내 첫 사랑 che cha sarang - Varaidzo Melissa Chidzuu (english readers txt) 📗

brought back a sealed envelope. “He told me to give you this,” she said coldly as she handed Monica the khaki envelope. “How have you been coping?” Monica slipped the letter into her purse and sat down on the couch. “As if you really care? I’m very fine thank you as you can see I’m moving out of this place to God knows where,” she burst out in fury. “I’m very sorry about what happened. I really am,” Monica continued to apologize. “It’s my entire fault, I know. Jessie wouldn’t have killed himself if only I had forgiven him, it never occurred to me that he would go to such an extent,” she tried to hold back tears.

Dakota sat down beside her and looked down at her hands. “You were his first love and you meant the world to him. I was very jealous of what you two shared and wanted him to myself. It’s strange; I saw it in his eyes but still I kept on hoping that one day he would finally leave you and choose me,” she began in a grave voice. “Then that opportunity came when you caught us together in the bathroom. My triumph had come on a silver platter and finally we were going to be together. I can’t believe I was so obsessive of him and when he did something wrong, I was always ready to forgive him. But still he was ready to compare me to you. I was just some whore without a future whilst you were the perfect lady he wanted to rule over the Barbers’ empire with. He hurt me but…”

“You still loved him and he continued to reject you. Oh my goodness! I can’t believe that I’ve been so selfish, I had everything but you only had Jessie,” Monica gasped in remorse.

“No; I’m the one who’s been greedy and I guess I got my prize in full,” she looked at Monica and smiled. “What do you mean?” Monica asked in an anxious voice. “I’m pregnant and…”

“That’s great news! How far are you?” Monica asked excitedly. “Two months,” she managed a light laugh. “Did Jessie know?” Monica asked. “No, he wouldn’t have let me keep the baby once he found out. It would have jeopardized his future with you,” she answered sadly. “Then where do you think you are going? Stay!”

“And face the wrath of grandma Barbers? It’s not that easy kid, trust me. The sooner I leave, the better because she’ll be here in two hours time and if I’m not mistaken; my half brother Jack will be here for me in twenty minutes. It’s fixed.”

“I don’t understand,” Monica objected. “I’m HIV positive, I haven’t got enough time to live and I don’t want to be a burden to an old woman dying of her own age illnesses,” she pulled the plug on something she never knew. “HIV Positive?” Monica felt puzzled. “I know you won’t believe me but Jessie infected me. I felt betrayed at first but then I realized that there was a possibility that he didn’t know himself. I know that I’m a prostitute but I have always been careful ever since I started because I always used protection with my clients and went for tests once in three months,” she explained. “Jessie on the other hand wanted skin to skin contact, I tried persuading him at first but he threatened to leave me. He told me to get on the pill and be ready for him all the time. But he was a sex addict; he couldn’t stand my heavy periods not to mention the fact that he couldn’t spend twelve hours without sex. He slept around with plenty of women and now I have AIDS to remember him,” she wiped away the tears on her face. “You can still have a healthy baby,” Monica comforted her. “Jessie drank all my ARVs when he committed suicide,” Dakota looked at her hopelessly.

“You don’t have to worry; I’ll make sure you’re in good health. That baby is the only hope this family has,” Jessie’s grandmother entered the room through the kitchen. She had been back for a while and it was clear that she had been listening.

 

Alan stood frustrated by the corner of his mother’s bed as Itai cried her heart out to the poor helpless seventy-three year old ailing woman. “Stop this madness mother,” she kept on saying to Victoria who looked at Alan with both compassion and pain in her eyes. What did they expect him to do? He had tried everything he could think of but Shuvai was a person of strong will.

“I got here as fast as I could, Alan’s not in his…” Shuvai burst into the tense atmosphere in the room. There he was, standing by the corner whilst she had almost gone through a red traffic light in town trying to reach his office. “I can see that you finally got through to him,” she looked at Itai and then faced the floor in embarrassment. “Elizabeth,” Victoria called out to Shuvai, she always called her by her second name. “Yes, mom,” she rapidly sat down beside her. “Is it true that you’re leaving Alan?” Victoria’s question pierced her heart. She had been her mother ever since she got married to Alan, she could not answer. “If that’s a yes; I beg you my child; please don’t leave him. If you do, Adolph will lose a father and you…You’ll never be the same again,” she took hold of her hand. Shuvai looked into her eyes and realized the pain she was going through. No she did not need this, a family which was rapidly falling apart. She would not survive heartbreak; her kidneys were already doing enough. But she could not lie to her. “It’s complicated. I …I …” her eyes filled up with tears. “He took your will without your consent, he violated what you had and left you feeling empty. I know what he did to you; his father did the same to me,” Victoria shook when she said those words. “What did he do?” Itai asked; as far as memory lane went, her father was the most wonderful man she had ever met. “I caught him in bed with a man and it broke my heart,” she began. “By that time, Alan was just two months old and I had just resigned from my job at the University. I was so angry that I left the house and quickly filed for divorce. You can imagine how difficult that was for me. He tried calling me by my aunt’s house apologizing and laying before me all the disgusting things he had done as a confession but I refused and went ahead,” she paused for breath. “Ten months passed and then it hit me in the face. Albert had committed suicide. He locked himself in the garage and left the engine running whilst he drifted into a long sleep,” tears dampened Victoria’s face. Confusion was written on both her children’s faces. “What about Ernest?” Alan asked gently. “He married me three years later after your father died. He felt that it was his obligation to take care of us as your father’s twin brother. But even though we got along, we were just great friends because I couldn’t wipe off the guilt I felt. I was never the same again; mainly because deep down inside; I still loved Albert,” she closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them to look at Shuvai. “Tell me Elizabeth, if you knew the future. Would you have forgiven Albert? Is the hate that you feel for Alan now stronger than the love that you have for him?”

 

 

A month later…

Josh sat by Alice’s bedside holding her hands as he watched her breath softly. It had been a long night and she had been sedated for ten hours now. He desperately needed the men’s room but who knows when she might wake up; Dr Adeyomi, a neurosurgeon had been their last hope and he always produced results. Tired, he was about to doze off when there was a gentle knock on the door. Oh great, this is all that he needed right now!

Quietly standing up he let go of his wife’s hands and proceeded to the door. Feeling his absence, Alice opened her eyes as if she had been having a nightmare and coughed. Josh quickly ran to her side and smiled reassuringly. “Feeling better?” he kissed her. Alice just nodded and took hold of his hand. “Just a second, there’s someone at the door,” he said softly as he walked out of the room. It was the nurse who was in charge of Alice. “Sorry to disturb you but there’s a couple here to see Alice. I’ve never seen them around before so I told them that I’d ask you first,” he began nervously. “Some shameless reporters, looking for a story I guess. Well, they are going to get more if they are still sticking around that is. Where are they?” Josh demanded. “In the lobby, they’re the only people there,” the nurse hurried behind him just in case he caused a commotion.

There they were, but there were no cameras and funny looking pen recorders. It did not take Josh a full second to realize that they were foreign but they looked so familiar as if he had seen them before. May be it had been on television, yes, a South African news station perhaps. They could be having hidden cameras on their clothes. He resented the way they talked as if they were old friends of Alice, putting on the impression that they cared whilst deep inside she meant money in their fat bank accounts.

Calmly; he took a deep breath and approached the colored guy wearing dark stylish shades and an expensive looking pair of blue jeans with a brown leather jacket. Seated next to him was a black girl in a simple long floral plum summer dress carrying a matching expensive looking handbag.

When they saw him, the girl stood up and greeted him with a warm smile. One of their tricks, but he was not going to fall for them. “You must be Mr. Winters,” she stretched out her hand to shake his but he folded his arms. “Excuse me but can I be of any assistance?” he asked in a business like tone. “Well…” the colored guy stood up. “We…”

“August, you forgot your cane in the car!” A familiar face appeared all of a sudden, it was David Langley. When he saw Josh; his face lit up. “You must already be catching up I guess,” he patted him on the shoulder. “Did you just say August?” Josh asked overwhelmed, all of this was turning out to be too heavy for him. “Hey Mr. Winters, it’s been a long time; hasn’t it?” the young man flashed the unmistakable winning smile, a smiled which he had secretly envied for a long time. “August!” Josh felt his face and embraced him as tears welled up in his eyes. “I’m here to see mom,” he gave the reason for his visit. “Of course, please do come,” he quickly wiped the tears off his face. “Follow me,” he said excitedly.

August took hold of Nyarai’s hand and gently squeezed it. “Are you ready?” she asked supportively. August put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer. “I’ve never been more ready in my whole entire life.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Monica

 

How could I have ever lived without you? When you said it was over I felt like I was drowning because my life was over. I was choking; desperately gasping for your love yet you said that you did not want to see me again. I sat by the window with tears in my eyes as I watched the sun slowly setting, but I didn’t notice what was happening outside because you had the focus of my eyes, the orange sun reflected your tearful face and deep inside I