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The glittering of gold, so irresistible not only to the gold diggers’ minds but also to everyone, blossoms from the deep roots of uncontrollable effect of opportunism, inherent in all humanity.

Creeeeeeeeee! Automatic screeching of my BMW car tyres to answer man’s amorous desires-my desires.

‘Hello?’

Who abhors benedictions? Who pray not for providential? Oh, the graciousness of the Creator, closing one door and opening another.

‘Hello,’ so youthful a voice, gentle, sweet and beautiful as the owner herself, ideal for an angel indeed.

‘How are you my dear?’ The longing for more sweet things, her sweet voice, is the catalyst of this question, nothing else.

‘I’m fine thank you and how are you, sir?’ This is pure fruit of good child upbringing ripening with age. It is so fascinating to watch the downcast of her angelic face and the movement of her lascivious stature but really discouraging to have such a display right now when god cupid is in control.

‘Are you just wandering?’

Shake of her American-weave-hairdo head. No words.

Ah, fear not your being found trespassing at my compound dear, that is none of my concern here, but the skilful artistic work of God’s hands manifested in your being.

‘Aah...’ maybe a little smile will ignite the fire, ‘do you live here or are you just passing-by?’

‘No. I’m coming from your house.’

It is not a dream, this.

‘Sorry? I mean, what is your name?’

‘Love.’

The sky is so clear; the clouds are still sleeping in their beds, to wake up with the rainy season tomorrow. And the surrounding is so clear as well, this Saturday afternoon here at Naperi Township, except for that guard standing at my house’s gate some twenty metres from here. But really God prepares everything.

‘Loveness or just Love?’

‘Loveness. Loveness Diso.’

Oh, the meeting of two different sets of eyes determines the breaking or bonding of two hearts and the subsequent formation of one mind or the sustainability of their current divergent paths.

‘What a coincidence then,’ a mere chuckle sometimes adds spice to the flavour of even a half cooked dish. ‘I’m Love too. Lovemore Chapusa.’

‘I know you sir.’

A bomb scare? No way. You are my gold. I must get you at all cost.

‘Me? How?’

‘I’m Eunice’ friend, Eunice your daughter. We were classmates at Luchenza Secondary School a year ago. In fact I came to pay her a visit but your guard told me she is visiting relatives at home.’

‘Is that so? Anyway where do you live yourself?’

‘Bangwe Township.’

‘Right here in the city of Blantyre! How come I never saw you before?’ Who can forget her stature? Even if only seen in a glimpse, her light in complexion, medium height, coca-coal-bottle-shaped plump body features are just unforgettable.

‘Anyway, jump in please.’ The headquarters of Eros is in hell and I need to move it to paradise before everything gets burnt to ashes. So, fear, passive fear, unmanacle my mind please from guilty. I have found nothing but God’s created gold to make my remaining days here on earth golden.

‘What are you taking? Wine or whisky?’

Startled lovely eyes staring into my love-longing eyes. Oh, how I wish my wife had survived that fatal road accident some seven months ago that sealed her fate here on earth for then, I would not have been this thirsty surely. I would not have Loveness here right now. I would have been perpetuating my fidelity principles with ease. Anyway, isn’t how life goes like sometimes? Full of dramatic changes? After all, my intentions on this girl are not evil but good. And my poor dead wife will obviously understand and forgive me for failing to resist this Loveness girl’s love magic.

‘Wa…wa…wine’

Hesitation in her everything, is it out of habit, custom or an expression of her incomprehension and misconceptions towards my heart’s intentions?

‘Feel free please. We are just the two of us here in this house. As already said by the gateman, all my children are at their late mother’s village visiting relatives and they will be returning either today or tomorrow. So, if you play your cards quite well, I will turn you into a queen, right?’

She nods.

‘Good. And…’ hammer hard the head of the nail when the iron is hot, ‘ take this money as my serious declaration of my love intentions towards you.’ I can find some more cash to buy the planned car tyres any other day but surely I cannot buy her love any other day should I fail to buy it just now.

‘Thank you very much.’

‘No mention, it’s in order. Now come closer. Let me feel the warmth of your lovely tender body. Do you know that you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen?’ Throughout all the fifty-five years I have been in existence honestly.

She lifts her head and I can see the feminine submissiveness reflection in her eyes. Really age doesn’t matter. And she is no angel. No angel really. She is just a mere human being: with emotions, feelings, fears, hopes and wishes and susceptible to the power of money and love just like anybody else.

‘But what if your daughter finds out?’ Her last line of defence, not invincible at all.

‘Forget about it all sweet. This is the birth of a new life, a new world between you and me, the rest, consider them irrelevant because I am marrying you.’

‘What!’

‘Oh yes, how old are you?’

‘Nineteen.’

‘Good. Your parents will definitely approve it.’

‘No, I am an orphan. I stay with an uncle.’

‘Oh, sorry. All the same, your uncle will handle everything concerning our marriage.’

‘He cannot do that. He is a difficult man.’

‘Money will turn him into a simple man. So the ball is in your court. It’s either you accept my offer and own all this wealth I have; houses, minibuses, my business empire and have a car of your own or turn down my offer and die a poor fellow.’ It is not a bluff but a point blank fact.

‘But what if we just be secret lovers?’ Vain desire.

‘Over my dead body, I am looking for a serious affair. As a matter of fact, I believe in a one-man-one-woman principle’

Hollow stare.

‘Anyway, I will give you a month to think about it. Right now lets go to my bedroom. I want you to take me to the seventh world.’

Mission accomplished. Now we have to leave for town. I must drive her around town for the entire world to know that I have found gold.

I open the bedroom’s door leading to the sitting room but I can hear the sitting room’s exit door opening as well. Someone is entering the house.

‘Loveness! What are you doing with my father?’ Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after eating the forbidden fruit, realised they were naked upon being spoken to by God. However, it is not God this time around but my own daughter, Eunice, with the whole battalion of my five children.

‘Respect yourself daughter.’

‘But Dad...’ it is Noel, my twenty-two year old first-born child.

‘Eeeeh, children, know your limits please. You don’t have any say in the choice of my wife as you had no say when I was marrying your late mother.’

‘Aaah!’ The gulping of their mouths for the bird ‘disbelief’ to enter onto their hearts.

‘But dad, oh no! And you Loveness, what do you think you are doing!’ Men do not cry but I can see my poor son, Noel, crying.

‘Take it easy darling, ok.’ I assure Loveness of her safety as I can see her sweating and shaking. ‘What is your problem children? Is it my finding you a stepmother or what?’I asked no one in particular.

‘You don’t understand Dad! That bitch-of-a-girl can not be our stepmother!’ The reddish colour of Noel’ eyes cannot scare me a bit. I am his father. And surely I will slap one of them or all of them should they continue arguing with me like this. ‘The thing is…’

‘The thing is what, Noel?’ I retort while grabbing Loveness’ shaking hand. I am taking her outside. ‘Let’s proceed with our town tour please. Never mind these idiots.’

‘But Dad,’ I can hear Eunice’ defiant voice yelling after me, ‘the thing is, your so called wife-to-be happens to be Noel’s lover as well.’

‘What!’ An abrupt halt. An automatic disintegration of my hand from Loveness’.

‘Ask her! Ask her yourself Dad!’

‘Is it true Loveness?’

Silence.

I turn at Eunice and see the solemn look in her eyes. I look Loveness into the eye and I can see the stubborn yet shameful guilty feeling glittering in her eyes as Noel my son, my contender, my rival in this hour, stares at me wildly and with clenched fists.

I am in a fix. I don’t know what to do, what to say, what not to do and what not to say. I wish if earthquake can just strike now so that mother earth swallows us all.

The end

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