Chapter 26

Tsakatika—Lost

Chamu found that keeping his wife busy meant that she wasn’t spending all her time grieving and worrying about Vimbai, who wasn’t responding well to the drugs they were ordering from overseas. Priscilla took her sister to Victoria Falls and took her to see doctors in South Africa, but being busy with Vimbai wasn’t the solution.

Several months after her trip to Victoria Falls with Vimbai, Chamu asked Priscilla to host an important dinner in their home. He knew she wasn’t comfortable acting as hostess, but she had impressed Chamu the few times she had done it.

For days before Priscilla worked hard to plan and organize the event. She was happy that everything was in order when the big day arrived. After Priscilla supervised the dinner making, she went upstairs to take a bath. She was confident that the two chefs who worked at the new Mukadota Hotel and the maid helping with the chopping and dicing had all made a feast worthy for a king.

The bathtub was full of hot water and bubbles and she sank in with a sigh. Yes, it was nice to close her eyes and not think for a few minutes of pure heaven. The vanilla scent, mixed with other exotic, relaxing oils, made her feel lightheaded, warm and at peace.

Priscilla opened her eyes quickly with irritation when the bedroom door opened.

“Pri, are you here?” It was Chamu.

“In here,” Priscilla said. She was annoyed. She had wanted to spend more time alone.

He knocked gently and opened the door, letting out some of the steam from her foggy bathroom. He had loosened his tie, but was still wearing his dark blue suit.

“The food smells good downstairs,” Chamu said, looking down at her.

She sat up and reached for the towel on the rack close to the tub. He grabbed it and held it for her. His eyes roamed her body as she stepped out of the tub covered with soapy bubbles. He watched her for a while, and she could see the desire in his eyes.

She reached again and he passed the towel around her back and kissed her shoulders. She smiled weakly, then moved away.

“I have to get dressed,” she said.

“I know. I also need to get ready. I will have a quick shower.”

“What time are the guests coming?” Priscilla asked as she tied a knot in the towel above her breasts. She sat on the edge of the tub and released the water.

“In about an hour,” Chamu said, pulling his tie off completely, his eyes on her exposed legs. ”Thanks for doing the dinner and the flowers. The house looks great.”

“I don’t mind. I had better hurry. I want to make sure everything is perfect.”

Priscilla walked out of the bathroom and walked into her huge dressing room. She sat down on the chair and started to apply lotion and perfume. Her hair had been done that morning in an up-do, so all she had to do was smooth it. She had chosen an ivory designer dress for the evening. It had discreet embroidery that gave it an ethnic feel that she liked in almost all her clothes lately. A top Ghanaian dressmaker who sold her clothes out of a posh store in Borrowdale had designed this particular dress.

She was standing before the mirror admiring the magnificent dress when she heard Chamu leave the bathroom and enter his dressing room.

The delicious smells reached her as she made her way down the curving staircase. She liked the way the dining room was set with candles and her best dinner set. The formal lounge was clean, as usual. They hardly used the formal room, but today it would be put to use. She had placed bouquets of flowers around the room and would have liked to light a fire, but the night was too warm.

Chamu came down and met her.

“There will be one extra person tonight, by the way,” Chamu said, walking over to the bar and pouring a glass of juice.

“So it’s not just eight of us?”

“Nine or ten. I’ve hired another young man who has just come from England,” Chamu said, looking at her. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you,” she replied, and then touched the lapels of his jacket. ”You look great, as usual.”

Chamu laughed. “I think you will like the group of people I’ve invited. You can also tell me if anyone doesn’t appeal to you in some way. I think you have good instincts.”

“All right. I’ll do that,” she said, then startled when she heard the gate bell.

“I’ll get it,” Chamu said, going to answer the intercom and press the open button. Chamu came back and surveyed the formal living room with appreciation.

“We really went to a lot of trouble for these executives. I’m sure they will be impressed.”

“They better be. I want them to have confidence in Primehouse Bank. They should know that they will be working for the best bank in the country. Image is everything.”

While he was speaking, the doorbell rang and Chamu went to open it. In came two lovely women and two men about the same age as Chamu.

Chamu shook hands with them.

“Joe, Tapiwa,” Chamu said.

“Good evening, Mr. Tengani. This is my wife Nyasha,” Joe Kame said. He was intelligent looking, with thin-rimmed glasses and a clean-shaven face. Priscilla stood aside, watching Joe greet Chamu. He had a sweet smile. His wife Nyasha was dressed in a stylish two-piece suit and her pretty face was framed by micro-braids.

“Nice to meet you Nyasha. This is my wife Priscilla,” Chamu said, putting his hands possessively around her waist and drawing her into the circle.

“And this is Tapiwa Ngoni and his wife Caroline. She’s a doctor at Parirenyatwa Hospital.”

“Hello,” Priscilla said.

“Tapiwa will be the operations manager for the bank. He has already started working there,” Chamu said. Before Priscilla could respond, the bell rang again. While Chamu answered, she took the other couples into the formal living room and had them seated on the black leather sofas with cold drinks in hand. Her maid and the hired cook were quick to serve appetizers on plates.

Priscilla was talking to Caroline and Nyasha when she heard Chamu walk in with a booming laugh. The voice she heard sounded so familiar it took her from that moment into another distant time when she was somebody else. It brought sensations familiar yet forbidden in their flavor.

Her panicking mind worked overtime as she listened to the two women with one ear and strained to hear the conversation happening away from view. Chamu walked in with a tall man and a young, light-skinned woman holding his hand. It took her a shocking second to realize that Unashe stood right in front of her. His smile died as his eyes caught hers.