Dylan wants to shout,wants to react but he knows now is not the time. He takes a heavy breath,
“ Tanya where did you get the money?”
She knows they have to have the conversation and strains not to say more, not to be defensive,
“I have a savings account, I’ve been putting money in it for a while.”
Dylan stands and starts pacing.
“Dylan please, I know I have a lot to explain but can we shelve it for later? Right now I just want to make sure that my father gets a wonderful burial.”
Dylan looks at her, frustrated but acknowledges that she has a point.
The funeral goes smoothly. Tanya calls her bank and authorises withdrawals from her savings account. Dylan is relieved but also anxious though the matter is not mentioned again. Tanya supposes he is saving his questions for when they get home.
Mhamha seems calmer and quieter on the day of the burial. Tanya guesses she is making her peace with it. She even gathers strength enough to sing an old Shona hymn,” Tinosangana kudenga neropa raJesu”
All the church elders attend the funeral and make sure she is never alone. Rue, Tanya’s colleague comes through to offer her condolences and those of the people at the office.
“Sorry to bring work up but it would be great if you thought about coming back to the office. We really could use you shaa, and we can’t seem to find a replacement..”
“Ah Rue..”
“Think on it.. the boss will officially ask you back but I had to give you a heads up.”
Tanya is surprised, she thought they would have found someone by now. She is however a little relieved seeing as they needed the money now. She has to talk to Dylan about it and hopes he won’t have a problem with it. She realises they have both kept things from each other. But now they have to come together and fix the damage.
“We will be fine, we always pull through,” she tells herself.
After the burial, they go back to her parents’ home. There are formalities to be discussed. Mhamha has no relatives left, Mainini had been the only one left. Baba’s distant cousin and others from his family want to talk about his belongings. Baba left a will, to Tanya’s surprise. His lawyer contacted her. She lets his relatives know,
“ Pamsoroi anaSekuru, Baba left a will and with all due respect I think we better wait for the reading. Those were his last wishes.”
These issues are usually addressed by the male heirs of the deceased but Baba had only one child and that is Tanya. They have to listen to her whether they think it inappropriate or disrespectful. Mhamha as the widow will not be allowed to speak.
Baba’s relatives grudgingly agree probably because they know that they will not win this one. They will take whatever is given to them.
Mhamha agrees to stay with Tanya and Dylan for a few weeks. They convince her she shouldn’t be alone and that Tanya will need help with the twins. As much as she and Tanya do not get along, Tanya knows she has to help her. Mhamha has lost weight within the week that she has been mourning. Left alone who knows what she is capable of.
As they pack Mhamha’s belongings, Tanya’s phone rings.
“Hello, Mai Moyo. How are you doing? I talked to your husband earlier. Nematambudziko aBaba”
It’s Pastor Ben.
“Hello Pastor, akaonekwa shuwa. Thank you for calling.”
Dylan called him? She can actually understand why he would need to do that. But he should have told her.
“I was thinking,Mai Moyo,that we could have a talk. I know I’m not in the country but we can Skype or do a WhatsApp call. I can have my son set that up, zvemacomputer zvinondinetsa izvi,” he chuckles, more to himself than for a response.
“It’s ok Baba, please just let us know when it would be convenient for you.”
“ Alright Mai Moyo, please pass my condolences to your mother.”
The ride home is somewhat quiet. Dylan asks a few times if Tanya is ok. She feels she is; she just needs to think on the past few days. She values her marriage more now and understands that she cannot continue to revert to her old ways whenever she feels unsafe or insecure. She’ll make sure to explain this to Dylan clearly, make sure he understands that she will do better.
Just as she’s about to answer, there’s a shout from the back seat.
“Yoweee!Mirai!”
“Mhamha chii?”
Dylan hits the brakes so hard that everyone lurches forward. The twins start screaming and that in turn wakes up Tadi who also starts crying. Tanya turns to ask Dylan what it is and sees him jerk his door open and run towards the gate. Right there in front of their gate is what seems to be a woman sprawled on the ground unresponsive.
Tanya tells Rudo to calm the twins, sternly instructs Kupa to stay in the car and runs out to see what is happening. Lying there is poor Annie beat up to a pulp and passed out.
