I arrived in South Africa on 29 April…alone.

Cobus had intended to arrive a few hours after me, so we could spend some time in Jo'burg and then travel on to George together. Unfortunately, our vacations plans took a back seat to the escalation of the Yemeni Civil War.

I'd left for Yemen and Ethiopia in February, expecting to execute The Plan of the Conspirators in April. It would have been a great idea, as Jolynn and I had last seen each other in November 2014. Here's

The Plan:

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~ Cobus

Happily for me (frustratingly for him), Cobus was not in Yemen when the war escalated. He had left to attend a workshop in Kenya, followed by a training event in Ethiopia. So, while he managed the evacuation of colleagues from Yemen, I traveled on to George.

The ring, collected in in February, had been seen by the self-proclaimed "Sisterhood" and was kept on a double strand of twine around my neck. Careful planning would ensue on every  Skype call, photos or any other potential revealing moment from then on.

~ Cobus

Over the next couple of weeks, the kids would join me on the weekends. While it was wonderful to have them, the house felt more empty each time they left. The uncertainty of when Cobus would arrive, was made even more frustrating by the lack of ability to communicate. He had traveled from Ethiopia to Djibouti, to prepare for an assessment trip into Yemen. To add to the tension, internet in Djibouti was unpredictable.

During my time in Nairobi, Kenya, I was engaged in discussion of taking up a position with the same agency in Central and South West Asia, based in Kabul, Afghanistan. I had decided to accept and apply for the position, coincidentaly on the evening prior to the escalation of conflict in Yemen… guess you can figure the folks on the Yemen team would be upset when light of my potential move come to light. In order to maximize my time with the team, I was hoping to travel back to Yemen and assist in Djibouti where possible. Also, out of spite more than anything else, my end-of-service date was delayed, and as a result, I had no firm date of when I'd travel back home and to Jolynn and the kids.

~ Cobus

During this time, several (hoped-for) trip departure dates came and went. With each date, my heart would soar, sending me lower each time the they evaporated. Finally in mid-May, we got the word that his end-of-service had been approved for 12 May. We were now waiting for his itinerary.

Armed with a firm date, I hit Google looking for potential itinerary options. I quickly found several seats left on flights that would get him on the 13th. Unfortunately, we were dependent on his employers who were booking the flight. The night of the 11th he managed to get a quick call out to me before he turned in his SIM card. It was just long enough to let me know that the itinerary his company sent, got him into George on the 14th. I lost it. Flopped down on the couch and had myself a good, ugly cry!!!

I managed to pull myself together, feeling suitable embarrassed. The morning of the 13th, I got a WhatsApp from him, saying he'd landed and was having a nice burger. We chatted a bit, then I went back to my homework. I was taking an online course and my homework was due Thursday evening each week. I was determined to get my homework in early, so I wouldn't be bothered.

Late that afternoon my studies were interrupted with…Our Game. I was so focused on my homework, that my first reaction was to sweetly decline to play. Afterall…I was busy here! But, he sounded so happy to be on his way home, I couldn't resist!

How it all panned out:

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