A Prayer And A Dollar – Episode 1

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It was already five in the morning and as such she knew that she had to get up from her room, she was lucky enough to have her own bedroom even though she slept on the floor. The sound of women chattering outside was enough sign that it was time for her to start doing the chores or her mother would give her a mouth lashing. Stretching her back, she quickly got up upon hearing her father’s voice. ‘Misozi are you still sleeping?’ he asked

‘No papa I am up.’

‘Okay, you work quickly; your mother is not feeling too fine today so it is just you and the boys.’ He said

She heard him walk out a few minutes later and she sighed.

Her mother’s health had moved from bad to worse the last couple of months and even though they went to the nearest health care, the only medicine they were given were pain killers.

‘Don’t just stand there. You need to work fast so that you can prepare food for us.’ Mabvuto said before yawning

She looked at him then shook her head, she just couldn’t understand why her parents put up with him even after all the things he had made them go through. ‘Don’t mind him, he will grow up some day.’ Masauso said

She smiled upon hearing his voice even though she had not turned around to see him

He was everything and more that she needed in her life, he was not just her twin but her best friend and she knew that she would take a bullet for him.

‘Stop giggling and work young lady.’

‘I wasn’t giggling.’

‘You are born of me.’

‘And heart of my heart.’ She finished as per their little motto

She picked up the broom stick and right away started working around the house, it was a four bedroomed house which held the master bedroom, the guy’s room, her room and the living room so cleaning wasn’t so hard.

After she was done she went ahead and cleaned the compound whilst Masauso helped with fetching water as Mabvuto just sat there under the sun waiting for food to be prepared.

‘Mama good morning.’ She said after she walked into her mother’s bedroom There was an awful stench coming from there and even though she wanted to mention it, she just kept quiet.

‘Good morning Miso.’ She said before coughing

‘Papa told me you are not feeling too well today, maybe we should go to the clinic.’

Miso’s mother coughed, a dry cough that was cutting through her insides. ‘How many times have we gone to the clinic, my body is now used to that paracetemol and now it doesn’t do much.

‘Maybe this time around something will come up, maybe a doctor will want to attend to us.’

She looked at her child and smiled weakly

‘What did I do right to be given you? Your faith moves me.’ She said touching her daughter’s face lovingly

‘Mama we will get out of this place someday, some day we will be the envy of this community. That I can promise you.’

‘Miso be content with what we have right now, this world is not as it appears to be.’

Even though her mother had said this to her a million times, she still couldn’t put it at heart. No one was subjected to poor conditions of living, she believed that everyone has been given equal opportunities and how we make it out of those conditions is one’s choice at the end of the day. ‘Miso are you still with me?’

‘Yes mama I can hear you.’

‘Now be a good girl and prepare me some water to bath.’

She smiled weakly and got up from the floor where she had been sitting beside her mother, she turned to look at her again before going out of the bedroom.

Their parents had told them that she was just having body pains, but she knew that it was more than that because body pains couldn’t make one lose so much weight in a short period of time and much worse keep coming back for three solid years.

‘You don’t look fine.’ She said to a Masauso who was rubbing his foot against the hard ground

‘I met Bwana Howard.’

Miso rolled her eyes at the sound of that.

Bwana Howard owned a farm just a few meters away from their home and he was the richest man in their neighborhood. He had made advances at her mother a number of times but she had been strong enough to say no, his son on the other hand who was not just wealthy but a Minister also had been on her case despite him being married.

‘What does he want this time around?’ she asked after seeing how he was behaving ‘He is employing.’

‘Sau (Masauso) don’t even think about it.’ She said almost yelling ‘Think about what?’ Mabvuto asked coming towards them ‘It is none of your business Mabvu.’ Miso said

‘Come on he is our brother and it is the three of us against the world.’

‘You can trust him with your life but he will never know anything about me.’ She said walking away so that she could prepare water for her mother to bath ‘What is wrong now?’ Mabvu asked his brother who was looking distressed ‘Bwana Howard has a farm in Shimabala and he wants me to go and work for him.’

‘I hope your answer was yes.’

‘Well I was thinking I talk to you guys first.’ He said when Miso returned ‘Talk to us about what, see I might not be the ideal elder brother but I know that this is not the life that the both of you want. I am comfortable here, I know soon I will find a girl to marry and we will continue in poverty but the two of you are born of different blood. This opportunity has presented itself, you go and make something out of your life.’

Miso shook her head vigorously.

‘You are not going anywhere, that man makes his workers work like animals and I don’t want you being subjected to such a lifestyle.’

‘Miso a good life doesn’t come cheap, I have to work hard to get to the top.’ He said convincingly

‘I don’t want to live another day without you Sau.’ She said almost crying

‘I am not living you, I am just going away and besides I will be just a few miles away but you know I am doing this for us. I can never allow you to grow up like this, I am going because of us.’ He said kissing her forehead as she tried so hard to blink back the tears.

‘Born of me.’ He said

‘Heart of my heart.’ She responded with a smile as her tears hit her mouth

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