Chapter 10

Oh God, what a life Nana had in the new house. She would wake up and start singing all day long. She will clean the house and prepare breakfast on her own. She told Linda that she will be cooking until she goes to her mother for the holidays.

Father was happy that Nana is preparing meals for him, he was no longer going early to work and come back late, his office was a few kilometers away from his new house.

Father will wake up every morning, listening to his daughter's singing and enjoyed breakfast prepared by her. Nana and Linda were very happy; they will clean the house and organize everything according to their taste without any interruptions from anyone else.

Later on, after doing house chores, they will go for walks around their new suburb just to know how everything is in that area. It was a beautiful suburb, and it was very near the sea. Nana and Linda loved taking walks near the sea. Many people will drive to the sea and have their picnics or walk near the beach.

On Saturday, Nana's father, Linda, and Nana woke up early to prepare themselves for Nana's trip to her mother in the village. It was a long journey so they had to start early. Nana packed her suitcase full of her clothes and a few things she and Linda bought for her mother and siblings, they put it into the car. Father also bought lots of groceries for Nana's mother; he wanted Nana to be comfortable at her mother's house. He bought lots of things for them.

The journey was so exciting; they didn't even feel tired because Nana was telling them those stories about her village, her mother, siblings, and friends.

There is this story she told them about how her mother gave her hidings; she swore not to talk to her mother again; unfortunately, she couldn't keep her promise. She said, "Father, my mother is the best person I know, she can make you very angry today and tomorrow she makes you very happy."

“One day she sent me to fetch water, when I reached the borehole, I saw all my friends from school in the queue also waiting for water. We started playing games and we completely forget about taking water home. After hours of fun with my friends, I lifted my water container and went home."

“The minute I put my water container off my head and put it on the floor, my mother grabbed my hand and she beat me up with a stick. I cried and screamed but my siblings were just laughing at me. Mother said that I should have brought the water first and then go back to play as if that was possible, I would have missed out on the fun and if I got home, she wouldn’t have allowed me to go back to play!"

Nana said that it was her first time getting a hiding from her mother. She said that it was too painful and she hated her mother that day. She promised not to talk to her mother again and she refused to eat that evening; she just went to her bed and slept.

The next day, Nana woke up very hungry. She tried to avoid going to the kitchen because she did not want to talk to her mother. Unfortunately, mother saw her immediately when she stepped out of the house, she called her into the kitchen. Her mother was so happy to see her; she greeted her nicely and gave her a plate of a delicious breakfast. Her mother told her to forget about what happened yesterday and enjoy the meal.

This made Nana very happy and she immediately forgave her mother. Nana realized that she was at fault. The meal was so delicious and it took away all her hunger.

Nana’s father and Linda laughed when she said that the food was so delicious, she acted like the food was in front of her. The way she explained how delicious the breakfast was, it was enough to make anyone hungry.

They arrived in Ntongo village at around 11:00 am. Nana's mother ran towards her daughter and hugged her very tightly. Everyone at Nana's village was so happy to see her. They also welcomed Nana's father and Linda.

They squeezed fresh oranges and passion fruits for the guests. They also roasted groundnuts for the guests to eat. They conversed for a while and then Nana's father and Linda bid their farewell to them. They promised to pick up Nana a week before school starts.

Nana's father and Linda really missed Nana on their way back home. Nana is a chatterbox, she told them story after story on their way to the village, but now she was not there to talk to them.

They drove in silence for a while until Nana's father stopped the car and he said "Linda, Nana is not here to tell me stories and I'm worried I might fell asleep. Please come sit in the front and give me some company."

Linda got out and sat in the front seat. She felt weird and shy sitting in the front but Nana's father told her not to be scared. They drove off; Nana's father kept on asking Linda questions about her life. It was all going well, Linda was answering all his questions without hesitation until when he asked her a question which made her shy.

Nana’s father said, "Linda you started working at my house when you are fourteen years old, I have watched you turning into the beautiful young woman you are now. I'm just wondering; do you have a boyfriend? Every time I ask you that question you ran away from it, now I need to know. Do you have a boyfriend"?

That question made Linda tremble; she didn't know whether to tell Nana's father the truth or to avoid the question, after a few minutes of thinking, she decided to tell him her truth.

Linda was soft-spoken and she takes her time when speaking. She is just the opposite of Nana. Nana speaks faster and nonstop. Linda said…

"sir, when I started to work in your house, I was already a young woman. I always dreamed of a perfect man and a perfect marriage. I dreamed of having beautiful children and having a lot of money so that I can buy everything I wanted. My dream of a beautiful marriage changed when I got to your house."

“I thought that only poor people can be happy because you and your wife have everything; you have lots of money but you are unhappy. I don't want to be unhappy like you two, therefore I gave up on having a boyfriend or husband. That is my truth sir and I'm very happy with it."

Nana's father kept quiet for a few minutes and then he said "Linda you cannot gauge your happiness on other people's happiness or unhappiness. I thought I was unhappy with Nana’s mother and I'm also not happy with my second marriage but that doesn't mean I should give up on being happy."

“I do believe that I will be happy someday so I advise you not to give up yet, we might even be happy together! My problem with Nana’s mother was her lack of education and her other children; I thought having an educated wife without the baggage of other men’s children, will do me well, unfortunately, it wasn’t the case, I’m still unhappy."

They moved away from that topic and talked about other things. They stopped somewhere and bought some takeaways for their dinner. When they got home, Linda served their takeaways and they ate while watching TV. After their meal, Nana's father stood up and sat next to Linda, he held her hand and told her that he fell in love with her a few years back.

He told Linda that she was the only one who was there for him in that house, he said that when Linda went away for a month, he felt lost, the house was not clean and the food was disgusting. His children were always with their mother and that’s the reason why he brought Nana to his house without discussing it with his wife. He said Nana made him happy and he is very sure that Nana and Linda were the only persons who have made him very happy.

Linda always loved Nana's father but she did not admit to it. She started sweating when Nana's father sat close to her. Her fantasy was coming true in front of her own eyes. Father continued to declare his love for Linda and Linda was reacting in silence but positively!