Forks and Knives – Episodes 17

FORKS AND KNIVES
Episode 17
(Unedited)
A story by Kennedy C Katongo
∆ A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING -2 ∆
“I thought you wouldn’t come. Please… Take a sit.” Tandiwe’s baby daddy said in a calm voice as he pulled a chair for him.
At least something about he hadn’t changed, he was always charming and rom-ntic. That’s the same thing that got her carried away and before she could get back to her five senses she was already pregnant.
“I didn’t want to come. My coming here is to make sure you don’t call me every single second.” Tandiwe said as she sat down.
“Regardless. Thank you for coming.” He responded as he went to take his seat.
“So am here. What do you want to talk about?” She asked him.
“Well. I was thinking we can have something to eat before we can get to that part.” He cleared his throat as he spoke. He knew very well how short tempered Tandiwe could be, but again he had hope something good could come out of everything.
Without giving Tandiwe a chance to respond, he raised his hand and ordered some drinks as they spoke. He kept asking about Peter on every chance he got, Tandiwe got her phone and showed him pictures of how the boy had grown.
“Can you send me that one?” He asked her.
“Am not sending you anything.” He objected.
“But that’s my boy. Look at him – he has my nose and forehead.” He giggled.
“Don’t be funny. He might have your DNA but he ain’t your son. I remember very well how you denied being responsible and proudly suggested that I had been sleeping around when you damn knew very well you were the only man I had been with.” She spoke strongly.
“Am sorry. I was young and just afraid. I wasn’t ready to be a dad.” He said.
“And what makes you think you ready to be a father now?” She asked him.
∆°°°°∆°°°°∆°°°°∆
Mambwe was still in his room, the only time he left was to visit the kitchen and the other room. Both his phone and laptop were off, the thought of being absent to the world was strong on him.
“Mambwe!” Malumbo called out. He had just knocked off from work.
He walked up to his room, with a bit of force he pulled his door down.
“What’s your problem!” Mambwe shouted.
“What’s happening to you?” Malumbo asked as he jumped over him to open the windows and curtains. The room was dark and hot with a bad odor that swept across it.
“Am off the grid bro. I just want to be alone. Can you close those curtains… It’s too bright.” Mambwe said slowly.
“How many bottles have you had…”
“Just 1, 2, 3 … I think 5. Am not sure.” He responded.
“Come on, get up. You need to bath. You can’t be out here getting worked up over milk that was spilt a long time ago. Man up.” Malumbo said as he began to drag him to the bath room.
“Leave me alone man. Leave me!” He exclaimed.
“You can’t be drinking all day. You have a company to run. Stop being all emotional. Jane moved on and it’s about time you did the same.” Malumbo said as he reached the bath room.
He undressed his brother, since he couldn’t stand, he had to sit on the floor. That’s how he opened the shower and allowed the water to fall on him.
“You want to drown me right? Do it. Do it – I say!” Mambwe shouted.
‘Am the one whose supposed to be dead drank sleeping on the bathroom floor. Not like this.’ Malumbo said.
He left his brother in the shower and went to arrange his room properly, instead of 5 bottles of the good strong stuff, he found 6 bottles of wine empty. Mambwe was never a heavy drinker, him emptying 6 bottles was a miracle on it’s own.
Malumbo got his phone and switched it on, within a minute messages began popping up. Among the many messages that came through was one from Jane.
∆ Jane SMS ∆
I can not talk about the person I’ve become without your name coming up. You stood up for me when no one else did, when I needed a hero – you became my Superman.
I know that words will never be enough to explain what we have been through, I will always love you.
But I can never be with you for reasons known already. When we began talking, I just wanted us to be friends and nothing more… Am sorry of by any moment I began to raise hope in you that we could be together.
You a great man Mambwe and I cherish every moment we spent together, but I can no longer live on my past glories, it’s time that both of us moved on and met other people.
If you don’t talk to me after this I will understand. But it’s important that we put our past behind us and move on. Am sorry if I hurt you again. Have a good day.
∆°°°°∆°°°°∆°°°°∆
‘Damn this girl, she just had to write thing.’ Malumbo said as he placed the phone on the table. Both of them had their finger prints on each other’s phones.
‘I just hope mum doesn’t find out his been drinking the wh0le day.’ He laughed.
.
.
.
On the other side of the family, April was still dealing with Goodson who kept showing up at her boarding house every evening.
“What are you doing here?” She asked him. April was coming from the shops with her friends when she found him packed outside waiting for her.
“Hi ladies…” Goodson waved at her friends.
“Am serious Goodson, what the hell do you want? I made it clear that I don’t want anything to do with you. Go and park at your girlfriends apartment and wait for her to knock off.” April said harshly.
“Come on April. I told you what’s been going on… I just thought I being you some pizza. It’s a double.” He said with a smirk on his face.
From his smile, it seemed he had forgotten how crazy April would behave. She smiled and got the pizza from him.
“Goodson, I respect you and I wouldn’t want to do otherwise and that’s why I keep letting you come over because in my mind – I expect that one day you will stop coming over here but that doesn’t seem to be the case.” April said as she gave him a sharp penetrating gaze.
Without warning she opened the box off pizza and hit it on the ground. With her small feet, she began stepping on it as she spoke, “I’ve told you time and again that I don’t want you. Get that into your thick scull.” She shouted and began to scre-m at the road side.
When people heard her scre-ms they began to gather to watch what was going on, her friends who had left her at the road came back and found her stepping on the pizza which was now shredded by the force she applied.
“April stop it. You making a scene.” Goodson said.
“You the one whose making a scene here. Just go! Leave me alone!” She shouted.
Goodson saw the growing crowd of people and decided to get into his car and leave.
As that was happening, voices could be heard of ladies complaining on April’s reaction of stomping on the pizza.
‘If it was me I could have just kept it and chased him away.’ ‘Umwaiche ubonaushi sure… Even if it’s to show someone you don’t like them awe weh.’ Some of the ladies in whispers.
“What happened iwe scre-ming as if the dude touched you?” One of April’s friend who was with her earlier asked.
“I had to show him. He thought just cause I had been tolerating his nonsense then I wanted him back – foolish of him.” April responded as they entered the boarding house.
“Now baby sure, Mwadyaka na pizza! Double decker nayeve mama!” Another one noted as they walked.
“You could have called at least one of us to hold the pizza before you went crazy.” Another one side as they all began to laugh.
For Goodson it usually ended like this, she would give him a chance and he would mess up exactly the same way over and over again. It’s not like he didn’t know how crazy she was, he knew pretty well what she was capable of doing.
However, the more she pushed him away – the more he felt the need to up his game and continue pursuing her.
“Trying to act like we in the movies… Stomping on food and all that funny stuff. How dare she… She doesn’t know that people in Zambia are starving.” He said as he drove.
“Busy trying to make a grown man look stupid. I will show her. She thinks I can’t handle her and her crazy… I will show her crazy.” He said as he hit the dash board of the car.
To be continued.