Shattered Dreams

Back to Saturday

Now that you know how my story started with Menzi, remember, that I was on the way to see him after six months without communicating with him. After that first weekend with him, we met for months, and I got pregnant. When I informed him of my pregnancy, he only said those words, which gave me sleepless nights. He started disconnecting my calls, and eventually, his number was no longer reachable. I started having patience until my pregnancy reached six months. Therefore, that day, I wanted to see him face-to-face and hear his side. For sure, I was still in love with him. Even though he gave me a choice about the child in my stomach, I wasn't going to abort it. I wanted to have his child so that I was going to forever bond to him if nature allowed. In no time, I was in the Southern part of the Drazen region, in the core of Blockside town, and I was standing in front of his workplace. My anger and confusion were pushing me to the edge of my craziness, and I was determined to be unfriendly with him when I laid my eyes on him. His child was kicking like a horse in my stomach, while he was unreachable.

I stood like a concrete pole watching from outside through the fence when I felt afraid to enter the perimeter of his workplace. Inside, everyone seemed busy, and I couldn't figure out whom I was going to approach as I was already confusing myself with many thoughts. There was no way I was going to find Menzi without asking around. I looked into the security, and it seemed tight and unfriendly. Everyone was wearing a serious face and busy every second. Every area had guards and they seemed busy. Others were on phone calls, and others were in vans. Anyway, I wanted to speak to Menzi, so I gathered my courage and entered the gates of the perimeter. Before I even stepped further, the security guard stopped me, and he told me I was trespassing. The voice of the guard almost trembled me, but it wasn't long before the gate siren sounded. I didn't step an inch after that. The guard came straight to me. He stood in front of me, and before even talking to me, two men approached. He asked them to search me, and they did as told. After they found I had nothing threatening, they realized I was harmless, and they asked for my identification. I removed my identification card. My body wracked with shivers as the bitter cold seeped into my bones.

"You are not allowed to enter this area; what do you want?" the guard asked.

"Menzi... I am looking for Menzi Mabuyani," I responded, zipping up my jacket. 

The guards looked at each other.

"The Bull Boss," one of them whispered to the other. 

They paused, looking at each other.

"Who are you to look for someone here?" the guard asked again. "Lisa Koko!" I responded.

The guard told his two men to go away, and he held my hand, taking me outside the perimeter.

"I am helping you... go away, by my words," he warned, looking concerned. "Mabuyani... is... he's no longer working here as of thirty minutes ago."

I was confused even more. Menzi once showed me his workplace, and I knew that was undoubtedly the right place to look for him. The man realized I was confused, and he gripped my arms and told me to look him in the eye, which I did instantly.

"Little girl, you have the same surname as me. You are like my daughter. I'm confused… how can a little kid like you seek a big man like Mabuyani?" he asked and sighed lowly. "Anyway, Menzi resigned today. He won't step inside the perimeter again."

After hearing those words from the guard, I felt paralyzed. The guard left me, and when he was about to get inside the perimeter, he asked me to never come back there because it was too dangerous for me. I called Viola and informed her of everything that happened, but she enlightened my mind by asking me to go to Menzi's hotel room. Even though I knew Menzi moved from the hotel room I knew to one I didn't, I had an idea of where to find him. Sheila House! That was where I was going to see him. On most occasions, he called me there, and we spent most of our time there when he once seemed possessed by seeing me. The place was in his heart. It was quiet; you would deny that alcohol existed there. I took a taxi, and in forty minutes, I was standing outside. It seemed there were a few people inside the Sheila House. I first took a turn leading me to the alcohol bay, but he was not there. I thought otherwise and headed to the bay, which was loved by most people who were not drinking whiskey. Beef, chicken, pork, and some drinks - were all there. The place offered such good space that led to the well-mowed park.

Without wandering too much, I saw Menzi. He was sitting with a very light-skinned woman. I stood for seconds and waited, watching them; they were smiling and laughing together. I got so jealous because I had never seen him smiling like that with anyone except me. To make things worse, the woman gave Menzi a phone, and I was so confident that he was giving her his number. In frustration, I went straight to them. I grabbed Menzi's hand and took the phone. I didn't even look at what he was doing on the phone, I just threw it onto the floor.

"Lisa!" he screamed in disappointment and pulled me to him. The smiles I witnessed when I was afar faded and only traces of anger appeared on Menzi's face as it veined. I didn't say anything; I remained in a little shock because the way he grabbed me gave me a little fear. It was like he was going to crush me onto the floor. He let loose of the grip on me, and he checked the woman, who was still perplexed about how I threw her phone. 

"She lent me her phone to call you, and you didn't receive your phone," Menzi explained why he was with the woman. 

"What?" I looked at the woman as I felt ashamed, and I instantly apologized, "I am truly sorry. I don't know what to say." 

"You know what... forget it," the woman said, receiving her phone from Menzi after he picked it up from the floor.

"I'm sorry. It just shattered the screen. Take this money; you can repair your phone," he said, and the woman took the money and said her goodbyes.

Thereafter, Menzi looked at me from the toes to the forehead.

"I didn't expect you here," he said and commanded, "Follow me!" 

"But you wanted me... you said you were calling me," I stammered, trailing behind him as I was checking the missed call on my phone and for sure there was a missed call from a new number. He waited for me and responded, "Yes, I called you, miss dummy girl."

I realized that I acted dumb in the scene I created. He held my hand, and we went outside despite the cold.

"What do you want? You're calling me after six months of silence, and your phone is always unreachable," I asked him.

"Yes, Lisa, I had a lot to do. Do you remember my words when you first told me about the pregnancy?" he asked.

"Yes, I remember, your words haunted me a lot. I couldn't sleep," I responded in confidence. He looked at me, expecting me to repeat them.

"You said, 'Yes, Lisa, take it off. But please, do consider it, because we can go big.'" 

"Exactly," he smiled and said, "I'm glad you kept my word."

"But I'm confused; I didn't understand what you meant by going big," I confessed to him.

For real, I didn't know what he meant, and he was supposed to tell me. 

"Relax, that's why I phoned you," he told me.

I hit him on the chest with my fists, and I told him how stressed I was. He wanted me to make a decision of my own about keeping the child. We were supposed to go into his new place so that he was going to tell me everything about him; I was pressuring him to open up for me by making me understand him better. He confessed how he loved me despite my age, and I felt more hope in life than waking up for college every day. When we were about to go to his car, he grabbed me, and my momentum crushed me onto his body. He looked me in the eyes, and I sank into them until I realized Menzi loved me a lot.

"I can't wait to call you by my surname," he whispered, kissing my soft lips, "And... my little child in your stomach... better be carrying a boy because..." 

Before he finished talking, I saw a red laser dot on his shoulder. I felt his heart beating louder, and he looked at me so hopelessly. What he managed to do was to push me down, and in seconds, I couldn't believe it. His cream-colored jacket was red and wet. Blood on the ground. I feared as horror befell me. I screamed before my mouth went dry. People ran away; no one was there to help me. My heart throbbed very fast, and I went out. A sniper man killed my husband-to-be, the father of my child-to-be.