Sarah was on campus on a Friday afternoon when Tricia called to ask where she was. Tricia arrived ten minutes later to pick her up and took her to her uncle's residence. Her uncle was pacing up and down, as they walked in, making and receiving calls, speaking in coded language.

'What's going on?' Sarah asked Tricia, who was washing up dishes by the sink. Tricia rarely ever did dishes.

'If I tell you, don't tell anyone ok, even Bongani, ok?'

Sarah and Bongani had been officially dating for two months, though Bongani insisted that he had started counting from the day he accompanied her to the salon. Sarah nodded her head in response. Tricia frantically washed her hands and dried them off on her blouse.

'Give me your phone, that way I'll know you won't spread any information'

'What?' Sarah stared at her in disbelief.

'Do you want to know or not? I'll hold onto it until dad says it's ok. I'll tell him you're not handing it over.'

Sarah sighed and gave it up. 'This better be good'

Tricia put it in her pocket and held Sarah's hands.

'Dad received info that things are not ok in Lilongwe.... something to do with the...president.'

'What about the president?' Sarah was slightly annoyed. She needed her phone back.

'He's in critical condition....do you know what that means? It means things could go bad; we might lose him.'

Sarah wanted to argue but gave up before her thoughts became speech. Was it really necessary to take her phone away? It was only when her dad called to check up on her the next day when she realized the situation the country was in. Bingu wa Mutharika had suffered a heart attack and was flown to South Africa. The military were now guarding the vice president, Joyce Banda. Joyce was to become the first female president of Malawi.

***

Themba was at Becky's place watching the current affairs on BBC, while tuned into the radio at the same time.

'If Zodiak hadn't come through, we would've been in the dark about a lot of things,' he said as he pulled out an earphone to converse with Becky. She sat next to him on the couch and gave him a glass of wine.

'How do you manage to watch TV and listen to the radio at the same time?' She looked at him, dazed. She put her feet on Themba's laps, suggesting a massage.

'Can we watch a movie instead?' She flipped through the DSTV channels and settled for a romantic comedy. 'Malawi is not ready for a female president,' Becky commented as Themba massaged her feet. 'Too much jealousy. Women don't like to see fellow women prospering.'

'As a woman, why don't you change that?' Themba asked.

'I don't pay you to question me,' she gave him a sneaky grin. Her phone rang and she got up to pick it up in the other room. From what Themba could gather, it was Becky's on-and-off boyfriend from Lilongwe. She was advising him to find a way to get close to the new president, without cutting ties with his political party. Themba let out a deep breath. He could've chosen not to care about Becky's life. He still came through to clean the place, though Becky was less concerned about the housework. She called him her stress diffuser, and even though he didn't mind the extra services he was offering, he longed for a deeper connection with her.

'Was that the landlord?' He asked when she returned.

'Excuse me?'

'Was that the landlord, the man who pays for this house?'

'You think I can't afford this house? Oh wow? So, I receive money from sugar daddies to get myself a Ben 10?'

Themba rose from the couch and went to get his bag from Becky's room. Becky trailed behind him.

'Don't you ever call me a Ben 10 again? Ok?' He pointed at Becky who was standing by the door, watching him.

'Who are you to judge my choices? What do you want to know? That I'm in touch with an ex who's getting married soon? That he still calls me when he's confused and needs to make important life decisions? Maybe I was feeling really lonely on that day I made a move on you. Are you just a boy toy to me? It depends on how you feel about that. But you and I both know you're not going to introduce me to your friends or family as a girlfriend! So, if you want us to continue our complicated relationship, while being open about all other things, you can put your bag down, or you walk and never show your face here again!'

Sarah was busy preparing for their end of semester exams as Bongani kept himself busy with basketball, being sought after by basketball clubs. She missed him. They could only meet after dinner to talk until Sarah begged him to let her go sleep.

'My dad is coming over tomorrow and would like to meet you,' he told her one night.

'What? You told your dad about us?' She asked, almost horrified. He laughed at her reaction

'You mean your parents don't know about me? And I thought I meant the world to you!' Bongani replied sarcastically.

'Ha! You don't know Dr. and Mrs. Tebulo.'

'So, they're back home thinking their daughter is attending classes and writing exams, and that's it?'

'Don't get me started on those two,' she replied and sighed.

'I think your parents are cool people. They raised you, look how you came out.'

'Indeed! Look how I came out! What I do has never been good enough, not to their standards. There should've been a better grade; a better way to dress; a better way to speak......My life has been filled with should have's Bonnie. And even though I'm here in Zomba, sometimes I feel that Tebulo pressure getting to me. Forcing me to wake up at 2am even though I slept late. Forcing me to join as many clubs, forcing me to....'

'Forcing you to change your hairstyle every week,' Bongani interrupted her and smiled.

'No baby, that is all me,' she clapped her hands and smiled back.

Even as they sat in the dimly lit corner of the Flats ground floor, they could see each other's gestures and mannerisms. Bongani liked to bite his lower lip every ten to twenty seconds, and Sarah's chest heaved a little heavier every time she brought up an issue regarding her parents. Bongani touched her cheek with the palm of his hand.

'Did I tell you how much I love the cornrows?' He asked her.

She closed her eyes and tears streamed down her cheeks. He took her into his arms and held her.

'I love them so much; I'd like to see you keep them another week.'

'Really?' She raised her head slightly to look at him.

'Yes, I'd even pay you to keep them!'

Sarah let out a huge laugh. 'Being with you just feels so right,' she muttered as she found herself in his arms again. He kissed her on the forehead and held her tightly.

***

Bongani's finger tapping on the restaurant table became more hurried the longer he waited. Time and again, nearby customers in the would turn to look at him but that still didn't stop him. His dad was running late, and Sarah would end up arriving before him and his dad had a chance to talk. The waiter came again to ask if he was ready to order. Mr. Kabotolo finally showed up and ordered two Cokes before he sat down.

'Just leave the menu here and we'll call you.' He said to the waiter, placing three mobile phones on the table. 'Have you eaten?' He asked Bongani.

'No, I was waiting to know what the budget is.'

'College yomweyi yakuphunzitsani budget! Anyway!' His dad flipped through the menu pages. 'Zikuyenda koma?'

'Yeah, I'm hoping zijazi zatheka.' Bongani was now shaking his legs.

His dad called for the waiter and ordered meals.

'Where is my apongozi?' His dad asked, checking the time on his watch.

'She was at the library; she'll be arriving shortly.'

'Mwapeza mkazi wanzeru koma muli busy ndi ma basketball!' His dad pointed at him with a fork.

'I tried my best.... The team has been demanding too much of my time. Three clubs are trying to sign me.'

'Clubs? You come here talking about clubs! Basketball clubs? Iwe! Iwe! U' Yo wanu'wu ukupwetekani!'

Sarah entered the restaurant and headed towards their table. Bongani's face immediately relaxed at her presence. He liked how the burnt orange A-line dress she was wearing flowed with her body. He pulled up the chair for her and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

'Abiti Tebulo, welcome,' Bongani's dad broke the awkward silence. 'I'm good friends with your dad. We meet often.'

Sarah pursed her lips and nodded.

'Uyu anakunamiza chani kuti umulole?' Bongani's dad asked, now turned to Sarah to give her his full attention.

Bongani's dad later on dropped them off. After giving Sarah some money and letting her get back to her day, Bongani's dad got into the car and gave Bongani a slightly thick A4 envelope.

'Next semester, I expect you to work hard, ok! Attend classes, write assignments and exams, ok! Sind'zapangaso izi wamva? First and last time!'

Bongani agreed. He received his allowance, and waited for his dad to leave before he opened the envelope. He got to his dorm and double-counted the papers in the envelope. They were seven in total, and in chronological order. Now he had to find a way to take the answers with him to the exam room the next week.

Sarah had noticed changes in her mum's behaviour when she went home during the holiday. If it wasn't a closed meeting in the TV Room with one of the many relatives Sarah stopped keeping count on, it was strange men or women stopping by with potted plants and bottles filled with funny-looking liquids. They usually showed up after her dad left for work. Sarah tried to get Linda involved in investigating but she seemed unbothered.

'Anaphi, what is Ma doing kodi?' Sarah finally asked their longtime maid one day during the Christmas Break.

'Mmmmh, ine ayi.' Anaphi replied, fueling Sarah's curiosity even more.

As the days drew closer to Christmas, there was no mention of the family's annual vacation. It was then when Sarah decided to confront her mother. The usual weird looking man had showed up that day with a black plastic bag. Sarah waited until the man was gone and her mum was in her room, when she walked in on her and found her sprinkling a substance from the black bag into her father's shoes.

'Mum, what are you doing?'

Her mum dropped the bag on the floor, it's powdery-ash staining the creamy-brown rug.

'What are you doing here? Get out! Out!'

Sarah left the room bewildered, dialing her dad's number a couple of times with no response. He picked up after the fourth attempt.

'Dad, something weird is-!' Sarah was smacked before she could finish speaking and the phone fell to the floor.

'Iwe!' Her mum picked it up and cut the line 'You're going to call right now and tell him you made a mistake.'

Sarah couldn't tell if her mum was shaking from the realization that she had slapped Sarah, or the fact that she had called her dad.

'A mistake in what? I saw what I saw! What the hell are you doing mum? Are you trying to kill dad?'

Sarah's phone rang whilst in her mum's hands

'You're going to pick up and say anything, not what you saw!'

'Why mum? Why?'

'Because your father is planning to leave us!'

The words pierced through Sarah as her phone rang two more times before it stopped. She retreated to her room and her mum trailed behind her.

'You're too young to understand these things!' Her mum's face was now tear-strained.

'Mum, please.... don't, just don't. I just need to be alone right now.'

Sarah later on lied to her dad that she had heard rumours of an impending strike back at UNI. He didn't ask about it when he got home. After dinner, she heard her dad's footsteps heading to the kitchen. His exchange of words with her mum went from hushed to elevated. She peeped out of her room and saw her dad with the pair of shoes her mum tampering with earlier on.

'So, you bring your relatives all the way from Mzimba to contaminate my shoes! You want to kill me quicker now!'

'Bambo a Sarah, don't speak like that now.'

'I want you out of this house tonight! Now Nyajere! Now!'

'Where will I go at this time of the night? Please!'

'Ukafunse amene amakutuma'wo!'

Sarah walked into the hallway at the same time as Linda.

'Daddy, you said mummy won't get in trouble about the shoes,' Linda walked to her dad and held his hand.

'Linda was updating me on everything that was going on here. It was only when Sarah made that call, when I put the pieces together. NyaJere, mpaka kundithirira mankhwala mu nsapato?'