LOVE BINDS. PART SIX. I: DEATH, NIGHTMARES AND LAUGHTER.

The weeks that followed were nothing short of amazing for me, Bison and I kept in touch on a daily basis. Call day celebrations, promotion celebrations and a new job celebration on my end. Life was becoming a whirlwind of adulting and I actually didn’t mind. Bison was both excited and stressed about some case she was working on. She said it was a career making case for her and everyone else on her team if they worked it right. She did not give me further details because, well, confidentiality and all that nonsense penguin suits refer to. The following Thursday night, I was having a lively ‘textathone’ with Bison when a strange number called me. I picked up the call wondering who was on the other end of the line.

“Hello”           

“Ishmael, hi”

The voice sounded too familiar and I immediately started getting chills.

“Mwiinga? Is this  Mwiinga?”

“Wow, I thought you forgot all about me after all this time”

“One can hardly ever forget the girl who gently broke his heart after giving his body, mind and soul to her entirely”

“Please, don’t say that. You know that wasn’t my intention.”

“Oh yeah? Please do tell”

“You know what happened... can we like link up and just talk about this?”

“Is this why you called? Just to ask me to come and sit down to talk about why you broke my heart?”

“I’m sincerely sorry bab-, sorry, Ishmael. I just want to set things right”

We couldn’t discuss everything over the phone she said. The best would be to link up and talk she said.

I drove down to her neighbourhood around 8pm and parked outside her flat. I didn’t want to go inside the house because I never really liked her sister who doubled as her housemate. I texted her and she came to join me in the car. I did not even bother to come out of the car to hug her or whatever helpless romantics do. She got in the car, we said our pleasantries and I pulled back my seat so I could stare at the car roof whilst Mwiinga spoke. I did not want to stare at her because I was afraid of all the emotions that could bring back. And hell she looked finer than I last remembered her. Time had been gracious to her.

She started to apologise all over again about the break up and her decision to turn to church. She went on about how it was all good in the beginning that she even joined the choir. She was so committed to her cause that she never missed a day of choir rehearsal. Eventually Br. Tim, the choir master, started to make moves on her. She liked him because he seemed more spiritually mature than most guys in the choir. And he was always extra nice to her. He was real, not a hypocrite and he was so sensual. Not long after that, they had an affair and she didn’t mind that it was sin after all he had constantly indicated his desire to marry her. Unfortunately, she learnt that he also made such commitments to six other girls in the choir that she knew of and that really made her mad.

“So why are you telling me all this?” I asked.

“I left you for something I thought would never hurt me but the pain I feel right now is too great for me to handle. I now see that karma exists and I am being punished for the pain I caused you. Please forgive me Ishmael.” She started sobbing.

I sat up to start comforting her - which I have always sucked at. We hugged and I told her not to worry because all would be well.

“I never stopped loving you Ishmael, I never did.”

I kept hugging her soft warm body and did not say a thing. She kissed my neck and I knew I was in trouble. This girl knew ALL my buttons and how to work them–very well for that matter. We kissed so passionately that I felt everything I thought I had forgotten and moved on from. She pushed me back to my seat and blew me. I must admit that for a flute that got blown as often as mine did, she really blew me away. It must have been all that microphone practice she had been getting from the choir. She got me to a point of so much desire that I didn’t even notice how she jumped on top to consummate what she had started.

When we were done, she apologized for losing control and I drove away without much to say. There was nothing to say. It was an odd encounter. On my way back home, I could not help but think about how I missed her love and fire burning passion especially during those marathons. My head was spinning all over the place. I needed a drink. I drove up to the nearest liquor store for some good vodka.

As I walked up to the counter with my vodka, my phone rang.

<< M. BISON Calling...>>

I composed myself and picked up.

“Bison!”

“Butah, where are you?”

“I’m by our liquor store getting some dopes”

“Iwe chikala, land. I need some alcohol in my system plus I could use a distraction right now”

“So lelo I am a distraction?”

“Iwe just land. Bring the beer”

“Kupusa! Ok nabwela. By...”

“Alo wait. Don’t cut the line like it’s your airtime ala. Don’t buy that rubbish of yours, I want my usual Trip...”

“Triple distilled single malt scotch, I know. Like there’s any real difference. BUT that’s a debate we shall never conclude”

We laughed about it as the call ended.

Straight away I went to her place. Her mom was already asleep by then. She brought glasses and my ice.

“So what is it that you need distraction from?” I asked.

“I found out something in my research about this case that I now think is linked to very high offices in Government. In the beginning it seemed like a small link but it is much larger than we initially thought”

“How high up the government ladder?”

“So far. Veep’s office was clearly involved”

“Shit! Was money involved?”

“Is money ever not involved?”

“How much?”

“I can’t tell you all those details. You know that! I can only say it is millions of dollars that we know of so far”

“Damn! Anyone else you have told about this?”

“Just my boss... and now you” she pinched my nose in a flirtatious manner and laughed.

She then plugged her phone to the home theatre system and started to play Views. The familiar rhythm of One Dance filled the air. It felt like Bison, hip hop and all it encompassed felt like her.

“Do you ever listen to anything besides hip hop?” I asked

“Come on, this is Drake! It doesn’t count as hip hop. The nigga is in his feels all the time!”

“But it still does.”

“Ok fine, let me shock you!”

She picked up her phone and selected a different playlist “Slow Jamz”. My eyes nearly popped out when I saw that title on her phone. The first song that played was Andrea Martin’s “The Best of Me”. It was ironic how she knew the song word for word and literally sang it for me. I could not tell whether it was the alcohol working or she knew what it looked like with her slow dancing and singing for me. Seeing her like that really turned me on. As the song was coming to an end, she came so close to me and kissed me. Her lips were a little rigid, probably because of her understandable inexperience. I pulled her down to lie on my laps while we kissed even more.

Her heart was racing almost as fast as mine. I started to touch all the right places and could not believe that this was really happening. Before long, our clothes were on the floor and the couch was our trusted ally. After the first round, we took more alcohol and before we knew it, we had taken it into her bedroom. We blacked out after a couple of sessions.

At exactly 6:00AM, her alarm went off and woke me up. I pushed her with my elbow

“Bison, wake up and cut that alarm out”

She did not answer.

“BISON!”

Nothing.

So I turned and tried to move her by her shoulder and she turned on her back, her neck slit with blood on the sheets. Blood rushed to my head, I started to slap her very cold cheeks

“BISON, WAKE UP!” I tried to turn her neck as my tears burnt with tears. My hands covered in her blood, I couldn’t help but hug her and hope she woke up.

“BISOOOOOOON!!!” I cried.