Marriage Chronicles - Season 1 - Episode 12

Episode 5 years ago

Marriage Chronicles - Season 1 - Episode 12

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continues..
..COREEN..


My head was pounding like crazy when I woke up that morning, no wonder I hated drinking alcohol. Hangovers aren’t just my thing, I can’t deal. I got out of bed and brushed my teeth before heading to the kitchen to brew myself a strong mug of coffee.


“Hey.”

A little startled, I turned and noticed Cephas standing in the doorway. “I’d like a mug of coffee too,” he took a seat. I made his coffee in silence and was sipping mine when he said, “Am ready to talk..about Lubuto Bwalya.”

I played mute and let him drone on. “I met her eleven years ago when…….”

And so he told me about this Lubuto Bwalya who looked exactly like me, how he impregnated her and how she moved into his house. He was saying, “Lubuto was a liar, for starters. Can you imagine she lied to me about her age? Said she was 18 when in actual sense she was only 16, who does that?”

I was sixteen myself eleven years ago. “How did she die?” I quietly asked.


“That’s the only thing you interested in, not so?”

“Obviously, duh!” “Fine,” Cephas sipped on his coffee. “She died while trying to have an abortion, one that I talked her into having.”

“So that’s why she’s back from the dead? To avenge her baby’s death and hers too? Because if you ask me, you literally killed her. Am sorry but that’s the truth.”

“I agree too. I’ve told you about her, Coreen, so I hope she’ll leave you alone now.”

“I hope so too.”


Did I believe what he had just told me? Not very much because I knew there was still something he wasn’t telling me and sooner or later he was going to spill the beans. I spent the whole day wondering why I looked exactly as some Bemba girl who died eleven years ago. Could it be we were related? The possibility was high..Cephas had mentioned Lubuto Bwalya had been adopted so she might as well be my twin sister. Or maybe she was my look alike? That’s possible too. I made a mental note to pay Granny a visit and enquire about any twin of mine though she would have mentioned her all these years if she existed.


The whole of that day, I couldn’t get Lubuto Bwalya out of my head or quite figure out why on earth she was tormenting me or how possible it was that I was seeing a dead person and hadn’t lost my mind yet.

I received some news in the evening, which distracted me from Lubuto for a while.



“Hi,” said William gloomily on the other end of the line. “I know its late but I think you have the right to know, being my wife’s best friend.”

“Know what?”

“That Anna has been hospitalized…she was mugged, she says… ” “I’ll be at the hospital first thing tomorrow morning. Tell Anna I wish her a quick recovery.”

“I will…have a blessed night.”

“You too.”


I didn’t sleep well that night and thank God Cephas and I slept in separate rooms cause he wouldn’t have slept too had we been sharing a bed, what with my fidgeting.

When I went to the hospital the next day, I overhead Anna and the doctor talking. She was pregnant. I decided to grab this opportunity and tell her I knew about Rajesh and her. She tried denying everything but I won, she accepted she’d been cheating on her husband and that Rajesh was the one who had actually beat her up that bad. That’s what she deserves for cheating, don’t she? I have no hard feelings though.

So I talked some sense into her after she told me William was the father of her unborn baby, which I highly doubted, and convinced her to dump Rajesh as soon as possible as he was nothing but trouble in bold block letters!
And she promised to dump him, what a relief!
Four days later, Kimono me paid me a visit again. The maid had left some clothes on the line after knocking off as the clothes were yet to dry thoroughly but looking at how late it was getting, I decided to take them into the house and it was while I was at it that I noticed Kimono me was in the house. So, I was piling up all the clothes on the bed so I could sort them out when I turned to close the bedroom door and when I turned back, the pile of clothes was gone. But there was a Kimono in place of the pile.

My heart rate escalated with each passing second and I glanced round the room to scan it. Lubuto’s ghost was nowhere to be seen but I had the nagging feeling that she was there.


“You didn’t get the whole truth outta him,” said her voice loudly but she herself decided to remain invisible today.


“It’s not as if I could just sq££ze the truth outta him, is it?” I imitated her accent. “Look here Lubuto, Cephas told me what he was ready to disclose so-”

“Shut up!” shut up..shut..up..shut up! “You don’t really get it, Coreen. I want Cephas to confess and you’re gonna help me achieve this dream. But before that, I think I need to subject you to some physical pain and make you endure the excruciating pain I’d gone through a few minutes before breathing my last!” “What are-are you talking about?”

“Patience, honey. Patience.” And then she shrieked with laughter. She laughed, laughed and laughed.

I couldn’t help but wonder what insane thing she planned on doing to me and as if reading my mind, she gave me a clue by making a knife materialize a few steps from where I stood. It dangled in air for a while and floated towards me. I tried moving but was petrified to the spot.

Out of the blue, I felt a force push me so hard that I fell on the bed. The knife kept on floating towards me.

For the second time in forever, I prayed to God. Asking Him to please protect me from this evil ghost. But I doubt God has time for nonbelievers like myself cause the knife kept on coming.

When it was hovering right above my chest, I had to plead. “Please, Lubuto, don’t do this. For the sakes of our biological parents because I have this strong feeling that you and I are related, twins even.” “I don’t give a d--n!” her voice boomed from one of the corners of the bedroom. “Am dead so I’ve got no business being sentimental, honey.” the knife was a few inches away from my left b----t. “You know the heart is located right beneath this spot?”

“Please. Am begging you to please have mercy on me..” She laughed. “That’s how pathetic I looked and sounded when I was pleading with them to please not take out my heart but they went right ahead and did, laughing with mockery while they were at it.

“Who’s they? Forget that, why do I get to pay for their sins?”

“Because hurting you is the same as hurting Ceph Donut which is so exhilarating,” I heard her breathe in and out before finally driving the knife through me. I screamed. The pain was so intense but what did she care? She ripped right through me and pulled my heart out. That’s when she materialized on top of me, my heart in her grip as blood dropped onto my blouse. My whole blouse was crimson red! And the pain, oh boy was it excruciating. The heart was still bumping as she licked the blood off it, smirking.

I begun feeling dizzy after a few minutes so I opted to close my eyes and end all this once and for all as I was certain death was waiting for me. No sooner had I closed my eyes than they flicked open on their on. The pain was gone, so was the blood and Kimono me herself. I stood from the bed and looked at my reflection in the mirror, I had no visible stab wound. Shaking my head in awe, I placed my hand on my chest and felt my heartbeat.

Everything was back to normal, it seemed, even the pile of clothes on the bed.


Did this mean I’d just been hallucinating or dreaming? But everything had felt so real but now that I thought of it, it felt surreal, farfetched even. Lubuto once again decided to play mind reader when I heard her voice loud and clear. “Lets just call what you experienced an illusion. But next time, it’ll be real!!!” real..real..real.

Everything went as quiet as still water.


“I can’t do this no more,” I thought aloud as I grabbed my phone to call Anna. I needed someone to talk to and share my problems with them lest I run mad here.
She picked up after a few rings. “Bae.”

“I can’t do this anymore,” I was crying. “I need someone to talk to.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Kimono me, she’s driving me nuts!” “Who’s Kimono me?”

“Coreen!” called Cephas who just chose that exact moment to show up. “What do you think you’re doing?”

I said, “Trying to find someone I can share my problems with and who best if not my best friend?!” He grabbed the phone from my ear and turned it off. “Telling Anna what’s going on won’t help us one bit!”

“But you keeping secrets from me will, right? You know what, am tired. I’ve had it! I need a break.”

“Baby,” Cephas reached for my arm which I yanked away. “What do you mean you need a break?”

“I just had another Lubuto encounter, Cephas. And you’ve got no idea the mental stress I go through every time I see her. I don’t even know how am still sane after all she has put me through. But enough is enough,” I wiped my tears. “Am going to Kapiri Mposhi tomorrow and you should only come looking for me when you’re ready to tell me the whole truth!”

“Coreen-”

“Don’t” I held up a dismissive hand. “Don’t you Coreen me, Cephas. I’ve had it!” with that, I stormed out of the room.

The next day, I packed a few clothes and was ready to leave for Kapiri. Cephas had pleaded with me almost all night, asking I reconsider but my mind was made up.

As I was about to start off, I thought of informing Anna I was leaving for Kapiri. I’d heard her voicemail so I dialled her line which was off. I pursed my lips and sent her a text instead. Once again, I got on a bus to Kapiri. I believe I needn’t repeat the reason as to why I was travelling by public transport.


I arrived in Kapiri a few minutes after midday and Granny welcomed me well. Another reason why I’d gone back to Kapiri was to get Granny to tell me about my twin but I was going to do so gradually. So all I did that afternoon was tell Grandma about Kimono me and how we shared a striking resemblance, hoping she (Granny)would finally open up and tell me about my sibling. Well, she didn’t.

Later in the evening, I received a call from William.


“Coreen,’ he sounded frantic. “Is Anna at your place?”

“No. Am in Kapiri by the way.” “Is that so?” he paused. “Anna left home early this morning saying she was coming to visit you. I’ve not heard from her since.”

“Try calling her parents.”

“I’ve tried, Coreen, but their phones aren’t going through.”

“Don’t worry, William. She’s probably caught up somewhere, she’ll come.” “I really hope so cause after what happened to her the other day, am really worried.”


He had every right to worry, that’s what concerned spouses do.

Three days down the line, I found myself on a bus back to Lusaka. Anna was officially missing. And I had one mission, to report Rajesh to the police because I knew he had something to do with Anna’s missing. I feared to even begin to imagine what that psychotic son of a w---e had done to her..
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