Dysfunctional Family - Season 1 - Episode 13

Episode 4 years ago

Dysfunctional Family - Season 1 - Episode 13

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She hummed a Rihanna song as she put on her school uniform which fit her perfectly. The skirt exaggerated her curves. She was only 14 though.

“I must say, I really missed school,” said Tracy excitedly. “I can’t wait to see what grade 10 has to offer.”

“Mmm. We’re total opposites,” came Laura’s voice. “More like the south and north pole. Had we not been cousins, I doubt we’d have ended up as we have. Friends.”
Laura had a point. Tracy didn’t reply though but sat on the bed to strap her Bata shoes on. “I’ve been thinking, Laura.”

Laura adjusted her necktie. “About?”
“That boy from last night..the one who stopped me just to say hi. I think he looked familiar.”

“So?”
“You know I hate it when you’re that sarcastic. Anyway, I just can’t get him off my mind.”
“Don’t tell me you’re falling for that boy,” said Laura with a snort as she sat beside her cousin on the bed. “Tracy, that boy isn’t our type. We need big boys to protect us..I reckon we target prefects. They’re the seniors of this school after all and have authority. There’s just something super sexy about men with authority.”
“Or boys with authority,” Tracy corrected. “Nonetheless, am not falling for anyone and don’t plan on doing so any time soon. As I told you back home in Lusaka, all I wanna do is complete school,” she stood to make sure her uniform looked perfect. “After what Francis did to me, I’d have to be insane to wanna have a boyfriend..yet. The b-----d broke my heart.”
With a half laugh, Laura said, “I think you should have said he broke your virginity and dumped you.”
“Thus the heartbreak, dummy. Gosh, you’re so mean! Nevertheless, am so over that jerk.”

“He was cute as f--k though.”
“Please,” Tracy mumbled and immediately attempted to brush Francis off her mind.
The 16 year old boy had led her on the previous year and after talking her into going to bed with him, he dumped her. As if that wasn’t enough, he went ahead and told the whole school he’d deflowered ‘madam holier than thou’ and that sleeping with her had felt the same as masturbating.
Tracy had spent a good part of the third term of her nineth grade crying and regretting ever opening her legs in the first place.
‘What’s done is done,’ she told herself, convincing herself in the process that that wasn’t the end of the world. She did rise from the ashes and aced her exams. Thats what mattered most to her, education.
“Screw Francis,” she muttered in her dorm before grabbing her school bag and heading out.

Laura shook her head. “What a drama queen! If only she knew how many times I’ve gotten my virginity broken and then dumped later on, she’d be patting me on the back.”

Laura was turning 16 in a month but she was surprisingly sexually active. Whenever her cousin confronted her, she’d brush her off, “I use protection, Tracy.”
Lubesha’s first thought when he awoke that morning was Tracy though with much effort, he pushed her to the back of his mind and rose from bed, bathed and got dressed.
“Here we go again,” mumbled Sylvester in disappointment as him, Lubesha and a number of other pupils went for assembly.
Teachers gave their usual boring speeches and Principal Zimba was last to speak. She urged the pupils to continue working hard as education is the key to success.

“I’ve noticed you keep on craning your neck hoping to see that Tracy chick, are you in love with her or something?”
“Just leave me the hell alone, Sylvester.”
Classes commenced and lessons went extremely well that day.

They were having their last lesson for the day when Lubesha excused himself. He went to the loo and emptied his bladder. On his way back to his classroom, he stopped short in his tracks when someone blew a whistle behind him.

He turned and saw his former Geography teaching beckoning him to come.
I wonder what he wants, Lubesha thought. And thank God I’ve got no geography in my senior years. Heaven knows that subject is a bore.

“Hello, sir.”
“Am cool, boy. You’ve grown.”
Most of his classmates had spent the better part of the first period telling him how much he had grown so he sheepishly said, “So I hear.”
The geography teacher was saying, “There’s an urgent meeting in the staff room so I need you to go around classes informing teachers to rush to the staff room asap. I hope that isn’t much work for you.”
“Of course it isn’t. Anything else, sir?”
“No thank you.”

The teacher watched as Lubesha headed towards a block of junior classes and wondered how a youngster could afford to be so humble. Lord, his children seemed like raving thugs when compared to Lubesha.
“The boy will go places if he keeps up with the same spirit,” he thought out loud as he turned and headed towards the staff room. As told, Lubesha went from class to class, politely informing teachers that there was an urgent meeting.

He reached the grade 10B classroom and softly knocked on the door.
“Come in,” came a tender female voice from inside.

He recalled it as that of his English teacher. Lubesha went in and stood beside the teacher to relay the message when he saw her.
She was seated in the front row, her head bent down as she was busy writing.
He swallowed as he felt his heart flutter. What in the Lord’s name was Tracy doing to him?
“I said how may I help you, Lubesha?”
He tried to speak but stuttered when Tracy raised her eyes.

Some pupils laughed at how nervous he seemed.
“Check out this grade 10 acting like a zeze (annoying term used to refer to grade 8s.” chorused a former classmate of Lubesha’s. They’d always not seen eye to eye.
Pupils sneered with laughter, except Tracy and a few other mature pupils.

He finally found his voice and whispered to the teacher, “There’s an urgent meeting in the staff room, you’re wanted.”
“Thanks. I’m on my way.”

With his invisible tail between his legs, Lubesha walked out of the classroom.
He seems chilled, thought Tracy who immediately rebuked herself. I have no business thinking about boys whatsoever!
Friday afternoon, Lubesha found himself seated opposite Principal Zimba in her office. “How may I help you?”
He didn’t know where to start from. “I- Principal Zimba, I’d like to- to-”
“To what?” she got irritable by his stammer. “Since when did you start speaking like that?”

“I’m sorry, am just nervous. I guess,” he took a deep breath and blurted out, “I’d like to change classes. I’d like to be in 10B.”
“And you came to see me? Have you talked to your class teacher concerning this issue?”
“Um, no. And I’ve come directly to you because you treat me like your own son of which I am really grateful.”

Principal Zimba leaned forward and intently studied Lubesha. “Might I ask why you want to change classes?”

“I guess I like the options in 10B, that’s all.”

“Really? From the talks I’ve had with you, I vividly remember you saying Geography isn’t one of your favourite subjects and there’s Geography in 10B. What changed?”
He failed to reply.

“Are you following a girl?”
He almost gasped in awe. Was she telepathic or something? Of course he wanted to follow Tracy. Maybe if they were in the same class she’d notice him.

“If that’s the case then I suggest you go have a long cold bath. You’re too young to be fantasizing about a girl so much so that you want to join her class. Look here, boy! I’m ordering you to go back to your dorm and reminisce about where you’re coming from and also think about where you want to be 10 years from now. If you see the girl in the future equation, kindly know the devil is orchestrating your downfall,” she sighed and leaned back. “Anything else I can help you with?”

“No..thanks.”
As he walked along the pavement, Lubesha wondered why he was letting some girl he barely knew distract him.
“Henceforth,” he chastised himself. “I’ll only concentrate on what am here for..School!”


☆☆☆

“I can’t believe am actually doing this.”
“Nobody held you at gunpoint and asked you to join the red cross team, Vester. First you followed me into the JETS club and now red cross? Wow!”
“Let’s just say am your dog.”
“You’re mad.”
They laughed as they spread the first aid equipment on the centre of the field.

They’d gone a month into the term and that Friday would be the second time they were playing doctor to the pupils who had bad luck during sports.

Inter-school sports day would be held in mid March so the school had to prepare.

An hour into the training, Sylvester nudged Lubesha in the ribs. “Are you seeing what am seeing?”
“What?”
“Check…there.”

He glanced towards where Sylvester’s finger was pointing and saw her. She was on the starting line with quite a number of other runners.

“12 laps? Your crush is a dreamer!”
“Come on, Vester. You know it’s wrong to judge a book by it’s cover. Tracy will shock you, ka.”

“I’d bet money she won’t go as far as 10 laps.”

“Nah…just keep your money, bruv.”
The race began and in the seventh lap, Tracy strained her ankle and with a scream, fell. Lubesha who had been watching her run all along rushed to her aid and was there before any other red cross member could make it.
“I think I’ve sprained my ankle,” Tracy said while he crouched before her. Her ankle was on fire!

This was his first time tending to a person with a sprained ankle but there’s always a first time for everything. “I’ll need you to take a deep breath.”
She obliged and he twisted her ankle.
Tracy briefly screamed but before she knew it, the pain subsized a little.
“Am sorry about that..” he wrapped a hand around her shoulders and she did the same while he helped her up. “We need to get that bandaged. Am sorry but you won’t be able to run today.”


Sylvester and one female came rushing towards Tracy and Lubesha but stopped when Lubesha loudly said, “I’ve got this. You two go attend to all those people fainting like drugged mosquitoes.”


“That’s mean,” giggled Tracy. She was limping but Lubesha was at her aid. She felt butterflies flutter in her stomach when he carried her.


Little did she know the feeling was mutual.

☆☆☆
Juliet was out shopping when she bumped into him. “David? OMG, I haven’t seen you in like forever!”
“I’ve been busy,” he replied as he gave her a brief hug. “It’s so nice to see you, Juliet. Was with Donald at work this morning so I’d have to be a hypocrite to ask how he’s doing. Can we grab something to eat? Am starving!”

He was chatty but she didn’t mind. Ever since Donald had introduced him at their home almost two years ago, Juliet had been looking forward to see David again.
Hell, she’d even momentarily had e----c dreams featuring him.

They were seated at a public spot having smoothies and David was saying, “My wife doesn’t wanna have a child and yet we’ve been married for over three years now. I honestly don’t know what she’s waiting for. As a woman who’s gone through childbirth, kindly advise me on what to do cause am getting fed up.”


She couldn’t believe they were talking about his wife but maybe she could use this to her advantage so she said, “If you ask me, your wife needs a wake up call.”

“Meaning?”
She was about to give David the worst advice ever when she spotted him. Juliet gasped and dropped her smoothie.

She was suddenly having a panic attack.