20/21
TELL ME LIES
-Chapter twenty-
Unedited
The food at Rissa’s was delicious, after eating her father excused himself and went to sleep while Rissa, her mum and I talked for hours. I really like Rissa’s mum, she is amazing and quite welcoming. She treated me with so much love and respect.
When the evening is finally over, I drive home and upon arrival, I am surprised to find mama standing on the porch waiting for me. Locking my car, I walk towards her, wondering what she is doing here at this time of the night.
‘’Mama! What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to slee-ping?’’
‘’Where are you coming from?’’
‘’I thought I told you I went for dinner at Rissa’s place.’’
‘’And I thought I told you not to go to that house but you defiled my orders.’’
‘’Mama, what’s going on with you? Is there something you are not telling me?’’
‘’Did you meet that girls parents?’’
‘’I did, her mother was actually amazing, she didn’t act up like you did.’’
‘’I didn’t act up, I have my reasons for behaving like I did.’’
‘’What reasons are those? Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on?’’
‘’What about her father? Was he there too?’’ she asks, ignoring my question.
‘’Yes he was, wait why are you interested in her parents? What is going on with you?’’
‘’Iris, if you love and respect me plea-se make this the last time visit that girl’s home and cut off all communication with her, plea-se my child I am begging you.’’
‘’Can we go in the house and talk about this? It’s getting cold out here.’’
‘’plea-se my child, do as I have said.’’
‘’I hear you mama,’’ I responded, trying to cut this whole conversation short.
‘’You will st©p being friends with her right?’’
‘’Yes Mama, I will do whatever plea-ses your heart.’’
‘’Thank you so much baby, I know you may not un-derstand why I am doing this but one day you will definitely appreciate me for asking you to do this- everything I do is for you.’’
‘’Okay!’’
She pu-lls me into her arms, hvgging me ti-ghtly, ‘’I love you so much child.’’
‘’I love you too mama.’’
‘’I have to drive back home now, take care of yourself,’’ she says, pu-lling back from me.
‘’Drive safely, text me when you get home.’’
‘’Sure.’’
She walks towards her car and I wait for her to get in and drive out before entering the house. There’s something strange about my mother, something I can’t put my f!nger on. I will definitely do a little snooping so I can get to the bo-ttomof this drama.
*
Wednesday, while in the kitchen preparing lunch I hear a knock on the front door. Placing the kitchen utensils down, I walk to happily make my way into the living room with the thought of my friend (Matilda) standing on the other side of the door. When I open the door, I stand transfixed and totally dumbfounded by the person standing at my doorstep.
‘’Trish! Trish Chiluba Kunda!’’ He says.
I take a de-ep breath, I coldly scan him from head to toe- he looks different from the last time I set my eyes on him- he has aged 28 years. I have tried to avoid this moment for the last couple of years but after meeting Iris, I knew this day would come sooner than I expected.
‘’Christ©pher Hadebe! What are you doing here?’’
‘’I went to look for you at the restaurant and I was told you aren’t working today. They didn’t want to give me your address but…,’’
‘’What do you want Christ©pher?’’
‘’How long have you been? 28 years? And this is how you welcome me?’’
‘’What the fv¢k do you want?’’ I say with a raised voice, I am slowly losing my patience.
‘’Can I at least come in so we can talk?’’
‘’You and I have nothing to talk about Christ©pher, leave!’’
‘’I met Iris last night.’’
‘’What business do you have with my child?’’
He smiles, ‘’Why didn’t you tell me?’’
‘’My food!’’ I exclaim when I smell something burning, without responding to him I rush into the kitchen and turn the stove off.
‘’Nice place you have here,’’ he says joining me in the kitchen.
‘’What exactly do you want from me?’’
‘’Why didn’t you tell me about Rissa?’’
I laugh, ‘’what was there for me to tell you?’’
‘’You should have told me you were pregnant?’’
‘’What would you have done? Would you have left her for me?’’
He keeps quiet and I laugh even louder, my heart aching.
‘’You see, I did the best that I could for my child and I swear I have no regrets whatsoever.’’
‘’You kept her away from me.’’
‘’Iris is mine alone. You made a choice to end what we had and not me, don’t come here and pl@ythe victim, if there should be anyone who should be upset it’s me. You used me and discarded me off like used toilet paper and showed no mercy..’’
‘’But you knew what you signed yourself up for when you accepted to me with me, I was truthful with you from the start, I don’t know why you made it look like I lied to you.’’
‘’Christ©pher plea-se leave or else I will not be held responsible for what I will do next.’’
‘’What did you tell her about me? What picture did you paint in her mind?’’
‘’Iris’ father is dead and it will remain like that. You are dead to both me and my daughter Christ©pher plea-se leave us alone.’’
‘’You will have to find a way to resurrect me because I am not going anywhere, I want my child to know about me, I want to be a p@rt of her life, I want to—-
‘’You have no right to come here and start ma-king demands Christ©pher! I raised Iris on my own, she belongs to me, she is the only thing I have in this life. plea-se leave us alone, she doesn’t even nee-d to know about you. You have a wife and child that adore you, that should be enough for you.’’
‘’Are you going to tell Iris the truth or should I be the one to tell her?’’
‘’Tell me what?’’ Iris asks, walking into the kitchen.
Christ©pher and I instantly turn and stare at her quietly. I hope he doesn’t say anything, this is not how I wanted my daughter to find out about this.
– ~TELL ME LIES-~ 🍸🥂🥂🍷🍷
Chapter 21
29 years earlier,
‘’You alright?’’ I asked my wife that p@rticular morning. She and I were in the bathroom and she was holding yet again, a pregnancy test kit in her hand. My wife and I had been married for three years but there was nothing to show for it.
We had been trying to have a baby for two years but to no avail and had been disappointed each month when it didn’t happen. The doctors had examined us and told us we were both healthy and fit but we were concerned as to why it wasn’t happening.
‘’I am okay.’’
‘’You are re-ady?’’
She shook her head,’’ Yes,’’ but I could see the fear in her eyes and hear it in her voice.
‘’I hope this is it,’’ I said, hoping we would get a positive result this time around.
Her periods were late and she had been sickly for the last couple of days.
Ripping open the first pregnancy test kit, she opened the second one and did one test after the other. Then c@m£ the waiting, which felt like the five longest minutes of my life. When the wait was over, she held the stick and looked at it before coll@psing on the cold tile floor and clutching the test stick in her hand. I didn’t have to ask her what the results re-ad, from her reaction, I could tell it was the usual negative, disappointed, I marched out of the bathroom slamming the door behind my back.
‘’Babe! I am sorry,’’ she said emerging from the bathroom, she had tears running down her face.
‘’When Tamara! When?’’ I asked.
‘’’The doctor said we should be patient, it will happen anytime.’’
‘’All my friends have children expect for us, I am tired of waiting.’’
She moved closer and tried to t©uçh me but I moved away, I loved my wife dearly but this issue was beginning to take a toll on me, my family and friends were on my back over the lack of us having a child.
‘’I am sorry babe, i–,’’
‘’It’s okay just I know it’s not your fault, just give me some time to think things throu-gh.’’
And with that, I gr@bb£d my car keys and phone then I marched out of the room and exited the house. Getting into my car, I instantly drove out of the compound and headed straight to one of the clubs within town. I was angry and disappointed, I nee-ded something to keep my mind off what was happening at home.
After spending that one night out drinking and getting wasted, I made it a routine to hit the club each time my wife and I were having issues. It was during one of these nights that I met Trish and we instantly cli-cked and hit it off.
When I started seeing Trish, she knew I was married and we were just pla-ying, I still loved I told her how much I loved my wife and didn’t want her finding out about what was happening between us- It was just S-x and she agreed but boy was I wrong;. Trish fell in love with me and almost a year later she started getting clingy. She actually wanted me to leave my wife for her- when she asked me to choose between her and Tamara, I chose Tamara and decided to work on things between us.
Trish was better, she told me to leave her alone, she moved out of her house and changed her phone numbers. That was the last I heard of her. My wife and I managed to sort out things between us and we continued to patiently wait for a child, eventually she fell pregnant and gave birth to Rissa.
*
‘’What are you two supposed to tell me? And Mr. Hadebe what are you doing here? How do you know my mother?’’ iris asks intently, staring at me.
‘’It’s nothing child, Mr. Hadebe was just leaving.’’
‘’What is going on here Mama? You have been acting strange ever since I introduced Rissa to you and now I walk into the house and find you with her father? What are two hiding from me?’’
‘’It’s nothing,’’ Mum quic-kly says.
‘’I think you should tell her,’’ says Mr. Hadebe.
‘’Tell me what?’’
‘’Christ©pher I think you should leave, plea-se.’’
‘’I am not leaving this house until you tell her the truth, you have kept it from her for 28 years, we are not doing this anymore. Iris nee-ds to know the truth.’’
‘’You have a wife and a child Christ©pher, your life is alre-ady amazing as it is, what will Tamara say when she finds out you cheated on her? This could end your marriage.’’
‘’Leave Tamara and Rissa to me, I know they will be hurt but they will eventually un-derstand.’’
‘’You two are not ma-king s-en-se at all, can you fv¢king tell me what is going on,’’ iris says, louder this time around.
I open my mouth but instantly close it, my hands are shaking uncontrollably and my heart is racing. This is not how I had planned things, I don’t want my daughter to find out about her father like this, she will hate me.
‘’Christ©pher!’’ I plead but he doesn’t respond instead he shoots me a serious look that says ‘’if you don’t tell her I will.’’
‘’Baby!’’ I begin, holding Iris’ hand.
‘’Mama, talk to me.’’’
‘’Your father—,’’
‘’What about my father?’’
‘’I am your father!’’ Christ©pher says.
‘’What?’’ my daughter glances at me critically. ‘’he is joking right?’’
Silence
‘’Mama! What is this man talking about? My father is dead right? I am a Chiluba! Tell him he is mistaken, Rissa and I are just coincidentally look-alikes, he is not my father.’’
‘’More silence
‘’Mama!’’ she shakes me vigorously, ‘’say something plea-se.’’
‘’I am sorry child, I am so sorry,’’ I say, sinking to the ground as the tears begin to stream down my face.
‘’What are you sorry for? What are you talking about?’’
‘’You are a Hadebe? And not a Chiluba, I lied to you.’’
‘’My whole life has been a lie?’’
‘’I am sorry!’’
‘’You are sorry?’’ she laughs. ‘’You are sorry mama? You fv¢king lied to me my whole life!’’
‘’Child,’’ Mr. Hadebe tries to t©uçh me.
‘’I am not your child.’’
‘’You nee-d to listen to your mother and I.’’
‘’Does Rissa know about this? Your wife?’’
‘’They don’t, it’s complicated.’’
‘’This is bull$h!t and I will not stand here and listen to you.’’
With that, she turns and walks out of the room slamming the door ha-rd behind her back.
‘’See what you have done?’’
‘’It was bound to happen one way or another.’’
‘’Leave my house,’’ I gesture toward the door.
‘’Trish!’’
‘’Leave plea-se.’’
‘’I am leaving but I will be back.’’
‘’I will mess you up for messing my life.’’
I shake my head before walking towards the door. Now that this is done, I nee-d to talk to my wife and Rissa, I know this will hurt them, my wife especially but this has to be done.
*
Tbc