Travel now not tomorrow

We can all be grateful to the friends we've made in our lives. I often think back to those I have learned from and laughed with, and it makes me smile.  One friend who stands out in my mind is Matrine Chuulu. She was a law student in Lusaka, sharing an apartment with a mutual friend. I lived 400 miles away in Northern Province but, when I would come south to Lusaka, Matrine and I would meet and talk about our lives. Although she was a law student, she wasn't from a rich family. Her mother sacrificed, wanted her daughter to be independent and professional. Zambia was a fledgling democracy, we were all optimistic about the future, and Matrine gave me insight into contemporary Africa. I'm not sure what I gave her, but we talked, shared our ideas of life and the future.  When I left Zambia we wrote to each other but, as children came along, our letter-writing fell to the way side. Until about 25 years later and I decided to visit the country that had so changed me. I looked up ...