ARRANGED_MARRIAGE.
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EPISODE 3.
The church was packed with my family and friends and well-wishers. I was clad in a white mermaid wedding dress, a bouquet of red roses and white lilies in my hands. Smiling sheepishly, I walked down the aisle to my handsome groom who was standing in front of the altar smiling too.
When I arrived in front of the altar, I threw the flowers on the floor.
"Baby," said my groom. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Thomas," I replied. "How could you?"
"How could I what? Gillen, you scaring me. Tell me what's going on please."
"No, you tell me!" I yelled. "What's that ring doing on your finger?" I added, pointing at his left hand.
"A ring?" asked Thomas incredulously, flaunting his hand in his face.
"Thomas, do you have another wife?" I asked, fighting back the tears.
"Gillen!" called a female voice. It was as if the voice was inside my head. "Gillen!"
I woke with a start. Someone was banging on my door and calling out my name.
"Yes, Helen. Am awake now." I irritably said, getting out of bed and hurrying to open the door.
A heavily pregnant Helen clad in a chitenge suit stood before me, her arms spread. I smiled and gave her a hug.
"Missed you big time, sis." said Helen enthusiastically.
"So did I."
"Can I come in?"
"Sure," I said. "Pardon my ill manners."
Helen stepped over the threshold and studied my room. "Your room hasn't changed one bit." remarked Helen, sitting on my bed with a sigh.
"You don't expect it to change in a month," I said, closing the door and joining her on the bed. "Do you?"
"Course not." she flashed a stupid grin.
"How's bro in-law?"
"He's doing great."
"And life?"
"Kinda boring without you and Gerard around," said Helen. "But no worries, am adjusting. The pregnancy's doing me bad too."
"Gone for ultrasound yet?"
"No, David says he wants the sex of the child to be a surprise. I think I do too." replied Helen. "How's Ba Tom?"
"He's great."
"Heard you spent the night at his place."
"Mum couldn't wait to spill the beans, could she? Course I did, anything wrong with that?"
Helen sighed. "Not really. But don't you think this is too much? I mean, 7 years courtship? That's absurd. It's like the guy's married or has some side chick. With the work that he does, I wouldn't be surprised one bit to learn the guy has a wife, maybe wives and kids too."
Upon hearing Helen mention another wife, my thoughts drifted back to the dream I'd had minutes ago. What did it mean? I wasn't superstitious but I had to admit the dream was utterly strange.
But I could think and worry about the dream later. Right now I had to put my junior sister in her place.
"You hoping for that to be true, aren't you, Helen?" I rudely asked, glaring at her incredulously.
"You know I wouldn't wish that on anyone, Gillen. But let's be realistic here. The guy just wants to take you out on dates and get laid, period! You are my elder sis but sorry to say, you are acting so naive. It's like you're some teenager who has just fallen in love for the first time. C'mon sis, Thomas is a truck driver. He's always in and out of the country so what are the odds that he hasn't fathered at least one child? And why hasn't he proposed to you yet? What's he still waiting for huh?"
I took a deep breath and said, "If not for your condition, I would have given you one helluva hot slap you would have loathed me for eternity. Helen, I think I've had it with all this crap! First it was my friend Thandi, then mum and now you? What is it that you guys have against my Tom huh? I admit am not yet married, so what? Is it a crime to be unmarried? And sorry to disappoint you but Tom has no other family!"
"What's makes you so certain?" said Helen defiantly.
I abruptly stood up. "Leave my room."
"Sure," said Helen, raising her arms in surrender. "Don't let this get to me telling you, 'I told you so.'"
"No it won't. My regards to David, Mrs. Kabwe." I said, putting emphasis on "Mrs."
•
Wednesday afternoon found me leaving the school premises in company of a male teacher, Mr. Mbale.
I was going to the parking lot to wait for Thomas to come pick me up. At least he was driving a red Chevrolet today. My Vitz had developed some fault a week earlier and was still at the garage.
"Ms. Kambone," called Mr. Mbale in a formal tone. "Would you mind lending me your biology notes tomorrow? Misplaced my text book and have a lesson with the G11s first thing tomorrow morning."
"No I wouldn't mind." I honestly said.
We were now almost in the parking lot. I was about to say something but for stumbling upon a pothole and almost falling. Well, Mr. Mbale managed to catch me in my mid fall. His hands were now wrapped around my waist and I was breathing heavily, looking up at him. On impulse, the guy leaned forward and kissed my lips. I was caught offguard and at first, didn't know how to react. But I made up my mind. I was going to slap Mr. Mbale so bad and chastise him. I had caught the guy stealing glances at me in the staffroom several times but never had I thought he'd have the audacity to steal a kiss from me. That too, in the school premises? Thank God we were mostly the last teachers to leave the school.
I was just about to push the guy off me when someone cleared their throat. Mr. Mbale broke the kiss instantly and stared at the man standing before us. I stared too. It was Thomas.
"Did I interrupt something?" said Thomas sarcastically.
"Thomas- I.. I"
He help up his hand. "Go on, please. I shouldn't be here, really." and he turned on the spot, going straight to where his car was parked.
"Gillen, I-" began Mr. Mbale but I cut him short.
"Pray Thomas listens to me." I gave him a scornful glare and ran after Thomas but he was gone.
I booked a cab and gave Thomas a call but as expected, my call went unanswered. I sent him a text which read, "Tom, my love. Please believe me when I say things aren't always as they seem."
"Meaning?" wrote back Thomas.
"I can explain what happened. Just give me a chance."
"Did that guy propose marriage? Maybe you should marry him, seeing how eager you are to get married."
"Thomas, please."
"Gillen, go back to that man. Am switching off my phone now so don't bother calling or texting."
Since I had a key to Tom's house, I told the driver to drive me straight there.
3 hours later, I was still in Thomas' bedroom and he hadn't turned up yet. I had paced the room back and forth, contemplating how best to put the situation into words.
Out of boredom and seeing how dirty Tom's room was, I absent mindedly began cleaning it. Putting the dirty clothes in the washing basket, the clean ones in the wardrobe. Sweeping the floor and making the bed and putting stuff in order in drawers.
I had just opened another drawer when something got my attention. I grabbed the paper and hurriedly read it. Of course it was Thomas Mwelwa's name scribbled on it. But what I discovered shocked me to the core! Feeling my knees go weak, I slumped to the floor, shaking my head disbelievingly.
"No," I weakly mumbled. "Not my Thomas. Not him."
•
Eh, what has Gillen stumbled upon now?
And too many ghosts in here, will it kill you to leave feedback sure?
Maybe you aren't feeling the story...
