17/18
When a man loves
Episode 17
We are all sitting in the room and I am so confused by what Madam Pamela has said. I remember the day, let me take you back
I was very late for work that day. I had changed my duties and told my supervisor that I can only come and clean at night since during the day, I will be at school. I was in a rush and it was at around 7pm when I pas-sed by the security guard. When you pas-sing by the security, you have to show him your ID and sign in. I did everything and that’s when he called me back.
‘Did I miss something else?’
‘Not at all. It’s just that I am giving away some drinks. Well to be honest, my cousin brother had given me these things to sell them but we are like family in this company. Why don’t you try 1? They are homemade maybe next time you can buy.’
‘Can I also have one?’ I didn’t see the boss as he was standing behind me.
‘Of cause boss.’
‘You first,’ he said to me and I gr@bb£d the drink.
He also took one and we walked to the building. I had had about his divorce and I wondered what he was doing at the office at that time of the hour. Maybe he couldn’t sleep and wanted to over work, I don’t know and it was none of my business. I wasn’t supposed to ask anything or I will end up getting fired. It was ha-rd to find a job and I took this cleaning one because I was desperate and I nee-ded the money.
‘What are you doing here at this time of the hour?’ he had asked me in the elevator.
This was my first time engaging into a conversation with him. We have never been that close before, I mean me and him right now in the elevator.
‘I c@m£ to clean the place.’
‘Why not do it in the morning?’
‘I will be at school and it’s so much easier to do it now when everyone has gone home.’
He just smiled.
‘I will see you around,’ he said once we were out and headed to his office.
I walked to where they kept the cleaning materials and changed in my work suit. Plugging my earphones in, I started cleaning the offices. I was halfway done when I felt so thirsty. Remembering the drink that the guard had given me, I sat in one of the chairs and gulped it all in one go. It tasted really nice and I wished I had taken 2 of the bottles. I continued with my work but minutes later, I didn’t feel okay. I was almost at my boss’s office and so I re-moved my work suit. I was just feeling h0t you know. I went to the kitchen and got startled when I found the boss drinking some water.
‘I will come back later,’ I said walking back but he gr@bb£d my hand.
That really shocked me but what he did next s£nt shivers down my spine. He k!$$£d me and I k!$$£d him back. I don’t remember the rest.
‘I have to go. I nee-d some air,’ I said getting up and stormed out of the room.
Claire was busy calling out my name. This is what Madam Pamela had said. She was worried about the boss and decided to call Liam to check up on him. I think Liam called the boss just before he had taken the drink. Liam was the one who found us in a compromising position and I had bled. It does make s-en-se because I was a vir-gin. I was a bloody vir-gin. She went on to say that, they took me to the hospital and found out that I had been drugged so was the boss. Since the other bottle was in the boss’s office, the guard was arrested and he didn’t know that his cousin brother had put something in those drinks. The cousin brother alre-ady was un-der investigation for selling drugs sh!pped from Mexico, it seems he was working for someone based in SA. Now I am here pregnant with his child which doesn’t make any s-en-se at all. From what I heard, he wasn’t able to give his wife any children.
‘Are you okay?’ asked Claire.
‘I am scared,’ I cried hvgging her.
What if he wasn’t going to accept this child? I mean I was still at school and being a mother at 21, that was never my dream. Now my vir-ginity was gone. What was going to happen to me? This was very much complicated. He was my boss and I was just a cleaner, I was scared.
VUSI
I am sitting there thinking of so many things. I actually remember the day I met the girl at my workplace. I remember her in the elevator and the rest I don’t even remember anything. I mean I broke her vir-ginity. What did I do?
‘I am no different from a monster,’ I said breaking the silence in the room.
‘Don’t say that,’ said mum.
‘Then should I be happy that I broke her vir-ginity.’
‘I knew this was going to emotionally hurt you. You are not the type of a guy who would do such a thing,’ said Pamela.
‘I don’t get it. How come she is pregnant? We all kno…,’ I st©pped at mid-s£ntence.
She is pregnant! She is carrying my child and I should be happy about that but what doesn’t make any s-en-se to me is how come she is pregnant. Does that mean I am able to give children?
‘I am so confused right now.’
‘I wanted to tell you that day that my doctor found nothing on you. He said you were 100% healthy,’ said Pamela and I raised my brow, ‘I wanted to tell you, well at least I tried the very day you told me that Marisa was pregnant with another man’s child. I tried telling you but you cut me off.’
‘So your grandmother was right,’ said my father.
‘About what?’
He looked at my mother.
‘About what mum?’
‘She said that you were bewitched,’ said mum,’ and your dad didn’t believe her. He thought its old age and some old traditional belief.’
‘But if you look at it, it makes s-en-se. We all know that Marisa’s mother never loved you. She must have done something to you, something that prevented you from getting her daughter pregnant,’ Liam said, ‘didn’t she give you something to drink or eat?’
All the memories suddenly started coming back. I remember the day Marisa gave me some medicine to drink and strictly told me that her mother had asked me to drink the whole bottle. At that time, I wasn’t feeling well with a tummy ache. Well I thought she was being a carrying mother-in law that was few days after our honeymoon. I remember drinking it and maybe that’s how she poisoned me.
‘I should have known,’ I said to them when I had finished narrating the story for them.
‘I am happy you are no longer p@rt of that crazy family,’ said Pamela.
Forgetting the Auntie in the room, I looked at you.
‘I am sorry,’ I apologized, ‘this has come as a shock to me but I will not abandon my child or that girl. I know we are not in love but whatever she decides, I am happy to accept her decision.’
She smiled.
‘I was scared, ‘she honesty said, ‘given the circu-mtances of how this happened, I was afraid that you were going to refuse. I mean you were both drun!k, it was a mistake.’
‘No, Auntie. Getting her pregnant, it wasn’t a mistake.’
Mum pinched me.
‘Ouch mum.’
‘Can you all excuse us?’ dad said.
Liam, Pamela and I walked out of the room to outside. I almost bu-mped into her.
‘Can I talk to you in privacy plea-se?’ I asked her, ‘tell Auntie that I will drop her off at home.’
‘Okay,’ responded the other girl.
I walked with her to my car. I can’t believe she is the same girl Pamela sl@pped few months ago. Its quiet interesting right. Now she is here with me in my car. I drove to a very quiet place. I parked my car and re-moved her seatbelt.
‘Come with me,’ I said to her and she got out of the car.
We started taking a walk while feeling the fresh air.
‘The weather is nice right?’
‘Yes,’ she quietly said.
She must be in shock right now, I am too. I mean shouldn’t I be? But at the same time, I am happy. At 30, I can finally have my own kid.
‘How old are you?’
’21.’
What the hell! She is 9 years younger than me but she is very beautiful.
‘You must be in shock.’
‘If you want me to ab-ort the baby, I will do it,’ the words quic-kly rushed out of her mouth, ‘I know this will be bad for your company.’
‘Wait, where are you getting all that?’
‘I mean in movies…’
I laughed before she could finish off her s£ntence.
‘This is not a movie hmm…’
‘Chiedza.’
‘It means light. Can I call you Chichi?’
‘Everyone calls me that.’
‘Right what I was saying, this is not a movie but a reality. I know you are still at school and this baby, you are not re-ady. But I promise to be here for you until you give birth. I don’t have to marry you but we can co-parent. I can also pay for your fees. I just want to make sure that you have a bright future and you don’t have to worry about anything. I will be here for you.’
She just looked at me and I smiled.
‘I know you are probably thinking. Is he on drugs again?’
‘No,’ she laughed, ‘why is it so easy for you?’
‘Well Chichi, I am a divorcee. You probably heard my story, my wife leaving me for another man. I am too old to be pla-ying games. At 30 I wasn’t expecting this but I am happy. I am happy that I am going to be a father and so why not support you when you have managed to give me what I have always wanted? I will be crazy if I have to walk away from this. I will be insane if I have to tell you to ab-ort. I will be mad if I say I don’t want this child and I will derange if I abandon you, ’I held her hand, ‘I am here for you and don’t stress that much. It won’t be good for the baby.’
‘Okay.’
‘Forget that I am your boss. You should st©p working. I don’t want you to over work. I will be ma-king a few changes in your life.’
‘Alre-ady.’
‘It’s for the baby.’
‘No controlling me.’
‘Never, I am just giving you a driver and open a bank account for you that is all.’
‘Thank you for not ma-king things ha-rd for me.’
‘Thank you for getting pregnant. We should probably thank the guard for drugging us. Maybe this was God’s doing. I know it was your first time and you don’t remember anything. Do you think they are twins?’
‘What?’ she laughed.
‘My Chiedza (my light). You have just made me the happiest man on earth.’
Episode 18
I woke up early with the sound of my phone ringing. Ohh how I wanted to shout at the person calling me.
‘Hello,’ I responded in a yawn.
‘Chichi, hie.’
‘Hie, sorry who is this?’ I ask.
The person on the phone seems so excited, I wonder who it was.
‘Ohh I am hurt. You still don’t recognize the voice of your baby daddy.’
I almost fell off on the be-d. I didn’t give him my phone number and I wasn’t expecting his call.
‘Sir, I am so sorry. I t…’
‘plea-se enough with the formalities. You don’t nee-d to call me sir anymore, just Vusi.’
Well that’s going to take a while, for me to call him by his name. This man is, well was my boss. I highly respected him and I am still adjusting to this whole thing of referring to him as the father of my unborn child.
‘I am coming over to your house.’
‘My house?’
‘Yes, isn’t it you are going to school?’
‘I am,’ with a hint of surprise and confusion in me, I immediately got out of the be-d and rushed downstairs after hanging up on him.
‘Ohh you are awake,’ that was Auntie, ‘I am about to leave.’
‘Aren’t you dropping me off at school?’
‘No,’ she replied gr-abbing her bag from the sofa, ‘Vusi will be here. I gave him your number.’
‘My brother-in law. He is the most caring and loving man in this world,’ said Claire as she walked in.
‘He is not your brother-in law.’
‘Cousy isn’t it obvious that you two will end up together.’
‘No,’ I almost shouted.
‘Chill chill,’ she said ma-king Auntie laugh.
‘You never know what the future holds,’ said Auntie and k!$$£d me on my cheek, ‘take good care of yourself.’
‘So you are leaving me?’
‘Yes, we are,’ shouted Claire as they were walking out of the house.
They are enjoying this right. They know how much I have been trying to avoid my boss, I mean Vusi. I just felt embarras-sed of what happened between the two of us. Oh how I wish I didn’t take that drink but anyways what’s done is done. I should just accept the reality and move on. I went to take a bath and made it fast in case he arrives. I was actually out within 10 minutes. Oh plea-se don’t you dare, I know as a woman you should be in the bathroom for a while but this wasn’t time for me to be flexing in the bathroom. He was coming over to my house. Just when I was done with my simple make up. As if it was make up, applying Vaseline on myl-ips. I heard the knock.
Feeling nervous about walking out, I took a de-ep breath and just checked on myself in the mirror. It’s not like I was dressing up for him. Was i? Maybe I was, well I walked out of my room to the door and he was there. His cologne, fantastic. His dressing, just as usual on point. These must be the hor-mones ma-king me feel this way.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked.
I hadn’t realized that all this while he was looking at me. I was busy admiring him with my eyes.
‘Yes, how are you?’ I asked with my voice almost getting choked.
‘I am okay. Are you re-ady to go?’
‘Yes, let me just gr-ab my bag.’
I took my bag and locked the house. We walked to his car and he opened the car door for me, hmmm quiet a gentleman right. I got inside and he had to walk over to his seat just after ma-king sure that I was wearing the seatbelt. I just smiled; he really was a good man. He started off and I forgot to eat something. The drive to my school was quiet and that’s when my stomach decided to make some noise. I placed my hands on it but it wouldn’t st©p growling. He just looked at me and I feigned a smile. Chat martinmartino on zero eight one eighty thirty fourteen twenty one to be added to his whatsapp group
‘Did you eat something?’
‘No, you were alre-ady on your way to my house. I didn’t want to keep you waiting.’
‘I am a very patient person Chichi,’ he said pu-lling over at a nearby restaurant, ‘What can I get you?’ he asked.
I told him what I wanted to eat and trust me I was very hungry. When he c@m£ with the food and he told me to eat before we take off, I finished the food in just few minutes that’s how hungry I was. I didn’t even mind that he was there; I was focused on the food. He handed me the bottle of water and gulped it all in one go.
‘Thank you,’ I said taking a sigh of relief.
I was now full and even re-ady for the day. He smiled.
‘You are welcome and if you ever nee-d anything at school, don’t hesitate to call me. I will s£nd you airtime and your bank card should be re-ady by tomorrow,’ he said starting his car.
This child I am carrying will be the most luckiest to have a father like Vusi. I mean there was just nothing wrong about him, everything was on point. We arrived at my school and he got out to open the door for me.
‘Thank you,’ I said and he handed me my bag.
‘If you want me to come and pick you up, don’t hesitate to s£nd a message. I will be online for you.’
‘Okay.’
‘Wait,’ he said opening his car door and re-moved a plastic bag, ‘you nee-d to eat this in case you feel hungry.’
‘Thank you so much.’
‘What time are you finishing off? If I am busy I will just ask the driver to come and pick you up.’
‘Well at around 2pm, I will be done with my lectures.’
‘Okay, I will just see if I won’t be busy. Take good care of yourself.’
‘I will and you too. Drive safe,’ I say as he was walking back to the car.
I waited for him to drive off and with a smile spre-ad across my face, I walked inside the gate. I was the luckiest woman to have an unplanned pregnancy and at the same time having someone who cared so much about me. I don’t know what the future holds but I am okay with the co-parenting thing. I mean it’s not that bad right? Anyway I had my lectures and I wasn’t sure if I should call him. I was alre-ady done and I didn’t want to disturb him. So I decided to go home with a taxi.
Just after getting out of the gate someone called my name and I turned back
‘Miss Chiedza?’
‘Yes.’
‘Mr Vusi asked me to come and pick you up. I wasn’t that late right.’
‘Of cause you were not,’ I said with a smile.
‘Right this way.’
He had alre-ady asked the driver to come and pick me up. What did I ever do to deserve such kind of man? I know we were not in love but this was something else. Funny thing, I wasn’t even in a relationsh!por had I thought of being in one. I just had my mind focused on school. I told myself that I was going to d@t£ just after I have been graduated. I didn’t think about becoming a mum but I guess we can’t predict what the future holds. With hands on my tummy, I just smiled.
Though I don’t know why I was expecting to see him. To be honest I was a little disappointed that the driver c@m£, I wanted him to come but I guess he was busy. I was thinking about the baby and what it will look like when the driver drove in a red light and there was a car coming.
‘Look out!’ I shouted, ‘aaarrrrrgh,’ I screamed.
*
I was in a very important meeting but kept on checking a message from my driver. I had told him to call me as soon as he drops off Chichi at home. Just when I was about to conclude the meeting, my phone rang. It was a landline; I excused myself and asked Pamela to conclude it for me.
‘Hello.’
‘Vusi.’
‘Doctor Faith.’
‘You nee-d to come to the hospital.’
Doctor Faith was a family doctor.
‘What happened?’
‘Well Chiedza was involved in a car accident. I..’
‘What? I will be there shortly,’ I said hanging up.
‘What is it Vusi?’ asked Pamela.
‘It’s Chiedza. She was involved in a car accident. I nee-d to go to the hospital.’
‘Wait, let me drive you there. You are not in a good state. We will take my car,’ she said and we rushed out of the building to her car.
She drove the car in a normal speed but I kept on encouraging her to drive fas-ter. So many thoughts running throu-gh my mind. What if she was badly hurt? I didn’t only care about the baby but I cared for her too. When we arrived at the hospital, I just got out of the car and ran inside. I met Doctor Faith by the corridor. I had alre-ady registered Chiedza as being one of her patient.
‘How is she? Where is she?’
‘Vusi,’ Pamela called out.
‘I want to see her.’
‘She is okay. She was just in shock but she is okay. Right this way,’ she said leading the way.
I walked in her room and she was sitting on the be-d. I just went straight to her and engulfed her into a ti-ght hvg that must have shocked everyone in the room.
‘Are you okay? Are you hurt?’
‘No, I am okay.’
‘I am so sorry. I should have come to pick you up.’
‘Its okay, I am fine really.’
Then that imbecile walked in the room.
‘Boss!’
I walked up to him and punched him on his face. I have never been so angry before.
‘What the hell is wrong with you? Driving on a red light?’
‘I am sorry boss.’
‘You are sorry? She could have been hurt. Where is your focus?’
‘Vusi, you nee-d to calm down.’
‘No, Pamela. That lady over there, she means a lot to me. I won’t be having such a careless driver to work for me.’
‘Vusi, no. it was just mistake. Forgive him,’ said Chiedza.
‘He s…’
‘plea-se.’
‘Fine, you are very lucky but consider this your first warning.’
‘Thank you sir,’ he said and walked out of the room
‘My baby mama. I am sorry about that, how is our baby?’
Tbc..