To Find Grace Episode 19 – 20

TO FIND GRACE Episode 19

Ben was the first one to come out of the vehicle upon arriving at the Mwape farm, he looked around seeing a herd of cattle feeding from his left the land was wide it went on he could see some small trees after the open field. On his right was a big farm house painted in brown Paint and the front with a lot of flowers the small winds blowing swaying aside the flowers they looked beautiful. Ben and Jena were standing in the same place as they an-lyzed the beautiful farm watching the ducks in a wire fenced cage they played in water as they quacked the small ones uncountable moved about nosily too.

The barking of a dog from the wide veranda on the front porch made them look up.

“is there anyone here? It is so quiet?” Jena asked her husband as she moved closer her fear of the dog barking sneaking into her.

“let me try knock at the door” Ben responded walking forward Jena had to tag closely as the dog got closer to them.

“Hello! Anyone home!” Ben called out holding his wife`s hand seeing she was practically shaking as the dog got to them.

“Hello!” he called out again after trying to knock at the door and there was no response, this time a dark and short man walked from the back hurrying towards them.

“Hello” the man responded as he approached them

“Good afternoon” Ben greeted him extending his hand to shake his hand and the man smiled his yellow teeth exposed as he shook the gentle hand of a wealthy looking man.

“”how may I help you Sir and Madam?” the man asked calmly holding his hands at his back.

“Um, we are looking for Grace” Jena answered this time

“Grace?” the man wondered his eyes wide open

“Yes, the thing is we are coming from afar and visiting around. We know her from way back and we have not seen her in a long time so we decided to come pay her a visit are we at the right place?” Ben asked calmly.

“Yes, yes, you are. Grace, sure, she is back, she came back a few days ago” the man answered

“Came back, did she go anywhere?” Jena shrugged

“Yes. She went for studies but came to visit her mother. You know it has not been easy in this farm after the death of the man of this house. The madam is alone now with her two kids. I think the son is still at school. But I don’t know where Grace is since she went away the other day and her mother followed her this morning. I work here and she told me she will come back as she was just going to pick her daughter from Lusaka”

“Oh wonderful, would you mind telling us who this mother to Grace is?” Ben asked but Jena pulled his hand to stop him.

“What my husband means is to ask about the whereabouts of the owners of the house. Am sure you have explained already so we shall just leave and return when they are back. You work well now my dear” Jena smiled and pulled her husband the two of them walked to the car.

“My love what was that? He should have told us the name of the mother so we know for sure ether we have the right person or not. Remember we are not even sure this is our child here” Ben whispered.

“my point exactly Ben, asking that man a lot of questions will sale us out and if this is the Mwape`s farm, if they suspect we are here we don’t know what they would do. Let’s just go out of here and come back tomorrow to see them for ourselves. We have to plan our next move and be careful lest we find a different Grace”

Ben nodded as his wife spoke

“You are right, let’s find some hotel to lodge for tonight since its almost 18 o’clock. We should call home and tell Junior and the maid we won’t be going back. They mighty worry”

“Yeah we should, though I called the maid earlier she knows where we are” Jena sighed as she sat in the front seat leaning backwards.

An hour later they had booked into a hotel in Monze town.

“This reminds me of years back when we were still young” Ben started sitting next to his wife who was laying down facing the roof

“Hm, yeah I have remembered that time too. When we were booked in some lodge in Mpika looking for our baby again. Sometimes I wonder if at all we were destined to have that baby” Jena spoke sadly.

“Why is that? “Her husband asked joining her laying down too.

“Well, we have never really had her, I gave birth to her and gave her away right away without getting to know her better. We spent about 4 years with her and we were getting to know each other better before she was taken away again, it’s been over 16 years now and we are here still searching for her”

“I know my love, it’s been rough on us but we still love our baby. No wonder we are here right now looking for her. I pray this time we find her and get to live the rest of our lives together” Ben responded.

“Yeah, I hope so too. I can’t help think that all this happening between us couldn’t have happened if someone didn’t steal our baby. We could have had a different story” she added looking at her husband and back at the roof.

“Jena am sorry. Please forgive me. I never went back to Ch¡po trust me please, please let’s have one heart as we look for our baby. I love you my wife and I will never do what I did to hurt you again” he moved to his side holding his wife’s hands she didn’t move an inch as she listened to him.

“Look at me Jena “he ordered and she reluctantly turned her face to look at him.

“I know Ben. I mean, I know Ch¡po was on you someone called me from your work place. Your secretary told me what happened yesterday after you left uncle`s place, but am mad she had the guts to get that close to you and you let her. Anyways I don’t want to occupy my mind with thoughts of that woman Ben. I just want to rest and pray we have something from this search and we go back home with out child.” Jena sighed

Ben looked at her lay silently and in thoughts.

“ I see you everyday for the past 16 years and I still fail in love with you. God knows how much I treasure you my wife. Please don’t let my mistake destroy what we have. Uncle was tight, I chose you years ago and no matter what am not going to chose otherwise cause for me you are my home, the mother to my beautiful kids and am sure Grace will be proud of you “ Ben lifted his head looking at her face she pushed down a smile but he tickled her making her laugh softly.

“Will you stop doing that we are no longer kids” she giggled.

“as long as you are my Jena, you will always be fresh and young to me” he pulled her close.

Grace and Diana where driving back they still had an hour to get home. She had asked her mother to drive after some time and sat texting Jack as they chatted over her mother who Jack was still insisting was the one looking for her.

“what would you do if your biological parents find you?” Jack asked in a text.

“hm. I don’t know” she text back with a frown face.

“Well. One day you will meet them for sure you need to think of that possibility” Jack insisted.

“can we talk about something else?” She quickly changed the subject.

Upon driving their yard the man who met Ben and Jena walked to them receiving them cheerfully.

“welcome back madam “ he smiled at his boss.

“some couple came here looking for you” he stated as he carried the bags into the house.

“some couple from where?” Diana asked him .

“I didn’t ask, but they looked rich you should have seen the vehicle they were driving. The wife is so beautiful she must be slightly above 20 with a beautiful smile” the man grinned ignorantly Diana was almost worried but hearing the age mentioned by her worker, she assumed it was someone else knowing Jena and Ben where way older than 20.

“They didn’t say what they wanted?” She asked

“mom. Come and see what Joshua has done in the bathtub!” the scre-ming live of Grace made Diana rush in,side she set aside her questions.

Unknown to her, the past had come to haunt her and she was at the verge of looking what she had feared to lose for many years.

TO FIND GRACE Episode 20

Junior was rushing to get the medicine for his aunty in town as sent by Ben when he saw Jack walking from the other side of the streets. Recalling the information he gave to his aunty about him, Junior decided to play nosy and find out what it was his aunty was looking for?

“Hey Jack, how are you?” he greeted jack like they had been friends for a long time.

“Hey man, long time. How are you?” Jack turned to greet him with a smile.

“Am okey, I saw you from afar and wanted to say hi” Junior shrugged.

“Oh, that’s okey. Thanks for that, in fact am glad to see you after such a long time. You are done with school too right?” Jack asked

“Yep, all done man, you too?”

“Sure. Am going to Monze today to see my lady” Jack quickly added to make known to Junior he still had Grace with her.

“Oh that is good for you both. By the way how is she?” Junior asked

“Okey, very ok” Jack smiled.

“Hm, did anyone come to see you concerning Grace?” Junior asked

“What? You are the one that gave that woman my details? Who is she?” Jack asked now understanding how the woman found him.

“Don’t worry man, she is my auntie, I gave her the details because I didnt think she would come to you, now I see what those servants were talking about was true after all, how can this be?” Junior spoke to himself but loudly Jack wondered what he was bickering about.

“Junior, what is going on? Why was your aunty looking for Grace?” he asked now with so much attention.

“Oh man, forget it, it’s probably a mistake if I had known why she wanted to find her I could not have given her the info about you. I know Grace so well she wouldn’t go out with my uncle.” He answered him.

“What are you talking about Junior? Am lost here” Jack held his shoulder and looked at the smiling Junior.

“Oh man, am sorry my uncle seems to have found some other woman, you know some mid age crisis or something and I heard the maids talking about my uncle wanting to find the girl and put her in her place. So when she asked about Grace I didn’t think that was her speculation, if you have not told her please don’t, it’s nothing okey? My uncle and aunty are okey now.” Junior shrugged and walked away leaving Jack shocked with the new revelation.

“Oh God here in was connecting wrong dots, what the hell. That woman would think of looking for my Grace for such nonsense?” he asked himself shaking his head as he walked towards the station.

“What are you telling me Jack? I know that man” Grace had answered after Jack finished explaining his encounter with Junior back in Lusaka.

“Yeah I was surprised too, if you were not outside the country I could have doubted you but I know you wouldn’t even do that. “ Jack smiled at her.

“Well, that’s odd, here I was stressing thinking my biological parents have been looking for me when it is just Uncle Ben I have seen him a couple of times or so through Junior and he is a nice man. You know I met that woman, his wife with him one day and I could see she was trouble. I wouldn’t be surprised if she came to fight me over her husband because I saw the look she had given me back them. Anyway, my parents will never look for me after all” she sighed sadly but feeling relaxed the stressing over what she was going to do if she came to meet her real parents was finally over.

“Yeah so forget about that woman now. But I would still advice you get to look for your real parents it’s good to know where you come from you know” jack shrugged

“Yep. Good they never found me home. Imagine what mom would do with all that drama from a jealousy woman” Grace chuckled.

“Yeah, it could have been bad. Anyway it’s all in the past, I hope they never come back here”

“Sure I hope so too” Grace added.

“So let’s talk about something else since you are here” she looked at Jack sipping on her juice he smiled holding and rubbing her hand.

“Yeah sure, what about us getting married” Jack laughed

“What no way am getting married to a man I started dating a few days ago” she shook her head as both of them laughed.

“Well, formally yes, but remember I started coming after you years ago and been together on phone too” Jack smiled.

“Forget it Mr., am not getting married before completing school” she raised her eyebrows at him making him fake a sad face they both smiled at each other.

Story continues…

©Tisa Phiri