Solitude – Episode 11

 

 

SOLITUDE

 

_11_

 

AUGUST

 

I find chanda pacing about in her office when I enter, she looks as if she is a dragon about to strike someone.

 

‘Good morning babe.’ I greet hands wide open but she just continues to pace about

 

‘What is wrong?’ I ask concerned

 

‘You are really asking me what is wrong?’ she questions with anger

 

‘Because I don’t know why you are behaving like this.’ I say innocently sitting on one of the chairs

 

She rolls her eyes coming to seat on her chair

 

 

‘Why were you seeing her?’

 

‘Babe you know I am her lawyer and I cannot discuss anything I talk about with her. To you or anyone else.’

 

‘She is my enemy.’

 

‘No, she is not.’ I argue

 

She looks at me angrily

 

When Chanda is like this there is nothing I can say or do that would make her feel any better so I decide I am better off being at the office than dealing with her tantrums.

 

I stand up to leave.

 

‘Where are you going?’ she asks

 

‘Back to the office.’ I respond walking away

 

‘Babe.’

 

‘Yes.’ I say looking at her

 

‘She is going to destroy us.’ She says with pleading eyes

 

‘Are you hearing yourself?’ I ask shaking my head

 

‘Babe I know what I am talking about, Nella is capable of many things.’

 

For the first time in a long time I see chanda scared, she wasn’t even like this when her mother died. Something that I am yet to talk to her about.

 

‘Ms. Mphanda is a client and I would suggest you accept that, I know this is hard for you but I also know that you are a smart woman.’ I say walking out

 

 

I drive to the office listening to Trey Songz Na Na, I put it on repeat. I remember a time when I and Chanda would listen to this song all night long. Those good old days, I feel a part of me break when I come to the realization that those days are gone. I have tried my best to be everything she would ever have but it seems day in day out she just wants to have as much power as she could possibly get.

 

I get to the office just after 9AM, I am not expecting any clients but I have told myself I will look over Ms. Mphanda’s file. I need to understand why Chileshe left the law firm in her name. I mean not because she is my woman but Chanda is a good lawyer, she is very good at her job and I know she would never fail but why would her mother leave it in the hands of an incompetent woman?

 

There is a lot of information on Ms. Mphanda on the internet, but none that talks about her background or her parents. The only thing that connects her to her past is the orphanage where she was adopted from.

 

I don’t waste time, driving to mother Theresa in Kabulonga takes me about twenty minutes because there is no traffic.

 

The administration block is welcoming, I can see kids everywhere playing and some are busy helping out with gardening.

 

‘Good morning Sir.’ A nun greets

 

‘Good morning Sister.’

 

‘You are welcome.’ She says leading me to a bench just outside the block

 

I seat with her and we both start looking at the kids before any of us begins talking.

 

‘My names are Cochrane August, a lawyer by profession. I was hoping I can get some information on a client of mine.’ I begin

 

‘And who is this client?’ she asks with a warm smile

 

‘Mphanda Nella.’

 

 

‘You are Nella’s lawyer?’ she asks

 

‘You know her?’

 

‘Who wouldn’t? she is one of the best things that this orphanage has graced, too bad about her mother. That poor sweet thing.’

 

‘That wasn’t her mother.’ I correct

 

‘Young man what do you know about Nella and the late Mrs. Chanda?’

 

I keep quiet not sure that is a subject I want to dwell into.

 

‘You said you are her lawyer am I right?’

 

‘Yes sister.’ I say

 

‘Come with me.’

 

I walk behind her, she leads me into the administration block except the section where we go to looks like a library.

 

‘This is where we keep all the files for the children that have lived in this orphanage except when a child is all grown up and is no longer under our care, the documents are given to them and what we have are just the basics.’ She says

 

‘I hope this will help you.’ She says with a smile

 

‘I hope so.’

 

‘If anything, I will be outside.’

 

I wait for her to leave before I look at the rows and columns of folders, there is so much paper work but what is impressive is how neatly they have been laid out. The row where she has taken me is backdated to 1993 till 2000 and I know that is where I will find Ms. Mphanda’s files.

 

 

I start the search and what I thought would be an easy task proves to be difficult, I look through each and every name and date and year but there is nothing.

 

‘Can I help you Sir?’ another nun asks after thirty minutes of dead ends

 

‘I have been here for the past thirty minutes looking for a certain file but I can’t find it.’

 

‘Whose file are you looking for?’

 

‘Mphanda Nella sister.’ I say

 

‘I am sorry but her file is no longer under our care.’ She says ‘Excuse me? I thought she was raised here.’ ‘That is true.’

 

‘Then how come her file is missing?’

 

‘Because her mother took it away.’

 

‘Her mother?’

 

‘Yes, the late Mrs. Chanda.’

 

‘Oh.’

 

‘But I thought all documents are kept in your records and if they do move its not everything.’

 

‘Times change dear, rules and laws get amended as well.’ ‘So, when were these rules amended?’ I ask

 

 

‘Her mother has been fighting for this for years, that Nella’s documents get pulled out. Until a month ago when the Vatican finally approved.’

 

‘And she managed to pull them out right away?’

 

‘The last were collected a day before she died.’

 

For some unknown reason this sent a cold shiver through me, I refused to believe that it was a coincidence and I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

 

‘Thank you so much sister, I think I will see Ms. Mphanda now.’

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‘Sir.’

 

‘Yes?’

 

‘Mrs. Chanda was a very intelligent woman, she knew people would come here for those documents and I am glad she pulled them out.’

 

I just smiled and walked away to my car before driving off