At around 10am, Edward Jr and his mother were on their way to the hometown of her late husband, which was an hour drive from their home in Kanjedza. Limbani was driving the car herself besides the haunting memories of the car crash she was involved in with her husband. The two were coming from Crossroads Hotel where they had dinner, which Edward had surprised her with as a way of saying sorry for what he had done. Edward had a way of making her still feel like she was the college girl he proposed to 15 years ago. He never ceased to surprise her with gifts whenever he was coming from his business trips overseas.

After an hour of driving, they arrived at the graveyard and they parked the car next to Edward’s elder sister’s car. The ceremony had not yet started so Edward Jr went straight to where his grandmother was sitting, with Linda. Despite the revelation a year ago, Edward Jr still felt the same way he felt when the two dated. After his father’s passing he had invited Linda to their house a couple of times.

Minutes later almost everyone was seated. The memorial ceremony started with preaching then a eulogy from Limbani followed. She cleared her throat and started talking, “It has been a year since my husband, Edward, left us but the memories of the night we had an accident still haunt me like it happened yesterday…”

“Two days before the night of the accident…” she continued but stopped when she saw the discouraging look on her son’s face. Limbani failed to continue with her eulogy so she went back to her seat while sobbing. She had planned to say how angry she had been two nights before the accident. She thought by saying it in front of everyone it might relieve her of the heavy load of anguish she had been carrying for not only losing her husband but also the bitter truth she had leant about Edward‘s unfaithfulness.

Present Day, 2020

I’m suddenly woken up by the airhostesses’ soft voice announcing that we will be landing at Kamuzu International Airport, Lilongwe. I must have fallen asleep right after taking off in Nairobi. The dream I had makes me think it was not just a dream but one of those visions I see when I’m about to sleep, it felt so real. I finally conclude it was a vision because most of the times I experience the visions when I’m about to sleep. Upon offloading my suitcase, I head for the taxi rank where I will proceed to Blantyre. My driver, Thom is waiting for me as I had called him the previous day to pick me up at the airport.

“Hello Thom, what’s good?” I greet as I hand him my suitcase.

“Worse than you left us boss, this country is left with nothing to be desired and if I were to go to Dubai I would stay there for good,” Thom says jokingly.

“But you can’t just stay there without permits man, immigration laws are very strict in those nations,” I say.

“I don’t know boss, I’m just tired with the state of our country right now. Anyway, are you going straight to Blantyre or I should take you to Area 49?” Thom asks.

“Let us go to Area 49, I have to talk to Temwa and I didn’t tell my wife that I am coming today.”
Thom my driver knew about the affair I had with Temwa, a girl at our offices in Lilongwe. She was the public relations officer for the company’s Lilongwe branch and I had a daughter with her, a thing that I never intended to mention to my wife, Limbani. However, the vision I had in the plane made me reconsider about mentioning it to Limbani. She is a very good wife and did not deserve what I saw in the vision and the thought of my son dating his own sister… I wouldn’t wish him to hate me like that if that vision came to pass. Most of the previous visons I have had turned out to be true thus the possibility of this one coming to pass in 18 years was very high.

As we approach Temwa’s house in Area 49 I stop Thom and ask him to turn back. I tell him to turn back and drive me to Blantyre. I had decided that I was going to tell my wife about the affair and the child I was having with Temwa. Even though so many questions pop out in my head, what if she could not take it and ask for a divorce? After minutes of contemplating, I conclude that whatever choice I make, today was what mattered because I do not have the power to change what is waiting for me in 18 years. Therefore, I choose to come out clean to my wife and save the shame that would come upon them in years to come.

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