Marriage Chronicles - Season 1 - Episode 31

4 years ago

Marriage Chronicles - Season 1 - Episode 31

..WILLIAM..

Anna Mumba, the biggest mistake of my life. For
all the three years I’d spent in jail, I kept on
cursing the day I’d met and fallen in love with
that lunatic. My God, I was here suffering for a
crime I knew nothing about and she was out
there enjoying her life with her new husband
Rajesh Sharma. Can life get more unfair? I had
gotten accustomed to mum’s and dad’s visits as Anna only paid me a visit when she felt liking
taunting me so I was all smiles that day as I
went to meet mum in the waiting area.
“William,” she hugged me. “How are you fairing,

my son?” And hurriedly, she apologized. “I am so sorry..thats the dumbest question to ask
someone who’s in incarceration.”
I forced a smile and we sat. I was eating the
food mum had brought when she said, “I have
good and bad news for you, son.”

“Start with the bad.”
“If you wish,” she sighed and patted my hand
across the table. “Both your in-laws..no, ex in-
laws perished in a terrible car accident.” I
instantly lost my appetite. Now I know Anna’s
Dad and I had never seen eye to eye but I still
respected the man and her mum? God I loved
that woman.

“That’s..that’s terrible. How is Anna coping with the loss?” I hated Anna, I won’t deny this fact but I’d have to be inhuman for me to rejoice over something so tragic.

“That one?” asked Mum with disgust. “She’s
behind bars as we speak…she was arrested two
days ago for their murder.”
“Anna murdered her parents?”
“She didn’t intend to, but she did anyway….” she told me all about Anna and Rajesh’s beef and how that had landed Anna in jail. “William, that woman is bad news. She’s a psychopath and I’m grateful to God for freeing you from the claws of that Delilah!”
What mum was telling me about Anna was
unbelievable and disturbing. But lets stop to
think, if she was capable of framing me without
any remorse, then she was capable of plotting
murder too. D--n, that woman was crazy!
“Mum, wasn’t Benjamin staying with his
grandparents? Who’s he staying with now that
they are dead and his crazy mama’s behind
bars?”

“Oh my, how could I forget to tell you?” she
slapped her forehead in frustration. “The boy has moved in with your father and I!” “Why didn’t you bring him with you then? You know how much I miss the boy..”

“He’s bonding better with your father so they are home…Son, the good news is that with Anna’s arrest, there’s a possibility you might leave this place soon.”

“How when the courts of law are convinced am
guilty beyond reasonable doubt?”

“Do you trust me, Willy?”
“Of course I do, mum.” She took both my hands in hers. “I’ll have a serious talk with Anna and believe me when I say I’ll try my utmost best to
pump some sense into that her crazy head.
Benjamin needs the love of a parent, she knows
that too so I’ll use your son as bait. Just wish
me luck.”

“Alright, mum.” I wasn’t gonna get my hopes up though.

A week and a few days down the line, I was
cleared of all charges and released from jail. As
mum had promised back when she had come to
visit me in jail, she had managed to pump some
sense into Anna’s head.
I arrived home with Dad as he was the one who
had come to pick me up from prison and found
mum seated on the same couch as Benjamin
watching cartoons. When my little boy saw me,
he excitedly rushed towards me and I scooped
him into my arms. “My little boy,” I kissed almost
his whole face while he giggled and angelically
said,”Daddy, daddy, daddy.”

If there was one thing I was grateful to Anna for,
it was the fact that she had nurtured Benjamin
to see me as his only father. At least the witch
could be sensible at times. Dad rubbed my back
while mum stood with her arms spread, ready to
embrace me.
“Welcome home, son,” said Dad.
I was behind the house the following evening,
burning all pictures of Anna..even the ones I
appeared in..burning all of them to ashes!
“I wanna forget about you,” I kept on angrily
mumbling as I threw the pics into flames. “I just
wanna get rid of everything that reminds me of
you!” “That’s a funny thing to say seeing as you can’t rid yourself of the greatest thing that
reminds you of your ex-wife Anna,” I heard a
familiar voice say behind me. I needn’t even turn
cause I already knew who it was.. I could
recognise that voice anywhere!
“Lady Valerie.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Willy.” she was
standing beside me. “Eh-em. You might burn all
these photos, William, but you can’t erase the
memories of your wife that are stuck in your
mind and neither can you get rid of your son
whose Anna’s son too.”
“Thanks for making me realise that I’m never
gonna forget about that b---h no matter how
hard I try, thats so thoughtful of you, my lady,” I
was obviously being sarcastic.
“You’ve lost weight,” she said, crossing her arms
and gazing straight into the flames so that her
eyes shone. “So says someone who paid me how
many visits when I was in jail? Ah, I remember.
Zero visits!”
“You have every right to be mad, I know. But
Willy, I just couldn’t bring myself to pay you a
visit. I don’t know why.” “I know why,” I turned
to face her. “It’s because you were ashamed of
admitting you were sleeping with a man younger
than you!”
She slapped me. “I won’t have you disrespect me
like that! Do you know how difficult it was for me
to wake up every morning knowing you were
locked behind bars? Paying for a crime you didn’t
commit? Look here William, I love you thus I
know you. And knowing you, you couldn’t have
attempted to murder Anna late alone laying a
finger on a strand of her hair.”
I was boiling with anger because she’d slapped
me but retaliate I couldn’t. She firmly took my
arms and wrapped them round her waist. “I
missed this, Willy.” she kissed me and I pushed
her off.

“I can’t do this no more, Lady Valerie. I have a
son now whom I wanna dedicate my whole life
to.”

“I understand,” she sadly said, facing the other
way. And then after a few minutes of silence.
“Your post is still open at the office so you can
come back any day you please. And before you
refuse my offer, think about Benjamin and his
needs.” I took a deep breath. This was so d--n
difficult! I really wanted the job but my priority
right now was Benjamin and having a relationship
with any woman, not just Lady Valerie, would
jeopardize my father son relationship with
Benjamin and that I didn’t want so I said to Lady
Valerie, “If I were to start working for you again,
Lady Valerie, promise me the only relationship
you and I will share will be that of an employer
and employee.”
“For your son’s sake, I promise.” “Thank you.”
She pecked my cheek before turning to leave
and turning back to say, “How soon can you
resume work?”
“As soon as possible, boss.” She grinned. “My
company awaits your services, William Njapau.”
With that, she left.

..EPILOGUE..
Saturday 31st March, 2018. ..RAJESH..
I am seated in a prison cell where I’ll spend the
rest of my pathetic life in, yay! I am literally
screwed! As if being paralysed isn’t enough,
being deported back to Zambia ain’t enough, now
am gonna spend years and years in this
treacherous place!

Room service had found me in that hotel suite
back in Manchester and I was deported to
Zambia a few days later. The English men were
kind enough to buy me a wheelchair, as if
mocking my predicament!
Upon arrival in Zambia, I was arrested and tried
for several counts. Be it drug trafficking, rape
and attempted murder of Anna Mumba and being
an accomplice regarding the murder of her
parents. Now I’ve been sentenced to life
imprisonment.

The b---h had snithed, she couldn’t afford to go
down alone. Oh how I wished I had wrung her
stupid neck and strangled the b---h to death!
Gosh, my life is f-----g messed up and now am
gonna spend the rest of it in this hell wishing I’d
done this and hadn’t done that.
All am left with now are ‘if onlys.’ If only this….if only that….

..CEPHAS..

The day is chilled, so’s the weather. Perfect for
the family reunion that will be held at my house
tonight. I am outside supervising some men who
are decorating the place for tonight’s event. I
know it’s gonna be epic, I have a feeling.
As I stand in the cool breeze, I inwardly pray for
Pastor Peter whom I have plans of visiting
tomorrow. Mum walks up to me with a broad
smile on her face. “I still can’t believe you are
here with us, son.”
“With Coreen’s, mine and Pastor Peter’s prayers,
am untouchable.” “Indeed you are. And Coreen,
that woman is a gem,” she pats my shoulder. “I regret ever thinking she was like that nightmare Lubuto.”

“That’s all in the past mum,” I say, looking her straight in the eyes. “The future will be better.”

“In Jesus’s name it will be!”

Her phone rings. “It’s your sister. I think they’ve arrived. Let me go pick them up from the station.”

“I can’t wait to see them,” I beam, urging mum
on.

Coreen shows up with the twins tailing behind
her as soon as mum leaves.

I take Luke and Mark into my arms and peck
their cheeks. “This moment,” I say to Coreen.
“The four of us together, no words can express
how happy and fulfilled I feel.”

She smiles, charmingly. “I can relate.”
And looking into her eyes right now, I realise she
and I were meant to be. We are a match made in
heaven.

..WILLIAM..
“If it isn’t my ex-husband,” says Anna as she sat down. “Have you come all the way here to mock
me?”
“I don’t do things your way, Anna. I just came to
see how the mother of my child is fairing.”
“Am very fine, Willy. After all am being treated
like a queen in here,” I can tell she’s being
sarcastic. “You’ve been here before so I don’t
expect you to ask me such a lousy question!
That aside, how’s Benja?”
“He’s fine. You know you could be telling a
different story had you not been so vengeful,
right?”
“What’s done is done,” she snaps and rises. “And
I have no remorse for what I did, Willy. If I was
given another chance, I’d screw you all over
again!” I watch her yell at a guard to take her
away and realise that Anna shouldn’t be in police
custody. She should be in a mental asylum cause
she’s nuts!
From the prison, I drive to my workplace and
Lady Valerie looks genuinely happy to see me.
“Welcome back, William.”
“For my son, am willing to move mountains. So,
what work do you have for me today?”
..ANNA.. Of all my actions, the only thing I am
remorseful about is not killing Rajesh. If only I
can be released from this hell hole just to go
murder that son of a b---h, I’d be forever
grateful. Don’t be shocked, y’all. Yes I am sorry
my parents are dead but all of us will kick the
bucket one day, not so? Let’s just say they
kicked theirs early.
I’ve been sentenced to life imprisonment but I
don’t give a d--n because I’ve served my
purpose. I’d ratted Rajesh out after mother in-
law’s visit some time back.
“What do you want?” I had rudely asked her.
“Do you love your son?” she had answered my
question with a question of hers. That stupid old
hag!

“Of course I do.”
“Then you’ll do right by his father.”
“Meaning?”
“You’ll tell the truth, Anna, so that William is set free. And so that Benjamin grows up with at
least one parent cause you my dear ain’t getting out of here any time soon.

For once, I ask you think about others and do what’s right.”

I told the police the truth knowing that I was
framing Rajesh in the process. He wasn’t dead
so him being in prison wasn’t bad either.

So yeah, am here. In jail and am not going to
repent because repentance is for the likes of
Coreen and her pretentious husband. Let’s talk
about Coreen, Cephas, Rajesh and even William. I
too. Amongst us all, am the only one whose life
and actions have served a purpose.

People will hear about my story from their
friends, will read about me in the newspaper and
will see me on T.V and they’ll cringe and shiver.
Married spouses won’t even dare cheat when
they think about what I’d done to Raj and Willy. I
am a heroine, a legend!

I am Anna Mumba. No more Sharma nor Njapau
because I am an independent woman.
I look at all the brooding faces in the cell and
smile. We’re all legends.

..COREEN..
My husband and I are preparing for some family
reunion which will be held at the Mwaba
residence this evening. I am super elated and
can’t wait for the reunion cause nothing beats
family.

And us being together right now, Cephas, the
twins and I, I owe all this to God to whom I’ll be
forever grateful. Come rain, come sunshine. So
much has happened to me and me standing here
alive and well is nothing short of a miracle. My
husband has been to jail, my friend and
husband’s cousin are there as I speak and my
friend’s husband was just released days ago. Let me not even get started with Lubuto Bwalya…
People may say it all comes down to the choices
we make but what say you?

…………….THE END……………..