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PADIMOTIA | SHORT STORY |MBW
“Teto’s here!” she screamed! She then opened the door to
let him in.
Linda could tell without doubt why her daughter was
captivated by this lad. His tenor voice echoed serenity,
coming out of his tall and dark protection and safety
assuring athletic figure. Linda gave her daughter a peck
on the cheek as she bid her farewell.
The two youngsters had known each other for the entire
high school years and they had become inseparable
since! On this last night that marked an end to high
school life, they shared their aspirations and fears about
the new life they were about to venture into. They
laughed! Sang! And danced the night away! Just after
Naledi and Teto had left, Linda pulled out her wedding
photo book from the bookshelf and began to browse
through her wedding photos. Memories of her husband
filled her mind. It had only been six months since his death
and she was still reeling in pain.
Tears slowly swamped her eye lids before uncontrollably
running down her cheeks as she never made an effort to
wipe them off.
Linda’s attention was soon diverted by a knock she heard
coming from the direction of the main door. Could Naledi
be back already? She marvelled. Without hesitation, she
opened the door. A tall, masculine figure with a concealed
face stood at the door. At a split moment, Linda could
almost feel the stranger’s sharp look pierce through her
soul. Her heart skipped but she knew it was too late to act!
The stranger aggressively pushed Linda back into the
house and uttered threats while demanding cash.
“I - I - h-a -v-e no- money in the house but-but I- can take
you to the ATM,” softly pleaded Linda whose voice was
trembling at this point, but her words were just enough to
infuriate the menacing stranger even more.
The man further pushed Linda to the bedroom where he
made her take out her handbags, remove the drawers, lift
the mattress and take out jackets from the closet, with
the hope of finding money in the house! Throughout this
ordeal, Linda scrutinized the young man through the
balaclava that covered his face; his eyes were narrow and
sunken, bushy eyebrows and thin lips and appeared to be
in his early twenties.
Realising that he was not about to get what he
demanded, he became furious and tied Linda’s hands with
a belt from one of her jackets. He moved around the house
He came back to Linda’s bedroom, uttered curses and
pulled a pillow from the top of the bed. Then smothered
Linda before vanishing into the darkness from which he
had emerged, leaving Linda’s lifeless body on the floor.
turning everything around, and hand-picked whatever was
of interest to him, with no exception to Linda’s photobook.
He came back to Linda’s bedroom, uttered curses and
pulled a pillow from the top of the bed. Then smothered
with the pillow Linda before vanishing into the darkness
from which he had emerged, leaving Linda’s lifeless body
on the floor.
After lighting up the living room, Naledi walked to the
kitchen where she poured herself a glass of water. Mom
must have been very tired that she went to bed without
waiting for me, she thought. She walked towards her
mother’s bedroom when just along the passage, her
mother’s wide-open purse caught her attention. As she
lifted her eyes from the floor, she spotted her mother’s
body a few steps away.
Her heart throbbed as she hurried to the door of her
mother’s room. The glass of water in her hand shattered
to bits as it dropped to the floor!
“Mom!” “Mom!” was the only words that pierced through
the queer silence in the house.
She hopelessly threw her body beside her mother’s,
March 2021 MorataBW
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