My Boyfriend , Atlas .

19.

*Song dedication; Beautiful by Bazzi
The house stood at the end of the sketchy neighbourhood . If not for the unavoidable noise and chattering  of little children,  one could have sworn it was deserted.   The tall windows looked thoroughly in need of renovation.  Some of them where completely broken, and stood on crutches,  others where completely shut out by wooden planks. The house itself was unpainted and a pale unattractive grey hung over it . Looking at it made me shiver , it looked like it had just walked out of a horror movie.

" are you sure that you wanna do this??" , I ask , more for me than for him .

Atlas nods   and we get out of the car and head towards the door. 

A man staggers out of the house.  He has scars. His scars are hideous looking and very displeasing to the senses . He is a man
inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace. His teeth are crooked  and his  clothes haven't been  washed for a while.  He wreaks of kachaso  with hints of urine .

" Stay away from bana Joy!!!!! " , he says swing his fists at Atlas , who ducks just in time .

The man probably in his early fifties  tumbles to the ground and lays there helplessly ..

" take take .... you young men have no respect for the old ... you even come for our wives....." , he says in a drunken blabbing.

Suddenly a woman shows up at the door.  Her face is scarred  and she has bruises on her body . Some of the bruises even look fresh . She is a handsome woman with  a beautiful wide gap between her teeth.

She smiles apologetically. 

" come in..." ,  she says briefly looking at the man on the floor .

" Woman-" , the man tries to protest .

" Tiyeni uko! " , she curses at him .

We enter the house and the situation is even worse.  The walls are cracked and the floor has potholes  and the ceiling board is slanted on one side. She offers us a sit on her brown sofas .

" We're moving soon " , she says with a  smile .

" With your husband? ....- the one we met outside?", Atlas asks.

She nods. A child comes to sit on her lap and she starts to  breast feed him .

" My Engrish Isa bard.... good?" , she says apologetically .

" So I use chewa...good ?"

We nod .

" I was born in a small village not too far from Mpongwe .....and when I became of age my father married me off to my uncle , the husband you saw today ......" , she says in Chewa, tears streaming down her cheeks, " life with him was bad , almost unbearable   sometimes we didn't have food for two weeks because of his drinking problem... and we had to depend on scraps of our neighbours .... one of my children even died that year from malnutrition....."

Atlas nods for her to carry on .

" until I got a job at your place ...  and I met you ......you were a vibrant child..full energy and life .....and I soon began to desire you" , she turns her face to hide her sobs, " forgive me Chonde! .... I was young and I craved comfort from you ...abuse is the great unmentionable  that has scarred so many and has stored up tragedy  for years ahead .. I didn't mean to damage your life that.....look at me! ....I'm old and ugly ....and maybe I did it to escape the pain ...... of a young marriage.. I was only 15 ...and that man.....he raped me! ......" , she breaks up into a sob  .

Atlas and I  go to her and hug her.  Her child is looking at us with puzzled  eyes.

" I'm Sorry ......." , she mouths  to him .

" I forgive you ", he mouths back .

***
We drive up to the banks  of the river  and park there .  Atlas is smiling at me  .

" what ", I tell him

" I have a surprise for you miss Hogwarts....." 

He slips his arms over my eyes and leads me out onto the river side .
" one ....two three ..... okay open your eyes now ...."

I open my eyes and I'm surrounded  by the most beautiful paintings ever . Tears start rolling down my eyes , what ever did I do to deserve this man.
" There so beautiful  .."   ,I say between sobs .

" That one " , he says point to one of them , " was a candid  sketch of the first time I saw you in Therapy , you looked so cute ...."

I look around theres one about our first kiss ... and one about the incidents at blue pink Sahara .... i can't believe he managed to capture every moment we've shared in sketches... it's so picturesque.

Then suddenly I notice  one that isn't unveiled.

" What about that one ?" , I ask him .

" oh you have to unveil that one yourself.. "

My heart is beating wildly.  What if I don't like the painting? Will he be disappointed? What if everything is too overwhelming. 

" go on ...." , he urges.

I quickly unveil it and at first glance I scream . The words , "WILL YOU MARRY ME "  are written in cursive over the canvas .

“

You're the love of my life, and I wanted to be sure you wanted to marry me, just as sure as you  needed to know that I truly wanted to marry you ” , he says , " What do you say , Nana Banana,  will you marry me ? "

" yes " , I say in choking tears.

"Yeah ??" , he says with a grin.

" yeah....." , I say .

" five points for Griffindore...."

He engulfs me in an embrace and he hugs me tight .Neil hillborn once said , " the future has been to war but now it is coming home..."  . Yeah , I felt that .

We remain like that for a while when we hear voices . Voices of men  and the bark of dogs  .

" He's over here ! ..." , one of them screams.  They're policemen and they look the opposite of happy . They are unhappy.

One of them grabs Chonde violently  and cuffs him .

" Mr Chonde Phiri , you are under  arrest for the murder of  Sakwhima J . Phiri .... you have the right to remain silent ...anything you say,  can and will be used against you in the court of law..." , he says .