Demons of Slavery

Chapter One

Chapter One
Picking The Wrong Pocket.

I met him on a really bad day. The rain was pouring in the streets of Bulawayo and cars sped past towards home after a long day of work. Something I wasn’t sure I would ever have again.

The pavements were filthy, something that I had gotten used to in the past five years of my twenty five years of life, yet, I was still repulsed by them from time to time. They reminded me that I could have better, that I was getting the residue of what everyone was getting and no one was all that worried about it. They reminded me of the painstaking fact that I was all alone.

I stood leaning against the walls of the shops with the overlapping verandas. I waited for the time and the rain to pass so I could begin the long trek home. As the night melted into the vibrant pick hour and the verandas filled with people going home after a day of hard work, I was already contemplating the morning and how I could pass the time till then.

Being alone was like the first week at a new school. It completely sucked. The night stretched before me in looming loneliness.
He was just one of the many people who walked up and down the streets, caught up in their own lives and affairs. Too busy trying to get money to meet their monthly payments to care about anything else, even getting their money stolen in the process.

God, how I understood them all. It was all about the hustle in this world, funny that the hustle had led me here and would soon enough land their money in my pocket. A bitter smile stretched my lips slightly. Funny indeed. I needed a cigarette, it was such a boring day in the boring part of the city, down town.

He bumped into me, too busy on his phone to pay any attention, blew off a frustrated breath and left without an apology. I smiled. The best dressed ones were always the catch. I slid the wallet into the pocket of my coat and resumed my stance against the wall. I was pretty sure I was about to get that cigarette. I waited for a few more minutes in case some other moron bumped into me and sacrificed their wallet as well but all I got were irritating little shoves. I stood straight and began the walk to the nearest street hawker for a pack of cigarettes. I had taken out the wallet and was just opening it when someone grabbed it from my hand, or attempted to.

I rolled my eyes before I faced the culprit. I had been in the streets long enough to know that you never let your guard down. No matter what. Unless you were willing to fund someone’s daily expenses. The streets had become a gamble, you never counted your money on the table, that was a flat out no.

He was tall. Almost a foot taller than me. He was dressed in a pristine suit that probably cost more than I had improved to pickpocketing in a year. He had a light complexion, a defined jawline and angry eyes. He wasn’t too happy to see me. At least, he didn’t look like it.
I narrowed my eyes at him. What was his problem?

“Give it back,” he said curtly and I couldn’t resist the urge to roll my eyes at him. Where did he think he was living? The land of holy saints?

“That’s not how it works honey,” I told him before I started going through his wallet. It was loaded. I was set for days.

“I don’t care, I just_” He started to say but stopped when I glared at him. He looked almost shocked, and a tad bit scared. Good, he was starting to get annoying. I expected him to accept his fate and kindly walk away but it seemed to just not be my day.

“Have we met before?” He asked hesitantly  and it was physical torture to not roll my eyes at his stupidity. Did he honestly think I would have boldly held on to his wallet if I had known him from somewhere? Moron. I was about to snap something nasty at him when I decided to have a bit of fun.

“Oh my God! Hey Uncle Annoying! It’s been so long. Oh, and your wallet? I’m gonna hold on to it for a while, at least until it’s empty, I hope you don’t mind,” I said as obnoxiously as possible as I exchanged a bill with the hawker for a pack of cigarettes. The very best. He raised an eyebrow and took on an exasperated look that became him so well.