CHAPTER 4
UNTIMELY MISFORTUNES
The weekend swiftly went past as a Sunday turned into a Monday morning. I woke up early so that I could bath without disturbances from my sister. I wore my slim-fit black tuxedo and brown formal lace-less shoes. Bongani and I had decided to go to the interview despite the fact that we had been offered jobs by Mr Guru. We decided to go to Dan-Op Bank because it was a big international firm and if we could impress the interviewers and find jobs there it would be better working there than working for a small time business man like Guru. I met up with Bongani at his home before we left for town in Bongani’s father’s car. We were dropped off in town as Mr Nkosi continued his journey to work. We arrived at the towering and immaculately constructed Joina City building which breathes life into the skyline of Harare. This is where Dan-Op Bank was situated. We made our way to the 15th floor via the transparent elevator. “Just imagine walking 15 floors.” “That will be a marathon on itself.” replied Bongani. “Let us ask the receptionist about were the prospective employees are being interviewed.” I said. “Dan-Op Bank. Good morning. What can I do for you.” said the female receptionist as she took a pause. “You are going through to Mr Samba.” said the receptionist as she placed the phone receiver back. “Good morning where are the interviewees going.” I asked. “Morning sir, you can sit on those chairs over there someone will notify you when the interviews will be held." So we went and sat on the chairs where we were joined by 5 more people, four women and one guy. “Saw your ex today.” said Bongani. “My ex!” “Tinashe don’t act like a fool.” “Who?” I asked. “Courtney.” replied Bongani. Courtney was the first girl I had ever dated. Me and Courtney started dating when I was 17 and still in high school. I was a bit of a late bloomer I had my first girlfriend at that age when most of my friends had already been in the dating game three years earlier and my first kiss was not until I was 18 and Courtney was the first girl I kissed by that time most of my friends had lost their virginity and I didn’t lose mine until I was in varsity. I thought I was in love but in reality it was just puppy love. Our love fell through when Courtney left for the United Kingdom just after finishing high school, where her mother lived. We could not maintain a long distance relationship. Her mother had left when she was still in primary school, her father had died a few years after her mother’s departure for the United Kingdom. She grow up a few houses from where I stay at her paternal grandparents’ house. After Courtney left for the UK our communication at first was strong but grow weaker as time went on. The long distance relationship was just not feasible and Courtney ended up calling it quits. I knew she was coming back to Zimbabwe for a short period because she had sent me a message. “I saw her with this white dude.” said Bongani. “Has to be her painter lover.” Courtney had told me that she was dating some painter but I never thought it was that serious. “You lost out to a painter.” said Bongani. “That’s pathetic she left me for some uneducated punk. I have a degree at least that shows I am not dumb.” “Not all painters are dumb, Da Vinci was a genius.” said Bongani. “This guy is no Da Vinci, he is some dumb Aussie guy, who can’t even spell the word painter” “So he is from Australia.” “Yep, I prefer we find something else to talk about. Talking about my ex is just making me more stressed.” We waited for the interviewer to come but to no avail. Whilst we waited we struck off a conversation with this guy who also had come for the interview. The guy’s name is Aaron and he told us how he was retrenched. Aaron had a limp in his step a thing he attributed to an accident. So Aaron’s life story goes on like this, one day after work as he walked to the commuter omnibus terminus, on the sidewalks a commuter omnibus driver, Aaron described as psychopathic, hit him on his left side with the right side of the commuter omnibus he was driving. As Aaron narrated his story that feeling of de javu struck me as I recalled the disfigured body of Bongani’s brother, Andrew, after he had being struck by a speeding commuter omnibus. The psychopathic driver was running away from the local municipal police. As if the driver had struck a pile of tissues he continued on with his journey. It was a hit and run. Aaron had to sale some household furniture to foot his medical bills because his medical aid insurance plan had a hidden clause that did not cover negligent accidental injury. Which in truth was not the real case Aaron wasn’t negligent he was walking on the sidewalks and not on the road. My old man always tells me insurance companies are just a batch of thugs and crooks dressed in fancy suits, they do not use a gun to steal from you but rather a simple ballpoint pen. Most insurance companies are good examples of white collar criminals. To add insult to injury, Aaron was made redundant whilst he was in hospital. His employer’s used the FIFO method first in first out method of retrenchment. When things looked like there were going to get better for Aaron all of his pension lump sum which he had invested in a house amounted to nothing. His parents should had named him misfortune or unlucky because it would had better suited him after all the misfortune which besieged him in the past five years. So Aaron bought a house which had being sold also to another person by the same person who sold him the house. Aaron had an agreement with the guy who sold him the house that the title deeds would be transferred after a week. So after a week had passed without any communication, Aaron then started to become fretful and a bit wary about the whole deal, by the time he discovered he had been duped the guy had left Zimbabwe for Luxemburg. More misery was to be fall Aaron, for the 20 years he had worked for the same company which retrenched him, a certain fixed amount of money was taken from his salary each month by Tin Insurance Company. As Aaron continued on with his story of misfortune. I started now to believe my old man and his assertion that most not if all insurance companies are wolfs dressed in sheep’s clothing. The agreement with Tin Insurance Company was that upon retirement, Aaron was entitled to be paid 60% of the salary he got from his work every month until he died. It came to light that Tin Insurance Company was just another get rich scheme, an original archetypal tale of a Ponzi scheme. The owner of the Insurance had used money gained from other people who were part of the insurance scheme to pay other members who were also part of the Insurance scheme. He had done this for the past 20 years undetected and had made millions of dollars in the process. By the time it was discovered he was bankrupt and it so happened that it was the same time that Aaron had been retrenched. His fall like most African man who become rich had been accelerated by the inability to keep his zipper close. One of his many unofficial side wives happened to be mentally sharp and conniving and she ran him clean of his wealth. The guy was arrested the few assets he had where repossessed by the bank he owned money. Aaron told us that even though the guy was arrested he was still not satisfied, in his opinion Justice does not give him food. He told us he had being unemployed for the past three years. Aaron has three children, the youngest a boy in form 1, the second born a girl doing Ordinary- level and his eldest a girl in varsity who is at university in her first year doing a Bachelors of Science Honours degree in Agricultural Economics. He told us how he was not taking any pleasure in having to rely on hand outs from his wife for financial assistance since she was the one at work and was the sole provider. He told us, he felt even though his wife was providing for the family it felt like he was been bossed around. His wife was the Principal at Belvedere Technical Teacher’s college, she was a teacher by profession. He complained how he was been tormented by his in-laws for being a lazy man who relies on his wife. I could see it in his eyes that his ego had been severely bruised. It felt like his in-laws were being a bit hard on him. In the first place he was the one who paid for their daughter’s tertiary education his wife. He also told us he had also paid for the younger brother of his wife from primary school right up to university. But all of that as it seems they had forgotten about it. I dared to ask Aaron if he felt happiness in spite of what was happening in his life. What he replied was not the answer I was expecting to hear. Aaron told me in spite of all misery that had fallen upon him, he said he always felt happiness whenever he woke up to the sight of his children. For him he said happiness wasn’t something you could quantify like to say today I am feeling 200 grams of happiness, but rather happiness was a feeling which could be felt even if most of the things in your life are tipsy turvy. I thought I had problems in my life, I was wrong the problems I am currently facing compared to what Aaron is facing are not comparable. Aaron was facing great adversities but still remained steadfast and hopeful of better things to come. Just when we thought all hope had been lost. We heard the distinctive kokokoko sound produced by stilettos. We had been sitting for close to three hours and a half hours. A lady came where we were sitting. The lady had drowsy eyes and droopy lips. Her lips looked like they had been beaten by an army of bees. She had protruding canine teeth analogous to a vampire’s teeth. She was dressed in an unflattering burgundy dress which seemed like it was sawn using paperclips and glue. She was a bit snobbish in the way she carried herself and the way she looked underneath her glasses. If there was ever a maximum prison for bad dressing she definitely would have been the first person to be arrested by the fashion police. She is not fashion savvy to say the least. “I am the human resource manager and I am sorry to inform you that there was a mix up. The positions you were going to be interviewed for, have being filled internally, sorry for any inconvenience caused.” said the lady with droopy eyes in an over exaggerated brogue. She was trying by all means possible to sound Americanish. Her voice sounded like a cat was scratching her voice box. “Sorry won’t get me the time you have wasted for me” said Aaron looking all perturbed in an angry tone as he stood up. My gut feeling told me there was no internal recruitment but it was rather nepotism at play. They had just employed their relatives, and saying the positions were filled internally was just a polite way to say it. “She could be a suitable candidate to be a cougar.” Said Bongani as we entered the lift. “You, joking right.” “I am serious as death. No ring on her it means she is single.” “Are we speaking of the same lady. That lady is a vampire.” “Tinashe, my friend. It’s all about the money.” “Seriously speaking would you date Bongani?” “As long as she gives me the green bag, I will date her. “That’s ludicrous no amount of money will make me date her.” After the disappointment we both went straight home. Upon arrival I ate before I had a siesta. When I woke up I went to the living room where I was I amazed to see my father sitting with my mother. “Afternoon, you came early today.” I said as I sat down on the sofa. “Yes I did. How did the interview go” replied my old man. “It was a dead end. They didn’t even interview us we were told the positions were already filled internally.” I replied as I scrolled the remote up and down looking for channels to watch. “You just have to be strong.” said my mother. “But there is the guy Guru who promised Bongani and I jobs.” “What kind of jobs?” quizzed my old man. “A manager at one of his two boutiques shops in town.” “I sold the Opel and I am happy to say we have a new house. You know that co- operative that I was paying each and every month. I used the proceeds from the sale of the Opel to finish of the payments. Now I am just waiting for the finalization of the paper works.” said my father looking happy. “Come to think of it Guru was also the surname of the chairman of the co-operative is he the same with your Guru or is it just a namesake.” said my mother. Before I could answer Ruru entered the living room. “Good Afternoon.” said Ruru dressed in her uniform. “Afternoon, how were the exams?” asked my father. “You are writing!” I exclaimed. “Yes, the exams were a bit challenging but I believe I passed.” “We have a new house.” said my mother. “That’s nice.” said Ruru. “The Guru who promised me a job is a chubby guy.” I said “I think he is the same person, he has a bold head, Ian is his first name” said my old man. “That’s him, the guy with the beard.” I replied. We continued talking about the prospect of moving into a larger house. Today my sister was the one preparing supper and for a change she cooked a decent meal. I slept feeling happy. For me it was just another day to forget, my only hope lay in the promised job I had been offered by Guru. In my deepest thought I knew I had to find something worthwhile. I knew very much that staying at home was making me more and stressed out. Night came and went as another day was ushered in. At high school Tuesdays were called Terrific Tuesdays but lately for me they had become Troublesome Tuesday. For a moment I wish I could go back in time and relive my high school days. Being a grownup has brought its own share of headaches. I no longer feel comfortable eating food at my parent’s house. All I am is a parasite that is reliant on its hosts in this case my parents are the host and I am the parasite. Staring at the ceiling I just see myself like a lost cause a person without any prospects what so ever. As I stare deep into the ceiling I start fantasying about making it in life buying my own house, living in a posh area, driving a fast Germany or Italian car, assisting my family financially. My fantasy grows deeper I see myself being the envy of other guys. Whilst I am in that deep reverie of imagination, that seem thought comes to me maybe my search for money isn’t going to be the solution to my problems. As I reflect I feel this part of me that is yawning to be happy devoid of all stress. Yesterday in the living room I could sense the ecstasy that was radiating from my parents they had found happiness the same happiness I am looking for. My father had to sacrifice his beloved car to find that euphoria. To my father that house represented a form of security not only to him but to his off-springs. As for me I don’t know what it’s going to take to be happy. At this point in my life I am low in morale with all of my hope resting solely in Guru offering me a place to kick start my life. Over an hour elapses whilst I am staring on the ceiling. Removing my sheets I sit on my bed before I kneel down. Looking across the room, I close my eyes. For a few moments it feels like my brain has shut down. I remain motionless as I hold my hands closely together, before I pray silently to my creator to give me and my family members, happiness. I open my eyes. I stand up and walk out of my room in my pyjamas. The morning passes without incident. I feel a bit drowsy and sleepy as I am sitting on the sofa watching TV, I decide to go and sleep. I quickly fall asleep. Sleeping in the afternoon has become norm it’s no longer a taboo as it used to be many moons ago for me. I sleep in the afternoon because I don’t have anything to do. Whilst I am enjoying my afternoon catnap I hear my phone buzzing I remove my colourful sheets which are sure to blind anyone who lays their eyes on them. Staggering to my feet I walk across the room to the table where my vibrating phone is. I pick and answer the phone. “Hello.” says the familiar voice of Bongani. But what boggles me is that my phone has indicated the number as unknown and I quickly ask him why he is hiding his caller id. “Bongani, why are hiding your number?” “My younger brother was playing with my phone, I think he is the one who changed the settings.” “How is everything on that side?” I asked as I walked to my bed. “It’s, all good can you come to my place. I have some movies that might interest you.” “I will be there in a jiffy” I replied as I sat on my bed. “Okay, bye.” said Bongani as he hung up the phone. I made my bed for the second time that day before I set for Bongani’s place. Bongani was home with his younger brother Themba who was doing form 4 at Elis Robbins and his older sister Veolia who worked at the Grasslands Research Office in Marondera as a researcher. She stays in Marondera but is on maternity leave expecting her second child. Veolia’s husband also works at Grasslands Research Office as a researcher. I knocked on the kitchen door. I once had a crush on Veolia growing up, when I was in primary and she was in university I would spend hours on end thinking of her. Come to think of it she was like my own cougar crush. But nowadays I was no longer attracted to her that love I had for her has become more of a brotherly-sisterly kind of live. I don’t think I loved her because at that young age what would I had known of love. It was more of lust I felt for Veolia. “Hello, Tinashe, how is everyone at home?” asked Veolia as she opened the door. Her baby bump had grown larger since the last time I saw her. Every child in the Nkosi family has a light skin complexion. “Everyone is fine. How is the baby coming along?” I asked. “Pregnancy is something else, eating for two always. You can come in, Bongani is in his room.” replied Veolia. “Do you have any cravings?” I asked as I removed my slippers before entering the house. “I really want some chocolate ice cream.” “I will see what I can I do, I think I have some money at home I will give it to Bongani and he will buy one for you.” I said as I entered the passage. “That will be great. I just hope it’s not an empty promise.” The Nkosi house had the similar layout as ours the only difference was the layout of the outside. Unlike back home their garden was at the back of the yard. “Bongani.” I said as entered his room which he shared with his younger brother. “Come in and sit here on this chair.” said Bongani. The bedroom had a bunk bed a table with some books on top and another table which had a TV set and a DVD on top. Unlike my room it had a fitted in wardrobe. “Chido phoned earlier she wants me to help her carry a few things from town tomorrow. In a month’s time she will be mine. So in the friend zone now.” said Bongani. “More of a slave zone to me.” “Anyways this is the movie I was talking about, it is called In Pursuit of Happiness. Someone give it to me and said it was good.” said Bongani as he placed the disc into the DVD. “Have you seen it?” I asked. “No, I was watching another movie.” I felt like I could relate to the main actor in the movie, like me he was searching for joy. Also like me the actor wasn’t content about where he was in life and wanted to improve his personal well-being. The movie about this single father and his son who were facing great challenges somewhat related to my situation. What really gave me the Goosebumps was the movie was based on a true life story of Chris Gardener. Just as we were enjoying the movie, I received a call. “It’s my mother calling.” I said as I answered the phone. “Hello, Tinashe your father has been taken to the hospital he had a stroke.” “What, but he was so bubbly today before he left for work. Which hospital is he admitted to?” I asked as my face turned red. “At Harare Hospital that’s where I am going now with Ruru.” I could sense it in her tone that she was shaken up with the whole thing. “Wait for me. I will be home very soon.” I replied. “Okay, bye” said my mother as she hang up. “Bongani, my old man has had a stroke. I have to rush the hospital.” I said as I stood up. “I will accompany you.” I managed to catch my mother and sister before they left and we went to the hospital together. My mother didn’t know how or what had caused my old man to have a stroke. We arrived at the hospital where we were told that my father was in a critical but stable condition. After half hour an hour of waiting at the hospital, Mr Huku a good friend of my father and also a workmate arrived with a gangly looking man dressed neatly in a formal manner. The guy dressed formally had this swagger about. “How are you holding up, Mrs Mushayabasa, Tinashe, Ruvarashe? Your husband collapsed today at work after hearing he had been duped by the housing co-operative. This man to my right is a detective he will explain everything.” said Mr Huku. “Good afternoon, I am detective inspector Denis Gondo and I am with the Criminal Investigation Department Serious Fraud Unit.” said detective Gondo after which he takes a pause to adjust his tie before continuing with his narration. “The chairman of the housing scheme your husband is affiliated to Mr Ian Guru was duping people and is currently on the run. The last thing we heard about Mr Guru’s whereabouts is that he had fled to Bolivia.” said Detective Gondo in what best can be described as a sombre tone. “How can that be, we had finished the construction of our house.” quizzed my mother looking all stressed up. “Actually what occurred is that Mr Guru sold land to people in places which had been listed as wet lands.” replied Detective Gondo. Construction of anything of any sort in wetlands is strictly prohibited by law in Zimbabwe. So what happened is that my Dad was called from work that houses where been struck down by council bulldozers in the place where he had just finished building a house. After receiving this call my father quickly made his way to the residential area of Ridgemond Park, where our house just been completed. Upon arrival all he could see was a complete level field all the houses in the area had been struck down what remained where rumbles which were strewn all of the place. He could not fully come to terms that his investment had gone up in flames which led to his stroke. In my mind I knew that the job I had been offered was no more since the person who had offered it to me was on the run. Adjusting his tie, detective Gondo said “One of the more unfortunate parts of this case is that Zimbabwe doesn’t have an extradition treaty with Bolivia so it’s almost impossible to catch Guru. To date 7000 people have been swindled by Guru.” said detective Gondo. It never rains but it pours for the ordinary man. I stood in the hospital corridor totally devastated. Everything my old man had laboured for had been smashed to smithereens by one cruel act of greed. The detective told us that all of Guru’s assets were frozen including his local Zimbabwean bank account. Guru had opened several oversea bank accounts, that’s where most of his money was. After almost 3 days in the hospital my old man passed on. As I stood at his graveside I started to wonder my father had been killed in search of security, that house would provide security to the family. I asked myself if my pursuit of happiness would kill me or if I would live, to tell the tale. As my dad’s coffin was lowered I felt weak in the bones right to the marrow, standing there with my mother holding my left hand and my sister my right hand. My father was buried at our rural area in Chivi in the family graveyard amongst his departed siblings and parents. Flashbacks of the happy moments I shared with my father started to pass through my thoughts those late nights we sat watching football dissecting the game. The mood in the house was always high whenever Manchester United played with Liverpool. My father was an avid Liverpool fan. He had fallen in love with it during the seventies and eighties were Liverpool were the undisputed champions of England. The atmosphere in the house during these games were electric as we sat down sharing our insight, after the game as tradition the loser would congratulate the winner. As I looked towards a, Musasa tree I remembered fondly the first time I fell from the tree, I was 4 years old and we had visited my paternal grandmother. My father had several times told me never to try to attempt climbing the tree. But as usually boys will be boys I went against his words and I climbed the tree. The branch I was sitting on snapped and I fell to the ground hard like a hardened bag of cement been through out from the 5th floor. My father simply said “All that goes up must come down.” I still remember that day like it was yesterday. Two important things my father told me I will always keep close to my heart are that in everything you do put God first and always to remain in touch with where one comes from. My elder brother didn’t even help in the funeral expenditure, my father had a funeral policy but it couldn’t cater for all the food costs at least the church members chipped in which helped a lot. My father was a popular man from his days as a menacing centre forward for Dynamos in the late seventies, before his career was cut short in its infancy by a freak injury sustained in an auto-motive crash right up to now where he was an effervescent church deacon. Maybe one thing I let down my father was my constant drunkenness. In spite of my drunkenness I would say my father did a great thing in raising me up in spite of the challenges he faced. Tinotenda didn’t even bother to call to see how the funeral had gone. Things went from bad to worse in a space of days as my uncle the elder brother of my father and my aunt his younger sister had us evicted from the house just two days after the burial of my father. It was like a scene out of a Nigerian movie as all our property was left outside. I felt like our family had been dehumanised. In my father’s family there were two boys and three girls, two girls were deceased and one boy was deceased who was my father. Legally there was nothing we could do my uncle and aunt’s argument was that their father, my paternal grandfather never signed over the house to my father and as his surviving children they were the rightful owners. Want hurt me the most was that my uncle and aunt were doing this to the children of a person they shared the same DNA with and another thing that hurt me was that they had houses of their own. We were swiftly evacuated. I was left questioning myself if I could find that happiness I so much yearned for. If there was a time in my life I had to lift my head high it was now. Amai Louisa agreed to give us a place to stay. My mother sold some of the furniture and some of it she sent it to her younger sister who lived in Chitungwiza.