Eneze1:

not really expecting update now, just wanted to know when she will update, datsall, kapish

don't mind that one.

hmmm waiting o! My school iz closd, i nid motivation

ortopazz: hmmm waiting o! My school iz closd, i nid motivation

your not even asking how m faring?

Just read your story very intersting. But pls update o. Its not nice when u good writers keep us hanging o. Get well soon in Jesus name

AnnNini: Just read your story very intersting. But pls update o. Its not nice when u good writers keep us hanging o. Get well soon in Jesus name

thank you, will update...it might even be today

Amen

HumbledbYGrace: your not even asking how m faring?

how your faring? Have u inquired how my blood level as fared since u left me begging for ur story? Hope ur recovering, buh u have 2 make it fast, itz kiling me insyd, hope u undastnd

ortopazz:
how your faring? Have u inquired how my blood level as fared since u left me begging for ur story? Hope ur recovering, buh u have 2 make it fast, itz kiling me insyd, hope u undastnd

this is pure emotional blackmail.

I don't want you hurting though so I will force my hand to type a little bit longer so that I can update before the end of today. Is that ok with you?

HumbledbYGrace: chicken

u seriously will gv moi a chance? U might nt want 2 go bk to him o! Just gving u d warning signz,,

ortopazz:

u seriously will gv moi a chance? U might nt want 2 go bk to him o! Just gving u d warning signz,,

I did not see this

Mike lay on the couch not far away from Malaika, he had been silent ever since he brought Malaika home. The guy was impossible to talk to, Malaika realized that the reason she was able to talk to him on her birthday was because she was tipsy and a little bit loud.

They were watching Africa News on Sabc2 too concentrated on the news around Africa, North Countries still bombing and killing each other.

Malaika wondered how it would be to be in the army, battlefield to be exact. Knowing that you might die in a second, how does that feel? Fighting for your whole country? While other people couldn't careless wherether you live or you die? The silence was unbearable, she tried to make convernsation.

“Mike,”

Mike replied without looking at her.

“Yea...”

“Thank you.”

“Its cool,” He sat up straight and looked at her. “Are you daft?” He asked. The question didn't surprise her at all, she knew it would come, one way or the other. She just didn't have the right answer for it at that moment, it was better to ignore the question, so she kept quite.

Mike frowned, the lines on his forehead were visible, “Why did you go to your ex's flat? What were thinking? And if I didn't come and take you home? You wanted a second pregnancy?” She shook her head, eyes shining with tears.“So why stoop so low?”

“That's none of your business, just because I asked you to help me doesn't mean you have to poke your nose into my private life.” Malaika said avoiding his gaze. She could see he was offended but he was over stepping her territory.

Fuming he said sharply; “you made you life public the moment you called me. You should be thanking me instead of insulting me.”

“Didn't I thank you just now? Should I climb the rooftops and shout 'thank you father Mike' ?” She asked sacarstically annoyed. She could feel Mike's eyes searching her, looking for a crevice, for a weakness to take hold of. But she held his stare and kept her voice even as she went on. “Thought as much.”

Mike had tried to keep calm, pacing about the room. He regarded man who beat women as morons, stupid tarts who were too afraid to face challenges in life and took out their problems on women. He also know that women can be very intimidating, they knew how to push the right buttons and cry foul when they got what they had asked for. He stopped in front of Malaika, pointing at her with a shaking hand. “Mind your tongue and tone young woman!”

Malaika got up too, who did he think he was? What a nerve! “You stay out of my private life too!” She retorted.

Mike reached out and grabbed Malaika's arm, pulling her hard to him. “You choose your words when you talking to me young lady, understood?”

“Your such a coward, so your going to hit me?” Malaika asked, ripping her arm angrily free from his grasp. But like a flash he grabbed it again, this time twisting it behind her back. She started to fight, but he yanked it too high that she cried out. He hissed into her ear, “Understood?” She struggled once more but he raised her hand up high that tears came into her eyes. He released her with a shove and she fell back on the couch, rubbing and caressing her arm.

“I don't know what Ife saw in you, your an old hawk running after little girls! Your pathetic!” Malaika said crouching back on the couch. Mike knelt down in front of her, their eyes locked, she saw hatred in his eyes. “Hahaha funny,” Mike laughed in mockery. “Your parents sent you across the country to get good education and what do you do? You repay them by sleeping with older men and you end up pregnant. Still you don't learn, after you abort the child you run back to your old man! Your a slut. Finish and glaar.”

Malaika fumed, and sent a whooping slap across Mike's face. He had looked at her bewildered before pouncing on her, grabbed her by the throat, his grip tightened on her throat.

Cold sweat dripped from Malaika's forehead down the sides of her face, tears welling up in her eyes as she imagined her life coming to an end. She covered her face with her hands, just in case.

she tried to speak, but her own words choked her. Was this the same Mike she had laughed with the night of her birthday? She started rehearsing her last words, she gasped for breath, her face still hidden by her hands. After what seemed like a life time, when she thought she had taken her last breath; he loosened his grip on her. He moved aside, terrified of what he had done, he looked at her compassionately as she sobbed and coughed, moving her body as far as she could from his reach but the couch wouldn't make space for her.
Femi was back, he wanted to kill her, maybe for his tag or punish her for killing their baby. Would she ever know peace? Why couldn't he leave her alone?

“Femi, I am sorry, I am so sorry.” She whispered through tears. “Malaika!” The voice wasn't Femi's it was Mike's! Did he just strangle her? “Mike?” She slowly removed her hands from blocking her view. He was sitting next to her on the couch. “Mike why?” She asked.

“I am sorry, I don't know what got over me. I was just too angry, I swear to God I never intended to do that.” There, he had said it. He meant to just talk to her, but....he looked at her, she was beautiful. Her big eyes questioning him, terrified. He tried to reach her again, she was shivering, he wasn't sure if it was the cold dawn's breeze or him that was making her shiver.

Somehow he understood; her ex might have made her his punching bag or maybe her father used to beat her mother? But he was a missionary, those religious guys were saints.

“He abused you didn't he?” Mike heard himself ask. Malaika nodded. She was tired, tired of living, tired of trusting people. She was trying to build a wall between herself and Mike, he had just proved to her that all men, except her father, solved their problems by violence.

“Mike, please leave.” She said, wiping away perspiration from her face. Malaika Evans had had enough, no man was ever going to dictate her life anymore. She didn't come this far; across the continent to watch her life crumble because of Adam's descendants. In fact she had been doing just fine without a boyfriend for 21 years, maybe she had too much independence. Or was it those rights South Africans brag about? Did she forget her upbringing? Just in six months? Her mother's scolding? Her father's solutions to her problems? The values? What happened to "I will loose my virginity to the man who will put a ring on my finger?" Who was she? She had lost her virginity to someone who couldn't careless if she drowned herself in acid.

your crying over spilled milk, you could never be who you were. Your a nobody, useless!

Something inside her was talking...was she that bad?

Your not just bad, your evil. Your a murderer, you killed an innocent soul just because it would have ruined your image. Your selfish Malaika Evans, you never think for other people, its always about you! Murderer...murderer...murderer!

The words echoed into her ears.

“Please leave me alone! Just go away!” She mouthed the words as she covered her ears with her index fingers, rocking herself back and forth. She saw Mike looking at her...she gathered all her strength and got up. “I thought I asked you to leave? Just go and never ever come back.” She hissed, he didn't move immediately, he got up slowly, then without looking at her again, he left. He was gone, just like Femi, nobody cared too much to stay. Sitting down again, she rocked and sang a lullaby to herself to sleep.

Thembi had invited Milaika to her church in March but Malaika did not have time to go to church. She had come across Thembi's invite when she was refreshing her mail recycle bin, she had called Thembi who was home in Soweto and couldn't come to church but had given Malaika directions.

Thembi and Malaika met at the cafeteria in school in February, they both loved modeling and had a lot to talk about. Thembi had scooped a few modeling titles and had a contract with an international modeling agency in Joburg.

Malaika found herself at church, she had nothing better to do so she decided to kill time by going to church. Maybe she would get lifted up, take a breather from Mike's phone that rang after every 5 minutes. She had found it on the couch, maybe it fell on it when Mike was teaching her a lesson.

Born agains seemed to take their time when praying, she had said amen for about an hour ago. She had after all told God what her needs were, asked for forgiveness of her sins and prayed for the sick and oppressed, included her family, picking them one by one and addressing their needs. Prayed for peace in Israel, she was sure she had even prayed for the birds and thanked God for creating such beautiful creatures.

People around her seemed to have a lot to talk about to God, some were crying, some were howling and others looked like Ventriloquists. She hasn't seen people taking so long to pray. She got bored and her eyes took a trip on their own, loving the scenery. The church wasn't quite different from the church she grew in back at home; long wooden benches arranged in rows, a pulpit, stage for the praise and worship team. Ladies in the praise and worship team were dressed in black pencil skirts and pink beautiful blouses, guys dressed in black jeans and formal trousers and pink shirts of different designs. Then her eyes trailed back to a familiar face on the praise and worship team. Her eyes widened as she realized that the lady was Ntando, Femi's girlfriend. Was the girl even supposed to be there? When Malaika met her on Friday she sounded and acted like a non believer. How come she was even on the praise and worship team?

Malaika looked around her and saw Femi too, in suits and a tie! Was she dreaming? He looked lost in his prayer as he moved about, hands moving like he was cursing the devil or someone. She felt sick to the stomach, why did the devil trick her like that? The saying that the devil doesn't attack people as a physical beast but through normal people was true then. If the heinous Femi could look so peaceful and content with God then it means everything is possible. She felt feeble, the sight of Femi brought the worst in her. How come God allow monsters like Femi to come to church?

For sometime she cried silently clutching to her bible. Then slowly her father's teaching came to mind and at that moment, she felt that her spirit and her soul had returned to her weak body. For she was able to see the light, and the reason why Femi was at church...She made her way out of the open double wooden door and went back to her flat.

Malaika woke with a start. She didn't roll of the bed as she used to, she had endured hardships in the past six months that made her feel human whenever the they crossed her mind. She didn't have to torture herself with the floor hitting routine, it was something that left with the girl who arrived in Pretoria a long time ago, the girl who always wanted to fit in, dress like others, walk like others do things the way others do them. The girl who had no backbone, the girl who took abuse as love and watched her life go down the drain because she was not content with who she was, what she had and where she came from.

The sun was already setting and Mike hadn't come to take his phone, the phone had lots of missed calls and messages which she didn't bother opening. If she could do things her way, she would have taken the phone to church and used it as her offering to God. She didn't really want anything to do with Mike, the guy was a beast who didn't know the meaning of forgiveness.

Yawning and stretching, she got up and slipped into her slippers and went into the kitchen; rummage through the fridgerator looking for something to eat. Her appetite for junk food had gone with the foetus and she craved for a fruit salad, which she found and salvaged it leaving no trail of contents in a bowl.

After eating she couldn't find anything to watch on TV, she decided to take a stroll outside the building, changed into her sports gear and washed off the morning make-up on her face, and walked out. The afternoon breeze was cold and she struggled to insert the key in the door, It was the type to force her to breath into her hands, making them clammy and cold, only to repeat the process a few minutes passing because cold had taken over again. When she left church it wasn't that cold or was it because the temperature was dropping as the sun sets?

While she was locking the door, something downstairs drew her attention.

A girl her age was waving a sad goodbye to a car that was leaving the parking lot. Malaika stopped what she was doing and watched in awe, the girl's tear-jerking face moved Malaika as she realize that the driver of the car was a woman.

She had never grieved when she was departing with her mother, the woman who had carried her for nine months, nursed her for two years, fed her, taught her how to spell "papa" and sacrificed a lot for her. Maybe she was an "ungrateful brat" just the way her mother had said, she realized then that she had always looked down on her mother. She couldn't accept her for being who she was, she always made a monkey of her own mother. The girl downstairs had reluctantly wiped her tears with the back of her hands and trudged up the stairs.

Malaika realized that it is her own incompetence that ruined her relationship with her mother. She had over the years taken her father's family's side and criticized her mother. To her, her mother's words of wisdom, her ways of living were out-dated and had always gave her bitter results whenever she tried using them. Was it because her mother had always been strict? Her mother was the kind of women who used the idiom;

you spare the rod you spoil a child

as her way of raising her. Maybe her mother was grooming her to be a responsible, Independent and educated young woman, her mother was passing over to her daughter what her own mother had taught her...adding education and letting her husband teach their daughter how to pray into the mix.

Tears welled down her cheeks as she tried so had to keep them from falling. What kind of a daughter was she? Would she ever be able to compensate her mother's love?

Her face numbed, hands cringed and a shudder of chills was sent down her spine, all she longed for were warm covers or the sensation of a long gone summer sun.

Trudged back to the door, opened it slowly and shut it behind her. She decided to call her mother, she had no idea what her mother's voice sounds like over the phone as she had never talked to her on the phone.

“well everything had its beginning..” She said, walking back to her bedroom.

The room felt like freezing hell, by the way the dark pregnant clouds hanged loosely on the sky, their gloominess showed that it would rain that night. she switched on the heater, and restarted her laptop which was on the headboard next to Mike's phone. While waiting for her laptop to restart she changed into her pyjamas, shivering in a hurry to get under her comfortable warm covers.

Bathing would have to excuse her, it was way too cold. Mike's phone rang as she was crawling under the covers, it was ringing for the umpteenth time and she was in no mood to pick it up.

Settled in her bed she called her mother, it rang three times before her mother answered her phone.

“Helo?” A voice so smooth, sweet, and silvery said, making no noise but ever so gentle. Malaika swallowed a couple of times, emotions taking the best of her. The woman who had answered the phone was not the scorn face mother she knew, something deep inside her had moved. “Je, hii ni Evans Bibi?” (“Is this Mrs Evans?”) Malaika asked trying to sound professional.

“Ndiyo ni yake, jinsi gani naweza kukusaidia bibie? ” (“Yes it is her, how can I help you madam?”) Her mother sounded so caring. She pinched herself for being so ignorant, for missing precious moments like this with her mother.

“Jinsi wewe mama?” ( “How are you mom?” )

“Mimi ni faini na jinsi wewe mpenzi wangu?” ( “I am fine and how are you my dear?” )

“Mimi ni kufanya faini pia. ” ( “I am doing fine too. ” ) She lied, there was a lot to talk about. Malaika couldn't control her emotions anymore, “Mama,” she said through tears. “Ni Malaika.” ( “Its Malaika.” )

Her mother didn't sound surprised, it was like she had been waiting for her daughter to call. The spirit of motherhood might have told her that one day her prodigal daughter would emotionally return home.

“Najua mtoto wangu, wala kilio. Kuacha kilio mtoto, mimi kamwe akatoa juu yenu, mimi tu kusukuma wewe hivyo kwamba ungependa kufanya sisi fahari wakati hatimaye kueneza mabawa yako na kuruka katika Afrika. Kuona mimi siku zote alijua katika moyo wangu kuwa katika baadhi ya ungependa haja yangu. Na mimi niko hapa, tu simu mbali.”

( “I know my baby, do not cry. Stop crying child, I never gave up on you, I just pushed you so that you would do us proud when you finally spread your wings and fly in Africa. See I always knew in my heart that at some point you'd need me. And I'm here, just a phone call away. ” ) Malaika broke into tears, overwhelmed by her mother's courage.

“Asante mama,” ( “thank you mom.” ) For the first time in her adult life, Malaika told her mother about school, her everyday life in a foreign country. It felt so good to laugh with her, gossip a little and tease each other. She realized that she had missed a lot by shutting her mother out, but there were things she was not ready to share; her affair with Femi and the pregnancy as well as the abortion.

malaika is finally growing up

princesa: malaika is finally growing up

lol

HBG, I like your story. Its an eye opener.

Na true o, dat gal don dey grow small small.

You have made my day after a long suspense on posting your story.. I have been checking this post day after day just to make sure I will be the first to read and comment on it but I'm still proud to be associated with this successful work.. Mimi ni kufanya faini with this story sha.. I mean I can learn one or two things here.. The Lord is your strength and we a looking forward to the rest.

Emeraldz: HBG, I like your story. Its an eye opener.

thanks dear, welcome btw

Damex333: Na true o, dat gal don dey grow small small.

lol

Davefirst: You have made my day after a long suspense on posting your story.. I have been checking this post day after day just to make sure I will be the first to read and comment on it but I'm still proud to be associated with this successful work.. Mimi ni kufanya faini with this story sha.. I mean I can learn one or two things here.. The Lord is your strength and we a looking forward to the rest.

aw thanks Dave, Mimi ni heri kuwa na wewe juu ya bodi ya. Thanks again

nilikuwa tu kuangalia and ah ah ah finally, finally, wow wow wow wow sisi shukrani tena, u cant deny that Av nt been a gud Kaka, beautiful piece, description on point, detailed, i thought i might loose interest buh i picked up immediately, 9ice work Sisi

ortopazz: nilikuwa tu kuangalia and ah ah ah finally, finally, wow wow wow wow sisi shukrani tena, u cant deny that Av nt been a gud Kaka, beautiful piece, description on point, detailed, i thought i might loose interest buh i picked up immediately, 9ice work Sisi

Ok, naona sisi ni akili, jinsi wengi lugha unaweza kuongea? Shukrani wapenzi matumaini mimi si basi wewe chini

HumbledbYGrace: Ok, naona sisi ni akili, jinsi wengi lugha unaweza kuongea? Shukrani wapenzi matumaini mimi si basi wewe chini

y u de always wickdt me, am still learning na!

ortopazz:


y u de always wickdt me, am still learning na!

lol sorry ok? I will take it slow next time.

HumbledbYGrace: lol sorry ok? I will take it slow next time.

you had better do, else I press for Language assault! Does it exist? (raises his chin, hmmm..dunno, bows out)

awwww, good work HBG, after a long time this update is worth the wait

ortopazz:

you had better do, else I press for Language assault! Does it exist? (raises his chin, hmmm..dunno, bows out)

it does exist, got banned for my foreign language lol...but you wouldn't dare

Eneze1: awwww, good work HBG, after a long time this update is worth the wait

thank you dear

3 updates in a row. its good to have you back HBG. I love the way you write the conversations between the characters.

#welldone

An0nimus: 3 updates in a row. its good to have you back HBG. I love the way you write the conversations between the characters.

#welldone

thanks....

r we going to perish in pagè3? Wch kan tin! Dearie whats up wiv the update na, i stayed on fasting for almst a month and ur dishing teaspoons of chow for me, itz nt fair o! Abeg update na! Besides I reporting moderatorz 4 u o!

update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update updateupdate update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update updateupdate update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update updateupdate update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update update