Name: Fiddy Lundu
PenName: Fiddy Lundu
Genre: Short stories
Profession: Secondary School Teacher
Location: Blantyre, Malawi
REVENGE HAS A BITTER TASTE
The celebrations at this bar, only known as Nzeruzatha, reverberated such that patrons hardly heard each other talk. Men, their bellies thrown out in the half-lit neon lights, danced with chic, rolling their waists as if they had no bones. Women, most of them teenagers, stuck to their 'temporary' male counterparts, squeezing them with that sexual salvation. They were their hope for the following day's meal.
The DJ, who perched himself at an elevated cubicle was tall and thin and at intervals he could stand up, danced with exaggerated attics, his thin hips doing the rounds as the hit followed his vibrations. Then out came a boomed voice that gave courage for more dancing from the din dance floor.
Chembonga, a tall fat character with a flying moustache, arrived at Nzeruzatha Bar at exactly 9pm, thirsty and ready to share his day's worries and excitement. He was a good entertainer, and on a good day, Chembonga was seen grabbing the most beautiful girl at the bar, courtesy of his massive of his massive spending and talking highly of himself.
He was a journalist by profession and he went around collecting news for his newspaper where he was employed as a reporter. At times he slept out and on many occasions there were frequent fights with his wife. This time around, he was out for almost three weeks and no one, including his wife, knew where he had gone.
He found a sear and ordered a Carlsberg Green. The patrons were shouting on top of their voices and Chemboga thought they were crazy.
One of the newcomers who wrapped her huge hips with a tight skirt and transparent blouse passed by, looked at Chemboga with desired eyes and said: "Mwaswera bwanji bwana?"
It was too early for Chemboga to get company. He needed to pull two or three before picking one for a quick one. One grip passed by and uttered her greeting. But Chemboga thought it was still too early, and so he pretended to answer a phone call. He was not aware that the girl did not even move an inch despite his tactics.
"Mungandigulireko imodzi?" She pressed her order on him.
Chemboga did not know how to put it since the girl was a total stranger to him. He pulled his wallet and pulled a K1,000 note. After the girl had gone to the counter, Chemboga saw his chance and he moved out swiftly from the place to relocated himself.
The bar was getting full with different girls of all shapes, painted in different styles. A giant patron with a brim hat came oozing like a man who had won a hundred million dollar raffle draw, screened his right arm pointed at the barman as if he was commanding a passing out parade:
"When real men are separated from paupers, their duty is to make everyone jump and dance. They don't just leave them starve! Barman, a drink to every woman in the bar!"
He then jumped to the dance floor, danced stylishly as more women made a big circle around him, craving his company. One equally giant woman in all red, made a bump at his bottoms. Ululating as she made her rounds towards the bull. Another, with an off-black toupee, her fat legs thrown out from her mini skirt deliberately touched the legs of the giant Samaritan. The celebrations were getting feverish and the giant was the centre of attraction.
Where he was, Chemboga thought the time had come for him to dance. It was his routine. He had to start with first round of drinks, say five bottles, spoiling his brain. Then he had to have a recess, dancing at least ten good numbers with any woman who made a self-sponsorship contract. That done, he had to go back to the barman and take five more. He then had to take his bags and go home. Usually, he had turmoil with his nagging wife, claiming the man left behind nothing. Yet, he always asked for a good meal when he came back from his assignments. But where was she getting the money to buy all that? She was jobless. The MSCE she got from a community day secondary school was just to show her neighbours and friends that she went to school. After Chemboga gave her a child, her future dreams were literally dashed off. Her only income came from Chemboga. But with all that torture from her husband, where was she to turn to?
Chemboga stood up a full length length, yawned and looked at no one in particular. It was sweet to be back home. But he had to celebrate his homecoming with drinks and then a dance. He smiled. Life was indeed good. God had provided him with a good job, a beautiful wife, not forgetting the precious life. But what was Chimms doing now? He had not heard from her for almost two weeks and he had not bothered to phone her. He felt loose at the joints. But why had he decided to punish that innocent soul despite all that money he had thrown at prostitues? Despite all those Good things Chills had done to him?
Chemboga put that aside and kicked his way to the dance floor.
The dance floor was now full to the brim. Many danced in pairs, squeezing their bodies like in a sexual act. Sweat rolled on every patron. The girls, most of them on a mission to please their 'catch' in order to loosen their pockets, did everything to fulfill their tricks. Chemboga knew all these crafty acts and preferred to dance alone. But something disturbed him as his legs started twisting to start his act. At the far middle of the dance floor, the sound of: "Winner! Winner!" was heard as whistles and ululations were heard. Chemboga flounced towards the place to check on the new festivities.
The circle which was the main venue of the event was getting dispersed. Buy he was in time to see the main actors. There,a giant of a man wiggling his hips to and fro, his hands holding tightly an equally fat woman, dressed in a mini skirt, her breasts dangling like a mango tree that had been hit by a stone kept their pace, dancing. They were both too drunk to care or see the outside world.
Chemboga thought it was a scene worth watching. And he decided to watch, for that alone was a good story on its own. It could be put on the front page of his newspaper. And that alone could earn Chemboga the best story of the year.
As the hit ended, Chemboga decided to ask the couple for a brief interview in order to enrich his story with first-naf information coming from the main characters.
But just as he got closer to the couple, something made him to make a brief stop. His eyes met with those of the woman. And for a brief moment, his heart stopped to pump. He decided to move two more steps and touched her by the shoulders. He felt numb. It was Chimms. His dear wife.
Not knowing what was happening, the giant narrowed the distance between him and the new man who had come to snatch his catch. He unleashed his powerful right fist that almost missed Chemboga but managed to make a big scratch on his forehead. Chemboga staggered backwards but managed to hold himself upright. The giant moved forward to finish the job. But this time he found Chemboga well prepared. The powerful right first was deflected by Chemboga's arms who folded them across his face. As the fight progressed, having managed to contain Chemboga's advances, the giant eventually found an opening and he used it. He first gave Chemboga a blue that he was taking him by the right, only to change tactic by using his powerful left fist that swept Chemboga to the floor.
There was a deafening cheer. Chemboga collected himself up but weakly and wanted to restart the fight. But his rival charged towards him, pulled his shirt and split Chemboga's jaw with his head. Chemboga groaned with desperation.
Chemboga left the dancing arena a battered, defeated man.
Behind, he heard someone say: "That was his wife, she wanted to revenge and she has done it in a stand style. For revenge has a bitter taste."
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