CURIOUS

A single mother's relationship with her teenage daughter is tested after a viral video that scandalises their small community is leaked.

Sitting on the floor with her elbows on her knees and head in her hands, Mwape watched the woollen kinks from her head fall to the ground slowly. Judging by the low, irritable sounds of anger and frustration coming from over her shoulder, it was obvious that Amama was beyond furious. With each new line made, the buzzing sound muted but was still audible enough to make Mwape cringe helplessly. Sitting still; with a steady flow of tears going down her face, she attempted to look over her shoulder in order to break the tension; “Amama?” she said, …Amama remained silent. In a frustrated manner, she set Mwape back into a suitable position, and Amama continued with her task. 

Moments later, Mwape heard a click, and the buzzing sound abruptly cut off. Amama stood from the arm chair and left the living room, walking in the direction of her bedroom, leaving wet-faced Mwape seated alone and in a pool of woollen kinks; staring after her. Drying her tears and snot with her forearm, Mwape stood up and found herself standing in front of the living room mirror. She raised a hand to her head and felt…nothing. 

“I deserve this”, she thought. Leaning in and looking closer, Mwape realised she had never truly looked at herself before this very moment. She had no mane of riotous kinks and curls to hide under, and the lightbulb that hang overhead in the living room, reflected off her now shiny bared scalp. “I hope this teaches you a lesson.” Amama said in a cold emotionless voice startling Mwape, who jumped backwards and looked at her feet, the way you were supposed to; when you were in front of your elders and truly repentant.  

The first week back at school was the hardest. As she entered the classroom, the whispers and snickering begun. Looking around self-consciously, she took off her sunhat as she settled at her desk in the classroom and looked straight ahead at the board. The room erupted into uncontrollable laughter. “That’s what you get!” said the self-appointed grade eleven ‘correctional’ officer obnoxiously. More laughter. No one would speak to Mwape. Associating with her, would be an unparalleled social suicide. 

Back at home; Mwape followed her Amama’s instructions to remove the chicken from the freezer, wash and cut the vegetables, and remove the mealie meal from the pantry so that Amama could prepare dinner with no hustle when she arrived home from work. 

A car driving into the drive way alerted Mwape of Amama’s arrival from work. She rushed outside to welcome Amama as was custom, and helped Amama carry the groceries in to the house from the car. 

During dinner, Amama was silent. She’d been this way for almost a month now. Looking up and wearing a brave but cautious face, Mwape spoke. “Amama, I’m sorry.” Amama continued to eat, -slower this time. Mwape looked imploringly towards her, sensing Amama’s resignation and feeling a small stirring of hope, she continued sadly; “I am mummy, I don’t want you to hate me.” she finished; willing her mother to look at her. Amama swallowed the small kneaded ball of Nshima and chicken soup, sighing heavily, she put her elbows on the table, and leaned in, looking Mwape squarely in the eye. “Mwape,” she said. Stilling a fidgeting Mwape, imploring her to catch her mother’s eye; “I do not hate you, I can never hate you. I’m just disappointed.” Amama kneaded more nshima and continued to eat. Mwape sat in her chair with tears streaming from her eyes. “eat,” Amama said, and Mwape ate slowly, between hiccups and heaves of grave sorrow. 

When the dinner plates had been washed and packed away, Mwape stood in front of the mirror studying herself. Her scalp was less shiny now as a small prickling of hair was beginning to sprout from her head again. She sighed deeply and got into bed. “If only”, she thought. “If only I had not been so curious.”  

Mwape had always been a good student. In fact, despite all the going-on and disappointments that surrounded her, she was still a good student. The product of a young hard-working single mother, she knew exactly what was at stake. She must work hard and make her mother proud. Her mother had sacrificed enough to give her a good life. Amama had put aside her own spousal prospects in order to solely focus on raising her brilliant Mwape- a fact that the other women in their community had frequently, and snidely reminded her of. Amama was an attractive single woman. No one wanted her close to their husband. Thus, she was somewhat ostracised from their traditional middle-class suburban neighbourhood. All this however, didn’t matter to Amama, not the names they called her, none of it! Mwape was her star, - God’s unexpected answer to prayers she had not known she’d been making. Mwape turned over her tear-stained pillow and resolved to make it up to Amama. She would never disappoint her again. 

The feel of heat and dirt; as well as the sound of traffic and the calls of bus conductors begging pedestrians to board public transport at the Kulima Tower bus terminals in Lusaka filled the air. Their calls of “Mu-kwela? eh ba Sista, Mu-kwela?” were a familiar nuisance to Mwape, her best friend Natasha and her boyfriend Tom. They had been in town that day. The day her whole world came falling apart. Poor Natasha, she’d gotten the worst of it. Tom? He was not worth speaking of anymore. Traitor. 

Amama was slowly beginning to lighten up. She was becoming her old self again and opening up to Mwape. Mwape smiled at the thought of this. Soon she would make it up to her. Amama and Mwape sat on the couch together with a bowl of peanuts and popcorn between them. The weekends were great for catching up and watching a marathon of their favourite telenovelas. Amama had a tear in her eye from laughter as she looked at Mwape to confirm that what they had just seen on television, was indeed funny. It was. 

When the first text message came in, it was as though a floodgate had been opened. ‘Have you checked your social media pages?’ It read. Other messages and calls to follow were similar. By now, Natasha had received a phone call from her cousin in the Copperbelt and was crying hysterically. Tom sat there silently, looking guilty and uncomfortable. ‘Don’t look at the comments,’ Mwape told Natasha, rubbing her back comfortingly. ‘Let’s switch off our phones for now,’ Tom said, breaking his silence and readying himself to exit the mini-bus they had boarded at Kulima Tower station earlier. 

‘Your hair is beginning to grow back fast,’ Amama said, reaching over to gently pull on Mwape’s short Afro. ‘Yes, it is.’ Mwape replied. Amama looked sad, and rose up taking the now empty bowl with her to the kitchen for a refill. When she returned with a refilled bowl, the next episode of their favourite telenovela was just beginning. ‘Amama,’ Mwape chanced. ‘I don’t want you to be disappointed in me forever.’ Amama looked at Mwape sadly and responded. ‘I won’t be disappointed in you forever Mwape. It’ll just take time.’ ‘But the people in the neighbourhood’- Mwape begun, ‘They tell lies and call us names; they say ‘like mother like daughter’. I don’t want them to do that anymore’, Mwape sobbed. Amama set the popcorn on the table and leaned forward embracing Mwape. ‘Don’t worry about what they say. Despite everything, I love you and I am proud of you. They will always talk, what matters is that you keep your head high and learn from your mistakes. It’s time to move forward.’ 

Mwape approached the front door of her house carefully. As she reached out to turn the handle, the door swung open violently. ‘Mwape. What. Is. This?’ asked Amama angrily with tears in her eyes. ‘Amama, it was just a dare. It doesn’t mean anything,’ responded Mwape pleadingly. Amama grabbed Mwape by the ear and dragged her into the house, slamming the door shut behind them. ‘Just a dare? In school uniform no less?’ Amama screamed. Mwape dropped to her knees begging, ‘Mum, I’m sorry, -I-’ Amama briskly cut Mwape off, ‘and this Natasha girl! This isn’t her first time involved in scandals. I knew, I just knew she was a bad influence. Such a mischievous girl. Always out and about with that Tom.’ Mwape dropped her head down staring at her knees and risked a shaky- ‘Amama I-I-;’ Amama would not hear it. ‘Stay quiet Mwape. I never thought this day could come. It’s all over social media Mwape. Do you understand what you’ve done?’ Amama was pacing up and down the room in a hot temper. Mwape attempted to calm her and reach a hand out to her, Amama recoiled, sobbing violently. ‘Mwape, you know the lies they tell about me here. How can you do this? Mwape, please understand. As a single working mother, they expect me to fail. They look over their shoulder and are threatened by me. Your actions- your actions-’, Amama could not finish her sentence, defeated, she collected her belongings silently and walked towards her room; Locking the door behind her. Mwape sobbed that night. 

Seeing Amama today, eating popcorn and laughing cheerily, one wouldn’t be able to guess that anything had been off, or that she had even once been disappointed with Mwape. Mwape’s final term results were the icing on the cake. They had put Amama in a good mood. Too bad Natasha was away at boarding school outside the country, Amama used to buy them both icecream when they did well in school. Mwape missed her. Mwape’s reverie was cut-short as the main antagonist in their telenovela was shot-dead by the police. Finally, finally, all their favourite characters could live happily without interference. Mwape clapped her hands in glee and gave Amama a high-five as they cheered. 

It was Tom. Tom had leaked the video. What had begun as an innocent game of truth or dare during a Wednesday lunch break at school, soon took on an ominous turn as hormones and curiosity took over. Mwape, Natasha, Tom, Rick and Chiso had found themselves in the girls’ school bathroom, waiting for the final dare to be completed. Unnoticed by the group, Tom had taken out his phone, aiming its camera towards the two girls who would be the starring members of the short video, and he pressed record. For whatever reasons he had, Tom felt the need to share the footage with a ‘close’ friend of his. The risky footage spread as violently as a virus in their conservative and religious school within two days. By Sunday night, Mwape was staring at her bald head in the mirror. 

‘I love you’ Amama said as they curled up on the couch together. Mwape smiled, ‘I love you too’ she responded. 

END