Chapter 30

Kuwomesa Musoro—Headstrong

The launch party for Primehouse Bank helped Priscilla forget all about her problems with her family. Chamu spared no expense for the big opening taking place in the Miekles Hotel.

Priscilla had ordered a stunning black and white dress from South Africa. Chamu had emphasized how important it was that she be like an African queen, and had not minded the cost of the outfit. When she walked in heads did turn.

Priscilla was impressed by the African theme Chamu had incorporated in the decor. The room looked like an African safari, with life-size animal statues placed dramatically around the room. She took in the stone carvings of lions, zebras and giraffes. She glanced around slowly, taking in the crowd, and, when she saw Unashe talking to a lovely, slim woman dressed in black, her heart froze. Priscilla tried to suppress the sting of jealousy and longing that invaded her, but it was hard. Would she ever be able to look at Unashe without some sort of wild emotion invading her whole being? The few times she had seen him had been as devastating as an earthquake.

Later in the evening, Chamu gave a speech to a group of five hundred people eating steak and potatoes and having a decadent creamy dessert created just for the occasion. Everything displayed loudly proclaimed that this party was the biggest launch in the history of Zimbabwe.

Priscilla turned her eyes away from Unashe and his date and focused on her husband as he concluded his speech.

“We are moving Zimbabwe’s banking into the future. With this bank, we hope to be able to launch a credit card system that is used in many countries and that will make it easier for our customers to buy goods and services. It will be a huge undertaking, but with all the people in this room on our side we can only be a success.” As cameras from the news teams flashed, Chamu turned to face Priscilla.

“I would also like to thank my lovely wife. You know that behind every successful man is a beautiful, hardworking wife.”

People clapped and Priscilla didn’t know what to do with the attention as all eyes in the room swivelled to her.

* * *

Across the room, Unashe clapped along with everyone else. When the speeches were done, he turned back and smiled at his date for the evening, Vivian Matendeko.

“Priscilla is something, isn’t she?” Vivian said.

“She is.”

“I think she looks too good to be true. How can anybody look so perfect all the time? She’s always dressed like she just stepped out of a fashion magazine.”

“She’s the most real person you’ll ever meet. She’s kind and warm. Don’t be fooled by the perfect image. That’s just money. Expensive clothes don’t really change the person inside,” Unashe said, his eyes on Priscilla who was smiling at her husband, his boss.

After dinner Unashe watched a lot of people walk over to Chamu and his wife. They were one of the wealthiest couples in the country. If all went well with the bank then Chamu was on his way to having enough money to buy even more banks and become more powerful. No wonder Priscilla had been so eager to marry the man. He could give her whatever she wanted, and he was already doing that.

A lively dance performance by a famous traditional dance troupe preceded the live band. The group began playing upbeat songs that were the popular hits that year. The young and hip guests were making their way to the dance floor. With the cold beer and expensive spirits flowing freely, the crowd was already feeling relaxed and adventurous. Later, Tuku opened up with his old popular hit, “Perekedza Mwana”, and his hit song about a young man who should escort his girlfriend home as it was getting dark. The crowd went wild in their suits and sparkling dresses. For a song that that had been released years before, it got people moving.

“Would you like to meet Priscilla?” Unashe asked Vivian. He liked what his date wore, a sophisticated dress that skimmed over her curves. Her neatly braided hair hung down to her shoulders. When she moved her gold and diamond earrings sparkled. She was a very lovely woman. Vivian was the new brand of independent Zimbabwean women. She had her own three-bedroom townhouse and drove a twin cab. She was fiercely self-sufficient and let Unashe know that at every opportunity. She would not let him pick her up and she paid for her own meals. In some ways, she reminded him of the Priscilla of years before. What had happened to that girl, Unashe wondered.

“We can meet her, but I don’t admire women who just marry men for money,” Vivian said.

“I think you will find Priscilla to be just as independent as you. You remind me of her,” Unashe said.

“Oh please. I’m not living in some mansion in the hills and spending my day doing nothing,” Vivian said as she walked with Unashe towards a group that surrounded Priscilla.

“Hello,” Priscilla said when she saw them approach. She left the group she had been talking to, and all the men stared at her with open admiration.

That must keep Chamu up at night, Unashe thought.

“Priscilla, I would like you to meet Vivian,” Unashe said, introducing the two women.

“You look familiar,” Priscilla said warmly.

“I was working on the ad campaign for Primehouse Bank. We might have walked by each other at the offices.”

“You are right. You look amazing,” Priscilla said. The compliment seemed to take Vivian off guard.

“Thank you. So do you,” she responded. Priscilla’s outfit was very regal, and she stood out by the uniqueness of it and the way she held herself. The A-line skirt reached her ankles, and only the tips of her silver shoes appeared beneath it. Over her arms, she held a scarf. Her long fingers clutched her purse.

“Thank you,” Priscilla said, pushing back her curled, jet black hair. “You did a great job on the ad campaign. Your talents made Primehouse Bank almost a household name. Everybody is excited about it.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Tengani,” Vivian said, smiling broadly. Unashe watched as Priscilla charmed Vivian, her previous icy opinions melting like butter in the sun.

“Oh, I see a friend from work. I’ll be right back,” Vivian said, leaving Unashe and Priscilla standing alone. They watched in silence the people dancing to another of Tuku’s classics.

“I haven’t seen much of you,” Unashe said, breaking the silence between them.

“I know. Every time I went to the hospital, you were not there. We kept missing each other. It’s good to see your mum doing so much better.”

“It’s great. Thanks for being there for her,” Unashe said.

“So where is Chantel?”

Unashe was so caught by surprise that he burst out laughing. “What is it with you and Chantel? You always used to ask about her,” he said.

“I saw the picture of you two together at graduation. I always thought she was your girlfriend,” Priscilla said.

“That was over seven years ago,” Unashe said.

“Come on, don’t lie. She’s the reason…” Priscilla paused, and Unashe wondered what she was about to say. The reason what?

“She told me she was pregnant with your baby,” Priscilla said. At that moment the music stopped. Unashe stared at her as if she had grown another head.

“You are joking, right? Priscilla, of all the lies to say…”

Priscilla stared at him, realising he was shocked by the news. She didn’t say anything as Tuku started playing another song, this time a slow acoustic guitar song that tugged at her heart.

“Good evening, Mr. Made.” Melody, Chamu’s secretary, came to her side. “Mrs. Tengani. Your husband was looking for you.” Unashe watched her turn, but he was still puzzled by what she had told him. He had no choice but to watch her excuse herself and walk towards his boss.

* * *

Priscilla left before the party ended, telling Chamu she had a headache. Chamu had to remain until the end. Though he let her go without an argument, she could tell he was disappointed.

When she got home she wanted to jump in bed immediately, but could not shake off what Unashe had said. She remembered clearly the day Chantel had walked into her apartment. Chantel had cried and said she was Unashe’s girlfriend. She’d said she was carrying his baby. Why would she lie like that? Why would Unashe deny it if it was true? Was he lying?

After checking on Rudo, who was sleeping peacefully, Priscilla took off her outfit and silky stockings and wrapped her self in a long, soft robe. The maid slept in the room next to Rudo, as she often did when they were out late.

Priscilla went to the kitchen and boiled water for tea. The house was beautiful and silent.

While she made her tea, she picked up her phone and called Unashe’s cell phone.

“Unashe here,” he answered. She hadn’t heard his voice on the phone for several years. Her heart beat even faster. It was as if he was right next to her, whispering in her ear. She could hear other voices and music in the background.

“It’s Priscilla. Where are you?”

“I’m still at the Miekles. Are you all right?”

“I need to talk to you.”

Unashe walked away from the other men from the bank and sat at an isolated table. Vivian was on the dance floor with a few of her friends from work.

“What is it?”

“It’s about Chantel,” Priscilla said.

“Come on. I told you she wasn’t my girlfriend. Not that it’s any of your business,” Unashe said in an incredulous tone.

“Don’t worry, I’m not after you any more, hot stuff,” Priscilla retorted angrily.

Unashe laughed. “Is this about that crazy story about her having my baby?”

“Yes. That’s what she told me. She didn’t tell you?”

“No. And when she came to England she wasn’t pregnant, either,” Unashe said.

“Perhaps she lost your baby,” Priscilla said.

“What baby? Damn it, Priscilla, I never touched that woman. From the moment that you…to the day I came back here I never had anything to do with her in that way. I never touched her,” Unashe insisted.

“Can anybody hear you?”

“No.”

“I’m surprised. You are shouting like a lunatic,” Priscilla said, wondering why she chose such a day to ask him.

“I’m trying to get it through your thick head that she’s not my girlfriend, and I don’t have a baby with her,” Unashe hissed deep into her ears.

“Go to hell!”

Priscilla cut the phone and wanted to hurl it against the wall. It rang again within a second.

“Hello,” Priscilla said, her breathing still heavy.

“Don’t you ever accuse me of things and then hang up on me again.” Unashe’s scolding tone set Priscilla on the verge of hysteria. Who did he think he was?

Priscilla sniffed. “You were calling me thick headed.”

“You called me a lunatic.”

Both of them were quiet for a while. Unashe had now walked outside the ballroom and sat in the reception area.

“Anyway, when did she say that to you?”

“The week you left for the UK,” Priscilla said.

The words hung between them for a while, heavy with implications.

“Before I left?”

“Yes.”

“That was a lie,” Unashe protested, his voice quieter than before.

“I believed her. Why would she lie to me?”

Priscilla could hear Unashe breathing on the other end of the line. His deep breathing matched her troubled voice.

“I was so angry with you,” Priscilla said.

“I know. You wanted to flatten me with a vase,” Unashe said, and Priscilla laughed nervously. They were quiet for a while.

“Why didn’t you tell me what she said?”

“I was angry and disappointed. I felt used and stupid. I painted you with the same brush as all the men I hated, like Vimbai’s husband. I have hated you all these years,” Priscilla said.

“That’s harsh. I never knew,” Unashe said. “I thought you were mean and cruel. I actually thought you had gone crazy.”

“Thanks,” Priscilla said.

“Well, you put me in the same group as your father and Gilbert,” Unashe said.

They were both silent, as if the phone line was dead, but they both knew the other was there, thinking, remembering. She couldn’t deny how she had felt.

“I have to go, Unashe. This doesn’t make any sense to me at all,” Priscilla said.

“I need to see you,” Unashe said. “I mean, I want to talk to you in person about this. Somebody was playing with our lives.”

“Maybe it was for the best. You got to go overseas and study and now you are a top banking executive, making lots of money.”

“And you gave up your career to marry the richest man in the country. Is that what you mean?”

“No, don’t put words in my mouth. . .”

“You just put words in my mouth.”

“I just meant that there is nothing we can do about it now.”

“I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I have Chantel’s number. I’ll find out why she said that.”

“What’s the point? If she knew about us, then she wanted us apart. It was meant to be that way,” Priscilla said. “Good night, Unashe.”

There was silence for a few seconds, and then Unashe finally spoke. “Good night.”

Priscilla felt pain in every part of the body as she hung up the phone. Her tea was cold in its teacup and she tossed it into the sink. Somehow, she felt afraid. She wondered how such a lie could have changed the course of her life. Still, would Unashe have stayed if he knew she was pregnant? He had his own ambitions, and not once had he really talked about marrying her.

She didn’t want to be alone. She walked into Rudo’s room and slipped into bed with her baby. Rudo mumbled something and put her arms around her neck.

At that moment Rudo was the only person who felt real to her. Everybody else, everything else, was not what it seemed but her child snuggled close to her and the world was all right.

“Oh, God, I have messed up. Show me the way to go. I want to be like Vimbai, so sure about everything even as her life is falling apart. Even as she’s slowly dying, she’s so sure of you.”

* * *

A few hours later Chamu found Priscilla sleeping in Rudo’s room. He watched them for a full minute, and then closed the door and went to their bedroom.