Chord Limitless : Episode 3

I kept looking behind as I hurried along the dark road. There was no lighting but I really didn't have a choice. I had been picked out of my brother's house whilst he stood by helplessly watching. My mind quickly reverted to that evening.
It had been a fruitless day of job hunting and I was feeling frustrated. I had gone back to.my brother's house and luckily his wife hadn't been there. I helped her sister Towela prepare supper then took a bath and went to bed as I was tired. I was deep in sleep when I felt the blankets being wrenched from me. I had woken up with a start and in confusion. My sister in law stood there glaring at me.
"You even have the nerve to sleep peacefully in a house that you are not welcome in!" She spat out.


"Bamake Wezi just let her sleep, she can leave tomorrow," I heard my brother plead from outside the door.
"No! She leaves now! I gave her two days. Her time is up!"
I looked at the woman in disbelief then rubbed my eyes. Maybe it was all a dream because no one was cruel enough to send someone packing this late at night.
"You heard me. Don't just sit there like a tree! Get out of that bed!" She screamed.
She had this look in her eyes that made me realise she was serious. I slowly got out of bed. Still feeling confused. She hurried to the washing basket where my plastic of clothes lay. She wrenched it and without a word left the room. I looked at my brother who stood helplessly by.


The door opened and a few minutes later she came back and roughly grabbed my hand. I was shocked as she dragged me like a little child out of the house.
"Follow your dirty clothes!" She said as she roughly pushed me out of the house.
I felt the cold air hit me hard as the door banged behind me. I stood by for a minute as I tried to comprehend what had just happened. I turned round and started banging on the door whilst calling out for my brother to have mercy and open for me. I promised to leave first thing in the morning. All I wanted was to rest. I pleaded to no avail. I could see neighbors peepung but no one bothered to call me in. Defeated I turned around and spotted my discarded clothes. I picked them slowly as tears ran down my face. Harmony and I shared the same blood.


 How could he allow a total stranger to humiliate me this way? I finished gathering my clothes and put them in a plastic before turning round to look at the house once more; hoping that maybe Harmony would man up and let me back in. Realisation hit me after a minute and with a heavy heart I walked away.
Now here I was going to only God knows. I had no idea what time it was but I kept walking. I was tired and needed sleep but then again not knowing where I was scared me. What if I got killed? I kept walking and singing the songs I knew from church as I rubbes my hands together. It was cold and even the jersey I wore didn't stop the cold from hitting me hard.
"Storms will come in your life but always face them head on and never forget to turn to God," my mother had always said.
I looked up to the sky. It waa starry and the moon was full meaning at least I had some Light.


"Lord do not forsake me," I prayed.
I continued walking till I couldn't take it anymore. I spotted light ahead of me. I hurried there and realised that I was outside a wall fence. I dared not knock lest I be chased away. Instead I walked to the little patch of grass outside. I sat down and with my head leaning against the wall I asked God to protect me before I closed my eyes. I must have dozed off despite the cold but someone yelling at me to wake up caused my eyes to fly open. I looked round and realised that I had fallen asleep on the grass and it was light. I looked round and saw a woman looking at me through her car window.
"What are you doing outside my gate?"She demanded.


“I am sorry, “I said as I bowed my head. “I just needed a place to rest my head.”
I stood up quickly and got my plastic. “I will be on my way. I am sorry again.”
I started walking as she watched me. Suddenly she told me to stop.
“Come back,” she said more gently.
I went back and watched her get out of the car. She was a pretty woman. She looked at me for a while before she spoke again.
“You don’t look like a thief so obviously there is a story behind all this.”
I bowed my head again. “No need to feel bad. I am quite good at listening.”
“My brother’s wife kicked me out of their house last night so I have been walking for hours and eventually when I got tired I decided to rest here.”


“Where is home?” she asked curio sly.”
“Somewhere outside after choma. In the village.”
“You speak good English for someone from the village.”
“I was at school at Macha Girls but then my mother fell sick and I was forced to drop out to care of her.”
“I see but what are you doing here?”
“I came to find a job and hopefully save enough to complete my education.”
She looked at me for a full minute before sighing. “Come inside with me. Maybe I can find you something.”


Her name was Grace Mbuzi. She was a midwife and the day she found me outside her gate she had been coming from delivering a baby. Her husband was a businessman and they stayed in a mansion. She gave me a job as one of the maids and I shared a room with Aunt Martha who had been working for the Mbuzis for eight years. She was older even than Mrs. Mbuzi and the husband. They had four children and it was my job to look after the children when my other chores were done. The youngest child was four and was very talkative. I had to say I was enjoying my job tremendously and the pay wasn’t bad. I was put at K600 per month and the fact that most of my other expenses were taken care of by Mrs. Mbuzi I was able to save a little and send some money home. I planned on taking myself back to school with my savings.


 Harmony had not been in touch even after I gave him my number. Anyway I had come to accept that his wife would always control him no matter what.
I placed the washing basket full of kids’ clothes on the laundry table and turned to start loading the machine. I hummed along to Todd Delaney’s Victory is for Jesus as I worked. I had managed to get a memory card for my zamtel phone and had gone to town to have someone put selected music on it. I loved singing and not only that I had started buying novels from the Sunday market at Arcades whenever I escorted Mrs. Mbuzi there. I loved working here and when I had told my mother about it she had told me to hold on till I achieved my goals.


Speaking of my mother, she sounded stronger and Moses had said she looked better which made me not worry so much. As for my father he had disowned me and had made it clear that in his eyes I was dead. From what Moses had told me, Chimuka had been very angry to have been duped by me and father had tried to reason to him by even offering two of my sisters but Chimuka had been adamant he wanted me and no one else.
I finished loading the clothes then turned the machine on. I then started ironing. I had a few more hours before the kids got home and I had to think of preparing their food. Being here a year had taught me so much and the routine in this house was like clockwork. I finished ironing and carried the folded clothes to the kids’ rooms. I didn’t notice Mr. Mbuzi in the passage and almost hit into him.


“Sorry sir,” I mumbled as I stepped to the side to let him pass.
I had no idea that he was home. Most of the times he would get home late so him being here at this time was not usual.
“It is fine. How are you?” he asked.
I was surprised. He never spoke to me most of the time.
“I am well...please excuse me,” I said and hurried away.


I felt him watching me but when I turned round he seemingly was also walking away. I shook my head. Paranoia I thought and hurried to the first room. I packed the clothes then went back to the laundry room and removed the clothes that I needed to hang.
The kids came in around sixteen and I helped them out of their uniforms before making them food. They usually preferred having corn flakes or jungle oats. After they finished eating I bathed them then they went to watch TV. I noticed Mr. Mbuzi was still in the house which was weird. He kept looking at me when I would pass and honestly I was uncomfortable.


“I wonder why he is home today. Is he tired of his whores?” Aunt Martha said as I helped her peel potatoes for supper.
They usually ate something light or not nshima in the evenings.
“Aunt, how can you say that?” I asked in shock.
She made a face. “It is a well known fact that our boss is a womaniser and that is why he always comes home late. It is just that madam is a strong woman and she strongly believes may change one day.”


I shook my head as aunt Martha spoke. I loved her but she was one to never mind her own business. I wasn’t really interested in what was happening in the home of the people I worked for. Their personal lives were none of my business. After we finished cooking, I went to set the table and I noticed Mr. Mbuzi was looking at me sill. Puzzled I turned away and decided to brush it off. The next time I turned he was standing just behind me by the table that held the decanter of brandy he liked to take after meals. Aunt Martha walked in and the unease I felt went away. She placed the platter of food she held on the table. As she turned away I saw Mr. Mbuzi smile then he winked at me.

Watch out for episode 4
Lord, did the man wink at me or was I imagining things?