The draw back- Dante. Oh well so long as he stay out of my way, I do not care if he is there really.
I pull up outside the office and reapply my lipstick and powder. Phew. Take a deep breath. It is all going to be just fine. I have to tell myself this because everyone in town knows that the new manager or whatever it is they call them in law firms is a class A Bitch!
Unlike most of the buildings in Zambia, the offices are part of a modern in frastructure boasting 4 four storeys of office space leased to a variety of merchants. Overall the owner of the beautiful glass building is Mr Malama himself. After training in the United States, he decided the best way to earn a living was to bring his new found knowledge and establish a monstrosity of a building right in the heart of Lusaka. I look at the business card Mr Bwalya gave me and note that the firm is on the second floor part of the building. The first floor has a somewhat rude attendant whose attitude says ‘so what if I lose my job I do not get paid enough anyway’ whereas in this day and age where he to lose his job, he would be devastated.
I get to the second floor and walk through door 218. The reception hall is vast with a huge elephant flower nesting in the corner of the room closestto the receptionist’s desk. She is tiny with glasses resting on the tip of hernose. Without as much as two words, she glances up at me and hands over a sheet of paper with the days programme on it. It clearly has my name on it. I envy the efficiency. When I stand there looking stupefied, she stops her frantic typing and says ‘walk right through to the door on your left. Mrs Bwalya is waiting for you and she does not do late very well’ I thank her and find the strength to master up enough confidence to walk into Mrs Bwalya’s office.
Mrs B is a light in complexion woman of about 35 or 38 give or take, strong physic and long natural hair. She is absolutely gob smackingly stunning and intimidating. I give myself a quick check and nervously pull my skirt down a bit more and mutter a mousy good morning. The guy she is talking to turns around and to my holy Mary mother or God it is Dante with all his dread locks gone and my goodness hell on fire he is……phew. The man is in a suit and rocking short hair that just makes his face even more beautiful (if that is even possible) and his eyes dazzle like a star lit sky. Mrs B notices my awkwardness and cuts to the chase while Dante leans back in his chair and flashes a cheeky ‘I know you want me right here right now smile’.
‘Mwelwa you are late. If this were your father’s office, I would still not tolerate it’ she says with a horrible ice chilling smile. I try to mutter an excuse but she cuts me short. ‘I do not recycle my words to I will leave you to catch up with this young man on the case that has been allocated to you’ she grabs a few items on her desk and as she leans over reveals a cleavage not too big but enough to say ‘how do you do?’ Dante looks away quickly pretending it did not catch his eye. This woman is a real man eater and even more so when she reveals her full length from behind the desk. She is rocking the latest Burberry suit and the skirt is just to die for. The heels…get out of here. It takes all our self-control not to be caught staring at wonderwoman. ‘I have court to attend and I do not expect to see you in my office until the end of the week when you show me what you have prepared for thehearing. First hearing is next Monday so you have literally 7days and no child’s play’. With that she exists flamboyantly. For a moment I can breathe.
‘Seven days! Is she kidding me? This is a case that mighttake us a bit more than that. We have not even had time to ponder the facts yet and that will mean pulling long hours on our first week here!’ I moan.
‘Well hello to you too. We better get on with this then ifwe are going to impress.’ Dante says not looking up from the brief. He continues ‘It looks easy enough though. Simple case of pupil sues teacher for sexual assault aka Rape. Infliction of the penalcode should be enough to wham bam slam it shut.’ Arrogant! Working on rape with him? Great! What else does the universe have in store for me? This will be way beyond awkward!
‘You have to move from this office now. You two can use the seminar room across the hall’ the receptionist orders. We do not lose a moment because we both know small case or not, there is a heck of a lot of work to doif it has been handed to this firm!
The morning passes by quickly and it is only the rumbling of our stomachs that reminds us its lunch time. Dante offer to buy lunch and I aminclined to agree. My head feels heavy with all the brainstorming we have had to do. For once I do not find him annoying. Maybe it is that haircut. A neatlook has a fine effect on a woman and that suit makes him look so manly.
We decide to head off to matebeto seeing as everyone fancies a treat down there. The food is magnificent despite the surrounding. It isnothing fancy but traditional food served by the most traditional looking woman is normally the best food. Dante picks out his favourite merchant and sheinstantly prepares a table for us. It is like everyone established who their customer is and so stealing customers is frowned upon as witnessed by a the woman from next door who forgets all her manners and curses the lady next to whosmuggles her client.
‘What can I get for you baba? The usual?’ she asks Dante completely lost in his eyes I am as good as invisible. I don’t know why it bothers me but it does. She waddles back to the so called kitchen where a massive pot is brewing Nshima. As we wait Dante feels this is his time topounce. God this man can hunt.
‘Shekinah you still as beautiful as I remember’
‘Well what were you expecting? A troll? It has only been a year Dante’
‘Actually it has been two years….’ Awkward.
‘Now I have been asking myself for a while now what it is that I did wrong…..’ I cut in before he can even finish. The venom that has been building up in me for a while now.
‘How dare you leave me just because your little friend down there could not run the race!’
‘Whoa whoa whoa first of all, he ain’t no little guy check pon my shoe size nah man and secondly he was not the one doing the running it was you. Till this day I do not get why you were so uncomfortable with me. Man you gave me mixed signal you know! One minute everything good physically but I do not know what kinda of obiah (witchdoctor) you used to shut you down there but it worked!’ My face goes bright crimson and I bring my legs a bit closer. My lips are pursed in a tight tantrum.
‘So what if I could not allow you to do what you wanted? I was ready but I did not know at the time what was causing it. It is purely psychological but you!’ I say pointing at him with a disgusted look on my face that says I want to chop you up into little pieces for abandoning me. ‘You could not wait to get your little friend marching and then you dare to do it with that skank Lombe!’
‘What the heck are you going on about Lombe? Who on earth is Lombe?’ I fold my arms across my chest perfect tantrum style and look at him squarely like nigger you know exactly who I mean. He seriously looks perplexed but don’t all men when they are trying to wiggle their way out of trouble.
‘Lombe who was right across the hall way from me! I saw you early morning with your chest all exposed (may I add all sexy and fine but I don’t tell him this) and looking mighty pleased with yourself! What were you doingwith her?’ he bursts out laughing just like the girls had done at the mall. This is annoying and I get up to leave just as the lady brings in a delicious plate of beef stew. Dante stands up and says firmly
‘Wait there little miss attitude. Lombe is a rug muncher! Everyone knew that! I went to her place to finish my assignment because you refused totalk to me after that incident for whatever reason!’
‘A rug what?’ I have no clue what he means by the phrase.
‘Be a lady and sit down and let me explain myself yeah. Please’
‘A rug muncher babe….’ I scowl at him and he corrects himself by replacing babes with Shekinah. He does my head in. Pali va babe here? He better work for that phrase. He is so used to women throwing themselvesat him!
‘She is a lick her licence…..’ he giggles again but I keep a straight face. ‘Jesus Shekinah, she is a lesbian!’
‘Huh! They exist in Zambia?’ I ask completely flabbergasted.What else don’t I know sure!
‘Yes they do. Do you not remember the fight that ensued between her and some other chick near the dining room? It was because Lombe was perving on some next chick and her girl got mad! She says she was looking ather funny but instead of going for Lombe, she attacked the other girl! You were there how could you not know! That is why I was comfortable hanging in her room because I knew it would not vex anyone. Don’t you think had I wanted to cheat I would have been smarter?’ he winks cheekily.
Bummer! To think I been mad at nothing for two years! He should still have contacted me though. He had been quiet for two freaking years but he denies it. He says he sent all the letters to my house because he had no idea where to address them until he came back home and found that I had relocatedpermanently to Lusaka.
‘Hi papa…’ I call the house on our way back to the office. The atmosphere between us is much more relaxed now but I still gotta check out his alibi.He shoots me a quizzical look. ‘Papa I am fine thanks I just wanted to checkquickly if there any letters for me at home?’ My father is greying fast and his memory is not the best.
‘Oh yes there are like seventy I keep them in my drawer. I have not opened them because they had foreign stamps on them. Meant to give them toyou last time you visited but eh…you know your old man…’
I smile and hope he has not seen me. Treacherous bastard!
‘You are one hard nut to crack!’ he winks and this time I offer him a smile.
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