My phone rang when I was on my way back from the grocery store.
Truuh! Truuh!
“Where is it?” I put my two white carrier bags down on the street and picked it from my blue jeans’ right pocket. “Hello Mom!”
“Hi Joe. I’ve just received a call from your uncle in Lumba. Lona is on her way to here. She’s coming!”
“But Mom, mbone, it’s so abrupt! Did you know about this? And is it the Lona, my cousin, or another one? Cause we’ve got so many Lonas in the fam, haha!”
“Hurry up first! Like I just said: your uncle’s just told me. How could I know? And we’re not at a Dzaleka police station, my dear, where I’ve got to answer all sorts of questions. You’ll see for yourself!”
“Fine…”
“And just make sure you’re back here on time so that lunch is ready for Lona. Don’t let your feet wander around all day, as you always forget to get back home on time!”
“But Mom, what’s that? Nah!” I complained. “You just sent me for meat, lenga veggies, and some spices, and I’m already on my way back, nah. And…”
“And you’ve started preaching to me when you’re already late. Shame on you, Mr. Joe Mona. Just come fast, nah!”
A yellow car parked on the tarmac before me while Mom continued to talk. The driver signaled to me, like he was asking if I would get in. I raised my thumb, told my mom I was coming fast and hung up. I quickly ran into the yellow auto, which was almost full. I sat between two men in the backseat.
“Are you comfortable there?” the driver asked.
“Yeah, I can’t complain! Take me to Nande Hotel. It’s near my home!”
“Okay, then! Let’s gooo!” he said and the car set off.
An old man in a black suit, white shirt and black tie sat to my left. His eyes were facing forward. He seemed very serious. “Bonjour Papa!” I said. He turned and stared at me with his dark-skinned face all wrinkled. As if he was looking at a disgusting recipe that was going off.
“Pardon!” I said in French, as it seemed like he didn’t like it or me.
“Meh!” was all he said back to me. Then he kept focusing on the road ahead.
I felt bad I didn’t greet the other old man on my right. I then wanted a lollipop, which I’d put in the white plastic bags. But when I looked down between my feet, there was nothing. “Where is it?”
“Where is what?” the driver said.
I looked around and began to panic. “Haven’t you seen my white plastic bags?”
“You’ve not entered here with any carrier bags of any color or type, dear!” he replied.
“Maman weehhh!!” I cried with my hands on my head. “I must have left them where I was then! Conductor, can you halt the car? I gotta go back by all means.”
The driver sighed and pulled over. Before I opened the door he said, “Because you’ve not reached the destination, you will give me MWK 500, half the fare.”
“But I need to go there now. Could you drive me back, please? It’s only two minutes from here.”
“Conductor, I am rushing to work apapa,” a voice said. It was the old man sitting in the back. “I’m already late, please, so there’s no turning back!”
“You see!” the driver said. “We can’t go back, unless you pay double.”
“I don’t have that kind of money,” I said.
“So we’ve got to go and leave you here, kid!”
“I’m not a kid! Me? I’ll be in Form 3 in a month. Mind you, Form 3 of high school!”
“Okay then, Papa!” The conductor put his hands together and bowed his head slightly, as a sign for showing sorry.
Someone started giggling in the back seats. I looked in there and found it was the man in a suit. He tried to hold it in, but then he burst out in laughter. When he realized I was staring at him with a frown on my face, he quickly stopped and in a blink of an eye his face was serious again, like it was before. How had he managed to shift his expression like a switch on and off? I just took his shifting moods as proof that my mood might change any moment too. But still, I felt disappointed at him and everything around me. My eyes almost turned red with tears all in them. “Take your money, conductor, and ciao!”
I ran back down the dusty side of the road with all the speed I could muster. I made it to the spot, but my black Nikes looked like I’d crossed the desert. I found the two carrier bags right where I received Mom’s call, like a couple waiting for their passports to be stamped so they can fly away.
I’m so lucky to find you guys, I thought. How in the world did I forget about you? Anyway, let’s finally go home! I took the bags and looked for another car, but to no avail. All the cars that passed were filled with passengers, so I had to run with the two carrier bags full of groceries. It was like I was running with two five-liter bottles, one on the right and the other on the left. “I can’t make it and time’s flying already!” I moaned. I bent down to go even faster. I breathed so fast I felt my heartbeat in my neck. I was drenched in sweat. While I ran, I looked for a motorbike, which was twice as expensive as a car, but desperate times call for desperate means.
Luckily, a red TVS motorbike passed by. I flagged it down and the driver accepted a fare of MWK 1,000. The money was from my own pocket… I really didn’t want more delay. The motorbike bolted down the tarmac, as if it was competing with a bullet.
Finally, I made it to home safe and sound in about five minutes. But I couldn’t believe how much I was still panting and breathing.
What mattered is that the veggies and the rest of groceries reached home safe and sound too. Also, I just had a five-minute delay, which isn’t a delay at all. But the problem was, Lona was already there. I looked at Mom, then smiled.
