Echoes Of The Heart

Episode 14

“Martin won’t stop calling,” Mwiche said to the two women starring at her in astonishment.

“I came home from my extra lessons a few minutes ago and I overheard my mother talking to someone on the phone about what happened to you. Martin asked me to keep our mother away from you…but today was kind of….” the school girl scratched the back of her head as she searched for the right words to say.

Sibusiswe’s phone started ringing again.
Sibeso grabbed it from the table before Sibu could stop her and ran outside to take the call.
Mwiche walked over to the bed, removed her backpack from her back and put it down next to the chair she was now sitting on. With her chin resting on her hands and a grin on her face, Mwiche starred at a very startled Sibu, taking in every inch of her resting frame.
“You are very pretty,” the cheerful teenager commented. “Definitely my brother’s type. You look young, how old are you?”
“Aren’t you a little too young to be meddling in your older brother’s business?” Sibu asked.

“My brother and I are very close,” Mwiche informed Sibu. “I am the only person in the world he trusts 100% and we talk about almost everything. He also told me that you’ve been ignoring his calls ever since he left so he asked me to keep an eye on you.”
“Keep an eye on me?” Sibu asked, her eyebrows raised as she looked at the girl.
Mwiche nodded nonchalantly. “As in stalk you,” she said matter-of-factly. “But if it makes you feel any better, the stalking was only restricted to who you were seen hanging out with…as in if there were any men hanging around you, Martin wanted to be informed…I think that’s why we missed the fact that you were pregnant or that my mother would pay you a visit.”

Sibu couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “We, who’s we?”
Mwiche laughed. “That’s Clement and me. Don’t worry it’s not some strangers following you around. Clement has been with our family for years now, he’s practically family.”

“Who the hell is Clement?” Sibu asked.
She was completely taken aback by the girl’s shameless behavior. Could it be that she didn’t know how wrong her actions were or could it be that she simply felt entitled to do whatever she liked given her family background?

“Clement is my driver. He’s such a good soul,” the school girl provided.
“Listen Mwiche,” Sibu put on a stern face. “Don’t you know that what you and your brother…and your driver are doing is illegal?”
“Well,” Mwiche sat up and raised her shoulders. “You might choose to look at it that way but I choose to look at it as looking out for my brother’s interests since he’s away. You are the first girlfriend he’s ever had so you can imagine what he must be going through.”
Sibu was dumb folded. “I am not even his girlfriend!” She said.
“But arent you pregnant for him?” Mwiche asked…and immediately put her hand over her mouth the second she realized her blunder. “I am so sorry….I didn’t mean to….”
“Just because I slept with your brother, once, doesn’t make me his girlfriend. If Martin considered every girl he slept with his girlfriend then he would be the world’s worst playa. So what if I got pregnant, that still doesn’t make me his…and besides, there’s no pregnancy any more so there’s no need for you to hang around me anymore.”
“I beg to differ,” the girl confidently answered. “Martin intends to come back to Zambia and marry you.”
Sibu sat up in bed, completely forgetting about the pain for a moment. “What did you say?”
“I said Martin is coming back, I am sure your friend will come and update you…I believe that’s why he called. He is so mad at mum he no longer cares about seeking her permission to come back.”
“You gotto be kidding me,” Sibu sulked.
Outside the hospital, Sibeso answered the call from Martin.
“Sibu are you alright? Is the baby okay?” Martin’s words came crushing down into her ears.
“Martin this is Sibeso, Sibu’s friend.”
“Ah, is Sibu okay…the baby? Where is she? What exactly happened? Where are you right now?”
“Calm down a bit and let me answer one question at a time,” Sibeso answered. “We are at the clinic right now, somewhere close to home. Sibu is fine…but she lost the baby…thanks to your mother.” She deliberately stressed the last four words.

“S–t!” Sibeso could hear something being hit from the other end of the line. “Is it possible for me to talk to Sibu?” Martin’s voice was raw with emotion.
“Not right now,” Sibeso replied. “She is pretty shaken up and…she isn’t yet ready to talk to you.”

“She is mad at me isn’t it? Oh my God…what have I done?” She could hear him pacing to and from. “How could my mother…I can’t believe this is happening….”
“Although I blame your mother for what happened, Sibu doesn’t agree with me. She thinks it was just an accident. And she isn’t mad at you pe se… She is just confused since everything happened so suddenly.”
“I know…it all happened so fast…but i wish she could have at least told me about the pregnancy then I wouldn’t have come here and nothing like this would have happened.”
“That’s exactly why she never told you in the first place.” Sibeso said. “Besides, she didn’t really think you were serious about her given your…er…past.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds, and then, “I know,” came Martin’s tired voice. “That’s why I am coming back next week. I just need to sort out everything here first and then come back for good. Sibu has been through a lot already and the last thing I want is to add more to her problems. I won’t let anything like thing happen again, I won’t.”
Sibeso was grinning like a child that had just been handed her favourite candy bar. “I knew you weren’t completely a jerk…oops…I mean…”
Martin laughed, “I know exactly what you mean. Tell Sibu that I will call her again and this time she should pick up, okay? I think I will go crazy if I don’t hear her voice after everything that’s happened.”
“Don’t worry, I will make sure she answers this time.” Sibeso assured him.
“Thanks Sibeso, take care of her for me. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”