Borrowdale Wives – An Excerpt from Tambu Kahari
- By Tambu Kahari
- Published August 24, 2009
- Fiction
- Unrated
Tambu Kahari
Tambu Kahari is the co-coordinator of The Salad Magazine, an online magazine for Southern African women. She is the author of "The Price of Life".
View all Entries by Tambu Kahari
Borrowdale Wives
Pamela rolled over in her bed, stumbled up and ran to the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet, where she puked her guts out. Her whole body shook with the force of the vomiting. Tears slid down her cheeks as she heaved and heaved the previous night’s dinner out of her system.
Once done, she sat on the floor and waited for the trembling to subside. She couldn’t deny it any longer. She was very pregnant. She had to do something about it instead of pretending this pregnancy didn’t exist. She had to make an appointment and get rid of it.
“Oh dear Lord up in Heaven, please forgive me,” she muttered to herself. “I can’t have this one. I just can’t.”
That decided, she stood up to brush her teeth and take a shower. She had to go to work. She had breakfast duty today, which meant she had to be there early.
It was a tired and depressed looking Pamela who slid into her Renault and drove to the Sheraton to make breakfast for the tourists who came to Zimbabwe without a care in the world, while her world was crumbling on a daily basis.
###
Rudo hit her alarm clock with an amazing force and tried to get back to sleep. But the job was done. She was awake. She was tired. She couldn't remember taking a day off in the last few years. It was work, and nothing but work, every day, from 4:30 am to 9 pm. She never got to see her daughter. In fact, the maid was her daughter's mother. Why did she have to work while the other two sat on their fat bums and squandered the money she sweated for? It wasn't fair. But Paul didn't see it that way. He said she had a business degree and she was also a mother of one. Therefore, she had to work. At first, she had been flattered by him calling her intelligent, but she could see now, years later, that he used her. It was a bitter pill to swallow. First, she had to endure being wife number two out of three wives, and then she had to work to support those other two. Paul didn't love her. He had married her to use her! Of that she was certain. One day, she was going to get her own back!
She got up at the thought of her husband. She had to go and open the salon and the cash register. If she wasn't there on time, Paul would be furious. He would beat her and she didn't want that. That was another thing. She was the only wife who got regular beatings for any small thing. The other two were never touched in anger. He would pay for that too, she thought vengefully.
###
Renee was exhausted! She did not want to get up. Once she woke up, the day would start all over again with a vengeance. There was taking care of everyone and making sure they had eaten before rushing them all to school. She hardly ever had time to curl her hair. She was always at work in the nick of time. Work meant running off her feet and then coming back home to deal with a cold husband and three children who didn’t appreciate her.
Today, she had her mother in law to deal with. How she wished the woman lived in a village, in a hut, far away from here! Her mother in law was a difficult, demanding woman. She hated Renee with a passion and didn’t bother to hide it. How had she got stuck with that battle ax? The woman lived just a few houses away from her. Why couldn’t Ngoni have bought their house elsewhere? Did it have to be Borrowdale? Once again, she wished she was Isabel, married to Shingi, who didn’t give a shit what his mother said. Instead, she had Ngoni, the mighty first born, the too educated, the too successful businessman and the too traditional first born.
This was not what she had wanted of her life, let alone her marriage! She thought back to the days when she had dreams of meeting Prince Charming and living happily ever after. How stupid she was then! There was no happily ever after. There was a demanding husband and his mother and three children whom she loved but drove her nuts. There was her job, which she cherished and therefore could not be late.
She eased out of the massive bed and gently walked to the bathroom. This morning she would start with herself. She will take a bath, curl her hair and choose an outfit before waking up Ngoni and the children. That put a smile to her face. Today, was about her.
###
PAMELA
Pamela sat across her doctor and didn’t hear a single word he said. Her ears were buzzing. She couldn’t believe it.
“How much?” she asked weakly.
He said it again.
“That’s a lot of money,” she said.
He nodded with a sympathetic smile. “Life has become expensive in Harare.”
“And that is why I can’t afford it,” she said. She was going to howl!
“Perhaps he can help you pay for it,” the doctor suggested. “They usually do.”
Pamela didn’t say a word. She couldn’t tell him. He wouldn’t let her go through with it. It was best he didn’t know. Somehow, somewhere, she was going to find the money to get rid of this pregnancy.
“Put me in for Saturday,” she said. She would ask her friends, Brenda and Gavin if necessary. She would ask her parents. She will make up a lie and stick with it. She had to get rid of this pregnancy.
“You know, Pamela, you could always have this baby. It is not as if you are a teenager. You are 32 years old and have a wonderful career and good parents. You can keep it. This may be your only chance.” The doctor said.
“I can’t.” she said. “Put me in for 11:00 am on Saturday. I will be here, with the money.”
He nodded.
She left.
“Shit, shit shit!” she hissed to herself as she walked back to the car. Her life was a mess! She was such a stupid cow! She could never get it together. She never got what she wanted and she was always the one who got into these situations. How she hated her life. How she hated Shingi. How she hated Isabel for stealing her future. How she hated Brenda for not telling her sooner about Shingi and Isabel. Brenda was a traitor, a devil to her life. How had she even believed they were friends?
She called Barbara. She needed to talk and she needed to shake her pockets.
“Sorry Pam, no money,” said Barbara regretfully. “We paid out school fees and we are done for this month. We were not even able to afford DSTV.”
“How can you say that?” Pam asked her disbelievingly. “You have a great job and so does your husband. You can’t even loan me some of it?”
“Ja. We have good jobs. But we have many bills. Don’t forget that my husband supports his family in the rurals. And then, a lot of his money is unaccounted for. You know men. I just get by,” Barbara didn’t want to talk about her husband and his promiscuous ways. “I could loan you some of it.”
She named the amount and Pam shook her head. “Not enough. Forget it.”
“Ask him to pay,” Barbara suggested softly. She was relieved Pamela had not taken the money. She needed it.
“He won’t give it to me. Not for that.” She said.
“He doesn’t have to know. You could make up a story or something.” Barbara said.
“Barbie, he is not stupid! That is why he has so much money. He will know. It is best to just go solo on this one.” She said, frustrated, desperate and angry.
“If he wasn’t married, you would have asked him to marry you,” Barbara said. She didn’t condone Pamela’s behaviour. In her own life, there was a Pamela, draining money from her children’s lives. The fact that Ngoni had so much of it, didn’t mean anything to her. Pamela was still depriving that family of their husband and father.
Pamela rolled over in her bed, stumbled up and ran to the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet, where she puked her guts out. Her whole body shook with the force of the vomiting. Tears slid down her cheeks as she heaved and heaved the previous night’s dinner out of her system.
Once done, she sat on the floor and waited for the trembling to subside. She couldn’t deny it any longer. She was very pregnant. She had to do something about it instead of pretending this pregnancy didn’t exist. She had to make an appointment and get rid of it.
“Oh dear Lord up in Heaven, please forgive me,” she muttered to herself. “I can’t have this one. I just can’t.”
That decided, she stood up to brush her teeth and take a shower. She had to go to work. She had breakfast duty today, which meant she had to be there early.
It was a tired and depressed looking Pamela who slid into her Renault and drove to the Sheraton to make breakfast for the tourists who came to Zimbabwe without a care in the world, while her world was crumbling on a daily basis.
###
Rudo hit her alarm clock with an amazing force and tried to get back to sleep. But the job was done. She was awake. She was tired. She couldn't remember taking a day off in the last few years. It was work, and nothing but work, every day, from 4:30 am to 9 pm. She never got to see her daughter. In fact, the maid was her daughter's mother. Why did she have to work while the other two sat on their fat bums and squandered the money she sweated for? It wasn't fair. But Paul didn't see it that way. He said she had a business degree and she was also a mother of one. Therefore, she had to work. At first, she had been flattered by him calling her intelligent, but she could see now, years later, that he used her. It was a bitter pill to swallow. First, she had to endure being wife number two out of three wives, and then she had to work to support those other two. Paul didn't love her. He had married her to use her! Of that she was certain. One day, she was going to get her own back!
She got up at the thought of her husband. She had to go and open the salon and the cash register. If she wasn't there on time, Paul would be furious. He would beat her and she didn't want that. That was another thing. She was the only wife who got regular beatings for any small thing. The other two were never touched in anger. He would pay for that too, she thought vengefully.
###
Renee was exhausted! She did not want to get up. Once she woke up, the day would start all over again with a vengeance. There was taking care of everyone and making sure they had eaten before rushing them all to school. She hardly ever had time to curl her hair. She was always at work in the nick of time. Work meant running off her feet and then coming back home to deal with a cold husband and three children who didn’t appreciate her.
Today, she had her mother in law to deal with. How she wished the woman lived in a village, in a hut, far away from here! Her mother in law was a difficult, demanding woman. She hated Renee with a passion and didn’t bother to hide it. How had she got stuck with that battle ax? The woman lived just a few houses away from her. Why couldn’t Ngoni have bought their house elsewhere? Did it have to be Borrowdale? Once again, she wished she was Isabel, married to Shingi, who didn’t give a shit what his mother said. Instead, she had Ngoni, the mighty first born, the too educated, the too successful businessman and the too traditional first born.
This was not what she had wanted of her life, let alone her marriage! She thought back to the days when she had dreams of meeting Prince Charming and living happily ever after. How stupid she was then! There was no happily ever after. There was a demanding husband and his mother and three children whom she loved but drove her nuts. There was her job, which she cherished and therefore could not be late.
She eased out of the massive bed and gently walked to the bathroom. This morning she would start with herself. She will take a bath, curl her hair and choose an outfit before waking up Ngoni and the children. That put a smile to her face. Today, was about her.
###
PAMELA
Pamela sat across her doctor and didn’t hear a single word he said. Her ears were buzzing. She couldn’t believe it.
“How much?” she asked weakly.
He said it again.
“That’s a lot of money,” she said.
He nodded with a sympathetic smile. “Life has become expensive in Harare.”
“And that is why I can’t afford it,” she said. She was going to howl!
“Perhaps he can help you pay for it,” the doctor suggested. “They usually do.”
Pamela didn’t say a word. She couldn’t tell him. He wouldn’t let her go through with it. It was best he didn’t know. Somehow, somewhere, she was going to find the money to get rid of this pregnancy.
“Put me in for Saturday,” she said. She would ask her friends, Brenda and Gavin if necessary. She would ask her parents. She will make up a lie and stick with it. She had to get rid of this pregnancy.
“You know, Pamela, you could always have this baby. It is not as if you are a teenager. You are 32 years old and have a wonderful career and good parents. You can keep it. This may be your only chance.” The doctor said.
“I can’t.” she said. “Put me in for 11:00 am on Saturday. I will be here, with the money.”
He nodded.
She left.
“Shit, shit shit!” she hissed to herself as she walked back to the car. Her life was a mess! She was such a stupid cow! She could never get it together. She never got what she wanted and she was always the one who got into these situations. How she hated her life. How she hated Shingi. How she hated Isabel for stealing her future. How she hated Brenda for not telling her sooner about Shingi and Isabel. Brenda was a traitor, a devil to her life. How had she even believed they were friends?
She called Barbara. She needed to talk and she needed to shake her pockets.
“Sorry Pam, no money,” said Barbara regretfully. “We paid out school fees and we are done for this month. We were not even able to afford DSTV.”
“How can you say that?” Pam asked her disbelievingly. “You have a great job and so does your husband. You can’t even loan me some of it?”
“Ja. We have good jobs. But we have many bills. Don’t forget that my husband supports his family in the rurals. And then, a lot of his money is unaccounted for. You know men. I just get by,” Barbara didn’t want to talk about her husband and his promiscuous ways. “I could loan you some of it.”
She named the amount and Pam shook her head. “Not enough. Forget it.”
“Ask him to pay,” Barbara suggested softly. She was relieved Pamela had not taken the money. She needed it.
“He won’t give it to me. Not for that.” She said.
“He doesn’t have to know. You could make up a story or something.” Barbara said.
“Barbie, he is not stupid! That is why he has so much money. He will know. It is best to just go solo on this one.” She said, frustrated, desperate and angry.
“If he wasn’t married, you would have asked him to marry you,” Barbara said. She didn’t condone Pamela’s behaviour. In her own life, there was a Pamela, draining money from her children’s lives. The fact that Ngoni had so much of it, didn’t mean anything to her. Pamela was still depriving that family of their husband and father.