THE GIRL WITH METAL
“Ten pm sounds good,” Munyaradzi said.
“No, I don’t like it. It’s a bit too early. I prefer twelve,” Melissa spoke out.
“Why do you think you always have the final say?” a voice spoke out from the group of four.
“Well, because whenever one of you plans it out, which I have allowed so many times, it never goes well. My experience beats all your intelligent talk,” Melissa spoke, rising to her feet.
“Or maybe you aren’t used to a woman calling the shots, you are new, I understand you, Victor. You will get used to it,” Melissa continued.
Victor curled up, as shy as a squirrel, and placed his head down, seeming to be in deep prayer.
“Anything else, any more suggestions?” Melissa said, wishing to end the meeting very soon. She saw a hand up. “Yeah Ken,” she said prompting him to talk.
“Can you be my pimp too? I am up for a hire.” Everyone burst into laughter, including Melissa. As it was, Ken was the funny guy in the group but still quite focused, if not the most focused. It wasn’t something unexpected but he probably did it to lighten the mood.
“Okay guys, nice seeing you. I will see you at twelve and get the word out.” Soon after she said this, the air was filled with metal screeching the floor and jackets zipping up.
Now, in a neighbourhood not so far from where this meeting had taken place, Jacob sat on a chair in front of a MacBook. In front of him on the bright screen seemed to be something like blueprints. The device was running a diagnostic test for the Mercedes which stood behind him. Jacob was the only son of the late Mr Rovambira and widow, Janet Kamanga, who had taken up her nee after her husband had committed suicide. The husband went through with this act by jumping in front of a car along Herbet Chitepo street. The unfortunate man who had to go for therapy because the ghost of guilt was haunting him was Mr Jacobs, the one who was behind the wheel that day. And also to add, Mr Jacobs, feeling sorry for the family’s man, did his research and came to discover that the man had left a widow and a young boy, who was probably seventeen by that time. The family of the man lived in Dangamvura, a low-density suburb. Life had been hitting them hard and Mr Rovambira just gave up. And soon the wife was going to do so too until Mr Jacobs stepped in and decided to take her son, Jacob, through school and provided a two-year allowance for the wife so that she could get back on her feet again. In the present, Mr Jacobs sat on a white metal chair behind the building Jacob was in. The lawn there was as green as envy and coffee from Mr Jacobs’ cup filled up the air. Yes, as it is, Jacob worked for Mr Jacobs as a mechanic, a highly specialized one. This had been, despite Mr Jacobs offering the boy numerous chances to go abroad. ‘How queer,’ Mr Jacobs always thought, ‘How queer.’
Melissa walked through the doors of a CABS building, a regional bank, located on Herbet Chitepo street, about three hundred metres from where the suicide had occurred. She stood tall, with an added fifteen centimetres from her high heels. Normally, she was one metre, eighty-five centimetres tall. She was light-skinned and had a mole in between her nose and mouth on the right side of her face. She kept natural hair and had it trimmed down in the sides. Her ears were well furnished with large, round earrings laced with black beads. She wore a plain black, armless skirt, with a streak of red at the bottom, along with red bottoms on her feet.
When she entered the bank, her presence was felt and everyone turned back to look at her, even the bank tellers. She didn’t take a seat but just stood there as if she were waiting to be served. In the city of Mutare, there weren’t so many platinum members and apparently, she was one of them. Thirty seconds later, the manager of that branch, Mrs Betty emerged from her office and walked towards Melissa. Melissa saw her walking up to her and she faced that direction. The manager meant to speak first but Melissa beat her to it. “Good..,” she paused and looked at her watch. The clock read twelve-ten and she continued, “Good afternoon, Betty. How are you doing?”
“I am quite alright. And yourself?”
“I am doing good too, thank you for asking. I have just come to make a withdrawal, nothing much.”
“Oh, is it? Alright, sure. Follow me,” Mrs Betty said as she led her to her office. She offered her a seat whilst she remained standing. “Can I get you some coffee, Melissa?”
“No, thank you. I won’t be long.”
“I insist.” And Mrs Betty smiled.
“Alright then, if you insist.” The manager nodded her head and walked out, returning after twominutes with a tray loaded with the ingredients. She set it on the brown, mahogany-wood table in front of Melissa and she went on to sit down.
“How are your sons?” Melissa asked.
“Well, they are alright. Becoming business-minded like their mother as the days go by. Timothy has a second child now, a daughter, Miriam.”
“Wow, congratulations. I will definitely pass by.” Melissa smiled.
“Thank you,” Betty spoke as she smiled back. “So how much do you want to withdraw?” the manager asked her.
“Well, I would like to take out five thousand dollars.”
“Alright, sounds good. Anything else.”
“Nothing.”
“Okay, just a minute.” Betty picked up the phone and made a brief call. Two minutes later, it rang. “They are ready for you now. Please go to teller number 3.”
“Thank you.” And Melissa stood and went to the mentioned teller and withdrew the mentioned amount. She went back to the manager’s office and thanked her. “I will be going now,” Melissa spoke, “Take care now,” she spoke as she wiggled her fingers.
“You too,” the manager responded as she waved back.
Melissa walked out of the office and through the bank door, never to be seen again in that banking hall.
“Dad, I’m pretty much done here,” Jacob told Mr Jacobs who was still sitting on the white chair on the lawn green with envy.
“Good, anything major?”
“No, just the usual. Changed a few things, the oil, the water. Nothing special.”
“Okay. So, are you going home now or are you going to join us for lunch?”
“Uum. I think I will get going. I will spend the afternoon with mom. She told me her date cancelled and she isn’t taking it well.”
“Ooh, I understand. Tell her I said hie.”
“I will. So, I will just lock up and leave the key in the passage on the wall.”
“Okay, when you are done come by. And ooh, I have already sent your salary to your account. It should reflect tomorrow, I guess. You know Zimbabwean banking.” He broke into a smile. Jacob smiled too.
So, Jacob went on to close up the garage and his working space. He took the keys and went on to hang them in the passage on one of the nails that had been hammered into the wall as he had told Mr Jacobs. He then changed into casual wear because he was still in his working gear. He had a room of his own on the Jacobs’ homestead. Mr Jacobs had taken a liking to him. He had never had an intention of taking him in like that but the boy’s character reminded him of his youth and the passion he saw in Jacob made him want to invest in him, with nothing to gain back. As Jacob was walking out of the house to go and meet Mr Jacobs he bumped into Jessica and Patricia, Mr Jacobs’ two daughters. They exchanged heys in the corridor and that was it. They saw each other almost every day so it was routine though when they did meet up, they talked and bonded well too. Jacob went on to sit in front of Mr Jacobs.
“I know you like cars son,” Mr Jacobs spoke as he cursed at the sun for giving him a dark tan. “Let’s go under the shade over there. The sun is killing me, I don’t want to use sunscreen today.” So, they moved.
“Of course, dad,” Jacob responded when they were under the shade.
“That was just a rhetorical though but anyway, I used to race as a kid you know. Both legally and illegally. I have seen you behind the wheel on my track and damn, you never stop to amaze me.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“So, there is this competition today. Underground. It’s called the MEL RUN. It’s every fortnight.”
“Okay.”
“And there is a price. Three thousand USD for first position, one thousand for second and five hundred for thirds, plus if you win, you qualify further. Bulawayo, Harare and Masvingo will join after four weeks. So, this is like, I don’t know, the quarter-finals or something.”
“O-o-kay. I don’t follow though. Do you want me to come with you?”
Mr Jacobs burst into laughter. “No, silly. For you. I think you can win. You should try it out.”
“Really? I don’t know. I am quite good where I am now. You know I have vast savings; my repair shop will be running in six months. Just need to buy a few more machines. And Jessica and I have that start-up too. What’s three thousand to me?”
Mr Jacobs shook his head and looked down. He clenched his fists and spoke, “That’s not the point Jacob. I know you have more than enough. Don’t get me wrong. It’s about you, you don’t go out much. Just work and mom, you don’t relax. Take it from me. I am 57 and I wish I had enjoyed a little more when I was your age.”
“I don’t know,” Jacob thought hard with a blank face.
“Well, think about it.” Kurayi the gardener emerged from behind Mr Jacobs and handed his boss the Mercedes keys. Jacob had never seen these keys before. “Thank you Kurayi,” and Kurayi nodded back and returned to his work. Mr Jacobs slid the key on the metal table to Jacob. “Think about it,” Mr Jacobs spoke. “You know where to leave the keys if you decide not to go. And Kurayi will show you where the car is. My special collection, you have never seen it before.” Mr Jacobs stood up and spoke for the last time before he left. “Twelve am at the roundabout near Mutare Boys High. Good luck.” He smiled and left, leaving Jacob there for twenty minutes to think. Next thing you know, the Mercedes was rolling down the driveway, Jacob behind the wheel and he left his Honda Fit at his dad’s residence. He left for Fern Valley, where he had relocated his mother. He himself lived in Dangamvura, waiting for the perfect moment when he could leave. In any case, he had bought two stands in Murambi and one more in Darlington. He had achieved all this after going to Mutare Polytechnical College for a few years whilst taking online classes in a prestigious school Mr Jacobs had arranged for.
So, Jacob went to spend the rest of the afternoon at his mother’s and the evening at his own residence in Dangamvura before he left for the race at twenty-three-hundred hours.
Melissa was the daughter of a bishop, was in her third year of divorce and stayed at her sister’s place, Emily. Melissa’s father had disowned her after she had filed a divorce for Joseph, her former husband. Her dad was a traditional man and so was Melissa’s mother, Karen. They had told her that she should stay for the sake of the child, for the family’s name and because being a good wife meant you had to endure some things and pray for a brighter day. Karen even said that Melissa’s father hadn’t always been faithful but she stuck around and now they were stronger than ever. But Melissa wasn’t having it. She had been the typical African woman. Obedient, forgiving, submissive, respectful and for all that, the husband repaid her with unfaithfulness, occasional slaps and abuse of all sorts. So, now Melissa was taking care of her 3-year-old son alone, refusing maintenance from Joseph, the child’s father. She had been from a well-to-do family and her father had signed a lot of property and a few accounts under her name just before the marriage and had specifically mentioned that she would choose what to do with it, not her husband. Melissa’s father was traditional but still had business sense. Melissa, being naïve at that point in her life, had allowed her husband to exploit her and got to a breaking point after two years of being silent and obedient. So, the divorce came as a shocker to everyone but no one had known that she had been bubbling from day one. Now, she had invested the money into various businesses, had a start-up with Emily and had a hobby, car-racing, which she organized every fortnight. The participation fee was a hundred dollars which was meant to deal with the police and unforeseen expenses.
“Emily, Emily!” Melissa shouted.
“Yes.”
“I am leaving now; I will be back in three hours. Take care.”
“You too, sis.”
“And get me pizza when you come back. I will be starving by then.”
“Okay.” And she headed out.
The lights shone on the gravel road, which had potholes in a few places. All kinds of cars graced Rekayi Tangwena street. People’s voices filled the air, engines being revved and boosters waking up the people who lived nearby. The police had already been dealt with and calls to the police for noise-making would be futile but occasionally the chief of police would just send text messages like, “Try to keep it as low as possible. I have had a lot of complaints today,” or “No complaints, wow. Tonight was impressive,” and the like.
“Okay people,” Melissa spoke out, shouting but with a sensible volume. “You got the texts. You know the routes; you know the rules. Rekayi Tangwena, Plantation then towards ZAOGA church, turn at Mutare Junior and along Chaminuka towards the park, then Rekayi again, Starling road, Park road, then to Josiah and again along Plantation and finally, back here. Good?”
The air was filled with the word ‘YEAH!’
“Good now, and I am not racing today. “There is a new cat around.” Everyone started looking around trying to see who the new person was. “God knows who told him about this place. Hope you ain’t no mole. Because you don’t wanna know what we do to moles. What do we do to moles boys?”
Everyone shouted, “MGH!”
“Meaning what for the newcomer?”
“Mutare General Hospital,” they responded.
“Goods, boys rangu. 10 minutes, check your cars, get ready.”
Then everyone went back about their business. Engines started running, doors opening and slamming. Melissa walked up to Jacob and without hesitating asked, “How did you know about this meeting?”
“Mr Jacobs.”
“Oh, that old man. He used to race some two years back. That bastard always won.”
“Really, I never knew that. Everyone has a private life, huh?”
“Apparently. What are you riding in?”
“That,” and he pointed to the Mercedes. It was an old model, purely manual, beautiful yellow 300-SL with butterfly doors.
“I never saw that one before. You must be special for him to release that to you. Mr Jacobs can be a hard man and for him to love a man like this, considering he is white, and not that I am saying he is racist, is just something.”
“Go figure.” And Jacob just stared at her.
“You must be special to him.”
“It’s complicated,” was all Jacob squeezed out. “Let me get going now.”
“Good luck,” she told Jacob.
“Thanks,” he responded. As Jacob walked away, a stranger walked up to him, shaking his head, “She never wishes anyone good luck.” And the stranger walked away. And it appeared something struck Jacob and he walked back to Melissa. He held her hand, trying to get her attention. She immediately withdrew her hand from the grip and looked back.
“Ooh, it’s you. You spooked me.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Five minutes left. What’s up?”
“Can you ride with me?” Jacob asked trying to look composed yet his heart was beating with a thud as loud was Thor’s hammer hitting the Hulk.
“Well, that’s odd. We just met. Why should I ride with you? I am not so trusting.” she said.
“Hmm, I don’t know. The way you spoke in front there, gave me the chills and I just had an instant liking.”
“Huh, is that your plan? Try and charm the boss with an old man’s whip, ain’t happening.”
“I anticipated this. Well, what can I offer?”
“Now you are going overboard. Don’t you get it I said NO! And anyways you look soft, I am a hustler, I have vision. You look unsure of yourself and couldn’t even bring your own whip to race.”
“So, if your dad gives you a car and says you can race with it, would you say no?” She stepped back in shock.
“Now, Mr Jacobs is your dad. Don’t be delusional. Now I even doubt I should come in there with you.”
“He is my dad. Well, at least after my dad passed, he took me up as his own.”
“Now you want to appeal to my empathy. Don’t be fooled, I ain’t no fool. I have had my share fair of men. Okay, one question. It will determine if I hop in or not.”
“Shoot.”
“Where do you live and what do you drive?”
“Dangamvura, I drive a Honda Fit.” She burst out laughing. “Really? At least you didn’t lie so I give you a point for honesty which I don’t find much in men these days” she spoke. “So, what are you bringing to the table? I told you already we don’t match. I drive a Nissan GTR 2020 version, I have a vision. All that’s on my mind making money and taking care of my son. And you are…?” And she raised her hands with open palms.
“I am opening up shop soon, car repair shop for the elite of the city in 6 months. I have a few businesses running. I tell you, in three years, all roads will lead to Mutare. I have been plotting all this for a while and I can’t fail.” The way he spoke made Melissa get shivers. His shyness had left and now his eyes were alit, shining. His posture had changed and he resonated a hustler spirit she hadn’t seen in a while. She was sure this wasn’t just her feeling or seeing things.
“Hmmm. Yet you live in Dangamvura and drive a Honda Fit?”
“You don’t increase expense as your income increases, you should be able to buy an item 5 times over to know if you can afford it and I can buy 20 Honda Fits right now. But I am waiting for the perfect moment to move out.”
Her jaw dropped and she was lost for words. A voice shouted, “One minute left Melissa.”
“Okay Victor,” she shouted back. “You take over, I am riding with one of the boys.”
Then she faced Jacob, “So, you a hustler like me, huh?”
“I guess I am.”
“I will ride with you then.” Then she lifted her track top revealing her left hip. “And if you try anything funny,” and she looked down, towards her hip. There was a shining silver metal, so polished that Jacob saw his own reflection there.
“I feel you. I carry metal on my hip too, something pops taught me, Mr Jacobs that is.”
She nodded back. ‘Good, finally someone who understands me,’ she said in her mind. They walked to the car together and got inside. “Nice interior uhmm. What is your name by the way?”
“Jacob.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Mel…” He interrupted her. “No need, I have figured it out already, you are famous around these parts.” She smiled at him and so did he. He started the engine and revved the car a few times. He looked straight ahead and saw a man standing in the middle of the road. He held a board-like structure that was counting down. “You go when the green light switches on.” Jacob nodded back. “Don’t forget your seat-belt, Mel.” She looked at him, “Only my friends call me Mel, let’s keep it at Melissa for the meantime.” “Okay,” he responded.
The light turned green and Jacob took off, racing down the street. Meanwhile, Melissa’s mind was racing also, wondering how fate had made him meet Jacob and was excited at the fact how she was going to talk all about him with her sister over that pizza.
“So, where are you originally from?” Melissa asked.
WATCH OUT FOR PART II
