Your First Can Never Be Your Always

Chapter 17

The man looked nothing like a reliable source. He was too focused on the car and the fancy lights. It was hard to capture his attention after a few distractions. He avoided letting the windows down because he hated being the name in everyone's mouth. He was a simple man living a slightly corrupt life just to make ends meet.

''Fifteen years ago relatively around the time my wife and l moved to this town after I lost my job in the City of Kings, we fell into a hellhole after I thought we had found a quiet place since we sought a peaceful life,'' he paused to admire the beauty of the setting sun. It was breathtaking. He did not stop talking because of the beauty before him but because of the memory and the feeling it brought back when it was hard for him and his wife to find a place they could afford for them to have a roof over their heads.

''Talk baba we have no time,'' he spoke in Ndebele so the man could understand him well too. Olivia was surprised and also impressed by his appreciation of the native language. He was quite fluent in it than Olivia ever thought. She looked at him one last time trying to convince her body that a few moments ago his tongue had been tasting her flesh and she loved it.

''There was a family that lived down our street that caught everyone's love. The woman was a hard-worker and the man was the exact opposite. I had just knocked off from work minding my business as always,  when there was a trickle of smoke ascending to the mists of the clouds. The smoke broke from a fire in their house. It was blazing and out of control, burning down their assets along with the woman's mother-in-law who was trapped amidst the living hell because of her blind eyes and deafness."

Olivia was palpitated in fear. No doubt this sounded like her mother's actions. Toby failed to reassure her and give her hope for the better. The truth was a heavy burden to carry.

''A few weeks later newspapers reported that it was the husband' fault. Apparently he had a mental disorder called Dementia and was admitted to a psych ward in Mpilo Hospital for over two years leaving his wife to take care of their children. Turn left,'' he instructed Toby who was behind the wheel now.

''Children?'' he inquired just to be sure of the facts.

''Two daughters and their eldest son.'' Olivia had no remembrance of a brother but had a small room for happiness upon the news.

When the men proceeded Olivia's heart pondered heavily as though she was not taking the news as well as she had imagined she would. Her body was weak and her soul lacked motivation.

''Two years later the woman relocated to a new home she built from the ground a distance away from the ashes of their old home. She attended to her husband and children's needs without the help of anyone. Many people suggested she should remarry and find better love elsewhere but she could not do it. In 2008 during the Great Depression worldwide, the economy dropped to the ground. Everything was just terrible!'' he exclaimed taking his time with his speech. He wanted the ride more than to tell the story that has haunted him all his life.

''He was discharged and he sent back home where his demons haunted him even more. He scared everyone, even myself. Dying in a fire is not easy.'' Shakes his head ''He said he had been seeing things. We all thought he had been over the trauma but we were proved wrong. Its a small town and everyone got scared. Fortunately for him he had a good wife. She was there for him and made things better. Turns out that we were wrong about him again. It was alcohol and prostitutes that silenced his demons. He is a big, violent and a traditional man full of anguish and despair for women. They were a few assumptions of domestic violence taking place but people didn't care. My wife and I did, we were the only ones that cared for his wife.''

''Then what happened next?'' calmly asked Olivia.

''Hatred happened mntanami (my child). Women claimed to have his children all over the place and the wife could not take it anymore. That is what the streets say. And his wife left him and attempted to take all her children along with her. The son refused and her other daughter too. She chose to stay with her brother. She ran for her life with her little baby on her back.''

''Are the children still alive?''

''The boy is nowhere to be found and the girl is here.'' Boys from such places left and never returned. Her brother was lost too and was never going to know that his little sister had come to reunite with him and her sister.

''Any signs of abuse to the girl baba?''

''Her father is hardly home. The only thing I know is he forbids her learning because of the memory of her mother. He lives right there,'' he pointed to a house we had parked a distance away from.

''Oh yes! You look just like her, uBenita (her mother). Let me go home,'' he walked out of the car avoiding the suspicious stares and confidently walked away.

''Olivia?'' He was seeing her reaction to this. As though she was denying the truth but convincing herself again that it was true.

''I'm fine. It's just that I spent all my life hating the wrong person. She saved me!'' She wept and felt so helpless. The idea of her father causing harm to her sister burdened her even more.

Darkness clothed the streets of this small town. Houses lit candles and fires outside whilst the fathers narrated stories about their lives. He locked the car thrice and followed behind Olivia already making her way to the house.

''Switch off the touch Toby I hear people talking.''

***If you're here, thank you for reading. The setting is at Plumtree if you missed it. Love ya bye!!!***