Chapter 4
I walk out of the large building located at the central business district of Harare, soon
after the blood chilling interview I had with the board members of Kaamba Holdings,
one of the best mining companies in the country. Apparently the company is
planning on working on another branch besides mining and in their case, its fuel.
They want to open service stations across the whole country. So they are looking for
an economist who can help them explore that idea and give them the rightful
information as to whether or not their plan can lift off or not. When I got into this
building an hour ago, there were seven Economists and I was the eighth and
according to what I have gathered from holding up conversations with them, most of
them are experienced people who are well over their forties. The chances of me being
hired are at this particular point are zero to none. Why? Because I am an under
experienced professor and to put some icing on the cake, I am a woman! Most
companies don't bother to hire women as we seem incompetent as compared to the
idolised men! So much for being a woman!
I drive straight to work after the interview and I am super late for my first and second
lectures. Reason number one being the fact that I was delayed by that fruitless
interview and reason number two being the fact that I was also delayed by the thick
traffic in the CBD. Harare is something else when it comes to traffic, there are just
too many cars in one city!... upon getting to work, I drop my things at the office and
I proceed further to the lecture hall where I start administering my third lecture. I
stay confined to the lecture hall, right through to lunch hour. When its lunch hour,
I dismiss the students and I go back to the comfort of my office. I no longer go to the
staff canteen because I really don't want to get tempted into bashing some sense into
some immature idiots who parade as highly educated men and women. And again
pity me; I have been served with a warning straight from the high offices for reeling
off 'street behavior' in a professional institution.
I get into my office, wash my hands and I settle down on my three sitter sofa, my
legs on the sofa to eat my home cooked meal. The aroma that wafts off from the food
in the container causes my mouth to salivate and my stomach to groan in hunger.
There is a load knock on the door and before I could even open, the knocker enters,
its Vimbai and Chiedza, both of them carrying some lunch.
"Oh, no miss smart pants. You can't bring your own lunch when we bought you
something to eat. That's not happening." Vimbai says as she puts her things on my
table.
"But you didn't tell me that you were buying lunch for me!" I protest childishly.
"Well, now you know, so I am taking this. I really miss your cooking." She says as
she takes my lunch box.
"Come on Vimbai, I wanted to eat that." I protest again.
"Well, unfortunately you will have to eat with us now" Chiedza says as she settles
next to me.
"So how much is the lunch so that I can pay for my share?" I say to Vimbai.
"This one is a special treat for you. I am saving your money so that tomorrow i can
get to eat my three course meal at my place of choice." She says to me, whilst digging
mercilessly into my food. This woman!
"Eish! There is that again. What if I say I am broke?" I ask.
"That's one day you can't be sick, broke or dead on. I want my three course lunch
without fail. Punishment for making me wait and you not calling to tell me where
you are." She says. Causing me to laugh.
"I really wish I could join you ladies at that luncheon but unfortunately my job is
demanding. I don't even get time to use the bathroom." She says, causing us both to
laugh.
"Red will bring you some cake tomorrow don't worry. Tomorrow she is our blesser.
Atoning for her sins" Vimbai says.
"Wait until I catch you off guard Vimbai. You will regret this." I say to her warningly.
"This means I should enjoy your money whilst I still can." Vimbai responds.
"So tell me, how was the interview?" Chiedza asks.
"Don't speak about that! I was literally seating despite their air cones and the
morning temperature. I really don't think i will get the job. Worse off, there were eight
of us." I respond whilst eating my lunch. These two bought me seven colors and
some juice. It's a great change from the sadza and bones that I like eating.
"Don't worry; I still want something big as a present from you so, I will pray for you
to get the job. My faith moves mountains I tell you." Chiedza responds.
"Ahh, so you guys do things for someone so that you could benefit easily from them?
It sounds more like whore attitude to me" I say in sarcasm.
"A tit for a tat my dear beloved friend." Chiedza says.
"And besides, in this case we are whoring for the right reasons so I don't see a
problem there." She responds and we all burst into laughter. We have our lunch
whilst chit chatting about the ABCs of life and after that the ladies clear out and I
collect my things and leave the office. Today is a beautiful Monday afternoon and so
I dismiss earlier. Before I get home, I pass by town to buy some groceries and after
that I get back home to the comfort of my house.
Tuesday mornings are always busy. I have back to back lectures and after that i go
straight to Vimbai's office, where I collect her and we depart for some lunch. Today
we are not going to the usual restaurant but to a much more expensive restaurant,
which happens to be my punishment. Vimbai and her punishments!
The place is a classy restaurant where rich bourgeoisies come and feast. It looks
beautiful inside and their menu is filled with these foreign foods. Most of them have
silly complicated meals but I know that they are simple, small and expensive. I will
be supper hungry after this! I let Vimbai order for the two of us, since she knows
which meals are better than the others. We have the starter and then the main
course.
"So, what are the plans for the future?" Vimbai asks.
"What future" I question in confusion.
"Yours silly! You need to get a man." Vimbai says, causing me to roll my eyes. Here
comes that silly topic again. Can't people live with the fact that a woman can be
independent and not have to depend on a man? I am a typical example: i mean, i
have accomplished everything that can render me a woman comfortable.
"I don't need a man in my life. I am fine with single life and can we please drop this
topic. Lets enjoy lunch and not talk about men for once in our lives." I respond.
"If you say so, Miss Independent." Vimbai says as she continues to eat. We discuss
about a number of things pertaining different things in our lives but I don't tell her
about my encounter with Takawira. We eat the meals and after that we buy some
cake for Chiedza and we drive back to the University. Vimbai goes to drop the cake
at the reception and I go straight to my office where I gather my staff, close the
windows and I drive back home. I have a lot of work to do, so I don't bother to cook,
I just make myself a light supper and I get busy with my work. There is just too much
work to do and tonight is my set deadline. Since I have cut the cooking time, I also
have to shelve my reading and just work continuously. By eleven o'clock, I am done
with everything so I take a bath and after that I retire to bed.
Wednesday is another day for me and I get there early because I have back to back
lectures and these lectures are meant to wrap up the modules since next week the
exams are taking off and that is going to be one of the toughest times. Why? Because
I will have a lot of marking to do and after that I would have to submit the work to
the University's databases. And that's a lot of work to do. I unlock my door in and
enter into the office, open my windows and I get down to work. As i am still working,
my cell phone rings and the number is that of a landline. Who could be calling me
using a landline?
"Hello, how may I assist?" I ask, as soon as I answer the phone call.
"Can I speak to Miss Maruva?" the feminine voice on the other end of the line asks.
"Speaking" I respond.
"I am calling from Kaamba Holdings, pertaining the interview that we had last time.
You were among the two candidates that were short listed. The Company executives
would like to meet you tomorrow at eight o'clock in the morning, where you will be
briefed about the way forward." The caller says and my heart leaps in happiness and
fear at the same time.
"Okay, thank you very much. I will be there soon." I respond.
"Thank you for your co-operation. Have a good day." The caller says and she hangs
up. I feel so happy that I pulled through the interview and got the job despite being
a woman and being under experienced. The fear emanates from the fact that I won't
be able to uphold the big project at hand and it will paint my name with a dirty
brush, so I will have to up my game, research and mingle heavily with the other
Economists who keep abreast with things. This means more pressure than the usual.
And again, above everything else, I will have to get something big for Chiedza since
she was the one who helped me get this job.
I work through the day. And throughout the day, I am at the Economics lecture hall,
administering my daily lectures. After that I collect my things, put them in my box
file and I go straight to my office. I research till late and after that i drive straight
home, where i eat something light and i get straight into bed. I wake up earlier than
usual and i research yet again. Time flies like no man's business as i am still
researching.
I dress up in a two piece suit and I wear my hair in the normal manner and after
that I depart for Kaamba Holdings, where I had to meet the Executives. Strangely,
today there is a lot of traffic and the traffic gems are too much, this causes me to run
late. I look at the time and only ten minutes are left towards the meeting that I am
supposed to attend. I tap my fingers impatiently on the steering will with my fingers
as I look at the time. Finally the traffic paves way for me to drive through. I get to the
company, three minutes before the meeting. The receptionist directs me to the
boardroom, when I get there, the CEO's secretary directs me into the boardroom,
where I am immediately offered some tea and muffins which I fail to eat because of
the hallow stomach feeling, which comes as a result of fear.
After a few minutes, the board members trickle in, all at once. I can feel my heart
beating hard, my temperature throbbing in my ears. The board members settle down
and the meeting starts. I am told about their investment plan and after that i ask for
some time to prepare a proper presentation. Tea is served soon after the meeting but
I leave before I eat. This is because I have lectures to attend to. I get to the University
late and I rush to my office, in some instances i even run. As i am still searching for
my keys in my hand bag, I bump into someone and their things scatter on the floor.
"I am very sorry. Busy day." I say to the individual as i help them to pick up their
staff. It's not much, just a few textbooks, a few pens and his drinking bottle.
"I really think you should look where you are going. You are inconveniencing
everyone" the individual responds as he takes away the books that I had picked from
the floor. The individual is Mr Shoko and the bloody idiot is using the words I told
him on his first day, when he collided with me and sent my things flying.... I flash a
tight smile and I respond:
"You're using my line against me. What a lazy brain" I say to him.
"It's not wrong to learn from those who have better thinking capacities." He responds.
"Mmh, quiet the learner but right now, I happen to be rushing somewhere. Can I be
excused?" I say to him.
"yeah sure." He says and he moves out of my way. I hurriedly make my way to my
office, where I open the windows and I rummage my desk for papers and text books
that I will use to administer the lectures soon after lunch time. Today is a Thursday
so I have nothing to do before lunch hour, so I will have to sit here and prepare for
the lectures, of which I have done so. The next thing to do is research for the project
at hand, my next meeting with the company's executives will be on Monday and I
would need almost the whole week for me to make them full understand the project
that they will be undertaking.
I settle down at my three sitter sofa, after making myself a cup of bush tea and i get
down to the business at hand. For this one, I will have to also consult with the big
guns in the game and that means that I will keep abreast with the Economic changes
at ground. As I research, I save the pages. There is a light knock on the door and the
knocker enters even before I get the time to say 'come in' and guess who the
individual is? It's none other than Thomas Shoko.
"You should learn to wait for responses." I say to him.
"I am really sorry for barging into your office like this but can we talk?" he asks, one
eyebrow raised upwards in question. His hands buried his pockets.
"Speak I am listening." I say to him, as i return to my work.
"i know that things are bad, no bad is an understatement. I can say that things are
terrible between us but has it come to this?" he asks.
"Come to what?" i question, faking confusion of the matter at hand.
"You, talking to me yet you are busy with your laptop?" he queries.
"It's much more important than you are right now. And please don't act like you are
something special in my life. You are nothing but an ordinary colleague so get off my
case. Say what you want to say and go." I respond venomously as i look at him
challengingly. Thomas exhales in defeat and he finally says.
"i want to apologize for the way i acted towards you. In fact, i would like to apologize
for everything. I know its too much to ask of you but will you forgive me." He says.
"Apology accepted now, if you could excuse me, I am very busy." I respond as I invest
my attention back to laptop.
"Come on Red, we both know that you are saying all this so that you can ward me
off whereas i am saying it from the bottom of my heart." He responds
"Partly yes and partly no. I am Christian and I have to forgive you and I am trying
my best to. I will also have to forgive you for my benefit. Maybe now that you have
said your sorry maybe I will try harder. Satisfied now? Thank you." I say to him as I
return back to my work. At the same time the ladies enter my office carrying lunch.
"Its lunch time! Let's hope you did not....." Vimbai trails off as soon as she sees
Thomas in my office.
"I am glad that you brought some lunch. I am famished." I say to them as I make my
way towards them to get my lunch, which is in Vimbai's paper bag.
"Good afternoon Mr Shoko. Let's hope we were not disturbing anything here."
Chiedza says.
"Well..."
"Not at all, Mr Shoko was just about to leave." I say as I go and take a seat at my
three sitter sofa, settle down and I dig into my meal.
"Well ladies. Have yourself a very good day." Thomas says as he makes his way out
of my office and closes the door behind him.
"Red tell us, what on planet earth is going on between you and Mr Shoko?" Vimbai
asks.
"He just came to apologize." I respond and I return my attention back to my meal.
"And what? He seemed pissed off when we arrived here. That did not seem like an
apology, it seemed more like an argument." Chiedza queries.
"We had a little misunderstanding but it was basically on his side. He came here to
apologize and I accepted his apology, whilst my attention was invested on my laptop.
That got him pissed." I respond.
"So, what was your response towards the matter at hand? Did you forgive him?"
Vimbai asks, her hands folded on her chest.
"Of course I forgave him but not for his benefit but for my personal benefits." I say
to them.
"Well, ladies lets drop this matter. We have some lunch to eat and absolutely no time
to talk about men who battle attachment issues." Chiedza says as she also comes to
settle down next to me. We all eat lunch as we discuss a few issues and after that
the ladies leave and I am left alone, doing my research and preparing for the
presentation that I was going to do the following week.
As hard as things were, I had to push just to get the presentation together. I skipped
church on that week. I called Ruth and the Head pastor's wife and told them that I
was not coming. But I did not state my reasons. I mean, why should I explain myself
to people as if they own me.
The day of the presentation came and I woke up early in the morning, did my usual
exercise, took a bath, dressed up and i drove straight to the company. I arrived a few
minutes before the set meeting. Like always, i was offered some tea and muffins,
which i failed to eat, due to the state that i was in. The board members arrived and
the meeting had to kick start. I was given the opportunity to present and aced it.
After the presentation, i left for the University. I had missed the usual Monday
morning briefings and the first two lectures. So i had to collect minutes from Vimbai
and again rush to my lectures.
"Sorry to disturb but can I have minutes of today's meeting." I say as i burst into
Vimbai's office breathlessly.
"The job is really cornering you. I think the best thing to do is to ask them to move
their meetings to after lunch time. That way you can be able to do some work at the
University." Vimbai says as she hands me a printed copy of today's briefing.
"That's a very good idea. I am going to speak to them and convince them to do so.
Well, thank you for the minutes. Lets meet each other at lunch. Today i am the one
who is going to pay. Have a splendid day." I say to her as i collect the print out and i
dash out of the door heading straight to the lecture hall. What a messy way to start
a day.
I kick off my shoes as i enter my office at lunch time after having a long day at the
lecture hall. I collapse lazily on my three sitter sofa and i massage my feet slowly. I
have not had a single moment to sit down since i walked into the University. So much
for working two jobs. There is absolutely no time for rest. Vimbai and Chiedza enter
my office carrying lunch and I immediately dig in. My cell phone rings immediately
and i rush to answer it.
"hello." I respond.
"Good day Miss Maruva. The company's C.E.O wants to have a one on one with you
tomorrow at two o'clock, pertaining the project that you are working on. So can you
come through tomorrow?" she says.
"Yes ma'am I will be there tomorrow." I respond.
"Thank you Miss Maruva. Have yourself a good day." The caller says and she hangs
up.
"Ahmm, ladies I have to prepare for yet another presentation tomorrow. Thanks to
you Sisi Chiedza." I say as I sit down dejectedly.
"I thought I was helping." Chiedza says defensively.
"Well, you should have consulted with me firstly before you went on and got me such
a demanding job!" I protest as I sit tiredly on my chair at my desk.
"One thing for sure, you should consider this as a blessing in disguise. It will give
you some experience, get you out of your comfort zone and paint a different more
reputable picture about your reputation." Vimbai responds.
"Hence giving a better density to your qualification." Chiedza adds.
"But it's killing me. The pressure is far too much. Because I will have to work on this
project of theirs. If anything goes wrong, it's my name at steak and I don't want the
whole country to paint my name in with wrong brush. At the other hand, I have
exams that I have to take care of. All of this weighs solely on my shoulders. I really
don't think I will be able to handle all this pressure." I respond as I cover my face
with my palms, feeling the gravity of the pressure that I am going to go through.
"Come on, Red. You are strong. You can pull through this." Chiedza says.
"My strength has got limits too. I am a woman after all." I protest as tears burn my
eyes. I always had it hard with pressure.
"You're a woman with a high intellectual capacity, a woman capable of challenging
men and beating them at their own game. A woman, who defines herself, paints her
own world and stands up for herself. You will pull through this and you will be
victorious. In this one, you will not settle for less. You will be victorious. You will
make their project become a success." Vimbai says.
"And after that, you will buy me something big with the money that you get." Chiedza
says.
"Now, let's let you work. You have a long day tomorrow at two o'clock. Have a good
day. I will call later to relieve your mind and check on your progress. Work hard. The
results will be amazing." Vimbai says as she and Chiedza pick up the empty lunch
containers and walk out of my office. I exhale tiredly as I think about today's
presentation and the reason I am being called to come and have a one on one with
the C.E.O. could it be the fact that the board members failed to lay down my
presentation to the C.E.O, who happened to be absent on the during the meeting or
its the fact that I failed to put across the message and I will have my contract
terminated. My brain tries by all means to get a reasonable answer for the questions
at hand but it's all to no avail. I abandon the thinking and I invest my time in building
a strong and more solid presentation. I get home late. I have something light for
supper and after that I collapse into bed and sleep.
After a very long day at the university, I lock my office and I drive straight to Kaamba
Holdings in town. I arrive there, just ten minutes before two and I sit patiently,
waiting for lunch time to elapse so that the meeting can begin. Finally, the C.E.O's
personal assistant leads me into the C.E.O's office, where I find the man busy with
his paperwork.
"Good day sir. Miss Maruva has arrived." The secretary says.
"Okay. Miss Maruva just give me a minute. I want to complete this paper work and
then we can start. You can be seated," the C.E.O says as he busies himself with his
paperwork.
"Can I get you something to drink?" the personal assistant asks.
"No thank you." I respond nervously. The personal assistant then leaves the office
and I am left in the silence of the C.E.O's office. Only the sound of ruffling papers is
heard as he peruses through papers looking for God knows what. The office is a large
office that is well furnished and strangely too neat to be a man's office. It's as if he
had the office cleaned for in preparation of my arrival or he is using someone else's
office because the office is just too neat and orderly to be a man's office.
"Miss Maruva, I am very sorry to keep you waiting. It's just that I had a few papers
to take care car of but that's already finished. Good day." He says as he raises his
face to face me.
"Good day how are you?" I ask as my eyes land on his face. The face looks amazingly
familiar but I can't tell where I have seen it from. Anyway people can look alike and
one can easily mix up look-alikes who are not eve related. The C.E.O however gets
down to business and we further discuss my analysis and he asks for my advice as
to whether or not the project will be a success.
"Thank you very much Miss Maruva. You know, I never thought a woman could give
us such valuable analysis. When the board members told me that they had hired a
Female Economist, I scolded them for their imprudence. No offence though but I just
have never heard of reputable female Economist. Then you Miss Maruva proved me
wrong." He says.
"Women can handle men's professions and excel too. It all takes the brain and will
power Mr..." I trail off so that he could finish because one thing for sure, I don't even
know his surname yet I have been in his company for a number of times.
"It's Mr Takawira." He responds.
"Mr. James Takawira?" I ask, my eyes popping out in question and alarm.
"Yes. The one and only." He responds. My heart literally drills through my ribs and
a hollow stomach feeling awakens in my stomach. My feet literally become weak. I
mean, why does life has to make us meet again under such circumstances! I really
hope he won't be able to identify me because he once saw my face in the light of day.
"So, I think our business here is done." He responds as he offers his hand so that I
could shake it, as a sign of sealing off the deal and I play along. One thing for sure
he does not recognize me and it breaks my heart at the same time giving me some
relief. At least my camouflage skills are excellent. I walk out of the office with a heavy
heart. I lost something I was not willing to loose and unfortunately he could not
recognize me. Me, being the woman in the equation, couldn't show him that I liked
him because it would show weakness and being a loose woman.
I get home, kick off my shoes, throw my bags on one of the sofas and I get down to
cooking some supper. Today, I decide to cook something traditional and solid. Millet
sadza and some spinach with peanut butter will do. I continue reading my novel as
the food is cooking on the stove. It's been long since I sat down to read my books and
today, I have decided to continue where I left off in the previous novel that I was
reading. After eating, washing my dishes and finishing off the marking that I had, I
head straight to the comfort of my bed.
I walk into my office, early on a Wednesday afternoon and I get down to work. The
first thing that I do is to dust up and I get down to the business of the day. My first
lecture starts at eight o'clock in the morning and my last ends a few minutes before
lunch time. I walk in the crowds of students who are heading to different directions,
I heading to my office, where the ladies will join me for lunch. I unlock the door and
I enter into the exterior of my office where I sit exhaustedly at my desk, open my
laptop and I decide to answer my emails. It's been long since I answered them, no
wonder my cell phone was bursting with missed calls from the masters' degree
students. There is a light knock on my door and I tell the person to come in.
"Good afternoon." A deep bass masculine voice says, causing me to look up from my
laptop and get the shock of my life. Its James Takawira in the flesh! What on planet
earth is he doing here and above all else, how did he get here?! I open my mouth to
return his greeting but words fail to form in my mouth.
"I brought you some lunch." He says as he makes himself comfortable on the seat
that sits opposite mine at my desk.
"How did you find me?" I question.
"You left your information at the Human Resources department and in my curiosity
I searched through your file." He responds.
"What made you so curious?" I question.
"Look, there was a woman I met a few weeks ago. We met in a weird place and in a
weird manner. She left without telling me her name. She looks and talks exactly like
you. So I was wandering if you know her." He says, causing my heart to beat faster
than normal.
"So the lunch is a manipulative scheme to get some information out of me?" I
question.
"You could say so but it's also a gift of appreciation for the job well done." He
responds.
"What is a celebration without Vodka?" I question him in an attempt to jump start
his memory. If he really knows who he is looking for, he will connect the dots and
see that I am what he is looking for.
"Vodka? Why Vodka in particular?" he questions, shock visibly displayed on his face.
"Because the woman you are looking for, likes vodka. Unless you have forgotten" I
respond. Takawira looks at me suspiciously and I smile maliciously. It seems like he
doesn't even know what he is looking for.
"You are the woman I am looking for! I can't believe it took me so long to finally get
to identify you" he says as he looks at me in amusement.
"One thing for sure, you failed to identify me. I gave you pointers with hope that they
would jump start your memory but for a while you were confused." I say to him.
"You look marvelous with that hair style." He says.
"Thank you. Tell me something, why are you looking for the anonymous woman yet
she sealed off the secret affair with a slap?" I question him.
"Because, I feel like what we had, was just the beginning of something bigger. To tell
the honest truth, I haven't stopped thinking about that woman even after I had been
slapped for God knows what." He responds.
"According to you, are you going to handle a whole woman, not a girl worse off a
woman who is an Economics professor?" I question him.
"Love will help me pull through this whole thing." He responds.
"Mr Takawira, I am a woman who cannot be handled by any man, I need a strong
man. A man who can be able to stand the tides of the raging sea." I respond.
"I am able to stand for whatever you put on the table." He responds.
"If you ever break my heart, I will mess you up. So it has to be your choice as to
whether or not you are going to take into reality this relationship that you want to
kindle." I respond.
"Why are you so insecure? Even before the relationship starts?" he asks.
"Let's just say, I have been through a lot to entrust my heart to a man." I respond.
"Well, you can entrust your heart to me." He responds.
"You seem a bit desperate and don't you think desperation makes you think
irrationally despite the warnings that I am giving you?" I question.
"All the beautiful and worthwhile women are a bit too difficult to get. So think I will
be able to handle the heat, so long I get you in the end." He responds.
I open my mouth to protest but then Vimbai and Chiedza burst into the room
together carrying some lunch. And now I have to introduce this man to the ladies
and its going to be very dramatic.
"Let's hope we are not disturbing anything?" Vimbai says as she looks at Takawira.
"No, not at all. Come in." I say to them.
"And who are these?" Takawira whispers to me.
"Well, Ladies meet Mr Takawira. He is the C.E.O for Kaamba Holdings. Mr
Takawira these are my best friends." I introduce the unknown parties to each
other.
"Nice to meet you ladies." Takawira says as he stands up to greet Vimbai and Chiedza
who seem too flabbergasted to react normally but luckily they attack the matter
professionally. Takawira greets them and he excuses himself from the room, asking
me to accompany him to the car park. I walk him out of the door, which I close as
we walk out. We walk slowly to the car park as Takawira takes his dear time to
pamper me with hopes and sweet words that make me blush uncontrollably. One
can never separate men and words. Men use words so skillfully; they make you believe
impossible things. And we the women play along even though we know we are being
fooled.
Finally we reach his expensive car and we stand under the shed of the parking lot,
standing opposite each other. Takawira takes my hands into his big warm manly
hands that almost envelope my long thin fingers. He looks into my eyes and for some
time, I return the stare until at last I break the eye contact and look down in
embarrassment that is foreign to my code of conduct. Noticing this, Takawira
chuckles childishly, in the process pulling my body close to his. I use my hands as
a barrier to space between our two bodies.
"What's with the insecurity?" Takawira asks as he looks at me, our faces so close to
each other. The distance is caused by my neck that is pulled backwards to avoid
being too close.
"We are in a public space." I respond and my voice comes out as a husky whisper.
"So? Who hasn't seen a man and woman spending some quality time together?" he
asks. The bass of his deep voice vibrates on my stomach and sends shivers running
down my spine. My heart beats hard and fast. The way my body is responding to this
man surprises me. I mean, I have met this man before and we even got to the extent
of bedding each other but here I am today, feeling like a young school girl who is
experiencing love for the very first time in her entire life.
"You look so beautiful when you stare. So innocent, so seductive" Takawira says,
snapping me out of my thoughts. I look at him in the face, shorting my sight to only
him, with the sole intention to answer him and tell him how wrong this gesture we
are doing here is but even before I have the chance to formulate any words, his hand
slides downwards from my neck, slowly to my back and he makes it go slowly towards
my shoulders. The thin and body hugging fabric of my t-shirt material dress does no
justice to my body. It makes me feel each stroke as it moves up wards. Where his
hands pass, I feel tingles of indescribable feelings. This causes my heart to beat faster
and the butterflies in my stomach to flap their wings faster. As soon as his hands
touch the bare skin on my neck, I inhale sharply. Finally his hand comes to rest on
my cheek and his face levels with mine. He leans his forward onto mine, such that
the tips of our noses touch each other. He slowly rubs his nose onto mine, in the
process causing my temperature to take a sudden spike. He shifts his head to the
side and his cold lips come into contact with mine. I open my lips slowly and let the
skin of my eye lids close over my eyes leisurely in anticipation of a kiss. Takawira
teases my lips with his thick lips, causing my breathing to spike and my
covetousness for him to breed, in the process making me a bit light headed. Takawira
continues to tease my lips with his lips. He pulls my lower lip down wards with his
lips and he stops, he goes on to pull my upper lip upwards with his lower lip and
these gestures make me desperate and want him to devour my lips with his. He
matches his lips to mine and they lean on each other gently. For a moment we
breathe the same breath. Suddenly he moves his mouth away to my cheek, his warm
breath caressing my skin and deepening my desire for him and he plants a light kiss
on my cheek and again his trail of warm breath, fleshy lips tenderly touching my
skin, makes its way to my mouth and he lightly sucks on my lower lip and he pulls
away from my face. Withdrawing his hands from my body. I open my eyes in alarm.
"I don't want you to ever get enough of me. For today, I will torture you with this
memory and suspense so that you can think of me the way I do of you. Have yourself
a lovely day." He says as he turns to his car. Leaving me standing in amusement, my
heart and body longing for him and my head light, my knees weak and my breathing
high. I turn on my heel and walk back to my office where a mouth watering lunch
and two information-eager women await me.
I open the door only to find, Vimbai and Chiedza sitting at my three sitter sofa eating
the lunch. As I open the door, their eager eyes look at me and Vimbai breaks the
silence.
"I am sure he is not just a colleague. Tell us the story behind Mr Takawira's visit that
was shot lived by our coming." She asks soon after clearing her throat.
"What do you want to know, besides the fact that Mr Takawira is the CE.O of the
company that I did some consultancy work for?" I question as I join them at the sofa.
At the same time, up my lunch which is patiently waiting for me on the small coffee
table.
"The fact that Mr Takawira has fallen hard for this monument of a woman. I mean,
he even came to visit you personally." Chiedza adds.
"Ladies, don't get ideas, Mr Takawira was just here to talk about business and
nothing else. Okay. Now let's bury this subject matter and have our lunch." I
respond as I hungrily dig into my meal. I am thoroughly famished.
"Okay, fine. Since you don't want to tell us what is going on, it's fine. I will personally
call Takawira and scheme him. I will play as if I am you. If there is an affair, he will
react like so. if not then so be it." Vimbai responds and I open my eyes in fear.
Vimbai can do it, so I will have to tell her the truth before things get out of hand.
"Okay, okay! Yes we are having a relationship. We met way before the consultancy
job at his company." I say to them.
"Don't tell me! So were you.....?" Vimbai asks. Her eyes wide open in anticipation. I
exhale audibly, gearing myself for the worst. I would have to tell them the whole
encounter but one thing for sure; I will not tell them that I had sex with Takawira.
It would make me look like a loose woman of which I also acted like one.
"No. Takawira and I were seeing each other way before our paths crossed on the
professional plain. The relationship ran for some time but I did not tell him my name
or my address. So it kept me as an anonymous party. I thought we were fooling
around but he was serious." I explain.
"So, right now, how do you feel? Are feeling anything for him or he is still trying to
penetrate the thick muscles of your heart that is cosseted by sober reason, common
sense and feminine pride, in the process rendering you adamant even to a mutual
feeling." Chiedza says.
"I tried to play hard to get for some time but the more we met, the more, he proved
worthy. And yes I feel something for him" I respond. I say the last words of my
sentence in a low tone that comes out as more of a whisper. Vimbai and Chiedza
scream in delight.
"Finally! You are going to get someone who is going to make you feel special.
Someone who is going to keep you on your toes." Vimbai says. The ladies talk about
how love is going to change me, forgetting the very fact that I once had a relationship
with Mr Shoko, right under their noses but none of them noticed and I have been
bedding Takawira for some time and none of them picked up the scent of the
emotional changes that were happening in my life.... but then on the other hand, I
might try to justify myself by saying that I can mask my emotions, yet I overlook the
setting of the above relationships and the circumstances by which they were
conceived. My previous relationships were all a result of secrecy and so I had to play
along and conceal any loop holes that can give away the very existence of those
affairs. Mr Takawira on the other hand, wants to mark his territory in the public
eye. To me, it's not a pleasing move but because my hope it's worth it.