The_Changing_Tides_26
"So is your young aunty home already? " Musonda asked as Maria lay on his laps. They sat on the couch in the sitting room as Maria had not accepted to do anything more intimate than kissing.
Even though everytime Musonda had fought so hard his desires to be with her, he had no option
but to respect that. Musonda knew that deep down Maria still loved Paul, he could see how much
she avoided the topic of Paul and over the weeks decided to enjoy every moment he got with her.
"I hear she's coming this afternoon probably when I get back home I will find her" she told him as
she played with his fingers.
"So you going to school in a week's time ?" Asked Musonda.
"Yeah a week to go" she smiled.
"I wanted to go and get my son before I left but then I thought of the fact that he will find people
who are complete strangers to him here so I thought it wise to get him when we close," She
added.
"Well, that's true, maybe you can let him be with his father since he's used to that Nanny there.
Then get him when you complete your school. You can be inviting him over for holidays, "
Musonda adviced.
"See, no wonder I was telling you people i had to think this over, imagine if Paul had allowed me to
get him already with the coming of my school the baby could have struggled to settle here" Maria
frowned.
"I have never asked you this Maria, but this Paul, has he been communicating with you since we
came back?" He asked her.
Maria sat up,
"yes he's been texting and calling apologising but since I don't respond, he has reduced on that"
she responded looking at him.
"Don't you think telling him we are together now can be one of the things to stop him from doing
that? " Musonda asked again.
Maria sighed..
"listen Paul, I told you am not even sure with this but you insisted, I can't just tell people about us
when even ourselves are not sure of what is there between us."
"Well, to start with you just called me Paul" Musonda looked at her seriously..
" and secondary, Paul is not just people he's your ex and so it matters that you tell him the truth
and not act like you still waiting for him. I love you Maria and you know that's true. I don't know
why you won't give me chance to make you mine already"
Maria stood up.
" I can't believe we are even discussing this Musonda, am sorry I called you Paul but the fact that
Paul is my son's father he will always appear in my life at one point or the other. Let's say we work
things out and settle down together, are you telling me Paul's name will just disappear with our son connecting us?" she asked her face serious.
Musonda stood to hold her hand.
" I didn't mean it that way, am just not happy that despite what that man did to you you seem to
choose him over me " he complained.
"No man would be happy being shut out by the woman he loves, please understand ."
"Well, am sorry Musonda it seems our so called one day at a time thing won't work for us. You
know am not ready to give you what you want I can't promise anything for now sorry" she said
grabbing her phone and bag to leave.
"Come on Maria, please, don't go away am sorry," Musonda pulled her back.
"Come here" he said holding her close to himself.
"Give me that smile" he said lifting her head.
"I can't afford to have you mad at me Maria I can't. " He kissed her gently.. "forgive me beautiful"
he whispered.
"It's okey," Maria sighed.
"Take me home now maybe the visitor is in" she told him trying to move away from him. But
Musonda held her back. "Well give me a kiss first" he smiled at her. She shook her head holding
him close as she kissed him, withdrawing as the tension between them started growing.
Minutes later Musonda dropped Maria outside her grand father's house.
She walked to the door humming to a song. Maria stopped frozen when she came face to face
with Tasha.
"Tasha?" She asked shocked seeing her biggest rival sitting next to her grand mother, the sister
to her grand father,
".what are you doing here? " She asked.
Her grand father who sat opposite Tasha and her mother, looked at both Maria and Tasha
surprised.
"Maria, what the hell, what is she doing here?" Tasha asked looking at her uncle.
Everyone in the room was surprised at the two ladies.
"Do you two know each other?" Maria's grand father asked them.
"Um um um. ... " Tasha stammered as she grasped what was happening realising that Maria
was the niece her uncle had told her about.
"Yes," Maria answered still looking at the shocked Tasha.
"She's the one that staged my kidnap and drugged me to paint a picture that I was doing
prostitution to the father to my son grand father" Maria explained. even though Tasha's
expression Clearly showed her she was screaming for her to stop talking.
"This woman can't be my aunty grand father, she hates me with passion and she will do anything
to separate me from the man I love so that she can have him to her self, knowing so well he
doesn't love her." She added as everyone looked at Tasha.
"How dare you say that in front of my
mother and uncle. He was mine first and you snatched him away from me. You have always been
a slut Maria face it " Tasha said sacarstically.
"Well if you are an angel tell me why he dumped you for a poor slut huh?" Maria shouted back
raising her voice too.
"Stop it you two!" Maria's grand father stood and raised his hands between them.
"Sit down now you are not in the streets. "
Maria sat down near her grand father and Tasha went back to sit close to her mother her eyes
fixed at Maria furious.
"I didn't even get to introduce you and you go wild fighting like mad women. What is wrong with
both of you?
Now listen to me, you two now are family and I don't care what happened in the past, get
yourselves together and sort your issues. I will not let you destroy this family over a man. You
Tasha is the eldest here so put your mind in one place and let that man go. He and your niece
here have a child together and now you are done you hear me?" He asked Tasha.
Tasha was quite for a while.
"I asked is it clear?" Maria's grand father shouted.
"Yes uncle , " Tasha answered in a low tone.
"And you Maria, make up your mind already, choose what you want and stop running from your
own self. Decide either to get back with that man or stay with Msuonda, you cannot stay in
between the two men. Choose already and put an end to this drama" he added seriously as Maria
now bow head down.
Maria's inner self told her her grand father was right. She knew her being with Musonda whilst her
heart was yearning for another man was not a good thing to do but somehow she felt good with
the comfort that came with being around Musonda .
Not knowing it was somehow her need to fulfil her deepest need for Paul's love that she was
looking for in Musonda. The bad part was the fact that, the more she was with him, the more she
felt the desire to be with Paul increase.
The following morning when everyone was calm. The family sat again and they talked calmly
resolving the issue. They decided Tasha would leave Paul and forget about him as it was not
possible to marry him when Paul had a child with her niece.
Maria was left with a decision to follow her heart and decide for herself whether to go back to Paul
after Tasha apologised to her.
Maria was not sure whether the apology was genuine but for the sake of peace she accepted it.
"I have to do this for myself as well, " Maria thought through the words of her grand father.
"If I have to live freely and peacefully I don't need to carry the hatred and hurt from other people in my life."
Maria had just finished packing her luggage preparing to go to school two days before she could
leave, When she was called that Musonda had come to see her.
She walked to go see him and they sat outside at a wide varander chatting.
She was busy laughing at what Musonda had said when she saw Paul's car drive in after
someone opened the gate for him.
"Paul? What are you doing here?" she asked as her laugh faded and her face now displayed total
surprise seeing him.
Paul walked towards her and knelt down tears in his eyes.
"Am so sorry Maria, I can't do this anymore. I miss you a lot I had to come here for you. Forgive
me please I was a fool and I acted out of anger saying all that bad staff to you. Please come back
to me my love, I can't do it without you .I have tried, God knows I tried and I have failed. Please
give my life meaning again," he cried as she watched him in silence feeling his every pain.
She turned back to look at Musonda who had stood too watching them.
Maria ran back inside the house crying. She couldn't stand the faces of both men before her, the
one she loved so much and the one she cared for.
She went to her room and stood by the window crying.
Musonda followed her inside and stood watching her cry.
"Maria," he called her out.
She turned to face him tears on her face.
"Why won't you talk to him? He's come all the way for you. you can't just run away from him like
that. Tell him what you feel" he whispered getting to her and holding her hand.
"I can't," Maria cried,
"I can't do that Musonda am with you now and I can't tell him what I feel beacuse I cannot lie to
his face. I love him so much it hurts to see him like that," she said shaking her head.
"He was my first love, everytime i think of anything good about my life it's him that I think of first he
stood by me when I was hopeless and rescued me from the hands of death.
Am sorry you are a good man Musonda, I care about you so much. You make me feel so good
and special but I still love him. Am so sorry I cannot hurt him by lying i don't feel anything for him,
you too have been here for me and I hate to make you suffer, I can't"
Musonda sighed looking at her.
"Come here," he said pulling her close.
"I know " he whispered,
"I know. You love him and I don't think that will change anytime soon. Don't worry youself My
sweet Maria, I won't hold you anymore. Go to him" he said seriously.
"Your man is outside go and be happy." He smiled "What ? " Maria asked shocked.
"Yeah" Musonda smiled,
"I know you love him and even when you are with me it's him you think of. You have called me his
name more than once and I can't tell your heart to stop loving him. So now I set you free. Go and
be with the one your heart beats for.." he added with a smile.
Maria smiled with tears in her eyes,
" I don't know what to say to you Musonda I swear you are the most amazing man I know. Thank
you so much, " she sighed with relief. sighed
"Thank you and may God give you a woman of your dreams" she said hugging him.
He grabbed her head and kissed her gently.
"Farewell my Maria, go now before I change my mind" he teased pushing her to the door.
Maria smiled and ran back to hug him once more and walked to the door.
She stood by the door and he shouted.. "go on.. your man is waiting !"
Maria ran outside and found Paul almost getting out of the gate.
"Paul!" she shouted to him and he turned to look at her. .
"Maria?" He asked surprise at the change in her facial expression.
She ran towards him and Paul smiled extending his arms as she landed in them crying with tears
of joy.
" I love you!" She whispered to him and he held her so close squeezing her tightly.
"I love you more my love, I missed you so much. So, so much" he said kissing her as Musonda
stood by the door watching them at a distance.
He waited until the two embraced and kissed before walking towards them.
"I hear you made her cry again, even one tear of pain, I will personally come to Lusaka and chop
your head off, you feel me?" he looked at Paul.
"Thank you man," Paul smiled hugging him close.
"Thank you so much for being there for her and for leading her back to me" he added.
"Yeah you are welcome, take care you both" Musonda patted Maria on the back and walked out.
Paul looked at Tasha who stood next to Maria's grand father and mother who stood watching
them.
"Thank you" he said with his lips and he held Maria in a hug. She was the one who called him and
gave him directions to the place.
"You have to come over before you lose her for good" she had told him in the phone.
She smiled at him and spoke back..
"you are welcome!.
He held her by the waist as they walked to the door. His heart shouting and screaming with joy. It
just felt so right having the one he loved in his arms. He couldn't stop looking at her. She lifted her
head to see his face and he smiled widely as their eyes met.