Agrippa was in a bar. Seventeen-years-old but the bartender didn’t ask his age. What mattered was that his money paid for the beers. He had 50 dollars in his pocket that he got when he snatched a man’s wallet while he wasn’t looking. Agrippa wanted to have a drink, and he didn’t have money.

He drank so much that he couldn’t walk, when, suddenly, a woman grabbed him.

“Do you sex, young boy?” she asked.

The woman looked older. She got him by her hand. She pulled him and they turned only a few corners. Agrippa didn’t seem to know what was happening. She opened a door and made him sit on the bed. He was drunk and fell on the bed.

The woman had sex with the boy, but he wasn’t aware.

The next morning, he was shocked to find a woman old enough to be his mother naked beside him. He was also naked. He dressed quickly and left. He ran fast when he saw the time. He was writing exams and his clothes smelled of alcohol. He wanted to bath before his mother saw him. It could bring stress to his mother is she knew he was out drinking. What if Angela saw him? He arrived home just before 6 a.m. He went straight to the bath, then dressed in his uniform. He sat down and he dished porridge.

“Where were you last night?” Angela asked as she sat down.

“Where is Ma?” he asked as he sipped a spoon of porridge.

“Don’t avoid the question, where were you?” she asked, furiously.

“Drinking,” he answered, unconcerned.

“If Ma finds out, you will make things worse,” she whispered angrily.

“I know, then you won’t tell her,” he said.

Angela stared at him and shook her head. She couldn’t catch her balance. She made a cup of tea for Tawana and took a tray of tea and some toast for her mother. She found her in her blankets.

“Ma, here’s some tea. I am off to school,” she said, leaving the tray on the dressing table.

“Where is Agrippa?” she asked softly.

“He just left for school,” Angela answered.

“Take care, my baby. Pass by your grandma’s and ask for some money to buy meat for supper,” she said.

Angela hated begging. She grabbed her bag and left.

*****

Tawana woke up and did her usual chores, bathed and dressed in a tee and a brown long skirt. She wore a doek and grabbed her purse.

Firstly, she went to school and paid fees for the twins, but she knew next term would be hard. She went to town and brought some eggs and peanuts with maputi to sell at the bus station. She went home, roasted the peanuts and boiled the eggs. She washed the salt and pepper shakers.

She made a bread they call Chimpotohai which was easy and cheaper than buying bread. Then she walked herself to Wilfred’s work place and found Rose at the reception.

“I am looking for Wilfred,” Tawana said, looking around the office.

“Who are you?” Rose asked suspiciously. She knew this was Wilfred’s wife.

“I am his wife,” she answered as she sat down.

Rose left the room, and she never came back. Tawana kept checking if someone would come through the door.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Where is the money I requested? I need money for food and the bills,” she said.

“Woman, I don’t want you anymore, so that’s your responsibility. Be glad I left you a house or else you would really be suffering,” he hissed with anger.

Rose was staring while Wilfred was rude to his wife. She rushed away when she saw Wilfred was returning.

Tawana knew her marriage was over. She couldn’t stop thinking about the woman who was at the reception and why she didn’t return. Maybe she and Wilfred were in a relationship. If it was, how can she be so selfish and heartless?

She was on her own now.

Tawana didn’t have a marriage certificate, but lobola was paid. In Shona culture, if lobola is paid, it meant that you became the wife of that man. She was accompanied by her aunties into Wilfred’s home. She was welcomed and had her first twins. She went on family planning because she didn’t want many children. She thought if they had a lot of children, they wouldn’t be able to support them. She was unemployed and Wilfred was the breadwinner. But she knew she would survive. Maybe it was God’s will.

***

Tell us what you think: Do you believe Rose is heartless or could it be Wilfred has fed her lies?