Tainted Hearts

chapter one

What do people have against Africa. You hate African Americans because they have a touch of Africa in them. In China, Africans were accused of being carriers of the Corona virus and kicked out of their homes, subjected to forced testing even when they had no risk. I can give many more examples but tell me really what do you guys have against Africa?😐
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Mwiza looked at the lifeless body that lay at her feet. She couldn't believe her father had died at the ripe age of 54.

As his eldest daughter, it was her duty to prepare her father's body for the ceremony, in less than two hours her father's body was to be butchered and eaten by the villagers with her mother, Belinda, taking the first bite.

She wished she could give him a proper Christian burial, like the one Aunt Mary from the city had been given, but she knew that was impossible for christianity and any other religion that contradicted the elders was forbidden in the village of Bonomali.

All her life, she had been told that the God of their ancestors was all great. That women were meant to be submissive and men were always right. She had been told that the elders knew it all and they could never be wrong but when she went to Lusaka for Aunt Mary's funeral, she learnt that the truth was far from what she had been taught.

She had learnt about a God of mercy, a God who said everyone was equal in his eyes, a God who condemned majority of the traditions of Bonomali, one who said husbands were supposed to love their wives and not abuse them.

From then on she had become a born again Christian, praying only late at night when she was sure the whole village had gone to sleep. She made a mental note to pray for her father's soul later that night.

Her father lay naked in front of her, his body lathered in the cheap washing powder they had bought specifically for the funeral.

She knelt down and began cleaning, the rough stones from the sandy floor hurting her knees.

As she scrubbed, her tears mixed with the washing powder. It was a hot afternoon, on a normal day like this she would have been out swimming by the river with her friends.

She started with his feet, scrubbing them mercilessly as tears poured out of her eyes. She moved on to his scarred legs. Black spots were littered across his legs as proof of all the accidents he has encountered in his life time

She traced the large scar just under his knee with her fingers. She had been with him when he had gotten it.

He had gotten it two years ago when he saved her life. Mwiza and Belinda were going to wash  by the river, Mainza decided to accompany them because he had nothing better to do.

While her mother and father talked, Mwiza had decided to get started on Washing. She hadn't noticed the crocodile that swam under water, awaiting it's next meal.

She hardly had anytime to respond when she noticed it. It bit her leg and prevented her from swimming away.

Mainza acted quickly and began hitting it with a stick he had found on the floor. Mwiza swam out of the water the second it's jaws had released her feet.

Just as he was running out of the water, the crocodiles claws scratched him, leaving a long ugly scar. Mainza had barely managed to escape.

They would often laugh about how the both of them had matching scars. She cried even harder as she remembered all the memories they had together.