Lost. At Home

Lost. At Home - Chapter 1

"I hope your bags are packed, Dabwiso." Mom's words seemed to echo through the hard concrete walls. "Ndiwe mwana wabwanji? At least set an example for your little one" she went on. Dabwiso always had a love-hate relationship with his mother and his estranged father who had a second family no one knew about. And so, he would often snap at his mother, as a way to justify his outrage for an absent father and his gross bigamy. Dabwiso's mom, Matilda, realized this and always hoped she would live to tell her side of the story to her disgruntled, teenage son. Even when he'd burst out and call her names, she'd calmly and lovingly, not mind his condescending sentiments. As if to atone for his father's errors. That was Matilda's life, one of always picking up someone else's pieces; the good Samaritan. Dabwiso thought that made her naïve and always made his thoughts known.

It was March of 2010, Dabwiso, his mom, and sister, Dina was leaving for Kaoma. His mom had just been deployed as a nurse and they were about to start a new life. As reality dawned on Dabwiso's mind, he wished that he could freeze time. That, for just a moment, he could pause and take it all in; and maybe flirt with his imagination long enough that his reality became fiction.

Dabwiso had so much going on for himself. He had just started grade 9. He was top of his class, made amazing friends, and even liked a girl. You see, because this was his seventh different school in just 9 years, he often found it hard to acquaint himself with his new surroundings. And how he was about to be thrust into a whole new place. A different language, culture, and everything else. He simply couldn't fathom starting all over again.

Making their way to the bus terminus, they constantly brushed their bodies against hawkers and call boys. Dabwiso couldn't stand the space around him. The air was damp and humid and disgusted him. Nevertheless, he knew he had to be there for his mother and sister. They were all he had and he was all they had. He had to be a man now. Maneuvering his way through the oncoming rush of human traffic, Dabwiso knew his life was about to change – and drastically. Arriving at the bus station, they quickly flashed their tickets and made their way to their seats. They were an hour early and had to wait for the bus to fill up. Such was Matilda's doing, she always made known to her children the importance of time. "Five minutes early is late," she'd always say. Maybe that was why Dabwiso had a sense of urgency around him; always on the go – a restless soul. After a moment of deafening silence, mom asked, "anyone hungry?"

Starting all over felt second nature to Dabwiso, but this time it was different. He was leaving behind a life he had just begun to enjoy. For the first time in years, there was a sense of normalcy to his family and environment. But Quoting Murakami, "[fate is] like a small [internal] sandstorm that keeps changing directions. [There is no escaping it."] And fate had other plans. With the bus raving as it left the congested station, He and his mom began to wonder what kind of world awaited them at their destination...