Make it Work

The Journey

“Can we make a quick stop when we get in town? I am craving a lot of things.”

I do not have an idea what is going on here but I am shocked to hear her say this right now, “You are joking right; you ate a bowl of whipped cream with strawberries not too long ago and now you are already hungry?”

I turn a bit to look at her and there she is twists her mouth makes a soft sound, “Sound just about right!”

Well how about that, women are crazy and my wish for a woman who can eat granted by a mysterious genie. Masvingo is a small city so the drive is short and my arm will not sleep with me holding her. This is truly a blessed feeling.

“Okay, let us make a quick stop at the OK supermarket

Excitement takes a grip on her and she put my hand aside, “That would be great because I am craving some creams, juices and fruits. To be specific I want an orange juice……...”

Is she really thinking right now? “Okay, I see and where do you want to stock all that?”

“Do not try to mock me!” she puts her mouth in her nose like a little girl and lays her head back on my shoulder

“So that is all?”

“You cut me off before I could finish, honey. Some pineapple juice for later after I have enjoyed the orange juice. The cakes I want the chocolate slice and vanilla slice separately not that voodoo mix………” she concludes her list.

“Hahahaha you sound like we are just going to get in there and grab what you desire and leave though.”

“If it is too much you can say and I can take a simpler list?

“It is okay, we will get everything you want when we get there.”

A woman is too much they say, but is it really true though? From what I can understand from this she might be trying to cover for the times she has not had this type of life before, I will just drop everything she desires on her.

“I love you, honey!”

Last I heard these words was that time when we were saying our wedding vows to each other, right now I am hearing them, they just made my heart warm. And I love my wife and right now I feel like I am taking long to answer though. Let me take a bit more time to savour this and let it sink into my soul deep.

“I love you too, honey.”

Vimbai

“Hmmm I am glad.”

“We are here now, let’s be quick so we can proceed please.” Announce our arrival

“Okay, let’s go.”

She remains seated inside the car, I get out and wait outside and still she does not come out and it hits me in my mind, I have to be a gentleman and open the door for my wife. Will have to act cool while rectifying my stupidity to make it seem as if I am taking my time to. But will this work on her though, she seems to be waiting patiently on me. This is very awkward for me; how could I have forgotten such a thing. I will expiate for this somehow, so this is how newly wedded fever feels like? Open the door for her and she remains seated for a while, looking at me disappointed dreary as if I just told a bad joke. Getting up from the car,

“So, you are just too lazy to open the door for yourself?”

“Hmmm, my husband should always open the door for me, just like he did now.”

“It sounds like you want him to be a slave to you.”

“If need be so, why not?”

Close the door, take her hand and head straight for the shop. I wonder what she will pick though, since it is just food it is going to chew off my pocket hard.

“Okay so what are we looking for?”

“I lead, you follow get a trolley.”

“Why a trolley, it is just food so why should I get a trolley?”

“I am having cravings, so I will need a full trolley to go!” Wow, I did not know I was still this biddable she is commanding and I am just doing without even objecting.

“Okay love.”

Release her hand and heard straight toward the trolley line and push one back. All this feels aforethought though. Looking at her adagio with me wanting to be effusive about everything I feel for her. Enshroud her with love and affection make her feel everything is alright all the time.

“Come on, young man we do not have the whole day remember?”

She is right to call me young man, I mean, I am only 24 so yes, I am a fine young gentleman although she has not said it yet. She grabs on to my arm and rest her head on my shoulder. This feeling I have of having her around, it is amazing, I love it. I am enjoying these moments with my wife, less words spoken out loud but a lot of things have been said to my heart by every moment I am with her.

“First, the juices and then the rest of the food.” Increases her pace to going on ahead to select.

Upon catching up with her she looks at me like she is wondering about how I look, “I hope it is not going to be like one of those times when you surprise me by buying whiskey?”

“No, I will not.” Continue pushing the trolley.

“Good.”

She goes on ahead of me leaving me behind pushing the trolley, checking out my watch for some time and sneaking glances at my wife as she walks away. Who am I to argue with a good thing in my mind all she appears to be is heaven sent? Now that I have thought about it, I did not fall in love with her for her bodily charms but rather the intellectual which she presented profoundly the first day we met.

(Female Voice) “Mike!”

I freeze at the spot when I heard that someone is calling me, the voice sounds familiar though but maybe I am hallucinating everything. So, I walk towards the direction where Vimbai went to get the juices. But the feeling that someone is following me on my back is refusing to depart from my thoughts. Either way I just have to keep going and get to my wife who still has not shown any sign of returning. And there she is talking to someone, but with the look on her face she seems to be frustrated but who is this person? And why are they arguing like that? Now he is leaving and his body seems to communicate frustration. What were they talking about that has them both in a foul mood? Most importantly, who was that person she was arguing with?

“Are you okay?”

(Startled, jumps putting her arm on her chest)

“Yes, yes everything is good.”

Her face, did she just lie to me right now? She seems to be trying to hide something, should I push to find out or just let it go? Or maybe she will tell me about it all later.

Female Voice now closer, “Hi, Mike.”

That female voice again, it sounds so familiar but it cannot be her. Heard she was abroad in one of those nations in Europe. Vimbai seems to be concentrated on getting the juices but seems to be focused on that but if the voice is real, she must have heard it too. My mind must be playing tricks on me.

“Someone is calling for you and she is headed this way.”

“I was kind of hoping that is not true and that it is all in my head, I just want today to be me and you, no disturbances.”

“There is nothing wrong with an old friend dropping on us just to say hello. You should not be that stuck up, you! Just say hello and introduce me to your friend there. Do not be rude”

“Okay, my love.”

I turn to look and there she is right before my eyes, the girl who left me in tears just because I had no dime in my pocket, and I have to admit she is looking fine. But I just wish she had the decency to just disappear and leave me alone from that point till forever. The lies people tell that the pain inflicted on you shall soon perish and you will no longer be in pain, it all turns to hogwash when you face the reality of your pain. But right now, I have no choice but to put on a smile and oppress the feeling of hatred.

“Heyy, Hi, how are you?” I ask Charmaine forcing a smile on my face.

“I am good, good but I could have sworn you were ignoring me right now,”

She saw right through that, but who cares anyway, “Ohh that is not it at all, I am just stuck in my mind so everything that is going on around me is not really getting to me.”

“What a liar you are, he really was ignoring you really, I do not know why though,” Vimbai interjects on Charmaine’s side. She is right but she is supposed to have my back no matter what!

“Thank you, young lady, and you are?”

I take her hand and pull her closer, “This is my wife, Mrs Zimuto.”

“Wow, and I was not invited?”

To me, the situation seems bad because I am used to ignoring all my exes and people who mistreated me in life because I no longer have a thing to say to any of them. BUT I will need to continue keeping calm in this situation.

“Congratulations to you both, you both have a whole new life ahead of you.”

Does she really mean what she is saying right now? Or it is just one of her lies like before. It does not matter anyway; I have my beautiful wife here with me and she is doing all the talking. But why are they still talking? This is making me feel nervous and awkward. My hand is moving in search of Vimbai’s hand and I cannot find it. No matter let me grab juices since she has not got any. I open up the refrigerator and grab 4 different types of fruit juices. Put them in the trolley.

“Vimbai, let’s go! We need to get to the hospital in time.”

“Okay let me conclude here and then we will be on our way.”

Is she serious right now? We have to go and she still wants to chat. Let me be on my way and wait for her at the counter. Pick up a 5-litre lunch box of vanilla ice-cream and continued advancing forward without turning a head. Get the cake slices she said she would like to eat. And head for the line to purchase. There is no sign of her yet? Are they having girl talk now? This is not looking good for me now. The line is moving and still there is no sign of her, this is now getting to my head. What are they talking about, is it about me? Should I even care this much because this is making me uneasy.

Tighten my grip on the trolley breathing heavily. And I feel a hand being laid on my back, startling me with my hand rushing to feel my chest as I turn to see who touched me. I guess this is the result of watching too many horror films. It is her and she seems surprised by my reaction to her touch.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I am, just distracted by my thoughts that is all.”

“Ohh okay, I knew you would forget the fruits, the way you left heard a feel that you were going to forget the fruits and you know I love eating a variety of fruits, so I passed by the fruit section and got some.”

Looking at the fruit packages with her saying ‘some’ seems like an understatement. I smile looking at her and she stares back, I feel like looking the other way so she will not see me blush but I will keep being strong till she looks the other way. But at the moment seems like it is going to be impossible.

“What, do I have something on my face?”

(As I turn to look in front)

“Nothing!”

Ahem!

“Nothing at all”

She does not reply but rather she grabs my arm and rests on it. I just hope there will not be any more unwanted surprises. Well for the rest of the day that is. Today I just needed it to be me and her and no emotional dampeners. Wait, when did she release my arm and place all our orders on the counter? Let me not dwell on that any longer, it seems I am trapped in my thoughts.

Vimbai, reaches out her hand towards me.

“What do you want now?” I am still feeling a bit uneasy at the moment.

“The card to pay for everything.” She replies with her hand stretched out.

“Ohh sorry, here”

Reach my hand in my pocket a to get my wallet, subconsciously hand over my wallet to her and she does all the transactions. She takes the cakes and the ice-cream lunch box and I take the rest of the things in the plastic bags and head out back to the car. I draw out the car keys,

“Would you like to tell me what is going on?”

“I think I would rather not talk about it at all.”

“But if it is something bothering, should you not share it with your wife?”

“I stand by what I said! Just get in the car so we can go, we are going to be late for that appointment.”

Looking at her face now it seems she is disappointed and annoyed. But there is nothing much to tell though. Put the key in the ignition turn it slowly while looking at her. The car starts instantly making me turn my focus to driving. This time there is an awkward silence and she is not even leaning on my arm as before. Was me refusing to tell her what is going on in my head a bad thing that caused such a thing or there must be something else?

“Are you not going to eat now, though you said you were hungry?”

She does not reply but rather opens up the apple package, takes one and starts eating.

But this does not seem pleasant or feel like anything good will come up at the end of it. Maybe if we had not made a quick stop to by the food, this might not have happened and I would still be looking at her smiley face. No matter I will think of something right after we have seen the doctor, right now I will just let this mood disturb the flow. So, I just focus on the road.

“Finally, we are here.”

“Yes, Finally.”

She looks at the left side, “I am still not talking to you until you decide to tell me what is going on in that head of yours.”

At the moment that is fine by me, there is nothing wrong with her not talking to me right now. I will; just focus on what is important right now, seeing if she is alright.

She leaves the car first in a hurry and goes on ahead, I want to laugh at the way she is walking but I just gaze for a little while, she turns to look back.

“Are you coming?”

Get my head out through the window.

“I thought you were not talking to me!”

“Okay, wait, I am coming.”

I quickly get out of the car and close up, made haste to get to her. She is looking at me in a weird way now. Should I grab her hand and lead the way? No, she is mad at me, she might brush of my hand and that would not be good.

“After you.”

She does that thing with her mouth where she contorts the lips, now I definitely did something wrong right? Maybe or maybe not I will just make up for it later. Even though she is angry at me for withholding what I was thinking about I still feel like smiling, I do not know why though because I should be worried. On our way to the reception there is still that awkward silence. Should I say something? This intense atmosphere is slowly killing my spirits. I do not feel like a man right now, I feel like a ghost haunting her life.

I hit my head, because my thoughts are now starting to sound pessimistic and she turns to look at me.

“What?”

She does not reply she just turns to look forward where she is going and the way she looked at me though. I do not think I will be doing any talking at the reception or in when we see the doctor. I failed to recognize when we got to the reception and she is taking the lead role already, talking to the receptionist.