Echoes Of The Heart

Episode 25

“I am a coward?” He hissed. “How does getting to decide how or when I die make me a coward? Do you have any idea what it’s like living a life dependent on drugs? Every little thing I do, every decision I make, I have to consider my health first. You’ve seen how I’ve lived my life so far, do you think someone like me can survive such a restrictive lifestyle? It’s as good as being dead!”

“I knew you were a spoilt brat before…I just didn’t know it was to such an extent,” Sibu chastised him, much to his chagrin. “Do you have any idea how many people out there would kill to have the same opportunities as you but here you are taking everything for granted.”

“I never asked anyone to donate their kidney to me,” Martin stated. “And I most certainly never imagined receiving one from you. Look at me, do I look sick to you?”
“That’s beside the point,” Sibu argued. “I don’t even think you did any research to find out how your life will change after surgery. You just heard a few lines from the doctor, you didn’t like the sound of them and then you made your decision. Have you even tried reaching out to people that have had such transplants before? You are even lucky you got the diagnosis on time so you’ve had enough time to adjust your lifestyle and live a much healthier life. Who says your life has to change dramatically just because you have to take meds every now and then? It only takes a few seconds to drink medicine and if you have someone by your side, you won’t even think of it as such a hustle.”

Martin said nothing in response. Everything she had said was right. They were the same words Doctor Sanjay had tried telling him but she never gave her the chance to finish. However, there was something about those very words coming from Sibu’s mouth that made him want to listen. There was something in her voice that gave him hope that life wouldn’t be so bad after all.

From the moment he had been diagnosed, he had done everything possible to erase any memory of it…to go on with life and pretend as if nothing was wrong. Even in those moments when the pain came, all he had to do was get a quick fix for pain and sleep everything away. Tomorrow was always a brand new day and thanks to Sibu who had appeared in his life like an accident; his days had become even brighter.
“What made you change your mind about marrying me?” was what Martin asked when he finally spoke. “What happened to all those reasons you gave, love, school and what not?”
“I can easily change my mind again if you like,” she threatened him.
“No, no, no,” Martin pleaded. “Please don’t.”

Sibu laughed. “I am a woman, changing my mind is a major part of my operating system. You should get used to it.”

He too laughed. “But seriously, what made you change your mind?” He asked again.
“My aunt did everything in her power to convince me,” she said jokingly.
“She didn’t threaten you, did she?” Martin asked.

Sibu laughed. “Even if she did, it’s not like I would tell you…because that would just defeat the whole purpose.”

“Oh wow, that hurts real badly,” he held his hand to his heart, feigning pain but smiling at the same time. “Your aunt really scares me. She is like a villain in a soap opera. Instead of Aunt Tafadzwa, you should be calling her Aunt Maxine…the female version of Max from No One But You.”

“I would say the same about your mother,” Sibu said. “How are you going to convince your parents to let you marry me? I am not exactly the kind of woman you introduce to a family like yours. Your mother has already made her feelings known…explicitly.”

That part hadn’t crossed his mind yet; his father was not a problem…it was his mother he had to worry about.

He had not spoken to his mother ever since the nasty exchange they had had after he returned from abroad which ended with him being kicked out of the house. Mrs Mwewa never thought her son would actually leave which was why she was more shocked than anyone else when he actually did.

Coming from a very poor family background, Martin’s mother operated under the assumption that anyone poor that had sights on her son did so with ulterior motives. Being ten years younger than her husband, everyone naturally assumed she had married him for his money; something Martin had come to learn was a fact when she had gotten drunk during his fifteenth birthday celebrations and told him that she would have not been attracted to Martin Senior in the first place if not for his money but that didn’t mean she never loved him as a man…only that the money made her look in his direction.

With a background like that, Mrs Mwewa was suspicious of any girl that tried to get close to her son.
“By the way,” Sibu was now resting her head on Martin’s lap as the two of them made themselves comfortable on the biggest chair in the room. “Why does your mum hate Tonga’s so much?”

Martin giggled. “Oh that,” he said whilst playing with her hair. “It’s a long story…but the short version is; her mother died when she was twelve and her dad remarried another woman just two months later who ended up mistreating my mother and her siblings. That woman was Tonga by tribe.”
“Oooh,” was all Sibu could say in response, finally making sense of the things she had heard.

“How about your name, it doesn’t sound Tonga.” Martin said.
“It’s actually Ndebele…well, it’s also found in the Eastern province, but it has the same meaning in any language.”
“What does it mean?” Martin asked.
“It means blessing. The original name is actually Sibusisiwe… but when I was in pre-school I had a teacher who insisted on calling me Sibusiswe and ended up putting it on all my school documents and here we are….”
“I kind of like Sibusiswe better, the other one is too long,” Martin laughed.

And just like that, the two of them chatted all the way to midnight when Sibeso finally gave up braving the mosquitos outside and crushed their party to go to bed.

That following weekend, Martin decided to visit his parent’s home to talk to them about his marriage. His mother was excited to have him home thinking he had decided to come back. However, her hopes where shattered during dinner when Martin finally launched his marriage campaign.

“I have decided to get married,” Martin had announced to the unsuspecting audience consisting of his parents and young sister Mwiche.

“Marriage? You?” Martin Senior scoffed. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“Junior,” his mother was giving him a warning look to shut up .

Mwiche was the only one responding in excitement. “Is it who I think it is?” she asked her brother.

Martin was all smiles when he replied, “of course it is. She finally said yes!”
Mwiche clapped her hands excitedly. “I am going to be your flower girl ka? ”
Martin laughed. “Have you ever seen a flower girl as old as you?”
Mwiche’s excitement dulled down to a zero as she dropped her shoulders and head in disappointment.

“You are serious?” His father finally gave him his full attention.
“Yes dad, I am serious.” Martin answered confidently.
“Is it that girl at the reception?” Martin senior asked.

Three faces gaped at him in astonishment.
“How did you….” Martin was asking.
His father smirked. “Is there anything I don’t know,” he answered smugly. “I see you take after your old man,” he was smiling proudly. “She is young, fresh, and beautiful…and quite intelligent I hear.”
His wife was glaring at him in disapprobation, making their two children bust out in laughter.
“I don’t like her,” Mrs Mwewa vomited.
“Have you ever liked anyone honey?” her husband asked.

“Honey!” his wife complained, the thick foundation on her face almost melting from anger.

Martin and Mwiche chuckled surreptitiously.
“What about school, are you really going to drop out?” His father asked.
“Of course not,” Martin answered. “I will continue from here.”

“Why are you suddenly in such a rush to get married?” His mother asked.

Before it was because he thought he was going to die but after the recent developments, he only had one thing in mind;
“Because I love her and I want to marry her before any man beats me to it.” He was as assertive as could be in his response.

His father was smiling at him proudly. “That’s my boy,” he said as he raised his glass to him and the two of them toasted, earning themselves a glacial stare from one woman and a smile from another.
“Doesn’t she need to college? I am not very comfortable marrying my son off to a high school graduate. And I don’t like where she comes from.” Mrs Mwewa pressed her case.

Martin had been waiting for that. “We already talked about that mother,” he said. “She will apply for the 2010 intake. We will try to find a house close to campus so she can easily move to and from home. And as for where she comes from…you can’t seriously blame her for being of a certain tribe just because you had a bad experience with one person of that tribe. That’s just unfair; she did not chose to be born of her parents just as I never chose to have a tribalist mother.”
“Martin, watch your tone with me,” his mother roared, it was the only thing she could hit him with since he was coming off as a wise-a-s. “This is exactly why I don’t like that girl. In just a few months she’s changed you to this person I can no longer recognize.”

“I actually like who he’s become now,” his father chipped in.
His wife gaze was enough to freeze anyone it landed on but after so many years, Martin senior had developed immunity against it.
“Ever since that girl came into his life he’s matured.” He continued as if there was no lightening close to him threatening to light up the whole house. “He doesn’t party like he used to and he’s finally stopped being such a mama’s boy. I was worried you would turn him into a sisy with all your whining and meddling. You are forgetting that if I hadn’t disobeyed my parents, you and I would not be having this conversation right now. Leave the boy be.” And with that declaration, he got up and went upstairs.

His wife went after him to continue their war behind closed doors.

“He’s in big trouble,” Mwiche said with a mischievous grin on her face.
“I know,” Martin said, looking up the stairs from the top of his wine glass.

That same evening at the N’cube’s residence in Kanyama, Aunt Tafadzwa welcomed into her home a visitor that appeared to be in his mid-fifties. He was well groomed and smartly dressed, definitely not anyone in Aunt Tafadzwa’s circles.
“You still look as radiant as ever Tafadzwa.” The man was obviously trying to ingratiate himself into her favour. “How long has it been?”

Aunt Tafadzwa was wearing her usual visitor smile. “Eighteen years I think.” She replied.
“It’s been that long isn’t it?” The soft-spoken man said.

“What brings you here so unexpectedly? I thought you would have forgotten us by now.” Aunt Tafadzwa said.
“How can I ever forget you my dear? If anything, I thought you were the one that forgot about me. Every time I tried to get in touch with you, you would either cut my calls or ignore them altogether. I use to send letter before but when I noticed you weren’t writing back, I gave up.”

The woman was blushing in embarrassment like someone who had been caught doing something bad red-handed. “Well, I thought it was a prank call and sometimes when you called I was probably busy and couldn’t attend to the phone.”

“I see,” the man said, obviously unconvinced by her words. “One time a girl answered the phone and said she was your niece…I didn’t know you had a niece.”
Aunt Tafadzwa looked like she had just swallowed something bigger than her oesophagus could handle. “My niece…? When was that? I don’t have any niece.”
“Yes, that’s what I thought,” the man replied. “As far as I know…Mi..riam….” he struggled to say the name. “…she was…your only sister…and she never had children…as far as I know.”
The frog in Aunt Tafadzwa’s mouth was growing bigger by the minute. Any longer and hell would break loose in her mouth. Her face was starting to change colour.
“Yeah…you are right…she…she…never…had any…any children,” she was stuttering and laughing nervously. “I think you of all people would know if she had any children. You were her fiancé after all.”

By now, it had become apparent to the man that something was not right. He was searching Aunt Tafadzwa’s face intently.
He’s not suspecting me, is he ? Aunt Tafadzwa thought. Calm down Fadzwa or the wonderful future you just earned for yourself will blow up in your face before you even get to smell the dollars.