Hurdles - Cindy (Book 2)

The moment Elias graduated we eloped and went to stay in Chililabombwe, at the time it was the best thing I felt I did. I was in love with him and he was crazy about me and God knows I was willing to swim oceans for him.

He got a job as a site engineer at Lubambe Copper Mine Limited and he has always been so good at his job, no one can take that away from him.

He started working though the income was very low but he needed the experience. With that same income he managed to enroll me into college to study Business Management. I was happy, we were not comfortable yet but him going out of his way for me meant the world to me. So as he went to work, I was studying.

Everything was okay until his family found out about our cohabiting. They made sure to bring hell fire to earth, not only did they call me a prostitute and uncultured for moving in with a man who wasn’t my husband but also called my mother different names. She was called a failure for failing in her two marriages and they also said the curse was in the family because the end results of my actions would be no different from those of my mother. Despite all this I paid a deaf ear, Elias was a great support system and nothing his people said broke us apart.

After our families bikering back and fourth our marriage was made official and the following year after turning twenty I conceived my first child and named her Hope because it was evident how much rays of hope she brought in our lives. She looked like me in more ways than one and it was always a pretty sight having to look at a smaller version of me.

We moved to Konkola where he got another job with Konkola Copper Mines, the pay was better and our standard of living eventually improved.

I got my first job as an administrative assistant and got a maid for my baby, I must add that my life was going exactly how I planned it.

As soon as I finished breastfeeding my daughter; I conceived my twins, Hope was barely a year old at the time. They were not planned for but even then Elias accepted the situation. I gave birth to my twin girls and he was disappointed because he had wanted a boy, he didn’t even have the courtesy to name them because according to him he only had names for boys.

I named the first one Thandi; she was older by five minutes the second one Wangu, I failed to continue working because I had three babies to take care of and the maid wasn’t doing a good job. It was during this time that Elias started showing traits that I was not okay with but I brushed them off thinking it’s one of those things. Forgetting that what I consent to sets precedence to how the future plays out.

He begged me and bullied me to stop work and keep the children, he promised he would take care of me if I took care of his children and like a lamb ready to be slaughtered I listened. After all he was my husband and I loved him, I didn’t see anything wrong with giving up my work to look after our babies. I knew I was giving up my dreams for him but the consolation I was giving myself was that he meant well for all of us and given the opportunity he would do the same for us.

We decided to move into our own house to cut down on expenses; it had no windows, no floor or running water. Mosquitos owned the house at night, my heels were cracked and the situation was just terrible. All my life I had never stayed in such a house, my mum was a teacher and we always stayed in government houses whilst my dad was a senior civil servant who had built a beautiful house. The situation was bad but I was a wife and I had to support my man - he needed my support and not my criticism.

So we had to make do with what was available and my friends started laughing at me for allowing such a situation; again I comforted myself that I was doing it for the family, besides we did cut down on costs.

We were one of the first to move to Chililabombwe; it was literally a bush, after five years I was at a point of almost relief because the house was almost done but Elias sat me down saying he was looking into buying real estate for investment.

He stopped building our house and started investing in construction of a two in one flat in the neighboring compound.

Here I was with three kids and no job depending on my husband to take care of me, all three babies wearing diapers. Each month he would give me a K500.00 for groceries and upkeep and I dared not complain until the burden was too much to bare.

One day I gathered my courage and decided I would talk to him when he resumed work. That day when he returned I say him done.

‘Elias we need to talk.’ I began my voice almost breaking, I was scared of him.

‘Make it quick I am tired.’

I wasn’t surprised at his response, we had not been talking much of late but I was determined to air out my concerns.

‘We have three children to take care of, all wearing diapers. Groceries have also gone up.’

‘What are you trying to tell me?’

‘The money you give me is not enough.’ I said in a small voice

He started to talk and they were no signs of stoping, he began by reminding me of how he was the only one working and spending his money on the building projects. He further went on to tell me how I had packed my education away and was dependent on him, he talked the whole night and by morning I was ready to leave the marriage.

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