The diary of an African Woman by Delight Mukozho (most read book in the world TXT) 📕

madman homeward bound. The only problem was that she was not going as fast as she wanted. Finally, her house was in sight. She ran up the stairs and took them two at a time. When she reached the door she was breathless. She was met by her mother who was not at all amused. Her mother had lost weight during the course of her father’s illness. There were dark circles at her eyes due to lack of sleep. She could see that she was tired and was in great need of rest but she did not say anything. The two women exchanged a knowing smile and hugged each other. No words were shared but that gesture alone conveyed a lot and was enough for the two of them. Slowly they parted and she squeezed he mothers hand and she rushed for her parents’ bedroom. Slowly, she opened the door and went inside. At least this time her father was awake. When he saw her, his eyes lit up with his welcoming smile. He beckoned her to come closer. When she was close enough he just stared at her for a while. After some time he made an effort to speak but words failed to come out. She just stood there with tears in her eyes wishing him to speak but still no words came out of his mouth no matter how hard he tried. She was startled by her mother as she entered and asked her to leave but she could not move. She did not want to leave but she knew that she had to obey her mother. At last she forced herself to turn away from her beloved father and walk out of the room.

 

She made her way to her room and once inside she locked the door and cried herself to sleep. Sometime later a knock on her door woke her up. It was her mother asking her to come to come for supper. Slowly, she followed her mother to the dining room. She was surprised to see almost all their relatives there. They exchanged greetings but the mood in the room was not at all festive. It was as if everyone was waiting for the inevitable to happen. She wanted to bolt out of the room and go see her father but her mother gave her a knowing look and she forced herself to sit at the table but she had no appetite. Her mother took a tray of food to her father. When she returned she was still picking at her food. At least her mother was smiling and the plates on the tray were empty. That was a good sign, so her mother had said. She tried to force herself to eat but she could not bring herself to. After some time they cleared the table.

 

As she was doing the dishes she heard her mother scream and instantly everyone knew what that meant. Slowly, tears trickled down the girl’s face and she sat in a corner and began sobbing. How could this be? If only he had said something to her when she last saw him. She cried so hard that her head was aching. She did not even know what was happening around her. She just sat there looking into space. Her world was shattered. ‘Oh, God why did this have to be?’ she cried. When the ambulance came and the paramedics were removing her father’s body she nearly fainted when she saw them carrying her father’s body to the ambulance. When she saw that her mother had collapsed she knew that she had to be strong for both their sakes. She went to her and the two women embraced and cried in each other’s arms.  

 

On the day of the funeral, the weather was just bad as if to compliment the mood of the mourners. It was cloudy and misty and the birds of the air were silent as if they too were in mourning. The body was carried to the chapel. When she arrived at the chapel she was surprised to see a lot of people there. It was to be expected because her father had been loved by all, but still she had not expected to see the whole community there. The service was conducted amidst a series of sobbing and heart-rending sounds. Her mother sat by her side crying silently, her heart went out to her mother and she hugged her closely. She was forcing herself to be strong but she felt as if she could crumble any minute but she knew that she had to be strong for both of them. The service ended and it was time to say goodbye to her father for the last time. She did not want to see him but she had to say goodbye. She and her mother were the first in line. Slowly, they approached the coffin. Tears streamed down her face when she saw her father’s face. He was so peaceful and seemed so much at ease. “Goodbye daddy,” she said quietly and kissed him lightly on the forehead. She could not take it any more and she rushed outside. With a tear-stained ace she looked up to heaven and whispered, “Please Lord, take good care of my father.”

 

Once at the cemetery, her mother wailed and collapsed as they lowered her father’s coffin into the grave. People had to hold her to stop her from falling into the grave. The girl fell to her knees and started sobbing. This was it. This was the end of a very important chapter in her life. Try as she might, life was never going to be the same ever again. She thought how bleak like was going to be as she watched the men pour earth on the coffin. This was an end and also a beginning for her. “You have always been a special part of my life. I will cherish every moment we shared. I am going to miss you dearly. Goodbye daddy, till we meet again.” With those words she rose to her feet, placed a bouquet of roses on the grave and walked way.

Thirteen

She was only thirteen when she started going to high school

Fresh from primary school or grade school (whatever you call it)

Thirteen, I say

Thirteen is the beginning of teenagehood

The time when “problems” commence

She was only thirteen

She was just a teenager with a lot to learn about life

She was still very innocent,

Still very naive,

Still in need of good counsel and guidance.

 

In this new environment she felt out of place

She felt awkward,

Somehow she felt that she did not fit in,

Everything about her seemed out of pace,

Her clothes, her hair, the way she walked and talked,

Everything!

It seemed as if no one took notice of her

She who had craved attention all her life

All she wanted was just for someone to notice her.

 

In her quest to get noticed,

In her quest to fit in she fell into the wrong hands

She befriended an older girl who was in her final year.

To her this girl was her ticket to achieving her goal,

She was her ticket to being noticed.

Because heads turned when she entered the room

Even when she passed by

This girl had everything she wanted

Great hair, great clothes, and most of all people’s attention.

 

In her bid to fit in she was taught to steal

To steal clothes

To steal money for clothes

To steal everything

She was taught to take drugs,

Cocaine, marijuana, you name it

She was introduced to sex and all the bad stuff.

She was just thirteen and all she ever wanted was for people to notice her

 

Sadly, she was so consumed by what she thought was what she wanted

What she thought was” hype”

To the extent that she failed to see how her life was slowly crumbling down around her

Too bad, she lost everything good in her life.

All her good friends

Everything that had meaning fell beyond her grasp

Yet she did not notice this

She skipped classes in the name of fun

She took her only chance of being somebody in life for granted

 

In the end instead of gaining she lost everything

Her life was cut short

Yet she was only but a babe,

She was just thirteen

She had her whole life ahead of her

Unfortunately, her life was cut short because of her naivety

And in the end she lost out

All she had done had been for nothing

All she had done in the name of getting noticed had been the cause her downfall

At a tender age of thirteen she destroyed her life instead of building it

How sad, she was only thirteen years old

She was just a mere child.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All because of one man

She was a bubbling and cute little baby

She turned into a sweet little girl

She grew up into a beautiful young lady.

 

She had a bright, blissful and fruitful future ahead of her

She had so many hopes and dreams

She had many set goals to achieve

Her whole life was laid out right in front of her

It was all in the palm of her hand

 

Unfortunately, all this was taken away from her

Taken away by a cruel and ruthless human being

She was raped!

Raped, I say!

Raped by a heartless man

 

A man with grey hairs

A man old enough to be her grandfather

A man with no shame

A man with no dignity

Why?

All because of lust

All because of lack of self-control

 

Consequently, her life was brought to a halt

All hopes and dreams were shattered

Her life was ruined

She began having endless nightmares and sleepless nights

She ate little and her health diminished

She began hallucinating

She became terrified of the opposite sex

She screamed at the sight of any man

She was never the same again

She drifted into a world of her own

She lost herself and we lost her too

 

She had been given a scar

An irreparable scar

A scar she was to carry for the rest of her life

All because of one man

 

Eventually, she could not take it any longer

She chose the easy way out

She took her own life

And we lost our sweet little baby

Our sweet little girl

We lost her all because of one man

A man who failed to control himself

All because of him our little girl is no more!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE END