Hidden Dream – Episode 17

Hidden Dream – Episode 17
©Tisa Phiri

3 years later…….

” How are you feeling?” Beverly asked me helping me with my color.

” mnmmm good I guess, this is a very big thing for me and I know my competitor is so good too. But am glad I made it this far” i sighed.

I had decided to take part in the World ballroom dance competition and I was taken by surprise when I succeeded during the auditions.

It had been a tough fight for the past 3 months where we had to compete with different dancers from across the world.

With the help of my trainer the time I got to Paris, I had made it to the top and now was on the finalist. I had to compete finally with another dancer in the male category. The guy was very good I would agree. He was from German and I would see how good he was.

However, I loved that the spectators loved my style. I had put it some spicing dance style to make it so apppeling and a bit out of the old fashion dance styles.

” He’s good yes, but you are the best my man! Tonight is the night you are going to make history and am so proud of you. Your mother came to support you on this important day and am sure she’s proud of you too” she added patting my chest as she stood in between me and the mirrow.

” I know my mother has had a change of mind over the years and maybe one day my father will be proud of me. What bothers me is…”

” Angela!” She completed my sentence.

” when are we going to stop talking about that woman Jay? Seriously, am fade up. She has not bothered to get in touch with you for years even when you tried all you can to find her. She has blocked you on Facebook, she changed her lines and even moved to a different town. What more do you want? It’s high time you forgot about her. Move on already and committ yourself to people who love you.” She explained.

” by that you mean yourself?” I asked her walking away.

” yeah, it’s now like am complaining or something , you make me happy in bed and all but I want us to be more than friends without strings Jay. Come on you know I love you right?”

” am Sorry, from the time we started your so called friends without strings” I said raising my hands to make quotation marks for ‘strings’.

” but i made it clear am in love with someone else. So don’t push it too much. I don’t like noise and you know that perfectly well” I snapped.

” well, come down now Mr, I didn’t say you get all worked out. It’s your big day today so relax and go out there and show the world how far you can go with your dance dream!” She shouted smiling.

I liked Beverly, she had a way of putting me back on track. But she wasn’t the girl for me. I had dedicate my heart to Angela even when it had been 2 years without hearing a thing from her.

John who I sent to check on her told me he never found her at her brothers place. In fact the family had shifted God knew where to. He went to our old school and she had resigned. No one knew where she had gone.

I couldn’t get to believe Angela dumped me and probably got married to someone else.

” she could have told me the truth at least. I know she isn’t the person to act so childish like that. I wanted to travel back to Zambia to go see things for myself but the work and contracts got piled up I had to finish up things before taking leave. Plus the competition which too took most of my time.

I made a mental note to go back home myself to find out what was going on when I was done.

” ladies and gentlemen, for our grand finale! Welcome to the floor our magnificent, charming and most intriguing dancers! Jared Zimba from Africa and Paul McCartney of Germany! Give them a big hand as they come forward!” The presenter shouted and the Music played loud as we walked down to the stage.

The hall was fully packed and I felt proud seeing how people were chearing on us.

In a moment I recalled all the names I was called for being dull in school, all the shouting and scre-ming my father had done on me to get me to stop dancing. My mind went on recalling every detail. I was brought back to the moment when the presenter asked me to step forward and lead the dance with the female dancer I was paired with.

My competitor was to dance last and then we would be judged to determine who got the final award.

With every fibre in my bones, I danced gracefully. We were both assigned some female dancers and for that time I had to imagine it was my Angela. I held her and danced around like my life depended on it.

I was lost in the moment with every detail of her face in my mind, her smile, her encouragements, her passion when she made love to me.

” go and make me proud Jay, I love you and I will wait for you to come back for me. You are my hero and I will look forward to the day you will make a mark on the lives of others that are going through what you did and still kept on dreaming” her voice echoed in my mind as I danced.

I threw myself up and down wagging my body from side to side as I heard the crowds go wild shouting and scre-ming.

By the time the Music stopped, i stopped too, bowing down to the now wild audience of excited faces, I felt so much great it was unbelievable.

” how do you feel Jay! It was like you where far taken by the song and your dancing tonight was exceptional” the presenter asked me as I took deep breaths.

” yeah, I dedicated this dance tonight to my first love, the woman who went an extra mile to see me get to my dream of dancing, she told me if I can dream it, then I can achieve it” I smiled looking up the audience.

” Wow! That’s so great, but where is this woman am sure the world would want to see her.?” He asked a question that I wasn’t ready to answer.

But I had to.. ” she’s back home in Zambia and I plan on going to see her soon enough!” i shouted happily.

” what a lucky woman !, where ever you are I just hope you have got the message! ” he announced facing the camera.

An hour later I was pronounced winner of the competition. I was to take an award of £20 000, a brand new Ford Ranger the newest model on the market and a treat to where ever I would love to go in the World with my partner.

My mother and sister who were called to the stage walked towards me their faces beaming with happiness.

My mother hugged me and cried tears of joy.

” sorry for not believing in you my son. You have made us proud I can’t contain my joy!” She shouted in my ears as we embraced each other.

Back at the dinner celebration when she and my sister Tina joined me, They told me about home. How everyone was doing and that some people in Zambia were following the competition on DSTV.

” in fact, it’s all over the news and social media. People back home are greatly inspired by what you have done here Jay” my mom smiled proudly.

” I have seen the social media and am glad I had to make a difference” I responded.

” mother, I really have to travel back home.” I started , holding her hand as we walked outside the hall where the dinner was held.

” why? Is it about the woman you mentioned earlier? Am surprised you never said anything to us before sonny” she scoffed.

” Yeah remember we weren’t alll that close mom. You people made things so harsh for me I was never free in that house” i told her point blank.

” yeah you are right and am trully sorry about that. We could have done more to support you my son. We werent the best parents to you and I regret that.” She shed some tears.

” it’s all in the past mother, now is not the time to cry.” I held her into a hug as she sobbed softly. “Here ” i handed her my hank.

” her name is Angela mother, dad has met her before, she was my dance teacher at Luangwa secondary.”

” what? Did you say Angela?” She asked surprised.

” yeah, what is it mother, you know her?” I asked stopping instantly.

” I have heard that name before from your father. He was acting wired some time back and I caught him talking to a girl he introduced to me as Angela. He never gave me all the details giving me an excuse that he would tell me everything later on.

I was busy with work and never really got to the bottom of the matter until now that you have mentioned her name.”

” what do you think was going on between my father and her? Were they like in some kind of…..”

“No” she responded firmly.

” your father can be many things my son but he would never have a relationsh¡p with a woman especially of her age.. No, I don’t think so dear. It’s something else and now that I think of it, I think it was serious.”

That night I went back to my room with a lot of thoughts. ” what the hell is going on with you Angela?” I asked myself a million times.

” with my father?” I shook my head confused.

“I got to go to Zambia” I thought aloud and got my phone to call for a reservation for the next flight.

The following day I sat in the plane, my sister and mother had come with me. I sat quietly my mind busy trying to think about what was going on back home.

” I will not rest until I know what is going on with you love. I swear you will have to face me whether you like it or not. ” I thought to myself as the plane took off.

By the time we touched down at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, there where a lot of people to welcome me. Who ever had leaked the information to the media houses that I was going home, they really got me.

I never planned it to be so but I had no option but walk out of the plane to the shouting and cheering faces of Zambians. The flashes from the cameras blinding me for a second.

I smiled at everyone raising my hand as my mother whispered me to acknowledge and appreciate them.

” don’t show them your inner struggles. Smile and wave your hand to the people who look at you as their hero My son” she whispered.

I was surrounded by a lot of people asking questions, taking videos and photos and by the time my assistant got me out of the crow d, I felt a bit tired.

“Rest tonight and then you will go on to your house tomorrow” Jeff my assistant told me.

I had decided not to go straight home.

I needed time to compose myself so that when I finally face my father and find out what he knew about Angela I would be ready for him.

I took a look at the photos I had taken of her the last time we were together, as lay in bed.

” I promised to come back for  you my woman, so here I am and I swear I will find you myself” I whispered and k-ssed the phone screen before falling asleep.

To be continued

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