Life above all episode 30&31

LIFE, ABOVE ALL

Episode 30

TIYA

I wandered aimlessly through the streets consumed by pain and anger. I had no desire to return home but where was I gonna spend the night?
The streets are dangerous for a young girl like me I could get raped or even get killed. Lord, if my mother was alive none of these things would be happening? Why did she have to die so soon?
I plodded mindlessly along until my legs began to tire then I stopped to rest at a street corner. I sat quietly breathing the night air wondering where to go from here. I was hungry and tired.
‘Ivy!’ my heart skipped a beat at the thought of Ivy. I could go to her place but would she allow me to spend a night there after everything I had said to her?
I was so absorbed in my anguish that I did not notice the car that had stopped in front of me till a man stepped out and lightly touched my shoulder.
I gasped and jumped up from where I was sitting moving a few steps behind.
‘Young girl,’ he said softly, ‘why are you sitting here at this time of the night?’ he asked
‘Get away from me,’ I screamed raggedly. ‘Don’t you dare touch me or else I will scream. I swear I will.’
I was dead scared, who was this man and what did he want from me? I read stories of how girls got kidnapped and killed. God knows I didn’t want to die, at least not yet.
‘I am not going to hurt you,’ he said extending his hand slightly, trying to calm me down.
‘Don’t touch me, just leave me alone,’ I yelled
‘I won’t hurt you.’
‘What do you want?’ I asked
‘I don’t want anything from you I was on my way home from work when I noticed you. I just want to help you,’ he said with genuine concern in his voice.
‘I don’t want your help,’ I said
‘The streets are not good for a girl like you, hop in and let me give you a lift,’ he said
I didn’t move, still uncertain of his intentions, ‘Are you sure you will take me straight home without killing me?’ I asked
He chuckled ‘I am sure,’ he answered
‘Alright.’
‘Come on,’ he said walking towards his car.
I followed him to his car and he opened the door for me, after I slid into my seat he went round and got into the driver’s seat.
I gave him directions to Ivy’s house then he started the car.
‘What is your name?’ he asked after some time.
‘Tiyamike Phiri. What’s yours?
‘Joshua Chipasha.’
‘Okay.’
‘So what were you doing sitting on that bridge alone? Don’t you know it’s dangerous for girls like you to roam the streets at night?’
I sighed, ‘my father kicked me out.’
‘Why?’
‘I came back home late.’
‘He is your real father?’
I laughed, ‘I should think so.’
‘And where is your mother?’
‘She is dead.’
‘Oh that’s sad, my condolences.’
‘It’s fine.’
We arrived at Ivy’s place some forty minutes later.
‘Are you sure you are gonna be okay?’ he asked
‘Yes.’
He grabbed his wallet and pulled out a card and handed it to me.
‘Feel free to call me if you need help.’
‘Thank you very much.’
I stepped out of the car and he drove off, taking a deep breath I knocked on the gate. The security man opened the gate a few minutes later.
‘What can I do for you?’ he asked
‘I am here to see Ivy.’
‘And who are you?’
‘Tiya.’
He opened the gate wider and allowed me to walk in then he locked it. I walked towards the front door my heart beating fast and hard, I was nervous. What if she sends me away?
I knocked at the door and Ivy instantly opened, it’s like she had been waiting for me, she ushered me and slammed the door behind her back.
‘Have you eaten?’ she asked
‘No.’
‘Come.’
We walked into the kitchen and she gave me some food, she watched as I ate. Afterwards we went to her room and I took a bath, I felt a whole lot better after bathing. Ivy gave me some of her pajamas.
‘So what brings you here?’ she finally asked
‘Dad kicked me out.’
‘Why?’
‘I came home late.’
‘Where did you go?’
‘I was with Ken.’
‘Oh.’
‘Yes.’
I spared her the details of what happened at Ken’s house.
‘So what’s your next plan?’
‘I just want to spend a night here, I will call my grandmother tomorrow and ask if I can go and stay with her.’
‘You know you can stay here for as long as you like?’
‘I don’t want to be a bother, I just want to travel to the village and stay with my grandmother,’ I said
‘Okay.’
Several minutes passed, I yawned before I slide under the covers and pulled the blankets all the way to my chin.
‘Good night,’ Ivy said
‘Night,’ I closed my eyes falling into a deep sleep.
*****

GANIZANI

I walked into the house, put the things I had bought into the kitchen and went straight to my room. I found Thoko curled up in a fetal position on my bed, shaking and crying.
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked sitting next to her.
‘Tiya!’ she sobbed
‘What happened to Tiya?’
‘Dad beat her up and he chased her out of the house,’ she cried even harder.
‘He did what?’ I asked angrily
‘He kicked her out.’
I wiped the tears from her eyes, ‘Please stop crying,’ her tears tore my heart.
‘Please go and find Tiya.’
‘Stay right here.’
Getting up, I walked out of my room and went to confront my father. I knocked on his bedroom door and he opened it.
‘What?’
‘What have you done to my sister?’
‘What sort of question is that?’
‘If anything happens to her, I swear you won’t leave to tell the tale.’
He laughed, ‘Are you threatening me? ‘
‘I am warning you, you will not know peace if anything happens to her.’
‘Do your worst,’ he said slamming the door in my face.
I marched towards the front door and pushed through it before I hurried down the street in search of Tiya. For close to two hours, I helplessly looked around for my sister but to no avail.
Frustrated I headed back home, I ran through the streets as fast as I could. When I got home, I went to the door and tried to open it, sure that it was open but it was locked.
I knocked at the door but no one answered, I went round to the other verandah connecting to the living room, it too was locked. I ran around to father’s bedroom window and knocked but no one responded.
I stood there for awhile wondering what I was gonna do. The thought that I would have to spend the night outside terrified me. Defeated, I took residence on the verandah, the cold wind gently blowing against my skin.
*****

Episode 31

GANIZANI

I was lying on my bed staring into space when the door creaked open and my mother walked in, she was clad in a white dress that was smeared in blood & she was crying very hard.
‘Mummy!’ I stood up and walked closer to her.
I reached out and touched her but hitting air. I stood in front of her, tears cascading down my face.
There was this look of pain and torment in her eyes that I couldn’t ignore, I knew her as happy and bubbly woman so whatever was making her cry must have been something disheartening.
‘Why can’t I touch you? Mummy what is all this about? Why do you have blood all over?
She would not respond, I tried touching her again but to no avail. She did not move but the tears in her eyes kept rolling down her cheeks.
‘Mummy! please talk to me,’ I reached out for her but she slowly moved further away from me.
Then I started screaming from the bottom of my lungs.
The further she moved away from me the more I screamed. I felt hopeless and alone. Then all of a sudden, I couldn’t see her anymore, just like that she was gone.
I stood there and tried to understand what had just transpired before I sank to the floor and continued to weep.
‘Mummy! Please don’t leave me, come back here,’ I cried
Suddenly, i jolted awake and found myself lying on the veranda in the same fetal position. My face was wet from tears and perspiration. My heart was slamming hard against my chest.
‘A dream. It was all just a dream.’
Sitting up straight, I wiped the tears from my eyes then I took several deep breaths, it was dark outside and I was shivering. After that dream, I couldn’t go back to sleep I was more conscious of my surroundings.
How could father peacefully sleep inside the house while I slept out in the cold? I spent the entire night silently praying for God’s protection. The night seemed longer that I had anticipated but finally it was morning.
By morning, I was fiercely shivering my whole body was shaking uncontrollably. I desperately wanted to keep warm or else I would fall sick.
Alice finally opened the door and was shocked to see me shaking on the verandah.
‘What happened to you? Did you sleep out here?
‘No one opened the door for me last night,’ I ground out through chattering teeth.
‘I didn’t hear you, I fell in a deep sleep and only woke up this morning,’ she reached out and helped me up. I stood up and she led me to my room where I instantly crawled under the covers and tried to keep warm.
She walked out of the room and came back a few minutes later with a cup of hot tea.
‘This should help you keep warm.’
‘Thank you,’ I said
‘You are welcome. Please don’t tell your step mother I helped you into the house and gave you tea.’
‘Okay.’
She left a while later and I drunk my tea. I wasn’t gonna go to school today, I made a mental note to look for my sister as soon as I felt better.
***

TIYA

I opened my eyes and looked around in the emptiness. I didn’t know where I was or what I was doing in this strange room, I looked down to see my body I discovered I was naked.
I looked around from my position on what I assumed was a bed. I was lying on a huge bed. I turned around so I could get a clear glimpse of my surrounding and that’s when I saw her.
The strange girl
She was sitting in a fetal position near the corner against the wall opposite the door. She had a black pot in her hands. Her eyes were fixed in a daze, her body seemed glued to the stool.
Strange enough this girl looked a lot like me.
I stood up and walked towards her, ‘Hello,’ I said waving my hand in her face but she didn’t move.
‘Who are you? What are you doing here? What is this place?’ I asked one question after another but she didn’t respond to any of my questions.
I was in a state of confusion and panic.
‘Stop!’ A voice echoed around the room when I tried to touch her. I turned to where the voice had come from but could not see anything but black.
‘Get back on the bed,’ I whirled about again but saw nothing.
‘Where they playing with my mind?’
‘What do you want from me?’ I asked
‘Shut up.’
Again another voice.
I turned again and that’s when I saw a huge snake staring back at me. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out.
‘Shut up.’
I closed my mouth breathing heavily while looking around the room just to make sure the snake was real and not a figment of my imagination. When I didn’t see the snake again, I calmed down.
That was weird, what was happening to me? I sat back on the bed and my mind began to wander, I closed my eyes and tried to remember the events of the previous day.
Then I remembered Ken’s strange behavior, my father kicking me out and finally finding solace at Ivy’s house, was I still at her house?
I walked to the door and tried to open it but it was locked from the outside.
Frustrated I sank to the ground and waited for my fate.
****

GANIZANI

I didn’t go to school but spent the whole day searching for my sister, I moved from one place to the next but to no avail, I asked her school friends and even went to Ivy’s place but she too had not seen her.
Maybe that’s why mother appeared to me in my dream she must be disappointed at me. She asked me to look after my siblings before she died and I have failed her, i have failed my mother.
‘Lord bring Tiya back home, don’t let any harm come to her,’ I desperately prayed
****

To be continued