In love with the same man

Palm trees swayed gently in the breeze in the warm tropical Sunshine. Makanaka sat under the sun enjoying her mango . It is after all the mango season in Zimbabwe .

Makanaka is sitting and thinking about her life and how it will change . Growing up in Zimbabwe has not been easy , everything is just difficult but to make it in life is a blessing from the Lord . Soon she will be leaving Zim for South Africa , she will be looking for a job in Capetown as a cardiothoracic surgeon . It had always been her dream to work in South Africa , because many people spoke about how good it is to live in SA and they called it mujonny .

She now wondered with excitement of how her life will go from poor to rich . Leaving the country is the best choice .

Walking into the house , She finds her grandmother seated on the ground knitting . This time around she was knitting a jersey for , Makanaka and it was almost finish . Gogo had said that Sisi Amanda always said that it was very cold in Cape town even more colder then it is in Zimbabwe and that winter last for almost the entire year .

" Are you ready for next week " asked Gogo ,raising her eyebrows .

Gogo is an old woman , with grey hair all over her head. She is in her mid 70s and has raised Makanaka ever since she was a tolder . Her son Mutsawashe was a married man, who was very playful . He got a high school girl pregnant who was from a wealthy family . Polite was then forced by her family to either choose education or the baby . And Polite choose her life .

After Polite gave birth , she gave the bay to Mutsawashe and immediately left the country to Australia to finish her school .

Makanaka was then raised by her father and step mother . Years later , her father died and Rutendo her step mother refused to look after a child that was not hers . So Gogo had to step in as the only relative that Maka has . And from there she raised her Grand daughter to be a graduate of O level and a graduate of University of Harare .

" I am nervous Gogo but I am excited too "

" Don't be nervous, your sister will be there for you "

" Gogo but what if , Sisi Amanda doesn't remember me ? "

" Ohh , Maka why must you always think stupid things huh , please go make me a cup of tea " Gogo ordered shaking her head to Makanaka's rhetorical question .

" Think about it Gogo , it's been long since she saw me "

" Your sister will never forget you , you are her sister "

" Maybe "

" It's only been 6 years Maka , the two of you grew up together there is no way that she does not remember you "

" Oky Gogo " she replied , stirring the Sugar in the cup .

" Please bring those buns in that lunch box " she pointed at a blue , lunch box that was in the kitchen unit on the top .

Handing her grandmother the tea and lunch box , Maka sat down next to her grandmother to take a better look at the jersey .

" Gogo you are so talented and good at this "

" MMM my mother taught me how to do this "

" She must have been very great at it "

" Yeah she was "

Smiling at her Grandmother , thoughts about her having her mother next to her flashed through her mind but she kept pushing them away.

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Kneeling down on her knees facing the south , speaking to the most feared Man . Makanaka is asking for the Lord to be with her in every step and to guide her at all times .

" God I come before you today as your servent ,I thank you for this wonderful day that you have given me to live once again . I thank you father God for the food you blessed me with today . I ask you my lord to please be with me and to kill any evil spirit that might ....."

Makanaka is then interrupted by a loud shout that comes from outside ...

Opening the door , Amanda finds her grandmother standing with uncle Mark the returned Grandfather of Tadiwa her friend from high school . He was once turned into a zombie by his neighbours . people believed that he was dead while the neighbours kept him hidden in their house using him for some rituals .

It was then when his grandson Tadiwa brought a soul onto the world that his life was set free . Tadiwa had even written a novel about how he came to actually meet his grandfather and how he set him free .

She finds her gogo, laughing with Uncle Mark . making her question herself about who was shouting .

Standing infront of the door , with a puzzled face,Maka scrutinized the dark area trying to see if there was anyone else around .

"Gogo ware you the one screaming " makanaka asked in a concerned voice

" Hello to you too , Maka " uncle Mark greeted her .

" Ohh sorry , uncle Mark how are you "

" I am fine my child and yourself "

" I am fine , I just came out when I heard a loud shout I thought something had happened to gogo "

" A loud shout? " Questioned Gogo Turing to look at Uncle Mark with a puzzled face .

" Yes I heard , someone scream , like they ware in agony "

" No My dear we did not hear anyone scream " uncle Mark replied .

" Huh are you sure "

" Nobody shouted here if someone had I would have been the first to hear , you know old people hear very good " Gogo said

" Oky ahhh maybe I heard wrong " she said walking back inside , leaving Gogo and uncle Mark .

Silently siting in the dark with the candle on , reading her novel , named THE PRICE FOR LOVE , written by a young author Marydear Mubaiwa . She has fallen in love the novel so much , there is not a night that would pass by without her reading a chapter .

Smiling brightly at the novel as it excites her because the part where Chipo finally finds out that Mangaliso is not her son has arrived . She had waited way too long for the truth to come out . Mandisa is nothing but a heartless women , she would always say but her character is what makes the novel interesting .

" Now I can sleep with my heart not being heavy " Maka muttered , as she dug herself into the blankets and let her body rest .

Within 10 minutes she was in dreamland .

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Makanaka carries a bucket full of her clothes and Gogo's as she makes her way to the river down the Clift .

There are not much people at the river , washing their clothes . Makanaka fills her bucket with water then throws the clothes into the bucket . She Bends over to rub the clothes with green bar soap then starts washing them .

While she is washing , she is humming her favourite song . Neria , by the late Oliva Mutukudzi . Oh that song it brings so much evocative memories of high School . High school was such a nice place to call a second home for her , whenever she needed to laugh or cry her high school friends ware always there to lean on to but now things have changed all those friends except one are married and have kids . Then there is she and her best friend Amina .

Amina is a loud ,bumptious person . Her demeanor would make you not like her because nobody likes a forward person who is loud and conceited about themselves . But only Makanaka understands her friend and loves her for who she is .

Amina has no time for games she is straight forward and short tempered ,quite the opposite of who Makanaka is .

Humming her favourite song , a hand covers her eyes and immediately she knows who it is .

" Amina , I know it's you "

" You always know it's me why " Amina says letting go of her hands and moves closer to Makanaka

" That's because you the only one that does that to me "

" Mxm you are so boring , why didn't you come call me so we could come together ? "

" I thought you going to town today "

" Not now , later "

" Ohh Ahh I thought maybe you are going the morning "

" Haa you not a true friend anymore "

" Une drama Amina , watanga ( you starting ) " she said pointing at Amina with her one finger .

" Mxm vtsk mahn , you must come later to my house to help me look for what to wear to town "

" But you and I both know I suck at fashion , you always make fun of me "

" Mxm Ohh yeah I forget that you don't know style like me " she said swaying her head along with her long coloured hair .

Amina is a 5,6 feet tall Zimbabwean coloured . She has dark black hair and a bit of greenish eyes. Her father is a white Zim man while her mother is a black Ndebele woman just like Amanda's mother .