The changing tides episode 23

The changing tides episode 23
Maria and Musonda met Doro at East Park shopping mall, Maria had called her friend that she
went to meet them.
“We can do some shopping Doro” she told her on the phone excited.
“well girlfriend I would love that plus I cannot wait to see this new guy who is wrapped around you”
Doro shouted laughing.
When they finally met and Maria introduced Musonda and Doro to each other, Doro went closer to
Maria as they walked..
“Well, my friend you surely know how to pick them. How dare you play around with such a hottie?
” She teased her. “Please forget that Paul already and give yourself to this humble gentleman”
she added as both laughed. .
“Listen guys, let’s eat first cause am starving and you two can go do your shopping whilst the boy
and i will be in that toy shop and play around as you do your thing,” Musonda turned to look at
Maria and Doro who where a few steps back.
Sounds good to me Musonda, we can do some Catching up” Maria smiled as they walked on.
After eating their meal, Maria and Doro walked on leaving Musonda with the baby. He held his
hand and walked to the play shop whilst Paul watched from a distance. Jealousy filling him up.
“She said she wanted to spend time with the baby and there she goes leaving him with that clown”
Paul whispered to himself angrily.
He walked towards them wanting to be close enough and watch Musonda. “So tell me how Paul’s face looked so dump when he saw you walk in with Musonda” Doro spoke
up whilst they walked into a boutique. .
Maria laughed,
“well I didn’t think he was jealousy at first cause it was hærd to tell the expression on his face, but
then he came on me asking if I went to make him feel jealousy with Musonda. .
I don’t understand him my dear. Paul is acting like he’s so mad with me at the same time his eyes
are saying something else.” She added shrugging as they touched the clothes on some hangers.
“Yeah he came looking for you some weeks ago, but I don’t really know what for my friend. you
know me I had to give him a peace of my mind and I told him you were now in better hands. I bet
when he saw Musonda he concluded he was the one I was referring to. It’s crazy.
So now tell me Maria, what are you going to do with these guys? It’s clear to me they both love
you, are you going to choose the one that had brought some new light in your life or you going
back to your first love?” Doro asked placing a dress on her body as she looked at herself in the
mirrow.
“Well, Musonda is a good man, trust me. He’s so good it hurts me that i cant give him what he
derseves. But you know if it was that simple I would choose him. But then I come to realise that
despite everything, I still love Paul so much that seeing him today was so painful cause I couldn’t
ran to his arms and k-ss him telling him how much I missed him. I don’t want to say i would
choose Paul again, because it’s clear with what you told me about him and Tasha being together
again. And the fact that he still believes I went back to my old life. He will never forgive me and so
even though that hurts so much am not going to go down begging him and asking for forgiveness
for things that I didn’t do.
Let him find out on his own what really happened back then and I hope he will realise how much
pain he had put me through. ” Maria explained.
“You are right my friend, it’s not good you start following him around explaining yourself like you
are so desperate. if that man has moved on, do the same too. You have a family now and you
have completed your secondary school, with the news of going to a teaching course next year I
think you will be better off without this drama around you. Take a fresh start you deserve It” smiled
Doro.
“Think about it Maria and give Musonda if he trully loves you a chance to make you happy. After
all these years of tears , you derseve that alright?” Doro said as the two walked to the counter to
pay up for the clothes they had selected.
“Here,” Maria presented Musonda’s credit card which he gave her to use for shopping.
“Wow, now that’s what I call a gentle man,” Doro exclaimed smilling.
” Here I am thinking you are spending” , she laughed as Maria put in the pin for the card. .
“No way I would buy all that for you” she let a laugh.
” Musonda is the one who suggested us shopping so he had to spend” she said as they both
laughed out. Musonda was watching the boy as he was riding on a big toy car. He’s eye caught the face of Paul
at a distance and he smiled to himself.
“He’s so crazy ” he whispered to himself ignoring him. He sat down on the chair looking at baby
Paul and waved his hand at him making sure Paul saw all that.
Paul wondered where Maria was for almost 30 minutes and he stood there watching his son ride
happily in the car. He felt a tap on his shoulder and when he turned to look at who it was he saw
Musonda standing straight looking at him.
“Wow, you couldn’t resist it could you? ” He asked him. .
“Resist what?” Paul asked shrugging like he didn’t know what he was asking about.
“Mmmh why are you following us? ” Musonda asked with a fake smile.
” Go back home and take it easy man, we will bring your son back we are not stealing him away
from you. Besides I don’t think Maria need stalking her around she’s happy right now and anything
that reminds her of the past pains of her life is not good being close. ” He added seriously.
Paul looked at him and his anger raised. .
“who do you think you are to say that about me. I made her happy and she knows that, I was the
man for her and she is the one that choose a path leaving us out so don’t judge me based on
whatever you think you know.”
Musonda smiled, looking back at the boy and noticed he was busy playing..
“Am glad you said ‘you used to make her happy’ . That’s the past man, live on and let her be.
She’s with me now and am not intending to leave her any time soon. You thought low of that
precious woman. I on the other hand look past her mistakes, I don’t care about what she did in the
past all I want is to make her happy and show her how valuable she is. to me she’s a blessing I
don’t know how you couldn’t see that.
Well, please if you may, get going now” Musonda added.
” I don’t want my woman to come back and see you stalking around, you know that’s not so much
of a good thing to do” he added.
Paul shook his head, in his heart he knew Musonda was right, he didn’t fight enough to see past
Maria’s mistakes now that he saw her, he was now wondering how possible it was that, if Maria
had gone back to pr-stitution, how come she looked so good and nothing like she was sleeping
around. she was looking far much better than he had imagined and now the coming of the new
guy on the scene even made things more complicated.
“What? You still here man? ” Musonda spoke on bringing Paul to his senses.
Paul looked at him and sighed.
” I wasn’t stalking and am leaving to get what I came for. Just bring my son home in time okey” he
said walking away to Pick and Pay pretending he had intended to go there before. Lifting a basket, Paul picked some few things from the shop and headed out to his vehicle going
back home.
They all met up after another 30 minutes and sat to just talk.
Around 17 they took Doro back to her home and Maria showed Musonda where she had stayed
before.
“That was my home” she said pointing in the direction of her old small house.
Musonda smiled,
“it isn’t bad given the circ-mstances. Glad you moved out of here, and left the pr-stitution and
every bitter life back here. Otherwise I couldnt have met you” he laughed as they drove back.
“So you are supposed to sleep at that house?” Musonda asked Maria.
“I don’t think so dear. I think the idea of lodging is okay. We can get some rooms at some lodge
like we agreed. But you have to give me time to talk to Paul about the baby” she said looking at
Paul who had fallen asleep on her laps.
“Do you need me to be there with you? ” He asked her.
“I don’t think that’s necessary Musonda, let me handle this I can do it alone. Let’s say you drop us
and look for some rooms as I talk to Paul then I will call you to pick me up when we are done.”
“Sounds good to me” Musonda sighed.
“I will actually go and check on a friend after I book the rooms.”
Paul was seated as Maria and the boy walked in, he looked at them and hugged the boy who ran
to him.. shouting.
“Hey sonny, welcome back ” he shouted back lifting him.
“How are you feeling now?” he asked him placing him on his lap.
“I gave him his afternoon medicine, and the wh0le day he’s temperature was normal” Maria told
him as she sat down.
She saw Tasha and Grace come in to join them and Tasha went on to sit next to Paul, placing her
hand around him as Paul figited uncomfortably.
“How are you Tasha? ” Maria greeted her even when she noticed how she was trying so hærd to
show off in her face that she was now with Paul.
“Never been better,” Tasha answered with a wide smile clinging to Paul.
Maria smiled back.
“Well I brought Paul back, I will come back to see him tomorrow before I leave, I don’t know if you
can spare some time I really have to talk to you Paul, about the baby,” she spoke looking at the
unease Paul.
“What about?” Grace and Tasha asked in unison. “You can say it right here,” Tasha added.
“After all we are family right?” She asked Paul.
“Am sorry it’s between the three of us and has nothing to do with your relations” Maria answered
her frankly.
“Like I said am not here to stay, I will leave you guys alone I just need this moment with you Paul
it’s important ” she added standing up.
Paul sighed,
” thats okey you guys don’t need to speak for me like am not here,” Paul responded looking at
Grace and Tasha. .
“Come to the bedroom if you don’t mind” he told Maria who noded in agreement.
“Who does that girl think she is to come here like that?” Tasha snapped angrily..
“You should have seen that man she came with,” Grace answered.
“Well as long as she’s out of my way with Paul,I don’t care who she ends up with,” Tasha
shrugged .
“So are you going to sit down on this bed or not?” Paul asked as Maria stood close to the door.
him went to sit down.
“I can sit here ” she said, moving the chair in front of her.
“I wanted to talk to you Paul, I moved to Kitwe a day after you kicked me out.” She started
Paul looked down not sure how to face that fact as things had started pointing to the fact that he
was somehow rush in making that decision.
“Honestly I don’t want to talk about us and what happened but the thing is that I moved out of this
town and God was gracious to me. He opened the way for me that side. I started working in a
shop again and took myself back to school. The most important thing about all this is that I found
my family” she explained. .
“What? You did? ” Paul asked surprised, “how? ”
Maria smiled,
“well he’s an amazing God. It’s a long story, in short I was made to meet my grand father, the
father to my late dad. He stays in Kitwe and I moved in with them some months ago.
The main issue i called you for is to ask that I get Paul, he’s only 4 years old and he needs me as
well..” she paused
“I don’t know if that’s a great idea Maria, this boy is used here and I can’t loose him. He’s all I
have left. No am sorry but no, I won’t allow you to take him away, remember it was your idea in the first place that I stayed with him because I will take care of him.”
“I know what I did Paul, that time things where different and I wasn’t in my right senses. I have
changed now and the fact that I have a place to call home and a family, I can take care of our son
too. You are a man and you aren’t home all the time like I would be .just think of it, are we going to
let the maid raise our kid? Who knows what will happen to him when the woman you are going to
marry won’t treat him well while you are away. Please understand, let me have the kid and he
came be coming to visit you once in a while” Maria added calmly.
“I can do this am ready for him and am sorry if you don’t trust me anymore. But I wouldn’t do
anything to put my son’s life in harm’s way. ” she added
Paul stood up and went to stand next to the window without a word for some minutes, then he
cleared his throat.
“Tell me Maria, you want to take away our son so that you can raise him with Musonda? Are you
seriously saying he’s better off with your lover than with me his father?” He asked making a face
whilst looking at her.
“Oh no, this is not time to play jealousy Paul, I have not said am going to let Musonda raise my
son. He’s a good friend who has helped me a lot but that doesn’t mean am with him. Am talking
about myself here and not another person. ” she responded
“Well how do you expect me to think when you came here together moving around like this happy
couple? ” he scoffed
Maria let a laugh.
“Please don’t make me laugh. There’s nothing between you and me Paul, you dumped me
remember? You told me never to come back in your life. well I kept your word Paul and I can see
you also did move on. So I don’t think any of us should be feeling jealousy. You believed the lies
and the plots that people set against me over the love that I had for you Paul, you called me
cursed and some things I don’t want to mention. So please don’t talk about being jealous here,
let’s just reason about my son” she nodded
“Well I saw you drunk Maria, I saw a video where you were with a man in bed unclad, what did you
expect me to do? ” Paul asked still standing.
Maria shook her head.
“So now what, all of a sudden you believe otherwise?” She asked him.
“Well I don’t know…. I never took time to think over things and since you said you went to Kitwe
maybe you never….. .” He didn’t finish his sentence and she cut in..
“Oh oh… so because I have told you I started school and work you are convinced otherwise, this is
insane” she giggled
“Ask yourself this Paul, how did I end up in bed with a man, you say i was drunk, and clearly with
some men in a night club. What makes you think that it was all a lie today? That was the same me
Paul, the same body. Maybe you are just confused and don’t want to see the truth about me Paul,
or maybe you are shocked by the fact that another man was actually able to get close to me.
Don’t worry yourself though. Am not and I will never apologise to you for anything Paul, because
right now I don’t even care what you think about me. Think am a pr-stitute or whatever you want
all I need is for you to think over this tonight and when I come back tomorrow you can consider my
request to get the baby. You saw how he was when he saw me. He needs me and I need him.
You say he’s all you have got that’s not true.
You were fine until he came into your life. You have your family and a woman too. Let me have
this chance to raise my son full time as I have never got the chance to do so since he was born.
Please” she sighed standing up to go.
“Maria,” Paul stopped her before she left
“. Do you love him?” He asked reffering to Musonda.
Maria frowned,
“he’s a great guy Paul,” she responded and left without looking back.
Paul walked to follow her wanting her to explain more on her statement.
But she walked to car which was just getting to the gate. Leaving him standing by the door his hands in the pockets.