As Kupa enters the house, she catches her reflection in the mirror in the kitchen, she looks okay. She’s still conflicted about whether to tell her parents about what just happened or not. She gingerly walks into the lounge, wondering at the eerie silence that is occasionally disturbed by sniffling.
‘Maswera sei’ ,she shouts her greeting from the hallway, sensing that whatever is being discussed in the lounge is not intended for her ears. In response she gets mumblings and half -hearted‘Hi-Kupas . She decides her story can wait.
In her room, she takes off her clothes and stuffs them in a black plastic bag then throws them at the back of her closet. She turns the shower on, soaps her whole body and begins to scrub at her skin until it feels raw to the touch. She goes over and over the skin on her face, arms and chest where Tapiwa had touched her. Still feeling unclean, she turns the water on hot and whimpers as the boilingwater scathes her already tender skin. She stands in the shower for a little more before turning off the taps and stepping into her morning gown.
Curled up on her bed in the darknessshe thinks of ways to hurt Tapiwa, to pay him back. And like that, with hate and anger gathering in her like a storm, she sleeps.
Back in the lounge, Annie is calm enough to make her way home. She says her goodbyes and leaves. The three who are remaining do not say anything further to each other, heading, instead,to their bedrooms.
Tanya wakes up the next morning with a foreboding feeling. It troubles her as she tends to the babies who seem to be sensitive to her downcast spirit and are unusually fussy. It is a sunny Thursday, not a single cloud in the skies, the buzz of the flies in the house contends with that of the bees going about collecting nectar in the garden.
Dylan is at work, wondering how long he should wait before calling Annie to find out if she did go ahead with cancelling the lobola. He has not said this to anyone but he is certain Tapiwa will try to harm Annie when he finds out she wants to cancel the lobola. He would feel guilty if this was to happen and he was not able to offer some sort of assistance to Annie. He decides to call just after lunch.
At 12:47pm , Tanya’s phone rings. Something about the repeated ringtone sounds urgent. She check the caller ID, It is Isaac, her distant relative who is staying with her father. Her finger hovers over the answer button a few seconds before she clicks on it.
‘Hello?’
‘Amainini! Baba is not well, I have called the ambulance. , Meet us at the hospital . He is not well!’
The phone falls from Tanya’s hand as it trembles. She feels numb. Getting up from her bedshe goes and changes her top mechanically before going into the kitchen and voicing off a hundred instructions to Rudo.
Her mother is seated outside with a glass of lemonade, when she sees Tanya come out the house with her face fallen and keys in her hands. She sets the glass down so hurriedly it topples over and the lemonade slowly wets the ground around it.
‘Chii? Chii? Tell me! Something is wrong with your father! I know it must be your father. ’
She is already panicking.
‘Amai! Stop it! He is just not well,.t’s fine . It’s fine. I’m meeting them at the hospital. Go take your bag, stop being dramatic!’
Tanya knows if her mother breaks now, she will also break. She cannot afford that at the moment. Her mother runs into the house and is back within seconds and they set off for the hospital.
When they get to the hospital, Isaac is not entirely sure where they have taken the old man or who to ask about anything. It’s a few minutes before a doctor comes out and explains to them that Baba has suffered a coronary heart attack and despite all their efforts ,did not make it.
The floor that Tanya is standing on spins and she has to steady herself on the chair nearby to avoid falling, she is hyperventilating. Her mother is trying to fist punch the doctor, accusing him of lying and playing with their minds. It takes two male nurses to restrain her as she demands that they release her husband.
The rest of the afternoon is a blur to Tanya, her mother being sedated, Dylan rushing in through the hospital double doors, the drive back home and the never-ending ringing of a phone somewhere near. It is only later that evening that she is able to talk and the first sentence she says concerns her father’s funeral.
‘I want there to be many flowers, dad loved gardening. We need to call the funeral policy and arrange everything.’
Tanya’s words are laden with grief; they feel heavy on Dylan’s ears. He soothes her and assures her that it will all be taken care of. He has no idea how to tell his wife that their funeral policy lapsed as they could no longer afford it due to the financial situation they were left in after Tanya’s birth. All he knows is that heads are going to roll.
