The wedding was a bliss, and the decorations were so neat and attractive. Their theme was gold and brown, and Shamiso’s wedding dress was a beautiful piece designed by South African designer, David Tiale. The venue was her Apostolic Faith Mission Church, and the reception was held at a beautiful garden in Mandara. Her father was dressed in a new suit that she had brought for him, and the bridesmaids were dressed in beautiful dresses embroidered with gold and brown frills. Nomatter didn’t miss out on the day, either. But she would hide whenever she saw her father near, though, and he didn’t even know she was there. She was also dressed elegantly and, to hide her belly, she had on a big coat.

Sarudzai had been coughing blood before the event, and she drank some herbs she had gotten from a traditional herbalist in order to keep herself alive for few more days. She wanted to make her daughter proud and not devastated. She knew that had she died, Shamiso would have cancelled the wedding and ended up alone.

Shamiso was too busy to notice, but Sarudzai didn’t know someone was watching her. “Are you well?” the man asked as he helped her sit on the chair in the garden, far from the crowd.

Sarudzai shook her head and continued coughing.

“I’ll take you to the hospital,” the man suggested.

“No, I’ll be fine,” Sarudzai insisted. She regained her strength when she took long, deep breaths, but her chest was in so much pain that she couldn’t sit still.

The music was blazing and the crowd was dancing up a storm. The newly wedded couple’s dance moves made everyone envy them, and Sarudzai watched them from a distance while suffering in agony.

When Shamiso returned from her honeymoon in Kariba, the smile on her face showed how wonderful the honeymoon was. She felt like she was in paradise. When she got home, she sighed in relief after a long journey, and looked at her house as she alighted from the car. When she noticed that the windows and curtains were closed, she remembered her mother and rushed inside. Mike thought she was excited to be home, but she found her mother on the couch passed out. Her smooth skin was flaky, and she was laying there lifeless. Her body was scrawny and curled, and her cheek bones were as sharp as a dagger. When the thought that her mother was dead rushed to Shamiso’s mind, she refused the thought and cast it far away.

“Mama,” Shamiso said, patting her mother on the chest. She didn’t want to believe her mother was dead. She was nearly horror struck, but she quickly told herself that her mother was just sleeping because she knew how much she loved sleeping.

“You have to hear about my honeymoon, mama,” Shamiso continued. “Wake up.”

Shamiso shook her mother vigorously, but when she raised her head, she didn’t respond. Her mother dropped to the ground because the couch was no longer holding her when she was moved. When this happened, Shasimo began sobbing and stuttering. She thought she just needed to look for help fast because, if she found it, she might be able to save her mother. But she then realised that her mother’s skin was wrinkled and flaky, just like that of a dead body.

“No, no, no, mamaaaa,” Shamiso screamed while rushing out the door, but Mike wasn’t aware, though. She felt her throat ache from all her screaming, but she realised that Mike didn’t hear her. If he had, he would have come panting to check up on her quick. She felt weak after a while and threw herself on the ground crying, and her tears were like raindrops. There were sounds on her throat, like she wanted to cry but her voice couldn’t come out. She was still digesting the fact that her mother was no more. Seeing her lifeless body was something she never expected to see.

When Mike saw Shamiso on the floor, he dropped the bags and rushed to her. He wasn’t aware of what was happening. “What is it?” he asked her, but he could see the horrified look on her face. She kept swallowing and looking at the door.

“Call an ambulance,” Shamiso said. “Mama …” she tried continuing, but ended up crouching and weeping louder on the pavement.

The ambulance arrived after half an hour, and Shamiso’s mother was pronounced dead on the scene. After hearing this, Shamiso regretted leaving her mother to enjoy herself at a beach. She knew her mother was sick, and that she shouldn’t have left her. It had been too soon. “How will she see my kids now?” her heart was crying out. Mike held her in his arms. She was so devastated and in so much pain that she wondered if she would ever survive.

Mike didn’t know what to do to console Shamiso because she spend days in her room crying. She was supposed to plan the funeral, but her aunt ended up arranging everything. The funeral was very sad, but it was a very small ceremony. Everyone loved Sarudzai, and they were heartbroken when they lost such a lovely soul.

After a few months, Shamiso gained her strength back and accepted the fact that, even though she was going to die too, she had to live for now. She had to carry on with her life, and she had Mike, who was now her husband. But, even though she was getting better, she was no longer cheerful or free spirited. Grief had burst in silent, and now she always had dry sobs on the edge of her bed. After work, she would sit in the bedroom, but Mike knew she would heal at her own time. He was helpless, and she kept her feelings hidden like precious jewels. She was worn-out after losing her precious mother broke her, and her world was torn apart.

“Baby, I saw your Dad today,” Mike said after clearing his throat. Shamiso didn’t respond because she was in her own space. He wanted to ask her why she never told her family about her mother’s death, but he saw uneasiness in her eyes.

“You didn’t tell him your mom died,” he continued while removing his socks and shoes. He looked at her and saw the sorrow on her face. “He was furious.”

Shamiso remained silent.

“Shami,” Mike shouted, shaking Shamiso out of her thoughts. Tears were flowing down her face, so he embraced her. But even as he did this, he realized that his arms no longer made her knees weak because she was too depressed to concentrate. The house was cold, seeming to hold his words like frozen air. He didn’t know what to do to bring back happiness into their home.

Tell us: What do you think about Shamiso not telling her family about her mother’s passing?