Luyando, Book 1, Episode 3

By Brian Ngoma

LUYANDO: EPISODE 3

''People are not afraid of falling in love, they are in love with many things in this world. They love animals, they love their families, they love food, they love their friends, they love themselves and they love their possessions. They may even fall in love with someone someday. Love cannot be avoided. But what they do fear, however, is falling so deeply in love with someone and investing their lives into people only to discover that they either don't feel the same way or lied about who they really were. To some people, that’s how some people die while still breathing and it’s so hard to put oneself out of the heartbreak and depression. The truth is that you're never going to really know if you’re falling for the wrong person until it's too late''.

Luyando saw the love quote the morning she woke up on her news feed on Facebook. The quote had been on her mind the moment she read it. It had been six days since she last saw Tyson. He disappeared in the wind without no trace or any explanation whatsoever. The last time Luyando spoke to him was on Sunday when he was so anxious to see her. She had tried calling him several times but he wasn't picking up her calls. She left him a ton of messages and never replied to a single one. Two days after the silence, she tried going to his place but she couldn't find him.

Time was not Luyando's best ally as it seemed to take forever. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours. Everything was moving so slow and things were bleak. She remembered this one time they had gone to a park to hang out and what a good time they had. 'You’re beautiful you know', Tyson told her while staring at her, 'Thanks', she replied looking down. 'Why are you so nervous Luyando', 'Iam not', she laughed Iam just shy, 'well look at me', 'I can’t', 'Why can't you?', 'Have told you Iam shy'. He put his hand under her chin raising her head so that she could look him in the eyes. She felt goosebumps all over her body and her stomach turned. He leaned over and kissed her. She could feel his warm and mint breath when his lips pressed against hers. When they locked lips, Luyando felt that she could not breath cause the spark was just so overwhelming. She felt his hands hold her waist whilst wrapping hers around his neck. She felt really connected to him and all she could hope was that he felt the same way she did.

'I miss him granny', Luyando told her grandmother. 'He hasn't been picking my calls nor replying to my text messages'. 'Did you two quarrel over something?' asked granny, 'No granny, he just went quiet on me and here I was thinking that he's different', 'Maybe he heard something', added granny. 'What could he have heard that I did not tell him about me? I told him everything from the start, everything grandmother and he said he believed me', Her voice sunk. She couldn't notice it but she was crying. 'You really liked the boy, huh?' Her grandmother asked. 'I did granny' she answered. 'He was nice and kind to me, he treated me different, he did not look at me the way these other men look at me, a sex symbol because of the rumors they hear about me'. 'Come here my child'. She really felt sorry for Luyando and there was nothing she could do but comfort her like she always did. That night, Luyando even slept in her grandmother’s room. It was in times like this that Luyando’s grandmother wished Josi was around.

'We told you she's a prostitute', his friends laughed at him. 'You go away and come back, meet a girl and without asking your friends you just go ahead and ask her out. You could have asked us. Everyone sees her as trash and you see a latest in her, the joke is on you our friend'. 'We haven't even reached the love stage boys, relax', he spoke. 'Like I told you, I only have feelings for her, I do not love her', they all laughed. He finally said goodbyes to his friends and went back home feeling disappointed. 'So everything people say about her is true, I did not see that coming', he talked to himself. He made up his mind not to see or talk to her again. 'She told me she was tired and there she was getting into the BMW all excited.' He also knew that he at least needed to hear her version of the story but not that time. He would call her when he felt like calling and talking to her.

Six days after seeing her enter into the BMW and ignoring her calls and text messages, he decided to call her. Luyando was busy washing plates and chatting with her grandmother and her grandmothers friend. She had left her phone in the bedroom. 'You didn’t go to the orphanage today, Luyando?' asked the woman, 'No, I was not feeling very well but I called them to let them know I won’t be coming', she replied. 'And have you asked your friend about the rumors I told you about?' She further asked, 'Not yet, I did not see her this week, she is always busy coaching her volleyball team, but today Iam seeing her, I’ll talk to her, thanks for your concern', 'No problem my dear'.

She was done with washing the plates so she went in her room and found four missed calls from Tyson. She felt a sense of relief but she was not calling him back, she had to see how serious he was. After thirty minutes the phone rang. It was Priscila. 'Hi Lulu', 'Hey Priscila', 'So that program of ours, is it still on?' Priscila asked Luyando, 'Yes it is, Iam coming over after lunch', Alright besty, you will find me'.

Seconds after cutting Priscila's call, Tyson called. 'Hello', answered Luyando, 'Hey Luyando, how are you?', 'Iam fine, how are you Tyson?', 'Iam fine thanks', there was silence on both ends and it became awkward. Tyson broke the silence, 'So I’ll just say it, the reason I have not been answering your calls or texting you back is that I saw you enter that BMW on Sunday and you told me you were tired prior to that’, Luyando laughed so hard upon hearing this, 'What? Is that the reason you have been avoiding me? Wow, Luyando sounded surprised. 'Iam not joking, Iam serious', Tyson sounded upset. Luyando could tell that he was really upset. 'Alright, let’s do this, I’ll come over around 5pm today and explain everything to you, here I was thinking that I had done something serious', she said. they both agreed that they would talk about things. Luyando knew that she needed not to worry, everything was falling in place.

'So how have you been Priscila?' Luyando asked Priscila. 'Have been busy with this whole volleyball coaching thing you know, but Iam enjoying myself, I see a career in this', Priscila proudly answered. The girls were in Priscila's room and they caught up on some of the neighborhood stories. Luyando was really nervous to ask Priscila about what she heard. 'So you told me you had something to ask me, what is it besty?' Priscila asked, 'Oh yes I do, rumor has it that you are the one telling people that Iam sleeping with these women’s husbands, is it true Priscila? asked Luyando. Priscila's face went blank with disappointment. 'How could you even think that I would do that to you Luyando? Iam your friend', Priscila furiously answered. 'You have been seen with the three women who accused me of dating their husbands, explain that', 'So just because someone saw me with those women it means I was spreading lies about you, really Luyando?', 'Why were you with them then? You know those people have falsely accused me of things I didn’t do', 'Yes I agree I met those people'. When Priscila agreed she met those people, it was like Luyando had become another person, she could not hear anything that her friend told her from that moment on. She burst into tears and everyone in the house could hear them. 'I trusted you Priscila, you are like a sister to me, how could you do this to me', Luyando cried. 'Listen to me Luyando, it’s not what you think it is', NO it is what I think it is, you have betrayed me Priscila’, those were Luyando's final words before she stormed out of Priscila's room.

She felt really betrayed by her friend. She had known her for six years and regarded her as a sister. She knew she had to see Tyson. Despite their relationship being unstable, he was the only person she needed and she needed him in that moment. She had to vent her frustration to someone and Tyson was just the person, he listened to her. She reached Tyson's place. It was quiet She could hear her heartbeat and her footsteps loudly. Usually, there would be some boys playing football on the yard but it was deserted. There was only a dog lingering about panting heavily. The dog looked at Luyando and just wiggled its tail for she was lazy to run to her because it was pregnant. Luyando passed the dog. Before Luyando could Knock, she heard some voices and those voices did not sound happy at all. It was a woman and man’s voice. She was not the type of person to eavesdrop but she could not help but think who those people were and what they were upset about. She moved closer to the door and started listening.

'So you thought you could come to our town and impregnate our daughter and run away', the man said. The woman added, 'and do you know how hard it has been to track you down in this city, you even blocked our daughter’s number, you boys are just useless', so we have brought her to you, you'll be staying with her,' and you Angela, do not just sit there, take your bags to the bedroom'.