Episode 19
“Life teaches you a lot of lessons some people learn from it, some people don’t.”
TIYA
It was a Monday afternoon & classes were about to be dismissed, there were only ten minutes remaining before the bell rang. The teacher was returning our test papers- we wrote an S.D.S test last Friday. She was calling us to the front one by one to give us the papers.
‘Tiyamike Phiri,’ she finally called. I stood up and walked to her desk.
‘You should see me tomorrow,’ she said as I reached out to take my test paper.
‘Okay,’ I nodded
I took a quick glance at it before quickly returning to my seat. I had terribly failed the test- (15 out of 60), I had gotten 55 in the previous test so this was one big disappointment.
She continued calling out the names till the bell rang and suddenly everyone anxiously jumped to their feet.
‘Can you sit down,’ the teacher shouted, ‘You are not dismissed until I say so.’
Murmurs erupted all around the classroom.
‘I said can you all sit down,’ she screamed again before she grabbed a hosepipe from the table. Everyone instantly sat down and kept quiet.
‘I’m very disappointed with the way these marks are looking a lot of you have a lot of studying to do. You have your final exams in less than three months I must see an improvement in this week’s test.’
There was silence in the room as she continued talking, ‘You are dismissed,’ she said a few minutes later.
‘Aw!” the class sighed.
I quickly packed my books and fled out of the classroom before Ivy could catch up with me, I have managed to successfully avoid her for the past three weeks.
‘Tiya!” I heard her calling my name but I ignored her, walking quickly and pushing through the gate of the school, heading straight for the bus station.
I stood at the bus station for a long time, most of the buses coming from town where already full.
‘Ugh, I hate waiting for the bus, I wish I can get my own car,’ I thought to myself.
As I stood there waiting for a bus, I felt someone tap my shoulder from behind, startled I turned around only to find it was Ivy, she is so persistent.
‘What?’ I said
‘May I have a moment with you?’ she asked
‘I am tired and I wanna go home and rest,’ I replied
‘This will just take a few minutes.’
‘It’s really been a rough day, maybe another time.’
‘Please,’ she pleaded
‘Fine,’ I responded, she wasn’t gonna give up so maybe I could give her a few minutes to explain herself.
‘Thank you.’
‘You have five minutes,’ I frowned
‘We can’t talk from here, anywhere but not here.’
‘Whatever.’
I followed her and we got to where her driver had parked the car, she held the door open for me and I got in then she got in and closed the door. As the car drove off none of us said a word to each other.
The car stopped at a little restaurant and Ivy got some food then we went to the park. Finding a quiet spot, we spread out on the grass and she started eating her fries.
‘Why have you brought me here?’ I asked
‘Do you want something to eat?’
‘No, just get straight to the point so I can leave, it’s getting dark as you can see.’
‘Why have you been ignoring me?’ she asked
‘You have been ignoring me Tiya let’s not even bit around the bush, what’s going on?’
‘Nothing,’ I shrugged
‘Is it because of the cell issue? Don’t you want us to be friends anymore?’
‘Nothing is wrong, I just need space.’
She threw her hands up in frustration, ‘Space for what? What did I do that made you stay away from me?’
I clenched my fist at my side, ‘You really want to know why I have been avoiding you?’ I asked
‘Yes.’
‘Fine.’
‘I am all ears.’
Stung to anger, the words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them, ‘I saw you and your father k!ssing passionately.’
Astonished, she quickly rose to her feet standing her ground glaring up at me.
‘Have you been sleeping with your father Ivy? Is that the reason why he allows you to do as you please?’ The words tumbled out of my mouth. I couldn’t stop them.
‘Don’t just look at me,’ I spoke again before she could get any words out of her mouth. ‘Say something.’
Silence
‘Say something,’ I raised my voice
‘Fine,’ she snapped, ‘So I k!ssed him and then what?’
‘Why did you fcking k!ss him? That is so sick he is your father and inc.est disgusting.’
She rolled her eyes, ‘He is not mu biological father,’ she said.
‘How?’
‘It’s a long story.’
‘I have the time.’
‘Fine, let’s eat then I will tell you about it, but just promise you won’t judge me.’
‘I won’t.’
‘Cool.’
She handed me some fries and a bottle of coke, we ate quietly.’
*****
IVY
‘I am all ears,’ Tiya said when we finished eating. I cleared my throat as I got ready to tell her the whole truth I figured if she was going to be a part of us, she needed to know the truth.
‘My Bwalya is my step father,’ I said
‘You have already said that.’
My father died when I was seven years old and a few years down the line, she met Mr. I was twelve when they met, he was one of the big business men in Lusaka, her friend actually set them up.
They began a whirlwind romance and before long he asked mum to marry him.
Mr. Bwalya is a charmer, he gave me gifts and had conversations with me something my mother rarely did so i loved and adored him. Besides that Mr. Bwalya changed our lives- when mum was married to my father, she was just a house wife so when she died, life was pretty hard for the both of us, some days we even went to bed hungry- she really hit the jackpot with my step father.
When I was 14, my mother left.
I still remember the day she left as though it were yesterday, I had woken up in the morning as usual and dad had dropped me off at school.
When I got back home that evening, mum was gone. She had packed all her belongings and left.
‘My child, I have to leave but I will be back for you someday,’ that’s all she left behind
I was devastated when she left and I thought dad would kick me out but he didn’t. He was actually a good support system, he helped me get over my mother’s betrayal and soon I forgot about her- well not completely.
“That man has been there for me, he has given me everything I have ever asked for, to the world I am his child but behind closed doors, it’s another story. We are more like business partners and if you are interested then you can be a part of our business.”
‘Have you ever had s*x with him?’ Tiya asked
I looked at her and smiled,’ Yes.’
Tiya opened her mouth but stopped.
‘Say it, I am a disgrace right? I had to survive baby, I just had to.’
‘I have no words.’
‘It’s understandable.’
‘Make me understand why.’
I took a deep breath before I started narrating the next part of the story.
****
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