Perpetual

I don’t believe in fate, I have never been one to believe that stars align in one’s favor when the time is right. Many people will argue with this but in my growing up things never worked for me when the time was right, they worked because I put in effort, because I put in the work and the results were in alignment with what I had put in. I have just spotted Pearl walking past my office as I am about to drive out, I find myself smiling like a fool and then remember the words that James told me.

I slow down and roll down my window when I get to where she is, she had headsets on so she removes one when she notices me.

‘What are the odds that we are meeting?’ I ask not wanting to sound desperate

‘There is nothing like odds here, this is the route I use every day when going home. We would have met somehow.’

I find that she is challenging me and taking most of the words out of my mouth.

‘Can I give you a lift?’

‘Yes please.’

I don’t know why that surprises me. She has been putting up with wall I thought she would give me a hard time but that came out really easy.

I stop the car and unlock the doors, she puts her handbag in the back of the car and comes to join me in the front. I notice that she has hairy hands and I know this makes me look like a pervert but I find it sexy.

‘There is usually a bunch of men over here I hate the whistles and the attention.’ She says pointing at an unfinished building just ahead.

‘Makes sense.’

‘What?’

‘You accepting the lift, I thought you were going to put up a fight.’

‘Well that and I get to save on money plus I am exhausted. I don’t think I was going to stand the two hours trip to home.’

‘Two hours?’

‘Home is in Kafue.’

I look at her bewildered.

‘I was expecting that.’ She says with a chuckle

‘You are messing with me?’

‘I live slightly before that.’

‘Slightly? Like Chilanga or something.’

‘Way before.’

‘Lilayi?’

‘Yes Lilayi.’

‘Thank God.’ I say touching the part where my heart is and that makes her laugh.

For a few minutes there is silence, I take a look at the men she mentioned earlier on the unfinished building. They are drinking and smoking and screaming profanities and I instantly have this urge to always protect her from them.

‘God those men make me feel like I might go to prison soon.’

I find myself laughing, so hard because the way she looks and the words coming out of her mouth don’t match.

‘Don’t laugh, look at them and see the things they are doing. I have to pass through that place every other day.’

‘How come I have never met you? I have been going to Mama D’s restaurant for years.’

‘I just started going there, I want to warn myself a skill in cooking and my Auntie’s place is the best to get it.’

‘I wouldn’t agree more.’

‘So what do you do for a living? My Aunty says you studied engineering.’

‘You and your Aunty talked about me?’

‘She couldn’t stop talking about you and how well behaved you are. I got irritated at some point.’

‘Why because you thought she was saying nice things about me and not you?’

‘Can’t a girl be jealous in peace?’

‘No you can’t.’

‘So let’s talk about Engineering.’

I really want to tell her about me but instead I decide I might never get this chance to sit with her like this and talk so I let her speak. For the rest of the journey she tells me about herself, her childhood, her education, how she arrived at decided to study the course she is studying and for the life in me I know I want to listen to her talk every other day.

‘We are here.’ She announces

We have parked just in front of her yard. I have learnt that she is the only surviving child of her mother, her two older siblings died a few years back in a road accident and her mother has never recovered. She has been living in this shell since and usually dislocates herself from the rest of the world and it’s up to Pearl to keep them moving. I feel for her, but her energy and how she talks about it makes me admire her. Unknown I have gone through some dark times but it seems like a heavy burden to have to take care of her mother.

‘I want to see you again.’

‘Anything so that I don’t get to see those men again.’ She responds before laughing

‘How about you give me a call tomorrow as you leave work?’

‘That’s fine.’

She hands me her phone and I enter my number which I save. She dials it and asks me to text or call her when I get home which I promise I will do. We say our good nights and I wait for her to text that she is safely locked inside the house before driving off.

..

Kwenje’s Girl

Winnie

🙇🏾‍♀️