Three Empty Words – Episode 18

#18

11|04|18

6:33pm

He started off as soon as he had gotten the call from her, he didn’t really make out what she had said but she had been crying and told him that she had killed her. Kangwa had insisted to drive him to Lusaka because the state he was in was not good for him to drive. He rushed to the waiting area where he spotted her, her eyes were puffy obviously from too much crying. She looked like she was trying to keep it together but he knew better. He went to where she was and hugged her, hugged her like that one hug would give her life.

‘Hush.’ He whispered as he rubbed her back

She let out stronger sobs as she let herself go in his arms. After a while, he led her to a chair when she had calmed down. ‘Thank you for coming.’ She said honestly

All this time Kangwa was standing there and watching the two, he spotted Francie and walked towards her. She was pacing about the place, her eyes were red and her clothes bloody.

He turned around and brought back a two cups of hot strong tea, he was not a tea person or any hot liquid but he had read somewhere that strong tea had the power to calm nerves.

‘Here.’ He said handing it to her

She looked at him, unsure of what to make of the gesture but she took it anyway. ‘Thank you.’ She responded without making eye contact

At this moment she didn’t care much about the world outside, all she wanted was for her baby to get better.

She walked to the nearest waiting chair and sat there, he came to sit next to her. He didn’t know what to say, he had stayed away from women for a long time and now he didn’t know whether he was supposed to ask her what happened or just sit with her.

‘Do you have kids?’ she asked startling him and causing him to choke on his tea but she didn’t seem to mind

He coughed for a good second then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, in other circumstances he would have cursed at the spilt tea that had now stained his t shirt but this wasn’t a good time.

‘Do you know how it feels like to actually look at your once young babies that have turned into monsters?’ she asked again

Kangwa shook his head, by this time she had her eyes fixed on him but he could tell that her mind was somewhere else. Not with him.

He put the cup down and reached out for her hand, she flinched but he didn’t let it go. She was cold and it was stained with blood. He got his handkerchief and started to wipe away the blood which was almost drying up as she watched him. ‘Everything will be fine.’ He said not knowing what had happened but trying to make her feel better

‘Things will never be the same between my girls, I can feel it within me.’ She said tears falling.’

‘Who said you can’t fix what is broken?’ he asked not looking at her face but concentrating on what he was doing

‘No one can fix what is broken Kangwa, yes you might try to mend it but it will never be like it was before.’ She said

‘She knows my name.’ he thought to himself

‘Don’t lose faith in them, they are your kids and you out of people should believe that they have good in them.’ He said touching her face

She shook her head and tried to avoid his gaze.

‘I have failed as a mother, I have failed my kids.’ She said allowing the tears to fall some more

Just then they heard noise coming from the other side of the room and they both rushed to check what was happening.

Xenia had her hand on her cheek and a furious Zaria was being held by Scott. ‘How could you do that to your own sister?’ she was asking on top of her voice drawing attention

‘Zaria we don’t know what happened please stop it!’ Scott said but she was not hearing it.

‘And here comes the incompetent mother.’ She continued freeing herself from Scott’s grip when Francie and Kangwa got to where they were.

Francie looked at Scott with wondering eyes but he dropped his gaze.

‘You can’t seem to do anything right not so? I mean we just let Xeno out of our sight for a short while and you are already trying to kill her.’ Zaria yelled Everyone expected Francie to respond but she just kept quiet, she allowed Zaria to insult her and call her names. She told her that she had failed as a mother; that she didn’t deserve to be the mother of Xeno because she didn’t love Xeno enough to protect her from her evil daughter Xenia.

‘The first time I met you, I knew you were just one of those women trying to reclaim your lost youth without caring so much about your children!’ ‘Enough!’ Kangwa yelled shocking everyone

‘I don’t care who you are or what you have, but I will not stand here another minute and allow you to insult her like that.’ ‘Or what?’ Zaria asked

For a minute she would have been mistaken for Xeno’s biological mother Kangwa stepped forward, just enough so that he was squaring her tiny body. ‘Trust me, you don’t want to find out.’ He hissed causing her to step backwards He embraced Francie and allowed her to cry, this was the last thing any woman needed. Yes she had made her share of mistakes but she had done her part in raising the kids and why did society have to cast the first stone at mothers for how their children turned out.

‘This too shall pass.’ He said in her eyes as he smelt her natural hair, he pushed his head way as he smelt the Cantu products; his fiancé had been using them. Thoughts of her rushing back to him causing his heart to ache.