and her sisters, who were probably wondering, “Who’s this guy with all the courage to step here in or who this crazy guy? I don’t know what was on their mind!” Nonetheless, we got some alone time, and it was one of the best days for me.

Then, she dropped the bombshell: she was leaving for studies abroad. Cue my heart sinking like the Titanic. But I wasn’t about to let her go without a parting gift, so I got her a fancy pen—fifty South Sudanese pounds! can you believe it? For a pen! But love knows no price tag, right?

The day she was leaving, I waited anxiously for her call to pick her up. But alas, time slipped by, and when she finally called, it was already too late. I tried chasing after her car, but it was like a scene from a romantic action movie, minus the Hollywood ending. Let’s just say my neighbors were perplexed, thinking I was either trying to save a life or auditioning for a new Fast and Furious movie.

We tried to keep some connections through Uncle Mark Zuckerberg’s platform (aka Facebook), but the distance and time apart slowly eroded our connection. She never said she loved me, which was tough to hear, but hey, it was all just a fantasy relationship anyway. Perhaps it must have been love… or was it just a momentary infatuation? Who knows, right?

So, there you have it, the tale of the ‘Yellow girl’ and my rollercoaster journey of emotions in Yambio. If, by some cosmic miracle, she’s reading this, feel free to drop a comment! But for now, I’ll just cherish these memories, like a treasure from a bygone era. Yambio, you were a fantastic place to live, and you gave me one heck of a love story, or whatever you want to call it!

Keep rocking to ‘It Must Have Been Love,’ folks, and remember, life is full of surprises, both sweet and bittersweet. Until next time!