Lone Errands

LONE ERRANDS By Elvis Mushonga CHAPTER 1 The weather was cool and brilliant. Yes! It had all the ingredients that would bring a green light sensation for whoever could be in the mood to be outdoors. Anable had finished preparing her favourite breakfast of bacon and toast accompanied by her favourite granules of coffee. The time has gone past 8 bells, she felt under immense pressure to vacate Charmers Court where she resided with moved-in boyfriend Trey. As per her daily routine, she always made sure that she departs their state-of-the-art furnished lodgings after having paid the belly what she owes it. Ironically, Trey never felt bothered by getting up bright and early, let alone eating before 10 o’clock. He had accustomed himself to an easy-going sassy life. Having grown up as a spoilt brat, he was reluctant and uninterested to cook for himself or others, all that mattered to him was warming the already prepared meals in the microwave, and usually, he would drive to his favourite Spurs food outlet to grab a take away of pizza or fresh fries depending on his cravings. He would often get out of bed around 9 bells. First on his list of priorities was a fresh bubble bath followed by a rigorous wardrobe session that kept him in front of the mirror for ages. Unlike most males who often take dressing casually, he was amazingly always dressed to kill. He was tall, slender, and coffee-brown in complexion. His wardrobe complemented his hunky figure, and would always draw attention whenever he got out of his exquisite rides especially the Lexus SUV, which was his favourite from the expensive collection. By the flat’s parking lot, he also had a BMW X6, and a Mercedes Benz C class model as road alternatives. He always had a flamboyant knack of telling people that he was born expensive and will die with that silver spoon in his mouth. He was neither a snob, nor a hard-working riser, but a sole beneficiary of his late Grandfather’s million-dollar estate. His boastful attitude about money and classy lifestyle earned him the nickname Trey$. In Anable, he had found a lady of his dreams and taste. The short, middle-built, light-complexioned curved lady was not only her house flower but his social ornamental torch that would light every occasion up to its billing. He believed that riches and beauty were meant to complement each other. He would often tell people that Anable was of his class, but that rating was only confined to looks and not bank balance. What they conspicuously had in common was being the only children from their respective families, obviously not omitting their mutual arrogance, solo-doings, extravagancy, and flaunting. Anable had also grown up in a well-up family in the magnificent and leafy suburbs of Centurion. She sadly lost both her parents to a horrific car accident. Upon their untimely death, the debt collectors had virtually everything in their names attached to a gigantic debt they had jointly incurred through a multiplicity of loans procured from different financial institutions. Such a development forced distraught Anable, who could not accept to stay with her granny in Pietermaritzburg, to rent an apartment in one of Pretoria’s flamboyant central business district towering flats. Before her parental loss, she was already into well-concealed strategic prostitution, but what largely influenced her to stay at Charmers Court was their wealthy Centurion married neighbour, Sam, who pledged to take care of her costly rentals and lifestyle. All he wanted was privacy from her extrovert Doctor wife, and Anable’s respectful parents. Sam had managed to manipulate Anable into a materialistic extra-marital partner prior to her parents’ deaths. The two would often meet somewhere convenient off their upmarket Centurion Estate. Their most preferred rendezvous was Midrand Guest Lodge. This is where the pampered Anable adopted a gold-digger mentality. Seeing different people with big bellies, big cars, and fat pockets flaunting around her engendered irreparable brain damage as she got less and less dissatisfied with the 1000 Rands Sam used to give her whenever they finished their agreed dirty business. Yes! With all eyes following her flawlessly beautiful and apppetising figure time and again, she began to feel there was a bigger bidder somewhere around. It is this greedy insinuation that made her roving cat eyes bump into the extravagant Trey at the same venue. Barely a month after their connection, the two connived to get rid of Sam who had not yet stepped foot into Anable’s CBD lodgings on preference grounds. He would prefer an outskirt booking facility to a compromising city-centre flat. He never wanted to risk any chance of letting this cat out of the bag, a phenomenon that would deal his greatly cherished and famous marriage a blow. The world is never patient and considerate for those who procrastinate, dodge, or absent themselves for even just a while. Trey made the most of the bedroom vacancy at Charmers Court thereby disenfranchising Sam from having access to the lodgings. He arranged for the immediate refund of the 15 000 Rands in respect of deposit plus double rental fees that the latter had paid. The excuse was a trumped-up claim that Anable was now a born-again Christian, and could no longer continue with the affair since it pointed to committing adultery which went against her newly found self. This getaway proclamation was neither met with any measure of resistance nor suspicion. On fair grounds, Anable also deserved someone whom she could call her own, someone who could be there for her twenty-four-seven, and someone who could show her off in public. Trey’s financial prowess had won him one of the most attractive ladies in South Africa. She was conspicuously a trophy spouse, incomparably out of this world, but was she marriage material? The same can be asked about the whimsical and solo-going partner in crime, Trey! What was unquestionable and written on the wall was that Anable had found somebody who could take care of her expensive lifestyle, let alone someone who truly appreciated her as she was, and was ready to share memories with. Nonetheless, her financial greed was now ingrained for any casual gratification, and that rendered her secretive prostitution escapades indispensable. CHAPTER 2 “Will see you later sweetheart” she affectionately said to cellphone-busy Trey who was still buying his time to get up in the comfort of their slaughter pool. “Will chat over phone honey” responded an inviting and sweet-spoken Trey as he mutually moved his head to do justice to a mouth to mouth kiss that was coming his way. “Ummm you gonna make me stay longer darls, I can’t let go of this sweetness loosely my babe” she said as she withdraws her lips reluctantly from the mouthwatering kiss. Trey romantically pulled her back and whispered into her ear; “Just for the horns dear, you won’t be late trust me” The two started fondling each other irresistibly. She hurriedly threw her clothes to the carpeted floor, clung to him while reinserting her sugar-sweet tongue in Trey’s expectant mouth. They could not hold themselves any longer in their romantic exchanges as they tightly coiled each other before rolling and spinning in the s****l act itself. “Oh you almost killed me you beast” she rhetorically registered as she looked him directly in the eye. Trey who was still breathing at the top of his heartbeat could not utter any word of response. All he could do is get off the bed, and head to the bathroom where Anable followed to take a snappy shower before eventually taking off leaving the gratified Trey listening to some soulful Joe Thomas music that was playing on Jacaranda FM. Trey helped himself to the bacon sandwiches that Anable had prepared. He was neither a tea nor coffee kind of person. He preferred his favourite cranberry juice to any other beverage for breakfast. Their apartment was top-notch furnished. Their cream-painted medium-sized kitchen appeared squashed with modern furniture and the latest gadgets. Occupying much of the limited space was a flamboyant double door silver refrigerator, and opposite it was a 4 plate black electric cooker. Their attractive kitchen also accommodated a space-consuming oak dining room suite which had found itself in the wrong place owing to the unavailability of space in their furniture-congested single bedroom flat. Adjoined to the scintillating kitchen was their magnificent black leather-couched sitting room which was illuminated by a walled 54-inch ever-on-black Sony LCD. The glass table and HiFi divider which accommodated an 8 piece black Sony home theatre system rendered their favourite white-painted relaxation space overcrowded. Their single pink-painted bedroom was equipped with an eye-catching white bedroom suite consisting of their springy and durable fantasy queen-sized bed, classy headboard, and dressing table. To the corner of their equally squashed retiring space was a computer stand where the Apple laptop they shared was positioned, but it was rarely utilized owing to the two’s persistent and outdoor-soliciting errands, let alone their preferable resort to cellphones for most of their information communication technology needs, which were largely centred on unorthodox business and social media interactions. Their toilet and bathroom were a two in one small space consisting of a charcoal-coloured tub, and a white-coloured excretory chamber. In all honesty, their modern furnishings rendered the three-roomed apartment an appealing and eye-catching space. It is Trey who insisted on the acquisition of brand new furniture to replace the inherited antique furniture that Anable eventually got rid of via an auction. That meant that Trey had rigidly stamped his authority as Anable’s sole provider, but old habits being difficult to undo, satisfaction was not an object at all in their solo errand-filled relationship. Anable always went about her habitual secret errands without any sense of inhibition, so was Trey who was always out alone on shocking private missions that would make God think twice about forgiving transgressors. In any case, the almighty’s mercies are abundant. What is amazing is a mutual tolerance, trust and respect that these two lone errands masters bestowed upon one another. They hardly spent day time together, save for weekends when they would go out to have their favourite ciders, but they never tolerated and accommodated casual mixing and mingling. Trey grew up as a mama’s boy who never loosely accepted the patronage of strangers and visitors, even his deceased grandfather who used to love him with all he had. He died when the silver spoon-born Trey was just two years of age. He had given birth to only his United Kingdom-based father, Robert. Robert never saw his mother who passed away during delivery in the caesarian section of a UK maternity clinic. That solemn incident took a heavy toll on his grandfather Herbert who vowed not to marry again. As a real estate General manager in the UK, he had invested tremendously in a multiplicity of upmarket flats and low-density residences that were earmarked for rentals back home in South Africa, where he had to move back in order to grow his firmly established and lucrative property business while raising Trey’s father with the commendable help of strictly-profiled maids. When he was diagnosed with lung cancer four years before his knocking death, he started pestering his one and only son, Robert, to marry or at least impregnate one of his many girlfriends by that time for the sake of an associate heir. By then Robert was twenty-two years old and still enjoying his adolescence. He had made it clear that his wealth was extremely great and overflowing to be left in the hands of a single heir. “I will roll in my grave if I die without a grandson. Yes! I need an associate heir in case you also die, whom do you want to enjoy the sweets from my sweat? The state, or strangers! Never!” Herbert would always decry and declare after his fateful diagnosis. The late Herbert had two female twin siblings who were comfortably based in the USA with their families. Having both gotten married to American natives, Hilda and Tilda had since become citizens, and their privileged twin husbands, Tom and Tim had money to cater for ten lifespans having inherited and overgrown their late father’s famous construction and estate company. CHAPTER 3 They had met at New Jersey University where both Tom and Tim studied mechanical engineering. Hilda was studying medicine, while Tilda was in the faculty of law. The four two zygote splits made the most of their identical appearances after meeting at University. As much as it was by the coincidence of looks, it could also be safely said that their peers insinuated their relationships on common biological grounds, and as fate had it, they ultimately celebrated happy marriages, and flourishing business and professional careers as the gods continue smiling on them. Herbert who could often visit them ended up venturing into fully-fledged real estate dealings with the help and guidance of his experienced brothers-in-law upon completion of his accounting degree at Oxford where he had been awarded an achievers scholarship. Upon the traumatic death of his wife, Herbert would often tell people that God had taken what was meant for him, and the only things that he believed remained designated as his primary concerns and worries were his son and business. “I don’t even have a far-fetched desire to remarry, as long as I am happily endeared to my son and real estate business. They are my fulfilling consolation after losing Anna” he uttered to a journalist in one of his archived television interviews that Trey always bragged about whenever he talked of him. Herbert and Anna were both accounting students at Oxford. The two often spent study and leisure time together and complemented each other in everything they did so well. It was a matter of time before Anna fell pregnant in their final year at University. It was very solemn and traumatic for not only Herbert, but the rest of the Oxford community to lose such a promising and distinctive twenty-two-year-old young accountant three weeks before her scheduled graduation. The graduation day was hellishly unpalatable for poor and wounded Herbert who could not hold his tears when the Chancellor called for the observation of a minute of silence in memory of Anna’s painful and untimely death, in fact, the podium hanging university staff, and almost every gowned and capped graduate on that momentous occasion could not go through that sorrowful and emotional juncture with ease. Such is the traumatic experience that he had to endure. Anna’s unseen death drilled a deep dark hole in his fragile heart, no wonder why he vowed not to remarry, and successfully he kept his word. Trey was placed under the responsible custody of their close Anglican congregant upon her sympathetic and empathetic request to do so. Sister Dorothy made sure that the motherless innocent soul was taken good care of. In the house of the resourceful aunt Dorothy, the little innocent Robert was provided and pampered with almost everything a well-raised baby could get. Herbert who hardly went a day without visiting them complemented the efforts with both material and moral support. Herbert only assumed sole custody of Trey when he was now four years old, in spite of that, aunt Dorothy as she was affectionately addressed, barely went a day without making a courtesy call on Herbert’s usually tranquil Oxford residence. With the connecting influence of his USA-based brothers in law Herbert, who had assumed the chief accountant post at Mason Real Estate a year back, got promoted to the post of General Manager. Mr. Mason was father to Danny, a passionate classmate of Tom and Tim at New Jersey University. The mention of a distraught brother-in-law hunting for a big job to fend for himself and his motherless child touched Danny who then worked as the Executive Director at Mason Real Estate. Danny came to the rescue in no time. Being an accountant graduate, a chief accountant post was specifically created for him to oversee the two bookkeepers who had been in charge of all accounting matters in the fast-growing company. Since growth is associated with the establishment of bigger and befitting structures, the creation of a post of that magnitude was in line with the real estate company’s upsurge agenda. In his second year, Herbert had proven to be as good as they come to warrant recognition and promotion to the post of General Manager. His constant and close professional links with his brothers-in-law-in-law, let alone Danny’s trust in his proficiency in terms of delivery, created an atmosphere that suggested the sky to be the only limit for him in this line of business. Anable enthusiastically relished the societal concept of being the all attention-given lady in rich Trey’s charismatic and extravagant lifestyle. She always made sure that she dances to almost every tune Trey plays, no matter how she disliked it. She was good at playing to the gallery. She had so many cats in her tightly locked closet, but she made sure that they did not come between the two of them. Trey had given her some respectable startup funds to undertake a black market forex exchange business in and around Pretoria. Such an interactive and networking line of business meant that she was usually out, and always on the phone handling clients. No amount of money in any currency, be it rands, pounds or dollars was beyond her services. Trey would always cheap in whenever a top-up was required. She always left around 8 bells every morning for this and other accompanying errands that would emanate out of it. She also had the audacity to insert her own secret dealings into her busy errand-filled routine. Trey was also ever busy with his own solo parallel market dealings in diamonds and gold. He was known for his instant cash payments and had established himself as one of Pretoria’s diamond and gold heavyweight dealers. He made it clear to all prospective sellers that he did not want to be disturbed before 9 o’clock, and would often defer any early knocking business to his standard working hours. Nonetheless, he had no timetable for tempting windfall deals involving 6 figure cash. In such situations, time was money. He was always by himself and trusted nobody, not even Anable with his precious stones errands. Just like Anable, he had a lot on his plate of vices for anyone to fathom without tiring. He knew how to play it very low with almost all of his lone errands.