Lost and Curious

Chapter 01

Jumping on the bandwagon was not her type of reasoning; she always stood firm on everything she did or said. Mounting herself onto the table from her wooden chair, Theresa began to express herself so gently, which captured everyone’s attention. That was her first defiance strategy when dared by workmates. To her, this had already become an approved combat tactic since she always differed from public opinion.

“You know there are certain moves in my life that I made out of choice. I had no other decisions to rely upon, and perhaps that explains why I attended certain schools or even joined the police. Being in the police wasn’t my dream. However, when the opportunity came I grabbed it, I couldn’t turn it away. Though I didn’t like it at first, I eventually did. That was my number one key to happiness – to like what I do. Surely it wasn’t my wish to be a cop, but the circumstances leading to my upbringing made me appreciate the job. I don’t think if I grew up differently I would become a cop even in the wildest of my dreams.” She said this gesturing with her hands to her office mates after someone had asked why she was too strict in her handling of work-related matters.

“Unlike you Matsika, you are out every time because you don’t want to be here, and you never liked to be here. We work together in the same office, but you just appear and disappear like a shooting star. Friend, just quit this job if it’s not for you.” Everyone in the office burst into great amusement. Matsika removed a ball pen that was clipped between his lips and tried to defend himself.

“It’s not exactly like that guys. Many times I’ll be out because of this job. Mind you the bosses choose me on almost all missions that involve going out, as if I’m the first born, but you know… deals come along the way and I’ll obviously have to mix. I really like…” he could not control the laughter. For sure doing something that you don’t enjoy is a pure waste of time. Common literature suggests that if you have a passion in something, then make it your profession and work will become play. If you have a talent, a God given gift – then it must benefit you, harness it. After laughing, even at himself, Matsika was curious to know Theresa’s background. Probably everyone in the office was. All eyes and ears were on her as if she was on the most wanted list.

“So you mean you only had one option? What about other jobs like being a teacher, a nurse, a waiter or something like that?” Matsika asked.

“Well, I was a house girl then, but I don’t call it like that, the truth is I was a slave, working for some witch master in Chitungwiza. Initially I didn’t have any other alternative than to just accept it that way. However, fate had its own vision. The day I made this decision I had two options, to remain a slave or to join the police. The latter was as difficult as trying to get out of a ditch without a rope. Fortunately, the rope came through my teacher.”

“Hey it must be a very interesting story, I will need the whole day to interview you my friend,” Said Sibanda, the youngest female officer in the whole station.

“Interesting?” Theresa looked at her in surprise, “You have no idea, babe, I will explain to you” After a few minutes, everyone in the office began to prepare to knock off, for it was already past 5 in the evening. 

Theresa was a beautiful young lady, probably in her mid 20s.  Relatively light complexion, round face, big rabbit-like eyes, and a diastema composed her facial look. Theresa was short in stature, one of those who would be nicknamed ‘meal prayers’. Some of her close friends even called her a minion. In her oversized uniform Theresa looked very funny, but she liked it for two reasons. Firstly, it gave her confidence to walk in whatever step she liked especially in front of men and secondly, she didn’t want her male workmates to get befuddled. She was well known for being a ‘woman of her word’ on all work-related matters. Theresa gave no room for any kind of bribery or corruption, and she stood fast on that. She stayed alone in Rujeko A, Masvingo where she was renting since she started working. Her life story was not so cool, and her background was tough. Theresa’s parents divorced when she was too young to really digest what it meant to her present and her future. Soon after they separated, her mother, Penny, became incapacitated and donated her to a children’s home where she grew up. Penny then later died when Theresa was 14, still too young to dig deep into the consequences. When she became of reasonable age, Theresa was curious to know everything about her parents, but no one seemed to have useful information for her, except a teacher at the children’s home who was convinced Penny was not her real mother. This source could confirm that Penny’s husband ill-treated her to the extent of having a daily time-table of beating her up. That was hell of a marriage. Theresa even doubted this; she barely believed anything she heard about her family. She told herself if someone was not her real parent, then it was supposed to be her father. She was judging from how she was told he treated her mother, Penny, and how he left them two with nothing to survive on.