THEME: KNOCK YOURSELF OUT
TITLE: GRACE’S CHOICE
Written by Sydney Mulenga
In the heart of the bustling capital city of Zambia, Lusaka, lies Mtendere, a vast and sprawling residential compound. Mtendere is home to a diverse community of families. At the centre of Mtendere compound lies Kazimai market, a small and yet vibrant market filled with hawkers of different wares. Sounds of bargaining, prices, traders announcing their products and trying to sweet-talk passers-by to have a look at them litter the air. As the crowd’s bustle passes, a stray cat casually makes its way through the market. A few paces behind it a little boy makes his way to pick it up. The cat belongs to his family; it was procured to take care of a rat problem that had plagued their small shop. This small cat has saved the family business from considerable loss. The sight of goods destroyed by rat teeth marks has not greeted them in the morning since the cat’s arrival. As the boy pursues the cat, he passes a thrift shop that deals in used clothes referred to as salaula by the locals. Inside, the shopkeeper is talking to a brown-skinned young girl.
“They fit you perfectly!” the thrift seller says, curling her tongue around her words.
Grace, the girl that is being convinced to turn into a new customer, scans the face of the woman for any traces of a lie; she needs the affirmation. Grace thinks the jean fits her perfectly too, but she doesn’t want the seller to see how much she likes it. That would make discount negotiations tricky later. Hawkers here have been known to exhibit reluctance to drop the price if and when they notice their wares have managed to seduce the buyer into liking them.
Grace also wants to make sure that the money her grandmother had gifted her for her birthday is spent on something as close as possible to the best she could get for her money’s worth. Money hasn’t been easy to come by. It is just her, her grandmother and her brother now and life hasn’t been kind.
“This jean was made for you,” the seller continues. “Just look at how it shapes your hips.”
The seller is a lovely woman; probably in her late 30s.Grace’s mother was about the same age when she died.
Grace blushes. “Okay nicholekoni. I’m short; can you give me a discount?”
After a few negotiations, the lovely woman gives way and neatly bundles the blue jean for Grace in a black plastic. Grace thanks her quickly. She is eager to get home and wash the jean so she could wear it later and there’s no longer a need for her to hide how much she likes the jean now.
“Zikomo, thank you, I’m going to go now,” Grace says exposing her crooked canine smile. The crooked canines add a childlike innocence to her smile and most people can’t help but smile back. This seller is like most people.
“Thank you my daughter, go well,” she says as a smile plays on her face.
As Grace steps out of the stall, her smile fades. A lump slowly begins to form in her throat.
“My daughter.” Her mother used to call her that, often when she needed Grace to do something she knew Grace wouldn’t be too happy about. She would call out, “Grace my daughter!” After Grace came to her, she would often go on to say, “I know you’re tired and want to play but…”
Grace didn’t like it then. “My daughter” after her name was always precursor of unreasonable request from her mother but now, she misses it and yearns to hear it again.
“I’m sorry,” a little boy apologises to Grace after bumping into her.
“It’s okay,” Grace replies without thinking about it. “Just watch where you are going.”
“I will, thank you,” the boy says with a smile,
The boy turns his attention to the cat in his arms and whispers, “See what you’ve caused?”
The lump that was in Grace’s throats dissolves.
Grace was 13 when her father died, young and confused as she tried to make sense of her pain. Before she could make peace with the reality of being an orphan, two years later her mother died. The cancer took her quickly. The doctors said it was discovered too late. The family gossiped about how caring for two kids with no one to help but her old mother was more than she could bare.
When her mother died, Grace was 16 and her brother was only seven. The day of her mother’s funeral she held him close as both wept as her grandmother held them both. She was torn at the seams, a double orphan at just 16.
The funeral environment suffocated Grace; it was too constant a reminder of what she had lost. So whenever she got the chance, between the condolences from never seen before relatives and people telling how good her mother was to them, she snuck away. She stayed close in case her brother or grandma needed her for something. She stood with her friend, Jane, about 50 meters from the funeral house. They were making small talk when Grace noticed two of her maternal aunties heading in their direction.
“Iweh Jane, let’s go further into your yard. I don’t want my aunties to see me.”
The two girls retreated further into the yard. When her two aunties passed by her, they were in loud conversation.
“See, that’s the problem. Look at how no one wants to take care of the kids because of how Amake Grace didn’t want to visit…”
The oblivious aunties walked out of earshot. Jane placed a comforting hand on her shoulder like she had the last two days as Grace started tearing up.
At her mother’s funeral, her relatives stuck around just long enough for the burial and to share her mother’s belongings, and then they all sat down and decided her and her brother would stay with their maternal grandmother. Grace was allowed to pick first, a few mementos to hold on to. Afterwards everyone from distant family members to neighbours she only exchanged simple pleasantries before now, shared her mother’s clothes amongst themselves. Family members picked first.
“We will be sending money for food and upkeep for the children. It takes a village to raise a child, our family is our village. So we can’t let these kids suffer just because our sister, their mother, has left,” echoed one old man Grace had only seen him on two occasions – both were her parent’s funerals. The first time was at her father’s. He wasn’t given as much time to talk then as he was now.
That was also the last time Grace saw this man or most of her family members. The money for food and upkeep never came.
Grace reaches home. Her brother James is playing with his friends in the yard. Best not to bother him, she reasons. Her grandmother is in the living room. Their house is a four roomed house made up of a living room, the kitchen and two bedrooms. Grace and her grandmother share a bedroom.
“Gogo, I’m back,” Grace announces.
“Show me what you bought,” Gogo replies without looking away from the telenovela playing on the TV.
“Let me wash it first apa, I’ll show you later.”
Grace is about to hang the jeans when her hears her friend ask her grandmother about her in the house.
“Jane, I’m at the back!” Grace shouts.
When Jane comes out to the back, the two friends share pleasantries and begin to catch up,
“I can’t stay long; I have to pack to leave for Serenje.”
” I’m really happy for you ba soon to be teacher.”
“I have to pass that enrollment interview first. Any news on the your getting into college?”
“I haven’t gotten my results yet, as we still owe the school that,” said Grace. “I’ll try applying for a student loan. We just need to raise the money to pay the school.” Grace’s face is starting to drop.
“So have you decided what you are doing for your big 18th birthday tomorrow?” Jane changes the subject.
“I was just going to chill at home with Gogo and James, since you decided to abandon me,” Grace says.
“You know I’m not abandoning you,” Jane interrupts with a laugh.”I need to attend the enrollment interviews tomorrow, and I have to pack today.”
“I know, I just wished you would be around. Won’t be as fun with just Mimi and I.”
“Wait, I thought you said you were going to stay here with Gogo and James,” Jane says.
“I was not finished, I was about to tell you that Mimi asked me go out with her.”
“Isn’t Mimi’s idea of going out, just going to a club and having men buy her drinks?”
“She promised me we wouldn’t be bothered by any men, it will be just us.”
“Are you sure?”
“She promised.”
“Well I don’t think you should go. Mimi can’t be trus..”
“Hey you two!” Mimi announced. “James told me you are back here.”
Gogo didn’t like Mimi either, so Mimi tried to minimise interaction between the two.
Barely five minutes after Mimi joined the two friends, Jane said her goodbyes and as she was leaving, she told Grace to think about what she had said.
“What is that about?” Inquired Mimi.
“It’s nothing, school things.”
“Okay, so what are you wearing tomorrow?”
“I bought these jeans, ” Grace pointed.
“I have the perfect white top that will go with that.”
It is the next day, Grace’s birthday. As Grace did her chores, she considered Jane’s reservations about trusting Mimi. She thinks about how her and Mimi met a little after Grace’s mother died. Mimi was a double orphan too. She lived with her grandmother too and the shared pain drew the girls to each other. Mimi’s childhood was rougher than Grace’s. And of late Mimi life has taken a turn; she had started going out and speaking about men that gave her money after she spent time with them in expensive lodges. Grace didn’t want to get sucked into that world. Her grandmother wouldn’t be happy about it and she was certain her mother wouldn’t approve. Mimi had promised her she was taking her out to a good place and they wouldn’t stay out late.
Mimi picks Grace up later that day.
“You look fire in those jeans, Grace.”
” Thank you,” Grace blushes.
“So where are we going?”
” it’s a surprise.”
Grace had a slight idea what the surprise would be. Mimi had been trying to invite her to go a club with her for quite sometime. She was still reluctant about going with Mimi.
“Okay ba birthday girl, let’s go.”
Mimi and Grace walk into the club, the loud music and flashing lights make Grace feel overwhelmed. She isn’t used to being in such a crowded and noisy environment.
“Let’s go get some drinks!” Mimi yells over the music and grabs Grace’s hand. She leads her to the bar. After they reach the bar, Mimi leans into Grace and yells again, “Trust me Grace. You will enjoy this. I’m going to get you a nice cocktail.”
As Grace reluctantly sips her drink, she finds it isn’t as bad as she had imagined it would be. After a while she finds herself enjoying the music. Some of Mimi’s friends join them and they all dance together.
Suddenly, Grace feels a tap on her shoulder. She turns around to see a man probably in his early 30s smiling at her.
“Would you like to dance?” he asks.
Grace hesitates for a moment, but Mimi urges her to go for it.
“I need to go to the bathroom first,” Grace says to Mimi.
Mimi points her to the direction of the bathrooms. Grace makes her way to the bathroom. She uses one of the stalls and on her way out stares in the mirror a while.
“What am I doing?” she whispers to herself.
“What was that?” a random woman asks Grace.
“Oh, nothing,” Grace hurries out of the bathroom.
Mimi is waving to her in the distance, and the man is standing next to her. As Grace heads in their direction, she freezes mid-step and her heart drops to her stomach. Walking towards her is her mother. Her wonderful eyes, her smile, her cheeks have the same dips as they always have. She says something, Grace can’t quite hear her over the music, but she can make out the words from her mouth, “Grace my daughter”.
PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Magazine Facebook Short Story Competition is funded by the National Arts Council, Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme 3
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