The changing tides episode 25 – 26

The Changing Tides
Episode 25 – 26
Paul was devastated after Maria left. He lay on his bed contemplating what to do next. He could
see from Maria’s face and reaction that she was trully hurt.
“Who could blame her? ” He questioned himself.
“I was so harsh on her and I hit her so hærd leaving her powerless and with nothing.”
The following day Paul went for work and as he got to the office he found Grace standing outside
waiting for him. .
“What are you doing here Grace? I thought I was clear when I told you not to come here again.
Just go back home and let me talk to the manager so that we can process your benefits and since
you only worked for a couple of years don’t expect a lot,” Paul told her without looking at her
begging face. .
“I said am sorry Paul you can’t just throw me out like that please, Margret told me to leave as well
when I got there she said you told her not to welcome me. Please don’t do this” , she begged
trying to touch Paul’s hand but he pushed her hand away.
“Leave me alone you traitor, I don’t want to see you again!” he scolded as he entered the office.
Grace decided to go to Tasha and talk about what happened..
“I hate that girl with passion,” Tasha spoke up after Grace finished narrating her odeal.
“She’s like a bug, she keeps popping up in my man’s life like hell. Anyway I won’t let Paul go
without a fight. He’s my man and I was with him first,” she shouted angrily.
“What are you going to do Tasha? Paul was so clear when he said you stay away from him. I don’t
think its a good idea to try get to him now he’s so upset he will do something crazy” Grace warned
Tasha.
“Well, who said am going to deal with Paul. No dear, your plan failed, I told you to get rid of that girl permanently but you refused. Now it’s time for plan B and this time around am editing the plan
to make sure it’s effect will be felt, ” Tasha smiled wickedly.
Maria and Musonda reached home and after dropping her, Musonda had told her he would see
her the following day. “calm down and then we will talk tomorrow okey,’” he told her holding her
hand. .
“Thanks for being with me and for going to Lusaka with me Musonda.” Maria whispered to him and
hugged him before going into the house.
Her grand father comforted her after she told him what happened.
“My child, cry no more, am glad you came back here and you were brave enough to face your
past with courage. I don’t know who that man is or what he does but am certain you are going to
make the decision that will make you happy in terms of choosing a man.
Musonda as I always say is a good man and if it were up to me I would choose him for you. It
seems there’s been too much pain and hurt with the father to your child and sometimes that kills
the bond of love between people whilst at the same time it strengthens it for ohers. I am not sure
which one is your case but all I want is for you not to loose hope. Continue trusting God to guide
you to your destiny my child” he told her as Maria sat in the sofa her arms wrapped around
herself.
She sat looking at the wall when her grand father had left, thinking about everything that had
happened.
“Grand father is right” she thought to herself,
“there’s been so much pain between me and Paul. I still love him though but I am not sure I want
to get back with him for now, we are both weak in some way and trying to build up from where we
stopped from wouldn’t be an easy job. Right now I need to concetrate on school and see how I
can do something tangible with my life so that I won’t have to rely on a man again.” she thought
nodding her head to herself.
Weeks later…
Musonda had decided to take some time away from Maria and one day he had gone to play his
rugby game. They were practicing and as they walked out of the field, he saw someone waving at
him.
“What?” He whispered suprised to see Maria standing a distance across the field. He had not
expected to see her .
“Hey!” He called her out as he walked closer to her.
“Hey player” she smiled at him.
“You look sweaty” she teased pointing at his bulged and sweaty muscles.
“Well I had to burn myself up there” he smiled wiping his face with a cloth.
“I didn’t know you were coming” he said indicating for her to sit down on the bench.
“Yeah I knew you were training today remember I came with you twice.” “Yeah!” Musonda nodded.
“Am glad you came. I wanted to give you some time to yourself these last weeks to give you the
chance to work through your issues.
“I know” Maria responded looking down.
“You always a gentle man right ?” She smiled as his eyes kept on her beautiful face.
“So what’s up?” He asked sighing as his face remained facing her.
“I have good news” she whispered.
“Really?” He asked making a face of excitment.
“Yes,” she smiled.
“I was accepted to study teaching at Nkrumah University and am going in a month’s time.”
“Oh God!” He exclaimed.
“Am so excited for you!” he scre-med lifting her up and turning as she laughed holding on to
him.Putting her down Musonda looked at the laughing Maria.
” Wow! Am so happy Maria this is good news” he said smiling widely.
“Am going to college! ” she shouted lifting her hands happily.
“I will study hærd, become a teacher and one day help the street kids. I want to build an ophanage
for them I want to do something that I will be proud of” she said smiling with her eyes closed.
Musonda looked at her closed eyes and smiled pulling her in a hug and k-ssing her without
warning. Maria was caught unaware and as Musonda’s grip on her wa-ist tightened she found
herself holding on to his sweaty body and responding to his k-ss, the taste of his sweaty l-ips
making her feel good which was what she didn’t expect .
After some moments of a passionate k-ss, Musonda held her and looked at her face.
Smiling widely.” Am not sorry for that” , he exclaimed.
” Thank you,” he sighed holding her face so that his eyes were set on her.
She looked at the dept of his calm eyes his well outline face moustache and his nose which was
not so big but big enough to seem to review his in,side with a few hairs she could see as he stood
taller than her. Her head lifted up to match with his bend face. He felt good and his smile so
captivating
They were interrupted by someone clearing his throat as they stayed in the position admiring
each other.
“Sorry for disturbing you,” Emmanuel, the friend to Musonda smiled at them.
“But your phone has been making some noise for a while back in the dressing room where you left
it.”
“Oh, yeah thanks man” he smiled letting go of Maria. She covered her face laughing when Emmanuel had left.
“Am so ashamed” she laughed.
“Oh God that was crazy he saw us.”
Musonda giggled,
“yeah am not” he smiled.
“He actually disturbed me, that idiot could have waited” he shrugged.
Maria shook her head
“what are we doing Musonda?” She asked him.
“What do you mean Maria, we are doing what we should have done a long time ago but you didn’t
allow me to.” he answered holding her hand.
“But I can’t do this Musonda am not supposed to be k-ssing you when… ”
She couldn’t finish her sentence and he cut in,
“why not? Don’t you feel anything for me?” He asked looking at her.
“Let’s do this,” he continues without giving her a chance to respond.
“Lets take each day as it comes. I love you and i told you I will wait. So lets not rush into any final
decisions but allow me to be with you. Call it a futureless relationsh¡p I don’t care as long as you
are with me. Hoping by the end of the day you will fall in love with me” he smiled. .
“One day at a time Huh?” , Maria sighed.
“Yeah one day at a time, ” Musonda smiled at her.
“Shall we go now?” She asked avoiding his eyes which looked at her with so much passion they
made her unease.
“Give me a few minutes I get rid of the sweat, probably then I could earn some points ” he teased
running to the back rooms.
Maria shook her head and smiled. He is mad” she whispered.
And to her surprise the image of Paul’s face came to her mind.
She recalled the first time he had k-ssed her in a drunken state his stern look on her sending
shivers in her body. Even with the strong scent of beer Maria recalled how much she had felt good
being in Paul’s hands. His gentleness as he touched her. She even remembered the pain she felt
when he tried to push his way into her and tears rolled down her face. Her heart still scre-ming.
” you still love him Maria! ”
She was lost in thoughts when she heard Musonda saying bye to his friends behind her and she
quickly rubbed off the tears and turned with a smile at Musonda who held her hand with his left
arm and the other hand holding the back pack he put on the right.
“To my place?” He smiled as they approached his car. Maria looked at him.
“Not today” she said quickly avoiding the situation of being so close to him and just being in some
room toghether.
“Let’s go somewhere else to celebrate my admission” she let a laugh as she stepped into the car,
Musonda still holding the door open for her.
Back in lusaka.. Tasha designed her plot against Maria. she decided to go to Kitwe and face her.
“Let me call my uncle and tell him am going to visit him so that I can look for Maria since we now
know she works in a shop within town” Tasha told Grace as she grabbed her phone from the
hand bag.
“Yes uncle, I know and the good news is that I decided to come visit you for some days so will
start off tomorrow” she spoke on the phone while Grace watched her hands folded.
“You are so welcome Tasha I am glad. I even wanted to ask you to come cause there’s something
important I had to tell you. It’s about your cousin, Kenny,” the man on the other side responded.
“What? I thought Kenny was dead uncle, what happened now?”
“Well just come over I will explain. Kenny’s daughter survived and She’s here with me now.”
“Well uncle I can’t wait to see her” Tasha sighed.
“Will see you tommorow uncle” she said before hanging up.
“What was that?” Grace asked her when Tasha sat back down.
“Well it’s some niece of mine that showed up. My cousin ran off with some woman years back i
was still very young but my mother told me about him. Uncle just told me the girl is now there I am
not sure how,” she added.
“Anyway am not going for such issues I have my mission with that Maria and I will be back before
you know it” she smiled looking at Grace.
“Just feel at home here and soon Paul will take you back to your job Grace be sure of that. ”
Maria’s grand father, called her that evening.
“Maria your aunty even though she’s just about 3 years older than you is coming tomorrow. She’s
the first daughter of your aunty Sara here. Her father died two years ago that’s when I asked my
sister to come stay with me here. ”
“Oh that’s great grand pa. I can’t wait to meet her” Maria responded.
“Am glad am beginning to know a lot of my family now,” she added.
“God is faithful. ”
“sure you will know almost everyone soon enough” her grand father smiled at her.
“Yes sure that” she smiled before leaving him as she went back to her room.
[6/17, 12:32 PM] MARTIN MARTINO: #The_Changing_Tides_26
“So is your young aunty home already? ” Musonda asked as Maria lay on his laps. They sat on the couch in the sitting room as Maria had not accepted to do anything more intimate than k-ssing.
Even though everytime Musonda had fought so hærd his desires to be with her, he had no option
but to respect that. Musonda knew that deep down Maria still loved Paul, he could see how much
she avoided the topic of Paul and over the weeks decided to enjoy every moment he got with her.
“I hear she’s coming this afternoon probably when I get back home I will find her” she told him as
she played with his fingers.
“So you going to school in a week’s time ?” Asked Musonda.
“Yeah a week to go” she smiled.
“I wanted to go and get my son before I left but then I thought of the fact that he will find people
who are complete strangers to him here so I thought it wise to get him when we close,” She
added.
“Well, that’s true, maybe you can let him be with his father since he’s used to that Nanny there.
Then get him when you complete your school. You can be inviting him over for holidays, ”
Musonda adviced.
“See, no wonder I was telling you people i had to think this over, imagine if Paul had allowed me to
get him already with the coming of my school the baby could have struggled to settle here” Maria
frowned.
“I have never asked you this Maria, but this Paul, has he been communicating with you since we
came back?” He asked her.
Maria sat up,
“yes he’s been texting and calling apologising but since I don’t respond, he has reduced on that”
she responded looking at him.
“Don’t you think telling him we are together now can be one of the things to stop him from doing
that? ” Musonda asked again.
Maria sighed..
“listen Paul, I told you am not even sure with this but you insisted, I can’t just tell people about us
when even ourselves are not sure of what is there between us.”
“Well, to start with you just called me Paul” Musonda looked at her seriously..
” and secondary, Paul is not just people he’s your ex and so it matters that you tell him the truth
and not act like you still waiting for him. I love you Maria and you know that’s true. I don’t know
why you won’t give me chance to make you mine already”
Maria stood up.
” I can’t believe we are even discussing this Musonda, am sorry I called you Paul but the fact that
Paul is my son’s father he will always appear in my life at one point or the other. Let’s say we work
things out and settle down together, are you telling me Paul’s name will just disappear with our son connecting us?” she asked her face serious.
Musonda stood to hold her hand.
” I didn’t mean it that way, am just not happy that despite what that man did to you you seem to
choose him over me ” he complained.
“No man would be happy being shut out by the woman he loves, please understand .”
“Well, am sorry Musonda it seems our so called one day at a time thing won’t work for us. You
know am not ready to give you what you want I can’t promise anything for now sorry” she said
grabbing her phone and bag to leave.
“Come on Maria, please, don’t go away am sorry,” Musonda pulled her back.
“Come here” he said holding her close to himself.
“Give me that smile” he said lifting her head.
“I can’t afford to have you mad at me Maria I can’t. ” He k-ssed her gently.. “forgive me beautiful”
he whispered.
“It’s okey,” Maria sighed.
“Take me home now maybe the visitor is in” she told him trying to move away from him. But
Musonda held her back. “Well give me a k-ss first” he smiled at her. She shook her head holding
him close as she k-ssed him, withdrawing as the tension between them started growing.
Minutes later Musonda dropped Maria outside her grand father’s house.
She walked to the door humming to a song. Maria stopped frozen when she came face to face
with Tasha.
“Tasha?” She asked shocked seeing her biggest rival sitting next to her grand mother, the sister
to her grand father,
“.what are you doing here? ” She asked.
Her grand father who sat opposite Tasha and her mother, looked at both Maria and Tasha
surprised.
“Maria, what the hell, what is she doing here?” Tasha asked looking at her uncle.
Everyone in the room was surprised at the two ladies.
“Do you two know each other?” Maria’s grand father asked them.
“Um um um. … ” Tasha stammered as she grasped what was happening realising that Maria
was the niece her uncle had told her about.
“Yes,” Maria answered still looking at the shocked Tasha.
“She’s the one that staged my kidnap and drugged me to paint a picture that I was doing
pr-stitution to the father to my son grand father” Maria explained. even though Tasha’s
expression Clearly showed her she was scre-ming for her to stop talking.
“This woman can’t be my aunty grand father, she hates me with passion and she will do anything
to separate me from the man I love so that she can have him to her self, knowing so well he
doesn’t love her.” She added as everyone looked at Tasha. “How dare you say that in front of my
mother and uncle. He was mine first and you snatched him away from me. You have always been
a slut Maria face it ” Tasha said sacarstically.
“Well if you are an angel tell me why he dumped you for a poor slut huh?” Maria shouted back
raising her voice too.
“Stop it you two!” Maria’s grand father stood and raised his hands between them.
“Sit down now you are not in the streets. ”
Maria sat down near her grand father and Tasha went back to sit close to her mother her eyes
fixed at Maria furious.
“I didn’t even get to introduce you and you go wild fighting like mad women. What is wrong with
both of you?
Now listen to me, you two now are family and I don’t care what happened in the past, get
yourselves together and sort your issues. I will not let you destroy this family over a man. You
Tasha is the eldest here so put your mind in one place and let that man go. He and your niece
here have a child together and now you are done you hear me?” He asked Tasha.
Tasha was quite for a while.
“I asked is it clear?” Maria’s grand father shouted.
“Yes uncle , ” Tasha answered in a low tone.
“And you Maria, make up your mind already, choose what you want and stop running from your
own self. Decide either to get back with that man or stay with Msuonda, you cannot stay in
between the two men. Choose already and put an end to this drama” he added seriously as Maria
now bow head down.
Maria’s inner self told her her grand father was right. She knew her being with Musonda whilst her
heart was yearning for another man was not a good thing to do but somehow she felt good with
the comfort that came with being around Musonda .
Not knowing it was somehow her need to fulfil her deepest need for Paul’s love that she was
looking for in Musonda. The bad part was the fact that, the more she was with him, the more she
felt the desire to be with Paul increase.
The following morning when everyone was calm. The family sat again and they talked calmly
resolving the issue. They decided Tasha would leave Paul and forget about him as it was not
possible to marry him when Paul had a child with her niece.
Maria was left with a decision to follow her heart and decide for herself whether to go back to Paul
after Tasha apologised to her.
Maria was not sure whether the apology was genuine but for the sake of peace she accepted it.
“I have to do this for myself as well, ” Maria thought through the words of her grand father.
“If I have to live freely and peacefully I don’t need to carry the hatred and hurt from other people in my life.”
Maria had just finished packing her luggage preparing to go to school two days before she could
leave, When she was called that Musonda had come to see her.
She walked to go see him and they sat outside at a wide varander chatting.
She was busy laughing at what Musonda had said when she saw Paul’s car drive in after
someone opened the gate for him.
“Paul? What are you doing here?” she asked as her laugh faded and her face now displayed total
surprise seeing him.
Paul walked towards her and knelt down tears in his eyes.
“Am so sorry Maria, I can’t do this anymore. I miss you a lot I had to come here for you. Forgive
me please I was a fool and I acted out of anger saying all that bad staff to you. Please come back
to me my love, I can’t do it without you .I have tried, God knows I tried and I have failed. Please
give my life meaning again,” he cried as she watched him in silence feeling his every pain.
She turned back to look at Musonda who had stood too watching them.
Maria ran back in,side the house crying. She couldn’t stand the faces of both men before her, the
one she loved so much and the one she cared for.
She went to her room and stood by the window crying.
Musonda followed her in,side and stood watching her cry.
“Maria,” he called her out.
She turned to face him tears on her face.
“Why won’t you talk to him? He’s come all the way for you. you can’t just run away from him like
that. Tell him what you feel” he whispered getting to her and holding her hand.
“I can’t,” Maria cried,
“I can’t do that Musonda am with you now and I can’t tell him what I feel beacuse I cannot lie to
his face. I love him so much it hurts to see him like that,” she said shaking her head.
“He was my first love, everytime i think of anything good about my life it’s him that I think of first he
stood by me when I was hopeless and rescued me from the hands of death.
Am sorry you are a good man Musonda, I care about you so much. You make me feel so good
and special but I still love him. Am so sorry I cannot hurt him by lying i don’t feel anything for him,
you too have been here for me and I hate to make you suffer, I can’t”
Musonda sighed looking at her.
“Come here,” he said pulling her close.
“I know ” he whispered,
“I know. You love him and I don’t think that will change anytime soon. Don’t worry youself My
sweet Maria, I won’t hold you anymore. Go to him” he said seriously.
“Your man is outside go and be happy.” He smiled “What ? ” Maria asked shocked.
“Yeah” Musonda smiled,
“I know you love him and even when you are with me it’s him you think of. You have called me his
name more than once and I can’t tell your heart to stop loving him. So now I set you free. Go and
be with the one your heart beats for..” he added with a smile.
Maria smiled with tears in her eyes,
” I don’t know what to say to you Musonda I swear you are the most amazing man I know. Thank
you so much, ” she sighed with relief. sighed
“Thank you and may God give you a woman of your dreams” she said hugging him.
He grabbed her head and k-ssed her gently.
“Farewell my Maria, go now before I change my mind” he teased pushing her to the door.
Maria smiled and ran back to hug him once more and walked to the door.
She stood by the door and he shouted.. “go on.. your man is waiting !”
Maria ran outside and found Paul almost getting out of the gate.
“Paul!” she shouted to him and he turned to look at her. .
“Maria?” He asked surprise at the change in her facial expression.
She ran towards him and Paul smiled extending his arms as she landed in them crying with tears
of joy.
” I love you!” She whispered to him and he held her so close squeezing her tightly.
“I love you more my love, I missed you so much. So, so much” he said k-ssing her as Musonda
stood by the door watching them at a distance.
He waited until the two embraced and k-ssed before walking towards them.
“I hear you made her cry again, even one tear of pain, I will personally come to Lusaka and chop
your head off, you feel me?” he looked at Paul.
“Thank you man,” Paul smiled hugging him close.
“Thank you so much for being there for her and for leading her back to me” he added.
“Yeah you are welcome, take care you both” Musonda patted Maria on the back and walked out.
Paul looked at Tasha who stood next to Maria’s grand father and mother who stood watching
them.
“Thank you” he said with his l-ips and he held Maria in a hug. She was the one who called him and
gave him directions to the place.
“You have to come over before you lose her for good” she had told him in the phone.
She smiled at him and spoke back..
“you are welcome!.” He held her by the wa-ist as they walked to the door. His heart shouting and scre-ming with joy. It
just felt so right having the one he loved in his arms. He couldn’t stop looking at her. She lifted her
head to see his face and he smiled widely as their eyes met