THE DEAD MAN'S LEGACY

Chapter 1 CHARITY SMITH “He said he would love me forever, that he would never choose anyone before me, oh how sweet and tender were his lies and all that comfort by demise. Was I a fool? No! I was in love, struck by blindness of love, never have I ever thought that today I would be standing on top of his pool of blood like this… I’ve had enough! Of the lies? The Abuse! The shame! Oh God how I wish I listened to my mother when she told me that people change, I have been fooled yet again” struggling to breathe with vigorous shakes disturbing her here and there. “We need to do something with this body quickly before anyone gets here” hope comes in rushing with a body bag which was already opened “I didn’t want you to see him like this” charity keeps looking down on the lifeless body of her husband, of whom she stabbed 15 times in rage and disappointment. “it doesn’t matter now mom, this man has been your hell on earth come on, let’s move him to this bag and clean this entire place before anyone comes here” No matter how many times Charity blinked it was still Her husband laying on the pool of blood. The thought of how furious she was when she saw the his scene with another woman on top of their bed, the nerve of him to come back and lie, the aggression he gave her the time she confronted him and not to mention how strong those hands were on her neck during the strangle. “he didn’t deserve me! He is not even worth this body bag, we should just go and dumb his useless body in a cave or something” she bitterly kicks his head and spits on him like some garbage “He was my father! Please remember that, despite the Abuse and all the cheating this man was a great father to me Ma!” with great agonizing pain in her heart she helps her mother carry the corpse into the body bag, carefully zipping it. “He was a manipulator” charity goes on while gulping a long sip on her late husband’s whisky “and so you had to kill him, can we just decide if we take him to the morgue or dump him but all you need to know is that he needs to be buried” Hope can be even with such situations, but you can never blame a daddy’s girl. She has been more connected to her father more than she was to her mother, but it still didn’t change the fact that the pain and suffering Charity had to go through was eating her up inside. Charity was the only person not enjoying the soft life they were having, she had to endure a lot of pain, each and everyday she would be crying and locking herself in spare rooms running away from her Abusive husband but finally she had taken the first step towards her freedom by killing the one and only man who brought her pain. “I’m sorry I had to put you through this my child, but after all you know that this man wasn’t your father” trying to comfort her but only getting a cold shoulder from her eldest daughter “This man raised me, he loved me like his own, I’m not blaming you Ma I’m not saying it was okay of him to Treat you like he did, you also didn’t have to kill him like this. But then wants done is done, what’s left now is to dispose this corpse so that they can find him and we bury him as a family at least give him that honor, I’m not his only daughter Ma” She does have a point. If we can’t find his body then I won’t have anything to bury and that means I won’t get all that he has worked for, I will never live to see the Ireland he was always flaunting about, right now I need to play serious victim and widow after all this Man married me, with my daughter and gave us a home. That the only thing I can thank him for, I can’t say anything about his other kids because they don’t like me and I have no reasons to care about them. I don’t even know them. Hope starts the car after we’ve loaded the body bag on the boot, she looks emotionless and that scares me more than anything right now because this person is only 23 years old. It seems as if she has always been doing this and has a lot of experience at it. Maybe I’m over thinking this. “Hope, I just want you to know that I’m sorry my child, I’m so sorry for putting you through this” I can’t help but feel guilty she had to help me cover up my things. I feel really bad about my twins too, yes I had Hope outside my marriage then had twins with Vusi. Melokuhle and khayalethu, they are overly fond of their father and honestly thinking about it now I don’t even know what I’ll say to them should they ask me about him. “it hurts I don’t want to lie Ma, but loosing dad and loosing you at the same time is going to be really hard for me, I understand why you did it, but I don’t understand why you had to kill him like this I will never understand that Ma, After this I really think we should part ways” she gives me one glance. Buyiswa Dube. Side chick made fiancée! I cannot believe my life today. After everything Vusi and I had to go through with that crazy woman of his? I think I deserve this new title. MRS SMITH who can dispute that? No one! My man and I have been the best couple ever it has been a blissful 10 years as his most loved and well cared for Side chick, I can’t say it never got to me that he dated me for years and also had a wife. It hurts even today but fortunately for me he finally realized that he had to divorce that old school granny and bring me on board. I’m thrilled I’m happy I’m so ready to kick her out of that mansion! “friend that man loves you! Look at the size of that ring Ma you look like royalty” flaunting my finger at Bianca’s face, making sure she sees the big diamond on that finger “You haven’t seen enough my friend, that man is going to make me the happiest woman on earth” I take another sip on my chapel sweet rose’ hubby to be bought me as he was bringing me groceries “hmm it’s funny how sure you are about this man, chomi he is a married man and we all know what married men say to keep them thighs open so they can keep chowing effortlessly” Tumi has never had my best interest at heart. “says a woman dating married man, If you don’t want to celebrate our friends big day then I think you should leave because jealousy is written all over your face” that’s Bianca my bestie. “no I’m not jealous, besides I know why I’m dating a married man. It’s not for love but more of transactions” isn’t that supposed to be prostitution? Oh well we don’t care “just give up Choma there’s no way you’re getting a diamond as big as this one from that Nigerian man of yours” Bianca can be so spiteful sometimes “at least I have a man love” we all cheer on our glasses and sip as laughter fills the entire room, I love both my friends equally but then I also know that between them there’s a positive and a negative. Obviously Bianca is the positive and poor Tumi is always negative but then it doesn’t mean I will disown either of them. “So tell us girl what did you call us here for?” Getting on top of it now, Tumi never wastes time “promise you won’t freak out” I giggle as I tip toe to my bedroom to fetch their surprise. “you always freak us out, nothing is ever new with you love come on surprise us even more” that’s the already tipsy Bianca coming to me. I pull out the already opened pregnancy test on them as both of their mouths drops in shock “I AM PREGNANT” I scream jumping up and down “what!?” that is the forever negative Tumi “she’s pregnant, I thought we both heard her loud and clear” Bianca at my defense “I heard that, what I’m failing to understand is who is the father…I hope it’s not Charity’s husband” someone needs to remind me why am I friends with Tumi because all she ever does is make my life miserable with all these insecurities of hers. “hau Tumi she’s been in a relationship with that man for 10 years what did you expect?” Bianca gives her that deathly stare “but you knew all along that he was married to our friend” oh how I forget that Tumi still values Charity more than me “Vusi loves me you know that very well” he’s always loved me more than Charity “I’m tired of keeping this a secret from charity Buyi, just please count me out of these things” she grabs her bag and charges to the door,