Never Lost

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3

Nyasha was from talking to her uncle over the phone when he told her that his wife had woken up the next following day paralyzed and not able to talk. He didn’t even know what had happened to her. Just after dropping the phone call, she walked out of her room to the kitchen. Aretha was busy preparing breakfast for Nyasha and Linda who had come back home late only to find her mother waiting for her in the dining room. Aretha couldn’t have a proper conversation with her daughter since she was drunk.

‘Good morning grandma,’ greeted Nyasha with a big smile spread across her face.

‘Good morning my love,’ responded Aretha with a smile.

Nyasha saw how sweet her grandmother was to her, she was a good woman so she thought to herself.

‘Did you sleep well? Are you feeling okay today?’

‘Was she sick?’ Nyasha was about to respond when Linda walked inside the kitchen to the fridge.

She had a hangover and took a bottle of cold water.

‘She wasn’t feeling well yesterday and you just had to go leaving her all alone.’

‘I am not a babysitter,’ she responded rudely.

‘She is your child. She is your sister’s child,’ said Aretha making a point.

‘Oh please mum. She is the main reason why Bertha is dead.’

After hearing this, Nyasha ran back to her room in tears. Aretha slapped Linda hard on the cheek and this was her first time hitting her daughter, she had never done that before. She had spoilt her rotten and made her feel like she was the only child when Bertha was still alive.

‘Mum!’ screamed Linda shocked by her mother’s move towards her, ‘you slapped me?’

‘And I will slap you again if you talk badly about Nyasha.’

Aretha wanted Nyasha to be respected by people, after all she was special and they needed to know.

‘You slapped me because of her,’ said the now angry Linda.

‘Her is very precious to me and let it be the last time you treat her that way or I am taking this house.’

‘You wouldn’t.’

‘You have nothing in your name. Do you?’

Linda was quiet.

‘I didn’t think so,’ said Aretha switching off the stove, ‘this house belongs to me and I opened that bank account for you. You don’t even have a proper job. You didn’t finish off school. What do you think what will happen to you if I take everything away from you? You will be left penniless. If you want us to continue being in good books, you will respect Nyasha in this house or else I won’t hesitate to kick you out and you should stop drinking, coming back home late. I won’t take that from you. Do you understand me?’

Linda ignored her mother at first. Aretha almost slapped her again.

‘Yes, mother,’ she said stepping back.

‘Good. You will apologize to Nyasha for saying those bad words to her. Now!’ she shouted with a hint of command in her voice.

Linda rushed out of the kitchen not believing her mother’s attitude towards her. She was being rude to her all because of Nyasha; Linda was going to see to it that Nyasha has been dealt with once her mother goes back to South Africa. Aretha knew Linda wasn’t going to apologies to Nyasha and so she followed her to Nyasha’s room. Nyasha had wiped off her tears when Linda barged in her room without knocking first. Nyasha thought Linda was in her room to insult her again.

‘So you finally got my mother’s attention too? Huh! You s…,’ she was about to insult her when she saw her mother walking towards her as she stood at the door.

Linda walked inside the room and went to sit on the bed with Nyasha.

‘I am sorry,’ she apologized.

Nyasha just looked at her, not knowing if she had heard correctly. Linda was apologizing to her and that was unlike of her.

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‘I am sorry for saying those bad words to her,’ the words were not that easy to say them out because she didn’t mean it.

‘It’s okay,’ responded Nyasha.

Aretha walked back to the kitchen while Linda walked out of Nyasha’s room feeling defeated. She was going to make Nyasha pay for embarrassing her like that, for making her mother apologies to her. Nyasha spent the morning checking up on her Auntie who had suddenly fallen sick. She hadn’t told Aretha about it and only wished she would go back at the village to see her Auntie who had been nothing but a mother to her. She was called later on for breakfast by Aretha and the 3 had their breakfast. Nyasha told Aretha about her Auntie’s sickness and Aretha promised to send them some money, Linda just eyed her mother. She didn’t understand why her mother was being too nice to Nyasha. She was agreeing with almost everything she was asking from her.

‘I want us to go shopping Nyasha since you will be going to school; you need some new clothes and a new phone. I also need to buy you a laptop,’ Aretha had said when they were washing dishes together.

Linda was sitting at the dining room and listening to their conversation.

‘Really grandma?’

‘Yes.’

Nyasha hugged her grandmother from the back.

‘Thank you so much,’ said Nyasha excitedly.

‘Oh please you don’t need to. You are special to me and I am just taking good care of you,’ said Aretha and smiled.

Linda had peeped to see what was going on when she saw her mother kissing Nyasha on the forehead.

‘Why is she being sweet to her?’ she asked herself and went back to sit on the sofa.

True to her words, Aretha took Nyasha to town that day. She bought her some new clothes, two smart phones, a laptop and a desktop with a printer with a scanner, and opened a bank account for her. She deposited thousands of dollars in it and made sure that it was enough to last Nyasha when she goes back to South Africa. They went back home with a lot of stuff and Aretha promised to get Nyasha a maid so that she will only focus on her studies and not do any household chores. She promised to get her a new house once she comes back to the country again.

‘Grandma, thank you very much for everything,’ said Nyasha when her grandmother was helping her put her new clothes in the wardrobe.

‘You don’t need to thank me. Just make me proud and go get that degree. Your mother will be very proud of you.’

‘I promise I will.’

‘During the weekends, I need you to attend driving lessons. I will buy you your own car so that you won’t have trouble getting to school. I know the best teacher, he will teach you well.’

Nyasha didn’t know what to say anymore, she was just overwhelmed by all of this. Her grandmother was a good woman indeed and she thanked her. She actually slept with her in her master bedroom that night. Linda was hurt by what was happening when she watched her mother on her bed with Nyasha. She needed the attention too and now she wasn’t getting it because of Nyasha. She took her phone from her pocket as she closed the door and he responded.

‘I need your guys to come over at my house tomorrow. My mother is leaving in the morning. You need to come with them and deal with this s–t.’

‘Okay babe, we will be there.’

Linda smiled to herself. Aretha was leaving for SA the next following day. She asked Linda to take good care of Nyasha and texted the maid their address. She was supposed to start work on a Monday. Nyasha was hurt that her grandmother was leaving, the two had become friends and Nyasha was just afraid of Linda.

‘I am going to miss you,’ said Nyasha when her grandmother was about to leave.

‘I will come back to check up on you. Okay.’

‘Promise?’

‘Pinky promise.’

They both laughed.

‘Have a safe journey,’ she said breaking the hug.

‘Thank you my love and take good care of yourself for me.’

‘I will.’

She waved her goodbye as she left and they walked back inside the house with Linda leading the way. She stood by the door.

‘She is gone now. You and I are going to have some party.’

Nyasha just ignored what Linda had said to her and walked inside the house to her room. At night Linda had already planned everything. She was waiting for him to come with his friends. Nyasha was busy painting in her room when Linda’s gang arrived. They were 4 men with their leaders.

‘What do you want us to do?’ asked the leader.

The one she had called for help. Linda wanted them to rape Nyasha and leave her half dead. Linda will make it look like a break in or something. The leader saw this as an easy job to do. Linda told them were they would find Nyasha, in her room. They walked to Nyasha’s room. It was at around 9pm when they barged in the room and Nyasha had just finished her painting. They were 4 of them and very strong.

‘Who are you?’ asked Nyasha with a hint of panic in her tone.

Linda was sitting on the sofa with her legs on the table while sipping on wine. She was yet to increase the volume when Nyasha starts screaming.

‘Your friends,’ said one of them when he grabbed Nyasha’s hand and threw her on the bed.

Nyasha started calling out for Linda but she ignored her. The others started removing their trousers while the other one who had grabbed Nyasha still had her pinned on the bed.

‘Please don’t do this.’

‘No one is going to hear you pretty.’

Nyasha knew there was no way she was going to fight them. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, they were red. One of the men screamed out loud while holding his manhood. Linda quickly put her feet down when she heard the man screaming. She had thought maybe they were enjoying themselves but the noise grew louder with bangs and she couldn’t hear Nyasha screaming.

‘Forbes,’ she called out.

Forbes was the man she had called. Linda put on her slippers and walked slowly to Nyasha’s room. When she got close to the door, there wasn’t much noise. She slowly opened the door and what she saw inside the room made her heart pound. She began trembling when she saw the bloody room and all the 4 men were lying on the floor bleeding. She didn’t understand what had happened when she saw Nyasha curled on the floor chanting some words as she stared at the ceiling.

‘Nyasha what have you done?’ asked the now scared Linda.

Nyasha stopped chanting and her eyes landed on Linda. She crawled to her and Linda screamed.