Rutendo pushed her little brother under the table, covering his ears with her hands. The noise in the house was getting too much, the words too raw and not suitable for a six year old's ears. Her parents were at it again. She already knew what was coming. She had been through it so many times, but somehow, it just kept on getting worse.
"I am your husband, woman! I paid for you. Your parents ate my money for you to come and disrespect me in my own house? You sleep with every cat and dog in this village.You are a whore!" Her father said, his voice slurred. He was even struggling to balance himself because of how drunk he was.
Rutendo's mother laughed, a loud mocking laugh. "So you want me to wait for you? When was the last time you touched me? You can't even get it up! You don't know how to fuck. Do you want your beer to fuck me? Will your blacklabel make me cum? Sometimes i wonder why i married you. I regret that day with everything in me."
Rutendo closed her eyes, their words echoing in her ears. She didn't even know if her parents still remembered that they had kids. All they did was get drunk and fight. Her mother was worse because she would sleep with different men everyday. The entire village hated them because if her mother's behaviour.
"The only thing you know is to eat and get fat. Your vagina is rotten. It's carrying the whole village's sickness. I am sure you are now a well down there. I am sure every dick that gets inside that rotten vagina gets lost. Sies, man! You disgust me."
Rutendo's mother (Brenda) clapped her hands once. "Nywe nywe nywe! Two minutes, man! Nxla."
"What did you say? What did you say to me?" Trymore (Rutendo's father) asked, trying to sound firm but failing dismally.
"Two minutes, man! There! I have said it. What are you going to do? Hit me? I would like to see you try."
Rutendo's tears rolled down her cheeks, her hands still covering her brother's ears. This was what they went through every day. All her parents knew was to insult and fight each other. They didn't even care that they had children that needed to eat. Rutendo was the one who worked in people's fields so they could have food at home. She worked for money and food. Sometimes, her father would take it all to go and buy traditional beer if she doesn't hide it well.
She was only 14, but she had taken the role of looking after her younger brother, Mike. She was the one who bought his clothes, food and everything a child his age needed. She wanted him to have a better life than she did.
Rutendo flinched as she heard the noise of shattering glasses followed by her mother's screams.
"You want to kill me? Ndiuraye kwacho. Uraya! Ndizvo zvaunongogona ka? Kungondirova every day!" Brenda said in between her sobs. (Kill me! Isn't it what you are good at it? Beating me everyday.) That was a lie. Brenda was the one who usually beat her husband to a pulp. He had scars all over his body to prove it.
"You think you can insult me in my house? I will kill you. Do you hear me? You will die by my hands." He said, pointing her with his index finger. He clicked his tongue as he watched blood dripping from Brenda's head. He kicked her a few times on her stomach while she cried helplessly.
**
"Mike, let's go." Rutendo whispered in his ear. She didn't want to wait around so her father could beat them too. It wasn't anything new. It had happened before, more than once.
She held Mike's hand and snuck out of the house, the cold biting their skin. The cold air clung to Rutendo's skin like a damp cloth, seeping into her bones and making her shiver.
The drizzle cast a misty veil over the surroundings, chillling the air with a clammy dampness that seemed to seep into every pore. The tiny droplets of rain prickled against her skin, sending goosebumps rippling down her arms and legs.
She breathed in as the cold air stung her lungs, making her cough slightly. It hadn't even been long since they stepped outside, but she was already feeling numb. She wondered how Mike was feeling if she felt like that. Maybe she should have taken a sweater for him and shoes, but she didn't have time for that. She couldn't spend another second in that house and risk getting a beating for something she didn't even know.
"Sis Ruru, i am cold."
She was freezing too, but she had to be strong her brother. "Let's go to Mai Mitchell's house. She will let us sleep at her house."
Rutendo piggybacked Mike and went to their neighbor's house. She knocked on the door and waited as the cold breeze cut through her thin dress, making her shiver even more. She sniffed and wiped her runny nose.
The door cracked open, and Mai Mitchell stepped out in a warm, pink gown and socks. She folded her arms to her chest and stared at them with so much attitude.
"Rutendo, did you even check the time? It's a little past 11. Some of us want to sleep."
Rutendo swallowed, tears filling her eyes. "Please help us. We just need somewhere to sleep. Our parents.... they are..." she sniffed, unable to continue. She didn't even know why Mai Mitchell was asking her all those questions. Usually, she just led them inside and gave them food and a room to sleep in because she knew their situation back at home. They lived a better life than them. They had a beautiful house and they even owned a car.
"So you can seduce my husband? Do you think i don't know this little game you are playing at? You are just like your mother. I can not help you. Go back home."
"Mama pl -"
Mai Mitchell got back in the house and shut the door in their faces before she finished talking.
Tears rolled down her face as she looked around. It was so dark and cold. Mai Mitch was her last hope. Where was she going to go? Going back home was not an option.
"Sis Rutendo, i am cold." Mike said, shivering on her back.
"I am sorry." She whispered, supressing sob from escaping her mouth. She walked around the yard and went to an abandoned hut at the back of the yard. She opened the door and sighed, relieved as the door cracked open. At least it wasn't locked.
She walked in, and the smell of goat pee and dung hit her nostrils, making her wrinkle her nose in disgust. But it was better than being out in the cold. She gently set Mike down on the dusty floor, trying not to think about the dirt that covered almost every inch of the hut.
She sat down and pulled Mike to her lap. "Sleep, okay. You have school tomorrow and i don't want you to be late."
Mike nodded, closing his eyes. He was so cold that she wondered if he would make it through the night. She pulled him closer so she could warm him with her body. He was such a peaceful child. Its like he understood their situation because he never asked many questions. He only did as he was told.
Rutendo closed her eyes, wondering how their future would be like. What was going to become of her or her brother? She didn't want to die in the village, working in people's fields.
She knew she should be at school, but she dropped out after her parents failed to pay for her school fees, not like they cared anyway. The school sent her back home until she stopped going all together.
Her gaze lingered on Mike's face. She didn't want him to have life like hers. She wanted him to grow up and make something for himself. She was going to work hard and try to give him a better life. Thoughts of becoming a maid once crossed her mind, but she couldn't leave him alone with their parents.
She sighed as she leaned on the wall and closed her eyes. Tomorrow was yet another day.