Chapter 6

Ipyana

We all agreed that we would keep what DSU Suwedi told us a secret, because we did not know who to trust in the station. Kuleza accessed Suwedi’s files and sent them to Salifya.

“I only held your friend hostage to stop you from telling that mole Suwedi.” The message read. My mother, myself and Kuleza all tried to trace it to no avail.

I sprawled myself on my couch, pressed play on Mother’s tab then pulled my blanket up to my neck as the video loaded. “Today I remembered Chawanangwa. He was so in love with me. Me choosing to stay here, was a betrayal to what we had? That’s what he said.” Amama laughed. She looked like a shorter version of Salifya. It always struck me how much Sali resembled her. “What we had were his dreams for us even though I told him in clear terms I was not interested in him. He was so confident he would change my mind. So was Ambele. To her, a fine hunter such as Chawa seemed a good fit.” She sat up from her bed. Her room had two suitcases, two beds, and two desks. I guess her and her roommate Alinafe had not yet bought things since they had just moved from Utawaleza. “Chawa tried to change my mind about leaving home, telling me some of the horrors of this realm. But I had made up my mind. One of the things he told me about was people laughing at me for being short. I thought he was exaggerating. Till today.” Her tone changed to morose. “I went to a store with the other girls. They were stares, and some people laughing. I ran out of the store into the pod. I have never been so humiliated in my life. Have they never seen a pygmy?” Her eyes were moist and her voice was shaky. “I want to return home. Chawa was right about this realm. It is contaminated.” I wanted to watch the next video but it was 16:00. I had told Atuweni I would meet him ten minutes ago.

Me and Atuweni went to a play from way back when, entitled “The Imprisonment of Obatala” by Ijimere Obutunde.

“I am so glad that I found someone who is also into old plays like myself,” I said my eyes on the stage before us.

“Me too. All my friends find it weird.” Atuweni returned.

“Me too. Shhh the play is about to start.”

After the play, Atuweni carried my bag for me, which I found strange. He stopped when we got to my pod. “I like you Ipyana. You are funny, intelligent, beautiful and brave.”

I looked at the pavement. What was he doing?

“I have enjoyed our friendship these last few months. But I want more.” He closed the space between us and held my hand. I froze. He was speaking but I could not hear what he was saying at all. I pulled my hand away. I started walking towards my pod silently.

He sent me a message later saying: “I am sorry I took you by surprise. Goodnight Ipyana.”

Naledi laughed when I told her. “I told you he liked you. I told you!”

Atuweni was my friend. That is all I wanted friendship. I replayed our time together looking for signs I missed. When he regularly asked me to spar with him I really thought it was just to improve his skill. How long had this been going on for? Did I lead him on? Always inviting him and accepting his invitations to plays? Tomorrow I had to see him and explain to him that I did not like him the way he liked me. I was tempted to call in sick the next day but Naledi said that would only delay the inevitable. So at the end of the day right before we knocked off, I pulled him aside.

“I am sorry I ran off yesterday.”

“It’s okay. I know you were surprised.” He smiled. For the first time I saw it; his eyes shining with adoration. It made me shrink inside.

“Atuweni, I like you as a friend. I am sorry.”

He just smiled and told me he understood. He looked crushed. I scurried away. He gave me his heart and I rejected it. I was a monster.

“I keep thinking about his sad smile.” I said.

“How come you don’t like him?” Talilo asked.

“He is kind yeah, and sweet but he is not serious. I am not serious too.” I readjusted myself on my bed. “I just want someone a little more serious to have balance. Kind of like, how Salifya balances Xo’s goofy side.”

“I understand.” She nodded. “Don’t blame yourself, for him seeing what wasn’t there.”

“What if I mislead him?”

She continued moving her clothes from her bag to her bed. “Well if you did, now you’ve cleared up the misunderstanding.”

“You should have seen his face when he told me. He had so much expectation that I would want him. Urgh we had such a good thing going. And now it will be awkward all because he liked me.”

“It won’t be awkward forever. I must sleep now. I am really tired.”

She had just travelled from Kaulimi to Mutare where she was doing her masters.

“Sali can I ask you something?” I glanced at her swollen belly mostly hidden behind her loose burgundy blouse. “You took out four armed guys while you were unarmed…and pregnant.” Sali stopped peeling the ndundile she had been peeling and looked at me. “I have been through the police academy, I have been through Kaulimi martial arts training. None of the K’limian officers we have at the station have those skills. Are you mzengeli?”

Salifya slowly nodded her head, her angular face tout with a solemn expression. Damn I grew up with two mzengeli and I did not even realise it. First Ama and now Salifya. I looked at the couch she was sitting on. I did not want her to read my expression.

“I am no longer active.” She explained that she left after the incident with her being framed by her superior. “I could not do it anymore. The time I spent outside of KUA changed me. I became human again.”

“When were you recruited?”

“I was 15.” She replied. This explained so much. All those foreign trips, the uptight-ness, yes Sali had always been uptight but I believe KUA made it worse.

“I can’t believe I never saw it.”

“I am glad you didn’t know. I am not proud of the work I did.”

“Does Xo know?”

She nodded continuing to peel the ndundile. “All the deaths you gave me were homicides. The P.I. was right, it was committed by the same person Lwando Kaunda your ex-handler Vera Chirwa. Ipyana, she is good at what she does. All the murders can’t be traced back to her unless you know how she operates. And even though I have solved them I have no evidence that can lead to arrest.”

“Chirwa is evil.”

“Yes. Under Muhlabase they used blackmail or corruption to control people but whoever is leading Waranda now has a different modus operandi. A more effective one.”

“One thing bugs me about Lwando. She had the opportunity to kill us and stop us from bringing Waranda down. Why didn’t she stop us?”

“That’s a good question.” Sali scrunched her eyes and nose together.

The cake in the station’s kitchen read “Happy Birthday Ipyana.”

“Happy birthday!” Atuweni said. “It’s chocolate flavour your favourite.”

My widened eyes, I whirled around to face him. “Did you get this?”

“Of course.” He smiled.

My back arched, I inhaled sharply. Mwase walked in with Naledi and other officers singing ‘Happy Birthday’. This was too much. I had said no. Why was he doing this? Atuweni handed me a knife.

“Before she cuts it, take a photo together.” One of the officers suggested. Atuweni stood next to me.

“It’s a good cake.” Xo said digging his folk into the cake.

My elbows were leaning on the dinning room table, my hands supporting my head.

“It really is,” Naledi cut herself another slice of the cake which was at the centre of the table.

“Did you make it clear you don’t like him?” Salifya asked.

“I thought I was clear.”

“Are you still as close to him as before?” Xo asked.

“Yes and no. I no longer go to plays with him. I try to avoid hanging out with him outside of work. But we interact very closely at work so it’s difficult to shut him out.”

“You need to tell him again.” Salifya said.

“I would rather not.” I looked down at my feet through the transparent glass table.

“I can tell him for you.” Sali said.

“That’s sweet but I have to find a way of dealing with this myself; in a way that does not hurt his feelings or his bones like you intend to.”

“Very funny.” Sali retorted sarcastically. Xo and Naledi chuckled at my joke.

“Ipy, either way you hurt him. If you don’t say anything, he will continue trying to win your affections through grand gestures. And by not saying anything you are giving hope that he can woo you, which is hurtful to him when he realises that you are not interested. Or you can hurt him now and let him move on.” Xo pointed out.

“That’s what I told her.” Naledi remarked.

“I don’t understand why he just won’t take my first rejection.”

“He wants to try to woo you.” Xo said.

“I’ve lost a good friend.” I lamented.

“We should start off now.” Sali walked towards the door. I got up reluctantly and followed her.

We arrived in Nkhatabay. Lusubilo, Anganile’s daughter and I shared a birthday so we always had a party together. Well it was mostly Lusubilo’s party except, I had cake too. Lusubilo helped me blow my twenty-one candles. She was surprised I had so many. “I only have four.” She whispered.

“That’s cause you are only four sweetie.” I said. After everyone sang happy birthday to the both of us and everyone was given a slice of cake. Lusubilo clapped her hands together. We all looked at her. “Thank you everyone for coming to me and Ipyana’s party.”

My mom got up from the chair she was sitting on and embraced Lusu. “You are welcome sweetie.”

“He is your senior this is an abuse of power. You need to report him to your boss for harassment,” Anganile fumed.

I starred at the lake in the distance. “He is harmless. He is just very optimistic that he will change my mind.”

“You need to extinguish that flame soon before things get really complicated.” Ama said.

“They already are. After his cake stunt everyone at work thinks we are dating.” I bit into a piece of grilled beef on my plate.

“You need to return his gift and tell him I told you I am not interested.” Naledi suggested.

Anganile gripped the arms of her beach chair and pulled herself into a sitting positon in a rapid motion. “He bought you a gift?”

I averted her angry gaze. “I haven’t opened it and I intend to return it.” My phone beeped. “Prolly him asking…its Waranda work.” I said so Anga would not know what I meant. I forwarded the message to Xo, Sali, Naledi and Ama. We left for Xo and Sali’s place.