Mirror, mirror on the wall

Kundai and Chipo routinely drove in and out of their gated compound in their affluent suburb. Their residence association had built a wire cage on the main road to house their rubbish bags for the municipality refuse collection. The refuse company had become increasingly erratic; whether they forgot to collect, or their vehicles had broken down, or they had no fuel, no-one knew. On those non-collection days, feral dogs would rip open the black rubbish bags as they foraged, leaving the decomposing waste scattered in the street. In the summer heat, hordes of blue bottle flies feasted while maggots multiplied, despite the unbearable smell of the decomposing mass.

"Have you noticed, someone is rummaging through the waste bags?"

"You do choose some strange morning topics, Chipo! Why would I notice such things?"

"It's just yesterday after my early morning run; I saw an old vagrant going through the rubbish scavenging for God knows what. Judging by his ragged clothes which look as if they are starched with dirt, he's been living on the streets. I felt sorry for him, so I gave him food."

"Here we go! Given a chance Chipo, you would rescue every stray man, woman or dog!"

"I'm just saying."

The following week as the couple left their complex, they bumped into the old tramp lugging a large plastic bag as he made his way up the street.

"Kundai, look! That's the man I was talking about."

"Leave well alone. That's probably another hard-luck story in the making. What has it to do with us? I hope you are not going to take him up as a charity case! Once you start helping him out, your conscience will keep on eating you and knowing you, you'll get more and more embroiled in his life. Take your empathy elsewhere. We have enough on our plate, what with looking after both our extended families in the rural areas."

"Sometimes I wonder who I married. It's as if you have no sympathetic bone in your body," said Chipo.

The conversation kept niggling Chipo and the following morning on her way back from her run, panting as she approached their gate, the same man was there, picking through the waste.

"Morning Grandpa. Are you at it again? Don't you know of some organisation or someone who can help you? It can't be much of a life living in the street."

"My child, if I did know where to get help, I wouldn't be doing what I am doing. It's certainly not by choice," he said with a wry grin.

"I can't keep giving you food every time I meet you. Isn't there something more constructive I can do to help out?"

"The food you give is a blessing, and it's not many who would spend time talking to the likes of me; never mind offering help. You know, I used to live in a place like yours. Not as grand, of course. But I had a family and then everything ... It's a long story."

"Grandpa. It's your lucky day because I have time to spare before I go to work. Come and at least have some food and clean up in our cottage behind the main house and then you can tell me all about yourself. My husband even has some old clothes you can change into."

'Bless you, my child! Not everyone shows such kindness."

Chipo escorted the stranger into the yard. She tried to ignore the stench of his unwashed body and kept a respectable distance; while imagining lice in his mattered dreadlocked hair which completed the vision of a walking scarecrow.

'Grandpa, go in and freshen up. You can keep your old clothes if you still need them."

"My child, who would want to keep these rags? I used to wear suits in my heyday. But that's a long time ago."

        The following morning, Chipo was busy around the house, and even Kundai noticed she had an abundant supply of nervous energy.

"Chipo, is everything ok? You seem rather hyperactive today. Has something happened?"

"I'll come straight to the point. You know that vagrant I mentioned before? He was here. Not in the house. I know how security conscious you are, but I allowed him to wash in the cottage and then we got talking, and I am sure you will want to hear his story. So, I've invited him to come and meet you today."

'You're joking! Why would I want to meet a homeless man, especially one who's been paying clandestine visits in my absence? I knew…"

"Kundai, I'm serious. I have my reasons. Just bear with me."

Exasperated, Kundai went into his study and settled in his favourite chair; scrolling through his phone messages, Chipo returned and said in a hesitant voice, "Kundai, this is our visitor."

Round the corner appeared a clean-shaven man with a slight stoop; a version of himself, perhaps thirty years older. The figure had Kundai's large brown eyes like someone with proptosis. The older man shuffled in clutching a felt hat and wearing an old blazer, shirt and tie that looked distinctly like Kundai's rejects. Kundai did a double-take as he slowly rose to his feet and ushered the visitor to a sofa by the window. Lost for words, the younger man slumped back in his seat and continued staring at an older version of himself. Chipo uncertain what to do next turned to Kundai before leaving the room,

"I'm sure you have a lot to say to each other. I'll leave you to it."

Kundai was left sensing that this stranger sitting opposite, had more in common with him than he wanted to know. Whoever the visitor was, he seemed very familiar.  

"I'm sorry, my wife assumes we know each other. Who are you?"

"Kundai, don't you know me? Take a guess," said the visitor.

"I don't like guessing games, and I don't know what game Chipo is playing, but I have a right to ask who you are before I turf you out of my house!"

"I'm your father! Don't you remember me?"

"You mean the one who left Mum and I when I was in my teens? And you expect me to welcome you with open arms?"

"You've grown up to be a fine young man. I have been searching high and low after coming across an old newspaper article about you. You're now a rising star in the banking world! Congratulations my son!"

"Anyone can come off the street and claim to be related to me. I've no business with you and suggest you leave before I call the police."

"Honestly, I am your father. Can't you not see the resemblance? You are the spitting image of me when I was your age. I've still got the newspaper clip if you don't believe me."

"Whether I believe you or not is not the point. I am sorry, please leave."

Without another word, the older man closed the door behind him as Kundai, no longer confident he had done the right thing, became fixated with something out of the window. All he knew was that a man claiming to be his father had for a short while filled a void. His mother had told him very little about how his parents had slid into bitterness and separation. He picked up his cell-phone and dialled.

"Kundai, you are phoning rather early today. I was hanging my washing. How are you and Chipo? Kundai?"

"Sorry. Hie Mum. My thoughts were elsewhere. We're fine, and you?"

"I am sure you are busy at work. Will you have time to visit your old mother, just for a quick cup of tea? You know I don't have many visitors."

"Have you got a minute? Something extraordinary happened this morning, and you are the only person who can give me answers. I'd rather talk on the phone than come and see you."

"I'm listening."

Kundai burst out, "Chipo has been entertaining someone who claims to be my father!"

"That daughter in law of mine! Go on."

" He came to the house today, to see me on her invitation. I didn't even ask for an identity card or anything, but I could instinctively tell that the man was my flesh and blood. Although he looked malnourished, our eyes are the same. For a moment, I could envisage myself in my old age. I thought you said he had left for good."

"He has a nerve! After all these years and he dares to turn up at your gate. He would not try that trick with me!"

"Mum! Whatever disagreements the two of you had in the past, I don't want to get caught in the crossfire. What happened between the two of you, that I ended up without a father?"

After a brief silence, Kundai's mother narrated her story. Samson, his father, left after disagreements which ended in an acrimonious family meeting. Even though his parents had been childhood sweethearts, something changed when Samson became a successful businessman. The trips abroad to meet clients became more numerous and extended. The unexplained absences were more frequent, initially under the guise of out-of-town golf tournaments and exploring new business opportunities. Whenever Kundai's mother offered to accompany him, major rows exploded over trust, to the point that she resigned herself to bringing up their son as if she was a single parent. Increasingly depressed, she slowly withdrew from their social circle. She turned down invitations because in her mind, her social status and who she was, was so intricately tied up with who she had married. It was as if she no longer had an identity of her own.

It didn't take long before the rumours started circulating among their friends. Samson seemed oblivious to his brazen philandering, and his distinct green Volvo would occasionally be seen parked outside a block of flats, sometimes all night. Eventually, Samson decided he wanted to 'find himself', and he admitted his marriage was no longer what he wanted in life. One day, he just packed and left; golf clubs and all.

"Mum, I can hear the pain in your voice, even after all these years. I'm sorry I just wanted to know what happened. I was too young to understand the goings-on, and it was not my place to ask. All I know is that I grew up without a father, and he wasn't dead. I've never plucked up the courage to get the full story from you."

"Its fine Kundai. You had to find out one day. I am still mourning the loss of my marriage. But don't get me wrong, I don't want him back! I'm just curious as to why he came to you."

"I was also taken by surprise, Mum! I, unfortunately, didn't give him a chance to explain anything. I was so cross. He probably thinks I am a soft touch, now that he is old and appears penniless!"

"How did he find you?"

"I don't know, but I am sure Chipo knows more than she's telling."

The call ended after some pleasantries and just as Chipo walked in.

"I could hear voices. I thought you were still talking to our visitor. Has he gone already?"

"Chipo, don't pretend you don't know what's going on. Are you not the one who let him into the house? I'm sure you were listening behind the door."

"That's not fair Kundai, although I will admit I tried listening in, but your voices were so low. So I decided to get on with my gardening instead. So, tell me what happened?"

"Let's not play games! You know who he is. How did you find my father?"

"I thought you would never ask! Isn't it exciting! The father who once was lost and now he's found! Did you recognise him? Its the homeless man, who was going through our rubbish! I became curious one day, after seeing a resemblance underneath all the grime and un-kept beard. I could see that it was someone who had fallen on hard times."

"So how did he get my old clothes?"

"Patience! I felt so sorry for him so yesterday, I let him use the facilities in the cottage to clean himself up and lo and behold, a transformation took place! We talked at length as he shared his pathetic tale. I then decided you should meet him. Where is he?"

"I told him to leave."

"Leave? I don't believe this! Aren't you the one who on numerous occasions tell me you missed a father figure in your life? I then find your father, and you chase him away again! You're fighting your mother's battles, that's the only explanation. He left your mother, not you!"

"You went too far, Chipo! Taking sides over a story, you know little about. Do you know that my mum had to return to work to raise school fees for me after my dad left? She has carried the burden of the scorned, deserted wife for a long time and I couldn't fill the gap my father left, no matter how hard I tried. He is a selfish old man who neglected his responsibilities. Now that he knows where we live, he'll keep coming to guilt-trip me about my responsibilities as a son! I'm not having it!"

"Kundai, I can't imagine the bitterness and hurt you, and your mother still feel. However, bitterness and anger can eat you alive. Do you think he doesn't feel ashamed and broken, coming to you in his current state, especially since you and your mum have made a success of your lives despite his absence?"

"I don't need a lecture from you Chipo! He could so easily have been a part of our lives if some skirt hadn't enticed him! More than one, so I hear!"

"Leave your parents to fight their own battles. If your mum can't bring herself to reconcile with your dad, can he not at least regain a son?"

Kundai felt tortured in awkward silence. He had so easily turned on Chipo in the tension, and sadness now permeated the room. Chipo, in turn, was now reticent, trying to gauge whether she had gone too far. Sounding calmer, Kundai said,

"I don't know why we are quarrelling and wasting our energy on the past. He made his choices, and he should live with them."

"That's not the point Kundai! Your father opened up to me and told me about his succession of women when things were still good. The last young woman, a business partner he moved in with, left him a while ago after bankrupting their business, through siphoning away assets in cohorts with the accountant. She had already begun to lose interest in your father when he became ill, and she told him she wasn't cut out to look after invalids. His life after that spiralled into despair and homelessness. He's destitute Kundai! You should have given him a chance to explain himself; even you would have felt sorry for him, after hearing such a heartbreaking story."

"So now you want me to take him in? He is gone and good riddance!"

"The hard-hearted man you are trying to portray is not you, and you know it. Give your father a chance. He's learnt his lesson. All he wants is to be part of a family again. You can trust my instincts on this one."

"Fine! Fine! To please you and end this argument, we'll give him a roof for a few days. But don't expect a reconciliation overnight. Since he's left anyway, how are we going to find him?"

"He's in the cottage. I told him to wait while I spoke to you. Kundai, we all make mistakes! I knew you would come round, or at least I hoped you would. Our firstborn is on its way and what an exciting time for his grandfather to turn up!"