When Two Elephants Fight

Part 2: The great betrayal

Things were very cosy between me and my dad after he returned. We would exchange letters on a weekly basis. He would tell me about his other family and how they are eager to meet me. I was very happy at such developments and the relationship we had that l was even planning on visiting them someday. I know my mother will give me grief about it but l was willing to give it a shot. We became so close with my dad that l was even telling him how l spend a certain day, what l ate on a certain occasion and the marks l got on my tests. He would always praise me saying , "That's my Mamoyo!!. Show them that you are a great Moyo, the great Rozvi descendant". I couldn't be much happier after hearing such praises. Especially when he used clan praises like that. That was what l had been dreaming about for a long time, to be called by my clan name ,Mamoyo. I finally felt a sense of belonging. I felt that although there was noone to call me Mamoyo at family gatherings at Mr Khosa's, there was somewhere l belong. I dreamt of being among my own people one day where we will hold family gatherings and calling each other by clan names. I also told my father about the financial hardships in one of my letters and asked him to buy me some books, covers and pens if he could. I wrote that after exchanging so many letters with him. I wanted to get to know him first before opening up to him about our problems. When l had made sure that he really cared for me thats when l wrote that letter asking for stationary and eagerly waited for his usual replies which l would obviously get every Monday.
The cycle was that he would write the letter towards weekend and gave it to Mr Shava who will give it to his wife when he goes home for weekends and the wife would give it to me on Monday.
The following Monday l woke up filled with a positive vibe. I was happy that l would get the things l asked for from my father. Surprisingly l spent the whole morning anticipating a messenger from Mrs Shava's class but there was none. " I guess she is busy and will send for me at breaktime", I thought to myself. Breaktime finally arrived and still no word from Mrs Shava. I didn't want to think that there was something wrong. No infact l thought about it but l didn't want to believe it. We went back to class after breaktime and l told myself that she was busy in the tea room so she couldn't find time to send someone for me. I spent the whole time from breaktime to lunch time very uneasy. I didn't know what to make of the whole situation. Am sure my father had send something and l always looked forward to hearing from him and l was getting impatient by Mrs Shava's indifference to my situation. If only she knew how eager l was for those letters and the stationary she would have send someone first thing in the morning. The bell finally rang to signal lunch time and l literary ran out of the classroom to catch Mrs Shava before she went to lunch. Mr Shumba, my teacher was too quiet to even bother. I liked him for that. He just stayed like he never saw me running out in the middle of his lessons.
When l reached Mrs Shava's class l was panting and gasping for breath . I  caught her before she had left for lunch. I told her that l came for my letter and things and she gave me that look. The look l had forgotten about. That look l had buried deep down in my thoughts and was glad l would never experience again because things were good between me and my father. She just heaved a sigh and told me that my father didn't send anything. He got my letter but he didn't reply or send anything. She told me that her husband even told my father that he was going home in case he wants to send another letter to me as usual but apparently my father replied that he had send enough.
I was weak to the bone. I felt lost and betrayed. I thought things were going smoothly. I thought l was finally going to be a normal girl with a normal relationship with her parents though they weren't living together. I was very hurt that my father was fed up already and wanted nothing to do with me. I blamed myself for asking about stationary. I thought that l drove him away by asking and expecting so much from him.
After lunch l was always in a sour mood. If l had a friend l would have found someone to vent on but luckily l didn't have anyone l would call a friend. I wanted to curse and cry but they only person l could do that with is my mother who didn't even know that l was talking to my father. I couldn't tell my mother about how l felt because she would just rub salt on my wound by telling me that serves me right for expecting nobility from a jerk like my dad. I just kept eveything to myself and went home.
When l got home l was greeted by a sullen figure of my mother who looked more depressed than l was. I didn't know what happened to her and why did it have to be both of us same day. I asked her what the matter was and she said she was summoned to court the following day. She said my father has applied for custody and she needs to go there and fight him so that he wont take me. I was very confused. My father said he wouldn't write me any more letters but he was fighting for custody. And if he wanted to live with me would l really want to leave my mother and go? The answer to this question was definitely no. I have been with my mother since day one and though l would have liked having a father, l wouldn't want to leave my mother for him.
My mother came back from court the following day angry as hell. When l asked her what happened in court she responded me with two hot slaps across the face. "You fool, what have you done? How can you be so naive? Did you think that was love?" I didn't know what she was talking about but whatever it was, it was pretty bad.
I later found out that my father used the letter that l wrote him to discredit my mother in court and fighting for my custody. He took the letters to court stating that since my mother got married  she is not taking good care of me as she is preoccupied by her marriage. He showed the whole court the letter where l was asking for books from him and for that he wanted to take me and cancel the maintenance fee that was taken by my mother. I wasn't sure why he was making a fuss about that mediocre amount that wasn't even enough to buy a pencil. My mother hadn't filed for any increase for a long time and it was very strange of him to act that way over some worthless cents. My mother was very angry at me for double  crossing her and she kept being angry for some days. Mr Khosa tried begging her to forgive me but she wasn't taking any of it. She went on and on about how humiliated she felt for losing the case and she couldn't forget the smirk on my dad's case when he won. So it was decided in court that after l was done with grade seven, I was to start my Secondary education in my father's custody.