
Episode 1
There was a sudden chill in the air.
Something must have moved from behind her. Sibusiswe nervously searched around her for the source of the noise. The only movements around her were that of leaves trembling against the July cold wind.
The uniformly clear blue sky with hints of the sun setting in the distance made the evening feel even chillier than was supposed to be. Apart from the hundreds or thousands of sleeping souls surrounding her, there was no one else in sight that evening in Memorial ParkâŠat least to the best of her knowledge. Ever since she was a little girl, there was something about grave yards that made Sibusisweâs heart pound faster than usual.
âIt must have been lonely for you all this while mother,â Sibusiswe greeted her mother. A year had passed since she had last visited her.
She began dusting the dirt off her motherâs tomb, removing a few weeds around the stone here and there. âOn days like this Ma, you are the only person I can talk that understands this feeling I have deep inside me.â She had rolled her hand into a fist and was hitting her it against her chest. There was something heart breaking about her voice, it was heavy, weary, tired and reluctant as if something was forcing her to speak.
âI know I have no right to be here, butâŠ.â She held her head up to stop the tears from coming.
Clearing her throat, she bent down and continued removing the weeds. âI just dropped off Jacob at his fathersâŠ.â She continued her chat with her mother.
âI am tryingâŠI am doing my best to keep my sanity but nothing seems to be going the way I want it to.â Her voice was starting to shake. âItâs been four years alreadyâŠbut.itâs.still.so.dame.hard maâŠ.â
She took a deep breath and held it in for a few more seconds before finally letting it out, two thick drops of tears hitting either side of her cheeks.
And very suddenly, she let out a soft laugh. âBut I am not complaining!â she mussed. âYou must be shockedâŠwhat has happened to your usually strong daughter?â the more she wiped at her tears, the more they came pouring.
âI am not even mad at him any more Ma,â Sibu mourned. âI donât even know why these dame tears keep bothering meâŠit doesnât make sense.â She grabbed a piece of the poncho she had wrapped around her and used it to dry her eyes and face.
âI have become such a cry baby since you leftâŠI guess it canât be helped eh.â Her lips were literally shuddering from trying to keep herself from crying.
âI am not crying because I miss him, what is really there to miss? I was never hurt by the fact that he had other women in his lifeâŠbut his smile motherâŠthat smileâŠI canât stop thinking about it to this day. It hurts my pride and it keeps tearing me apart even though there are no more pieces left in me to break. To this day I still see his face and how he looked at her. I cannot remember the last time he had looked at me like that Ma. That first time I lost itâŠwhen I silently cried my heart out in the bathroom at homeâŠI cried not because I had seen him kiss another womanâŠI always knew there were other women. I criedâŠI cried because I couldnât take having to look my son in the eye and pretend that everything was alrightâŠwhen my heart was breaking into countless pieces. When I saw him and that woman today, leaving my son with themâŠeverything just kept coming back. Everything just came back, my pain, you, him, my sonâŠ. I have fought hard these past four years to move on and not let anything get to meâŠI have really tried mother.â
Sibusiswe paused and let the tears pour uninterrupted, a faraway look gracing her eyes as she thought;
Long before even he knew it, I had already seen it coming.
Long before he even said the words, I knew I had already lost him.
I left, not because he broke my heart when he cheatedâŠbut because I had enabled him to do to me all the things he thought he could get away with .
I left, not because I was hurtâŠbut because that sort of happiness wasnât mine to begin with.
Summer of 2004
âAnd how old did you say you are MissâŠâ the handsome looking guy who had introduced himself as Martin Mwewa and appeared to be in his early or mid-twenties asked, scanning the document up and down in search of a name. It was hard for anyone to not look at him in his well-fitting suit and painfully handsome face.
âMiss Hangaala, Sibusiswe Hangaala,â the very confident young girl seated in front of the interviewing panel of three volunteered the information enthusiastically.
Martin looked up at her, loving the confident sound of her voice. There was no need to ask who the boss in the room was. Sibusiswe took the opportunity to look him in the eye and smiled. Despite his arrogant demeanour, the man smiled back at her. She had him hooked.
âHow old are you Miss Hangaala?â He asked.
âI am eighteen years old.â
âYou look eighteen quite alrightâŠbut thereâs a certain maturityâŠand elegance about you that I like,â the handsome one said. âHowever, we need someone with experience for this kind of position.â
âArenât you straight from high school young lady?â Asked the elderly woman who had earlier introduced herself as Mrs Silungwe, head of HR. She appeared to be in her early fifties, had a calm and collected demeanour that allowed Sibu to feel a little less nervous.
Sibusiswe nodded, âYes, I graduated about six months ago. However, I do have experience for this position,â she quickly added. âFor the past three years, I have been working as a receptionist at NemKa Dental clinic. Itâs all there in my CV,â she said, pointing at the documents in front of them. âWhen I was still in school, I would only work during holidays and weekends but since graduating, I have been working normal hours and days.â
âDo you think the kind of environment you worked under over there is enough for you to manage a large and busy organization like this one?â asked the other man in the room seated on the far left dressed in purple shirt with a matching tie. He had introduced himself as Ted Zulu. He looked slightly older and mature than the guy in the blue suit. He too was good looking, but did not exude the same amount of sexiness as his colleague seated on the other end of the table. While the one was deliberately splashing his charisma to every corner of the room, the other seemed content with just sitting there and letting his personality do all the work for him.
âIâm going to be honest with you,â Sibu replied. âI donât think the two environments can even be compared. But,â she raised her finger for emphasis. âI believe that the basic experience I gained over there is enough to help me to quickly grasp the responsibilities that come with this position. On top of that, I am a fast learner! I pick up things pretty easily and I can work under minimum supervision. You can ask my boss at the Dental Clinic.â
âYou seem too confident for someone your age,â the middle-aged woman commented. âI take it this isnât your first interview?â
Sibusiwe grinned from ear to ear. âThis is actually my very first interview. I am just taking in things as they come. I have no idea if I am saying or doing the right things,â she laughed, and so did the panel.
âAnd you have a great sense of humour,â the man in the suit added.
âYou need someone like me to be manning your front desk and taking care of everyone around the office.â Sibusiswe excitedly tried to persuade the panel.
âI think I like you already,â the man named Ted said. âYou have a great energy about youâŠwe just need to see if you are the right person to manage the front desk for such a large organization.â
âI agree with you Ted,â the head of HR said. âI am a little bit sceptical about her ageâŠ.â
âThis is a law office and the kind of clientele we receive is somewhere waaay up there.â Martin added, raising his hand in the air. âThey have huge egos with matching bank accounts and with an attitude to go with it all.â
Much like you, you mean? Sibu silently said to herself.
âOn top of that,â he continued. âThe scope of the job is quite demanding. I think you are too young to handle that kind of pressure.â
Sibusiswe sat right up, making sure her shoulders were high enough to match the argument she was trying to put across. âYou are assuming that my age has something to do with my capability to handle the pressure that comes with the job yet,âŠyet you have no idea how much I have had to deal with in my life to get where I am today.â Sibu la!d her case. âI cannot get into the details of all that obviously and in as much as I understand your scepticism, I wish you can put aside your prejudice over my age and give me a chance to prove myself. I am not the type of person to shy away from a challenge simply because I feel I am too young. Thatâs not a good enough reason in my books.â
âI wonder who the lawyers in this room are,â said Ted, looking at his colleague at the other end of the table.
âIt is not just your age that concerns me,â Mrs Silungwe said. âWe need someone to work on a long term basis and you seem like a very ambitious girl to meâŠobviously, you have plans of going to college soon, donât you?â
That question knocked Sibu out. âTo be honest,â she swallowed hard. âYes, I have plans of going to university,â she admitted. âBut I was thinking that I could work for like a year or so to raise money before applying becauseâŠeven if I qualify for a bursary, the money will not be enough for me to survive my undergrad years.â
âYou mean to tell me that you intend to take care of your own school bills?â The fifty-something year old woman asked, her motherly instincts quickly jumping in.
Sibu nodded. âYou donât need to look at me like that,â she assured her. âItâs been three years now since I lost my mother and I am doing just fine. If you are going to hire me, I would like it to be on the basis of merit and not pity. There are people out there is far worse situations than I.â
âI can tell you this for sure Miss Hangaala, itâs going to be very hard for all of us here to overlook that bit of information you just let loose.â Martin said.
âI see,â Sibu said resignedly, dropping her shoulders in the process.
âMost people would be glad to have a pity card to use in such situations,â Mrs Silungwe looked surprised. âWhy do you look disappointed?â
âI am curious about that as well,â Martin seconded her.
âMe too,â Ted also chipped in.
âBecause I donât deserve your pity,â Sibu stated matter-of-factly. âI donât know how this is going to make me sound,â she straightened her back, ââŠand I am begging that you donât make me lose whatever little points I might have already scored; however, I feel that this is a very personal issue and I would like it if you didnât ask me any more questions about it.â
Looking at the group of people seated in front of her, her eyes moving from one to the other, Sibu knew that the damage had already been done. Without meaning to, she had opened the door to something she would have rather kept hidden for the rest of her life. The idea that she might benefit from such a disclosure made her feel even more uneasy.
Sibusiswe was not surprised when she received a call a few days later informing her that she had passed the interviews and was to be hired as a Receptionist for one of the largest Law Firms in the country.
Mrs Silungwe was taken aback by Sibuâs lack of enthusiasm upon receiving such wonderful news and she wasted no time in finding out.
âItâs not that Mrs Silungwe,â Sibu had said over the phone. âI am very grateful for such an opportunityâŠI guess I am just in shock thatâs all.â She lied. âThank you so much for giving me a chance.â
âItâs okay dear, I understand,â the soft spoken woman said. âYou are expected to report for work on Monday next week. Will you be available?â
âYes I will,â Sibu answered. âMy boss at the Dental clinic already knows that I applied for this job. She is even the one that showed me the advertisement in the paper. Donât worry; I will be there on time on Monday.â
âGreat.â
âThere is something about the night that makes women glow and look extra special, donât you think so Ted?â Martin Mwewa said as he scanned the room at Times Arcades for potential mates for the night.
âIs it the night or the beer that makes them appear like that?â The ever objective Ted Zulu asked.
Martin laughed, âboth I guess!â he said, taking a long time from his Castle Lite.
Martin and Ted had been buddies since junior high school. Both coming from very well-to-do families, it was only natural that they move in the same circles. Whether they liked it or not, the two of them were going to keep bumping into each other everywhere they went. Thus, despite the obvious rivalry that existed between them when it came to academics, ambitions as well as women, Martin and Ted were by all standards the best of buddies.
âSo when are you two going back to the UK?â Conrad Manda asked. Conrad had met Martin through Ted whom he had met during a JETS competition back in senior high school.
âIn a monthâs time,â Martin replied. âOur break is almost coming to an end.â
âI really envy you guys,â Conrad said. It was no secret that his circumstances were a far cry from those of his two rich friends. âEven though we went into Law school at the same time, you guys will be done with yours way before I even go to ZIALE,â he lamented. âWith the constant riots and closures at UNZA, I will be forty by the time I graduate.â
âDonât exaggerate like that man,â Ted laughed. âLately there hasnât been any drama going on so you are safeâŠfor now at least.â
âFor now I guess,â Conrad agreed. âHowâs the interning going at your fatherâs firm?â
Martin and Ted shared a knowing and smiled mischievously at each other.
âDonât even think about it, I had dibs on her first.â Martin warned his friend and colleague.
âWhat do you mean you had dibs on her first?â Ted protested.
âWhat are the two of you talking about?â Conrad was starting to feel like a third wheel, something that was constant occurrence whenever he was in the company of the two.
âWe hired this cute new receptionist,â Ted explained.
âCute?â Martin glared at his friend? âIs that the best you can do my friend?â
Ted smiled, âOkay, she is f—–g beautiful! She is very hotâŠthe kind of sexy that makes you feel guilty just looking at herâŠbecause she is very young.â He was shaking his head, his eyes closed as if to awaken the image he had safely saved in his head.
âShe might be young but she is very legal for the taking,â Martin quickly corrected his friend.
âI guess there are perks to being the son of the owner of a company.â Conrad was forced to admit. âDespite being interns, you guys are allowed to sit on the recruitment panelâŠ.â
âThatâs why we told you to join us but your stubborn a-s insisted on working for a rival law firm,â Martin said.
âYour offer came a little late,â Conrad replied. âI had already committed myself there. I am not in any position to make enemies with such a big law firm.â
âYou made the right decision Conrad,â Ted said. âUnfortunately for me, I have been put in the same boat as this fool here,â he was looking at Martin. âJust over two weeks there and everyone already hates his arrogant a-sâŠwell, everyone except the ladies.â
Martin grinned proudly. âI am taking down all their names,â he said. âOnce I take over the firm, there will be hell to pay for those that have been giving me attitude.â
âSo whatâs this about the cute receptionist?â Conrad quickly changed the subject, not wanting to listen any more to any of Martinâs pompous ramblings. âHow old is she?â
âEighteen,â they both supplied.
âShe just graduated high school so she is very fresh like that,â Martin added.
âThatâs the thing, she is too young and innocent for your likes,â Ted said.
âWhat do you mean for my likes?â
âYou very well know what I mean.â
âJust because I am popular with the female folk doesnât mean I am a playa,â Martin defended his virtue. âOn my own I do just fineâŠitâs the women themselves that keep throwing themselves at me.â
âEver heard of something called self-restraint?â Ted asked sarcastically.
âIf the Lord called me to this earth to please women, who am I to disobey him?â Martin said smugly.
Both Ted and Conrad looked unimpressed by their friendâs attitude.
âI am just sayingâŠdonât play with this one if you are not going to be serious about her. You heard her for yourself; she already has a lot of s–t going on in her life. She doesnât need you adding more stress to it. If anything, she is more pitiful than sexy.â
âExactly why I should make her mine,â Martin countered. âCan you imagine how better her life would become if she was my girl?â
âI donât doubt you can make her life better but for how long? You will date her for a couple of weeks and then threw her aside once you are done, leaving her heartbroken and alone when she could have been better if you had left her alone in the first place.â Ted had no time for jokes. He meant every word he spoke and Martin never missed a point.
âYou hardly know this girl yet you are coming off so strongly,â Martin said. âDonât tell me youâve already fallen hard for her?â
Ted remained silent.
âYou have, havenât you?â Martin was obviously having a good time. He was laughing at pointing at his visibly embarrassed friend.
âStop it man,â Ted pushed away his hand from his face. âYou need to grow up.â He admonished his friend.
âI am not even going to get offended by that remark,â Martin lowered his hand and took another sip from his beer. âYou are just mad because you know she is gonna pick me over you. They always do. Your father might be a popular government official but my father is one of the richest men in this country. No woman on the face of this earth hates money.â
âDonât bring my father into this,â Ted said sternly. âAnd not every woman is so vain. If Sibusiswe is that kind of woman, then I will gladly step back and leave you two alone. I happen to have a higher standard when it comes to women I date.â
âHer name is Sibusiswe?â Conrad asked. âWhat tribe is that? It doesnât sound Zambian.â
âHave no idea,â Martin answered. ââŠalthough her last name is very Zambian â Hangaala.â He provided.
âAh, sheâs Tonga,â Conrad said. âCould be her mother is the one who isnât Zambian.â
âHer mother is late,â Ted said, gulping down the rest of his Heineken.
âShe hasnât even started work yet and you already know all that about her?â Conrad commented.
âIt came up during the interview,â Martin explained. âShe didnât mean to share but you know how interviews go sometimesâŠ.â
âI can imagine,â Conrad said. âWhat are you thinking about looking like that?â He was looking at Ted who had a very serious expression on his face, appearing to be deep in thought.
Ted awakened from his reverie. âThere was something the girl said about her mother that keeps bothering meâŠ.â
âProblem with you is that you think too much,â Martin said, opening a new bottle of Heineken and placing it in front of his friend.
âThanks,â Ted said, taking the beer and drinking from it.
âYou are always overanalysing stuff thatâs why youâve been single for such a bloody long time.â Martin pointed an accusing finger at his buddy.
âI have been single because I have no time to date. Unlike some people, I like committing myself 100% in relationships and right now school wonât allow me such luxury. I might just end up breaking the heart of someoneâs daughter.â
âAlways the upright man,â Martin teased. âCheers to all upright men in the world!â He raised his bottle and the three friends toasted.
When Monday finally came, Sibusiswe had woken up two hours earlier than usual to prepare for her first day at the law firm. Her housemate Sibeso Mubiana was up too excitedly helping her friend get ready.
âShould I just tie my hair in a puff or I wear that wig that makes me look ten years older?â Sibu asked as she stared at her reflection in the dressing mirror.
Sibeso got up from the bed and went to stand behind her friend. âI really hate you people with long hair,â she said, looking at Sibu through the mirror. âYou have so many options on how to style your hair but you always go for the boring ones. Do this,â she grabbed the comb from Sibuâs hands and started styling her hair. âIs that thing on?â She gestured towards the hair toning machine sitting on the other side of the dressing table.
âNot yet,â Sibu reached out her hand and switched it on. âWhat do you want to do?â
âJust sit still my friend and watch me turn you into a professional,â her housemate assured her. âI am going to do one of your usual boring styles, but with a twist. You donât want to stand out with some over styled girly hairstyle and you also donât want to look too plainâŠalthough I doubt if thereâs any part of your body that looks plain.â
âOkay, I trust you.â Sibusiswe relaxed back and let her friend do as she pleased.
âI still canât believe you get to see the infamous Junior every day of the week,â Sibeso kept the conversation going whilst attending to the hair. âI have been stalking that guy for such a long time but he always sticks to a certain typeâŠhas no time for the likes of us. You should really take this opportunity and make him yours sweeties. Who knows, maybe I too can find myself a billions son whilst chilling with that crowd.â
âStop getting all worked up, you are pulling my hair you crazy freak,â Sibisiswe nudged her roommate into behaving. âYou know I am not a fan of popular boys. I didnât even know who he was until you mentioned it to me. I didnât like his looks very much. He looked arrogant and smugâŠlike he knows heâs good looking. I hate guys that are so sure of themselves.â
âSo you want him to pretend heâs not good looking when the fact is clear for everyone to see?â
âThatâs not what I mean. I just mean heâs too arrogant and looks like the type that thinks heâs Godâs answer to every womanâs prayer. He behaves as if he takes in Nitrogen and breathes out Oxygen while the rest of humanity is piped down on Carbon Monoxide.â
Sibeso laughed. âI guess thatâs what men also think when they look at you.â
âWhat do you mean?â Sibu was genuinely puzzled.
âYou are also ridiculously beautiful and yet you carry yourself like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. You need to start getting la!d or cobwebs will fill up all over down there.â Sibeso was rubbing against the body part in question, deliberately spreading her legs for emphasis.
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