Twelve years clocked down behind serving fourteen years of hard labour. Just staying for this time, prison life taught me a good carriage. One day, I woke up after having a nightmare where Raima was seen dead with a baby in her hands. My eyes sleepily opened then the mouth drew clutched thin air. A smell of blood flew in my nose accompanied by splitting pains on the forehead. When I tried to stand up, blood trickled from my nose. I stared the rusting iron sheets of such dilapidated room. The ventilation was not coping well with acrid smell that originated from one of the full toilet pits just close to this cell. Many people were detained for defilement, abduction of human private parts and theft. But majority of prisoners were the youths.
"It's time to work!" One of the guards yelled. He had a very sharp noisy voice like a male crowing crested cobra. The guards ordered us to be on a queue as if it was at Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC). We were given tools such as hoes, peaks and axes. Fortunately, I was given an axe similarly to Mbuya. Both of us were detained for defilement. A witchdoctor instructed us to sleep with a five years old child in order to be rich.
"Today, am completely not feeling good," I dropped the axe and sat down.
"You don't need to work anymore. Your body needs to rest so just relax. Am gonna tell them," Mbuya replied then went to inform the four prison guards who were
chatting at a few distance as my heart thumped harder.
"Hey Jayson, what's wrong?" The female guard asked me.
"I am not so sure but just feeling some dizziness," she grabbed my hand and I stood up.
"Let's go to office because Joanna and other friends will make hospital
arrangements," she said. I followed her while other prisoners jeered and whistled a whistling song on their lips. Having rounded hips made Janet the most attractive
female guard at Kalulu Prison.
"Give her twins and if you fail us, we gonna give you mchape and gondolosi!
(Manhood enlargement herbals)" Janet looked back but she did not see the guy who spattered such words. All inmates uncontrollably laughed. The more I stepped over,
the more blood smell flew in my nose. Darkness covered my eyes and just found myself at the hospital surrounded by police officers. I realized that on my right hand there was a drip of blood. The odor of drugs completely reasoned it was in a ward.I stayed in the ward for three days then returned to the prison cell. I was warmly welcomed by Mbuya and other friends who assured that everything will be alright. I closed my eyes to figure out all prison tortures. Instead of concentrating on what Mbuya was saying, a picture of my late aunt appeared on my sight. I remembered one night how she lovely advised me after coming home late from Raima's birthday party. Tears trickled down when memories about her refreshed and seeped along my cheeks just like the unusable water of Shire River into Zambezi. It was first time to shed tears after landing on this hell on earth residence. Even though we were not related by blood, she loved me as her own son.
"You need to concentrate on your studies not just walking up and down. Reminisce that success requires a seed of hard work. All things are possible but not all things are prosperous," she said while placing food on the table.
"I am so sorry aunt. I went to my friend to discuss about the assignment which our lecturer have given us. Remember that we are doing online classes," I lied while under the surface of my heart, I was with Raima. You know how it is hard to see that darkness have covered the whole universe when your lover is close.
"I have been telling you that don't walk at night. You didn't read the primary school book? I gave you to read that story about the children who used to walk at night. Night is time for people to rest. Actually it is time for wild animals to hunt their prey. If
you proceed walking at night, you will meet trouble," she took a jag of water andbowel then placed again on the table.
"I will never do it again," I said with a regretful tone. My aunt lost her family on a road accident at Linthipe before we met. She was a lone survivor when their family car collided with a truck that lost control. They were going to home village, Ganda. It was too high to forget this tragedy as the great Sapitwa peak. Therefore she resigned as a manager at Kamtedza Hotel then went home to cool herself from such bitterness. Thus when we met and I was six months old, dumped by unknown young lady on abush. I grew up without knowing my real parents. My aunt tried the best for me to be a better man in future days.
When Chiphiko was narrating his story as usual in the night, I took my torn blanket and covered myself. He was a good storyteller which actually made us to sleep in late hours. The story was about how he killed the man who used to sleep with his wife. Whenever Chiphiko was away as a truck driver, the man could come and spend some days until one day he was caught. Chiphiko stabbed him deadly on the throat while the wife managed to escape.
"We will not end up here. One day, staying here will be history," Mbuya patted my back while saying these words. A dazzling image of Raima appeared again on my sight and remembered how these similar words were vibrating on her beautiful lips. On that day, I sensed that she was slipping away from my hands though we made concrete promises of ending up each other.
"I will never allow anything to rust and dilapidate our love. No matter how many years gone, will not forget you. I will come back for you. Even if I miss you, my heart cannot cease beating for you," Raima said. I hardly believed and concluded she was going for good.
"Something will delete every page of our passion in your heart. You will meet a better man than me," I said while avoiding her stare. "Your heart will shade off feelings for me just like what a baobab tree do in dry season. But I love you, Raima."
"Jayson look at me. I can't turn my back from you and forget our roots," she frowned. "I love you too."
"I don't want to lose you. I've never loved a woman more than you in my entire life," I stared in her snow eyes with thin eyebrows, flat nose and thin lips. She was the most pretty young woman I ever seen. Life without her was too hard as the Jews on their own trying to cross the Red sea.
"I need to give you something," she unzipped her handbag. My hands reached the waist then I tightly embraced her. "Close your eyes."
I obeyed but before opening, the cellphone rang from the bag. It was her father who furiously asked her location. She hurriedly kissed me then ran home. I looked at my hands where she gave me a gold necklace with gigantic R label, a wrist watch and aromatic perfume. The heart witnessed that my sunrise and sunset was indeed
going. She was going to university to study medicine while my dream to step on those corridors sank like the ancient 1912 Titanic when my aunt passed way. She was one of Chigwirizano women who died on the road accident. I had no one to pay for my school fees hence dropped out in form three. Raima tried to convince her father to be my redeemer but he denied.
"Hey young man, have a good night!" Mbuya shook me and I returned to my senses. Hatred for Raima began sprouting in my innards. I believed what Azizi said in 'Mudzakondana mpaka liti' (Until when shall you be loving each other) song.
"Good night too gentleman," I replied. When two months of Raima been at school passed, she stopped picking my calls. I tried several ways to find her but she was nowhere to think about me. It hardly last longer, Raima changed her phone number.This irritated me until I sobbed for those promises. At the end of that year, I met Chitewe my classmate at Highridge Christian Academy. He was then a third year student at Raima's school. After a long chat, I asked him if he knew Raima.