Chapter two
"Getting things started- new opportunities, heartaches"
Peter entered University on a high note. He was a real academician. He was in the School of Natural Sciences. Both were in first year with Andy and yet they did not know each other. Coming from a well to do family meant that he would never stay in campus. Coming from an elite family; he would rent an apartment outside campus. He felt the sanitary conditions in campus were so pathetic. He wanted the best things for himself as he pursued his medical degree. He was such a down to earth guy despite coming from an affluent family. His father had wanted to buy him a posh sports car but he declined. He opted to be given a simple corolla. He never wanted so much attention to himself. He preferred to keep a low profile. Peter rented an apartment in Marshlands which was such an exclusive area; only the elite lived there. He wanted to put in his best. He met some of the best brains in the country under the School of Natural Sciences. The most sought after courses to major in were Medicine and Civil Engineering. Everyone wanted to major into these two courses. However medicine attracted the most prestige. The entry points were so high. Peter knew just how much he needed to work in order to make the entry into the school. The good thing with him was that he was a young man who liked church so much unlike his young brother John who was a drunkard and a weed smoker. Peter never had a girlfriend. He was such a timid character.
Andy was in the School of Humanities. How he loved campus life. He now wanted to put in his best to achieve his dreams. Being on bursary, he was given a room in the so called ruins. Hygienic conditions were so poor. Ten to fifteen students could share a single toilet. Andy had no option-he came from a poor family after all. He too knew how tough UNZA's School of humanities was especially when majoring in Economics. It was not a walk in the park. First year was always hard. How he missed his love back in Katete. He wondered how she was doing. She would join him the following year to do a bachelor's degree in Education due to some hiccups which prevented her from joining him in campus. How he longed to see her again. He had not yet bought a phone so communication was hard between them. Andy always borrowed his room mate's phone each time he wanted to talk to her. Their conversations could last for about an hour, much to the chagrin of Andy who felt his girlfriend did not understand that every minute in campus counted. She was always reminding him to stay faithful to her. Mavis knew how cute city girls were; they spoke good English just like the whites, dressed nice and she knew she could not compete with that. Andy was her world now. She was feeling so lonely without him.
Andy was such a book worm. Everyone in class respected him for that. He could study for 18 hours each day. If he was not studying in the library; he could be found in the room on his study table which they nicknamed as the "terminal" in their room. He was finding the mathematics very enjoyable. His friends were finding problems grasping concepts in pure mathematics. He was not a show off. Each time teachers could ask questions in class he could not answer it despite knowing the answer. He always sat at the back in each class. Many girls started noticing him despite his clothing attire being somehow poor. These girls wanted Andy to be tutoring them in math and economics. Andy was a quiet and a painfully shy guy. He could not stand it looking into the girls' eyes each time he was giving them tuition. Some of the girls had more than academic interest in him. They were beginning to have romantic interests in him as well. He was such a magnet. Handsome and yet reserved. Andy would shock them as he did not make a move on any of them. First term flew fast. So many quizzes had been given and Andy came out tops in all of them. He was dominating in both Economics and Mathematics courses and the lecturers started to take note of him. They all wondered why a brilliant kid like him was always keeping quite in class when asked questions. He was always reluctant to answer questions but each time he gave his answer to the questions; it made sense and everyone in class could understand concepts with much ease. Lecturers started referring his classmates to him each time they had a question. Some lecturers even started assigning him tutoring tasks to him so that he tutors his classmates which led to conflicts with management at the Economics department. The practice was done away with. Andy was on fire. He was always coming out on top in whatever test or quiz that was given to the class. Life was good now. This stage of his life was making him forget his painful past while growing up in the village. Life was now making sense save one thing; his musical talents were not being exploited ever since he entered campus.
Angela was now in grade twelve. She too was looking forward to start college. She was now very strong with the things of God thanks to Jude. They both were book worms and wanted to do better and go to varsity. With Judy's help; Angela and her brats of friends had reconciled. Angela failed to understand how Judy was able to push that she reconcile with the two girls when they had disrespected her so much by pouring scorn on her just because she was coming from a poor background. Angela knew instantly that there was more to Judy than met the eye. She was the kind of friend she wanted to keep for life. Despite reconciling with Juliet and Tabitha; their relationship was not the same anymore. So much had happened and she was not the same Angela they had always known. If not studying, she could be either at church or at Judy's place discussing the bible and other progressive ideas. They were not idle minds. They brought the best out of each other. They both could not wait to enter varsity. Judith had so much hope that she would be considered for a scholarship. No wonder she wanted to get below 8 points at grade twelve. The sky was the only limit for her. She wanted to reach for her dreams. For Angela, even without a bursary; she would still afford to go to varsity. Her parents were well off to afford the fees required for her to pursue her studies. However she wanted to work extra hard and achieve something that would make her parents proud.
First year cruised so fast for Andy. He had made so many friends in the class. Some were his rivals. They had tried to outwit him but had lamentably failed. He was the guy to beat in any academic contest. He had not done pure mathematics; but his rivals who had done it at high school could not manage to beat him in any academic contest. Andy had a mind like a computer chip. It was just natural for him to excel in Economics and Mathematics. He was a genius and even his lecturers admired him for that. The end of year exams came and Andy knew that he had prepared adequately for them. When they closed, he could not wait to go home and see his girl Mavis. However there was a glitch. He was among those who were offered rooms to remain in campus. This was against his wishes. He needed rest and a break from the academic life. The department of economics had recommended his name to be among the few who would be attached to Lusaka Stock Exchange during the one month holiday. How he hated the prospect of remaining in campus and trekking to the offices of the stock exchange each morning. On the brighter side there was a huge financial benefit for all the students who were selected to be attached with the stock exchange. They were the cream of the cream in the first year class. Mavis felt bad when she received the news from her lover that he would not be coming for the holidays in December. She had missed him so much. She missed his musical side. It made her fall in love with him more each time she pictured him playing the piano.
Life at the stock exchange was such a blessing Andy came to learn later. The weeks flew so fast and he had so much to learn from the CEO, a Mr. Zuze who was so fond of Anderson Banda. He never knew why at first. Perhaps it was because their villages were neighboring each. Unknown to Andy, they were impressed with his attitude towards work. Unlike his friends who would delay for as long as half an hour to come back from lunch from the cafeteria, Andy always had his meals at his desk while working during lunch time. While his friends were always spending time on social media laughing and chatting with their friends; Andy had no time for such- he did not have a smart phone which would have distracted him from his work. He was so dedicated to his work. This was the type of guy the stock exchange needed, thought Mr. Zuze. He had been looking for a guy of Andy's caliber for a long, long time. He represented the future of the stock exchange. He was a smart guy, very humble, very hardworking and full of life. He was the type of guy who would turn your bad day into a brighter one. Everything about him spoke success despite coming from a humble background. Andy was not afraid to argue constructively with Mr. Zuze. Many if not all of the CEO's subordinates were wimps. They could not speak their minds in his presence. They were always acting to be loyal and hardworking but most of them were lazy and phony at the same time. They were stabbing him in the back and lowering productivity at the organization.
After the end of the attachment, Andy and his friends were handsomely rewarded by the stock exchange. They were paid good amounts which would see them through the first month of first term. Andy realized just how fortunate he was to have been attached to the stock exchange. He had learnt so much in the one month he was there. To top it all, Mr. Zuze had given him his personal watch; an original Rolex! He managed to buy some clothes and on top of that he bought an upright fridge for his room. Life was rosy for Andy. This made him to be more determined to even work harder. After a month, Mr. Zuze had secretly gone to the Economics department to have a chat with the Head of the department. He had a special request to make. He wanted to get the head's opinion concerning Anderson Banda. The CEO had been considering offering Andy a full time internship at the stock exchange. This meant that Andy would work each time he was not in class and during holidays. "As Lusaka Stock Exchange we felt that your student Anderson Banda stood out from the rest, we have decided to offer him the internship so that if he impresses us the way he did during the December break; may be , just maybe we may employ him full time there. He really set a high mark sir" said Mr. Zuze with a confident look in his eyes. ''Are you sure sir? Am really impressed by your words sir, it's always good for the industry to have a positive view of our students'' said Mr. Hamusonde with a grin on his face. He knew just how good Andy was. He never needed an introduction. Andy's hard work always spoke for him. ''You will never regret that decision sir, for your own information he is the best student we have in the first year class. The boy is also very disciplined, so don't worry'' assured Mr. Hamusonde. ''I could see that for myself when they were attached to our organization. Of all those who came last December, he was the only one who showed seriousness with what they were doing'' said the CEO after sipping coffee. Their discussion was fruitful. They would keep it a secret from the other members of staff at the Economics department. Mr. Zuze gave Mr. Hamusonde a token of appreciation for giving him assuring information on Andy. His job now was to share the news with him concerning the prospect that lay ahead for him.
Mr. Hamusonde was smiling. The token of appreciation had put a smile on his face. He now wanted to share with the young man Andy the good news without other members of staff knowing the whole deal; especially the issue of the token of appreciation. He needed to tell the young man the good news of his impending internship offer at the Lusaka stock exchange. After a day, Mr. Hamusonde called Andy to discuss the good news. He was so excited to hear that. He was told that a week or so he would receive a call from Mr. Zuze. Andy was warned to keep his mouth shut and not tell anyone about their discussion. He was so excited as he left Mr. Hamusonde's office. He now endeavored to keep a low profile and watch how things would turn around. After a week Mr. Zuze called to arrange for an interview with Andy. He had no suit, he borrowed from his roommate. Andy's room mates could not understand why Andy was borrowing a suit. He lied that he was on a date with some girl. They quizzed him but he kept quiet after having his breakfast; bread and fried eggs Andy left for the interview. He was feeling nervous about the whole matter. He did not know what to expect from the interview panel. Anderson was so nervous as he alighted from the bus at Millennium bus station which was a stone throw from the stock exchange at Central Park. He adjusted his tie just to loosen himself. Andy was feeling like chocking. He was not sure if he would scoop the internship job or not. What the hell was happening to him? Andy wondered. How could he, a first year student be offered an internship job when there were so many students in third and fourth year who were equally good at understanding Economics?. He knew just how Gods favor had made him to excel where others even better than him had flopped. As he made his way to the offices for the stock exchange, he made a silent prayer in his heart asking God to give him grace to excel in the interview.
Andy rushed to the loo. He was sweating profusely. He knew that would disadvantage him in the interview. He washed up his face. ""Relax" he said to himself with a chuckle. After wiping his face he made his way to the interview room. It was such an intimidating atmosphere. Andy was able to see Mr. Zuze with some other big shots at the stock exchange very flamboyantly dressed. They were geared to grill him but he was ready for them. ''I can see you are smartly dressed Mr. Banda, in a new suit; please sit down, we don't have the whole day" said the CEO jokingly. ''Hmm, sir thanks for complimenting my looks; by the way this is not my suit, I just borrowed it from my roommate" said Andy as he sat down. The whole panel burst into laughter. Andy was shocked. He feared that may be he had said something funny. ''you see what I have been telling you about Andy? The guy has this sense of humor. I love this guy and I think we need him, he will be a huge asset to this company in the near future'' said Mr. Zuze with a smile. ''So how much do you want us to be paying you Mr. Banda?, name your price; as far as am concerned this interview is over'' said Mr. Muyunda the deputy CEO. Andy was in disbelief. He was quiet for some time before gathering his thoughts. ''Okay, how much did you have in mind to be paying me?'' asked Andy. The panel looked at each other in disbelief. Their mouths were wide with wonder and they did not know what to say save the CEO. ''Will $600 per month be enough for you? Considering that you are a first year student?'' asked Mr. Zuze. ''If the work I will be doing is the same as that I have been doing in my school breaks then I would say that the amount you are offering me is so little'' confidently said Andy. '' But are you aware that you won't be coming for work every day because of your time table at school?'' retorted Mr. Muyunda. ''I know sir but still the amount is still small; how about you make it $1,000?'' requested Andy with a convincing look on his face. ''Okay, will you give us a day or two we discuss as the board. We will get back to you young man. Andy left the board room a satisfied man. He had dared speak his mind. He was now waiting for the call to tell him the decision of the board.
$1,000 was no small amount for a village raised boy. It meant that Andy would be able to afford some of the luxuries which had eluded him ever since he started school such as smart phones, brand new laptop for his studies. Of course he did not want to lead a show off type of life. He wanted to be as discreet as possible; making an impression that he was struggling financially. He did not even want his roommates to know what was happening. After two days. The secretary to Mr. Zuze called from the stock exchange. "Hello, good morning, is that Mr. Banda Anderson?'' asked the secretary with a sweet voice. ''Yes it is madam, how can I help you?'' inquired Andy with a surprised look on his face as he was about to enter the library for his afternoon study. He wondered who the lady on the phone was. ''Am calling you on behalf of my boss Mr. Zuze. Will you be able to come over tomorrow morning after class? The boss wants to meet you" continued the lady. Andy was ecstatic. He could tell that he would find good news from Mr. Zuze. Indeed all was good when he reached the stock exchange. He was plainly dressed. A white shirt and grey trousers. ''It's good to see you young man. First I must congratulate you for being offered a job here. Your attitude here will determine your altitude my boy. I have confidence in you that you can deliver in your new role. You will be on probation for three months. Of course your request was granted for the $ 1,000 pay was granted! How about that my boy?'' excitedly said the CEO. Andy was so happy. What he heard was the best news he had ever heard ever since he stepped his feet at the University of Zambia. He could not hide his joy to Mr. Zuze. "You just don't know how happy am today! I won't let you down sir" said Andy as he knelt down as a sign of appreciation and respect to the CEO. ''Whoa, whoa…why are you kneeling down my friend? Am not a politician that you should kneel down for me, please stand up. You have been offered this job because you deserve it; it was on merit my boy'' said Mr. Zuze. Andy was almost in tears as he stood up to go and sit on his chair. ''Sir you just don't know how many challenges I have been going through all because my parents are poor. I come from a poor family and I want to change the economic situation of my family; of course being the only child of my parents. Things have been hard. We have just survived by the grace of God" said Andy with tears in his eyes. ''I feel you my friend. I will now show you how you will make wealth as you work here. So how will you be spending your salary?'' asked Mr. Zuze. ''Well, I have been thinking about starting to buy shares in the best performing firms on the stock market. With the $ 1,000 you will be paying me, I want to be using only $200 per month. The rest I will be investing in stocks here'' confidently said Andy. ''Hmm, are you sure you will be able to survive on $200 while working and schooling? Inquired the CEO. ''Yes sir, why not? I want to save for the future sir. I will manage" said Andy with an assuring look in his eyes. ''Wow, I think you will be rich soon if you stick to your plan, it's possible if you are disciplined enough. Am impressed with you my boy. That's the best idea I have ever heard from a young person in a long time. Before I forget, here let me give you a suit I just bought for you. Hope it fits you; you won't need to borrow a suit from your roomie. You are now an officer of the Lusaka Stock Exchange son" said the CEO as he hugged Andy. It was such an emotional moment for him. The CEO was now like a father to him and he wanted to make him happy in the job he had been offered.
Andy was such a smart guy. His roommates had no idea they were living with a would be millionaire. He was hiding his new status. The guy was buying the most lucrative stocks at the stock exchange. He bought shares in Lafarge, Zambia breweries, Zambeef and Shoprite. Their shares were the most sought after on the stock exchange and Andy had all the inside information from the brokers whenever sellers were offloading their shares on the market. He was now quite wealthy after one year of trading. He had managed to buy his mum and dad a farm in Katete. Mavis had now come to the University in first year in the School of Education. Andy had not seen her for over a year and she did not know he had gotten a job. He deliberately hid it from her. He knew just how delicate their relationship would be now that his cute girl from Katete had landed in Lusaka, the city of lights. Of course each time first years arrived in campus; there was always a 'gold rush' for the girls. The older students wanted to grab the most beautiful of the girls; use them for sex and later dump them. Everyone in campus knew about this. Andy was wondering if at all Mavis would withstand the pressure
Mavis was housed in Soweto 3 room 17. The girl's hostels were a hive of activity. Many guys flocked there to try their luck in finding romance. For some it would a quick way to satisfy their sexual desire by finding a girl; use her for sex and later dump her after finding a new catch. It was such a vicious cycle. The "gold rush" was so real at the University of Zambia. Unsuspecting first years or freshers always fell victims. Mavis was with some naughty girls in her hostel. They all came from the Copper belt town of Kitwe. Molly, Nelly and Jennifer were such a corrupt bunch. Their parents had wasted their money by sending them to University. All they were interested in were the latest trends in fashion and expensive electronic gadgets of course they would get all these from men. Each one of them had a man to cater for each of her needs. Molly had a sugar daddy from Kalundu who used to buy her the most expensive clothes. The potbellied man could splash his cash on her. He was seeing a second wife in Molly. She had another "big buyer"; as they used to call them who worked as a lecturer at the University. He was also married but he could not take off his lustful eyes on Molly's sexy figure. She dated him in order to pass with good grades in his courses. He was a sex maniac who wanted to be sleeping with her almost on a daily basis. Finally she had the man she loved with her whole heart. They were course mates. He was not loaded. She loved him for who he was. Though her friends always used to tease her for having such a low key guy; she would never let go of him. She wanted to marry him after they completed their studies. Such was Molly's complicated love life. She hated it sometimes but was not ready to move away from it. It was built on lies and pretenses. She had to tell lie after lie in order to sustain her weird lifestyle.
Nelly also had skeletons in her closet. She also loved the glamorous life of a diva. She loved guys who had cash and were ready to spoil her with material things. However she too came from an affluent background. Her parents owned a couple of companies. Being their only child, she had grown up getting anything her heart wished for. While trying to pamper her with some love, they ended up spoiling her. She was such an arrogant and proud brat with a sarcastic mouth. It seems she had only gone to UNZA to socialize. She always imagined herself as a princess and always wanted the best things in life at all costs. School was so boring to her. She found lectures to be a waste of time. Nelly could miss most classes and was always hiring people to do assignments for her which were always submitted late to her lecturers. She was an empty tin who only knew how to spend her parents' fortune. Nelly had two serious men in her life plus a string of men whom she could sleep with at any time she desired. Of the two serious men she had, one was married and the other was a handsome bachelor who worked for MTN. she loved him for his skills in between the sheets. Nelly could not let go of him. Her married sugar daddy could not last much in bed. He was so heavy. She was only interested in milking him off his money. What she loved about him is that he was good at spending on her. He seemed to be in love with her because he was always complaining about how miserable his life was with the wife treating him badly after twenty years in marriage. Nelly pitied him. There was nothing she could do about that. All she cared about was the money he was splashing on her.
Finally there was Jennifer. She was of mixed race. She too was wild. Partying, promiscuity were the order in her life. Of the three hooligans, she was the less materialistic. By Zambian standards she was strange. She loved the poor guys more than the rich ones. Jennifer always stressed her point that she could not be bought by material things. Her biggest weakness was sex. She could not get satisfaction from any guy she slept with. She could give it to whoever was willing to give it to her the hardest. Jennifer always wanted to bed the strongest guys. Of course she pretended to be religious at times which was strange too. At least her resume was not as spoiled as her peers. It must be mentioned that Jennifer was serious with her books. At least she could study and her grades could show. Perhaps it's because of the course she was doing in the School of Natural Sciences. She had always wanted to be a medical doctor. These are the girls who would surround Mavis' stay at campus. Being a deeply religious girl, she loathed them at first but as times went on, they started to get along. Mavis discovered that these girls were not as bad as they seemed. She now started exploring their good sides and it paid off. When she told them her boyfriend was in also a student in campus; they were eager to see him. Mavis invited Andy to her room one afternoon. Andy had heard about his girlfriend's room mates. He had met them several times but they did not know him. Andy knew how rebellious they were and had expressed his concerns to Mavis as to the impact which would arise due to her continued stay with these hooligans. They were the talk of campus. His concerns always fell on deaf ears. No one could blame Mavis. That room was given by the University through her scholarship and there was no way she could move out of the room to look for a better one. She had no option but to stick with them.
The meeting was to be on the weekend. Andy was smart. He was as usual not too showy. He always derived pleasure in fooling people by lowering his status and pretending to be a nobody. He just put on his old trousers and black shoes. He had just shaved his hair. Andy looked smart though but by UNZA standards; he was below par. He had no swag which many girls expected from the men they loved. Andy was always an opposite guy. He did not even apply roll on. He wanted to keep it real. Andy had always believed that keeping it real would always make him know those who loved him truly and those who were just pretending to love him. He knocked on the door. There was no reply at first until the second knock. Nelly opened the door. ''Yes, how can I help you?'' she rudely asked while chewing bubble gum. ''Oh, am Andy, Mavis' boyfriend'' said Andy with a grin. ''Oh, so it's you?" Mockingly asked Nelly with eyes full of contempt. ''Is she around? Can I come in?'' politely asked Andy. ''Yeah sure'' said Nelly as she started to laugh at him while looking at him from head to toe. This made Andy to feel embarrassed a bit but he composed himself. '''Hey ladies, how is your afternoon?'' greeted Andy. Only his girlfriend greeted back. The three brats just gave him empty stares full of contempt. He was not new to this. He just kept quiet and sat on Mavis' bed. She hugged him before she went and brought some drinks and snacks for him. ''Guys that was so rude'' complained Mavis. ''It's okay baby. Don't worry about that my love'' assured Andy with a grin. Each of the brats kept quiet and busied themselves, they all plugged their ear phones and started shaking their heads while enjoying music on their expensive gadgets with no care in the world. Andy felt sorry for the fools. They did not know the man they were dealing with. He laughed to himself.
''So what's for the weekend? Come on let's go out tonight baby'' said Andy. ''But baby you know I have so many tests next week and assignments too. Please bear with me my love'' said Mavis as she joined him on the bed. She gave him a peck just to make him understand. ''Okay, if you say so; after all you have been complaining that I don't usually have time for you these days" said Andy. ''No this time around I can't complain darling'' assured Mavis. She loved him with her whole heart. She understood just how hard her man worked academically so that they could have a brighter future together. Mavis was so proud of him. She just loved the thought of marrying an economist. A talented one in music for that matter. After about an hour Andy decided to leave her room. He knew that he will be the talk of the room. Andy knew how the roommates to Mavis will start to influence her negatively. He just hoped that she would withstand the pressure. They held each other as they walked along "lover's lane". She was not ready to give up on him. Mavis had confidence that their love would withstand the pressure which was coming from all sides. Money for them was short. He could not buy her the expensive stuff she wanted. All her roommates had expensive phones and clothes. She badly needed them but her man could not afford them and this was pissing her off. How she wished her man could up his game by starting to make more money like her roommates' boyfriends. Mavis envied them. They drove the most expensive cars and had loads of cash to spend on them. ''Baby let me go back, am so sorry about what happened earlier with my friends, they can be so rude at times'' said Mavis after giving him a kiss. ''It's okay, I understand, there is nothing that we can do about them, just ignore them my love'' said Andy with a smile. ''You mean you are not mad at them? I thought you would be annoyed with them for disrespecting you in such a horrible manner'' said Mavis with a surprised look on her face. ''No ways, why would I baby? I can't control how they look at me but I can at least control how I react to them" assured Andy.
When Mavis went back to her room; her friends booed and mocked her. "Is that your boyfriend? Gosh! Get a life girlfriend! How can you have such a boyfriend with no class? Come on just dump him and I can hook you to a charming and well to do guy not that clown, yikes'' mocked Nelly.
"You can do better baby girl, such men will only weigh you down, you need a man with class. Where can that good for nothing take you? Just dump him girl! Eish!'' screamed Molly. ''Eish, but I think he is so hot though he is poor; I think I would date him, may be in the near future only if he could become a real man by upping his game'' said Jennifer as she lay on her bed with her headphones on her ears. Mavis was now confused. She now wished she had not invited her man to her hostel. She felt her friends were right somehow. She always admired their style in fashion. They were abreast with the latest trends in fashion. They were always able to afford the best things that money could buy. Mavis envied them so much. She was the odd one in the room and it was making her feel uncomfortable. ''But he is a good musician guys and I love him'' retorted Mavis. ''So what if he is a good musician girl? Will his music put food into your stomach? You don't need such a pathetic man in your life; just give us time we find a man befitting you. That guy is such a loser!'' yelled Molly. ''That man is not fit to be your boyfriend, much more a husband to you. He does not deserve you at all! Just dump him now and forget about him'' added Nelly. Jennifer was quiet. She had been busy for a few minutes listening to music. Mavis looked at her; trying to get her view of Andy. She was not paying any attention. Molly rushed to her bed and forcefully grabbed Jennifer's earphones much to her annoyance. ''What!?'' screamed Jennifer. ''We are discussing something important here and you are busy with your stupid music. Baby girl Mavis needs help, what is your advice to her concerning that good for nothing guy Andy'' furiously asked Molly. ''Hmm, you guys need to back off a bit. If she loves him and if he makes her happy then it's fine, the guy is good I could tell and besides he is a musician, mind you I always love guys who can charm me with music, it's so romantic to be with a guy who can make music for me'' assured Jennifer. All the three girls had frowns on their faces. They were not happy to hear the truth.
Grace, Angela's elder sister had a terrible time at college. She always wanted to party on weekends. Her school performance was not that bad though. At the University Teaching Hospital where she was studying, she was known as a party animal. Alcohol and partying were the order of the day for her. She had a penchant for medical students. There was this fifth year guy she loved so much. He was loaded and she loved it. He drove a Nissan ex-trail latest edition. Grace loved to roll with her man in it. The girls in her class envied her. They wondered how such a naughty girl could land herself such a gentleman. However Cody, Grace's man had a hidden agenda. He loved to change girls like clothes and Grace would discover later. Angela and Judith had gotten jobs as they waited to be offered places to study at the University of Zambia. They both got jobs at Zanaco Bank main branch along Cairo road. They both loved their new jobs. They were both bank tellers. They were so smart such that their efforts were being seen by their superiors. Angela was promoted before Judith. Her passion was medicine and she could not wait to leave her job. She resigned after having worked for over a year. She informed Angela of her intention to resign and start to pursue her dream of becoming a medical doctor at the University of Zambia. She knew the next seven years or so would be exciting and challenging too. So much lay in front of her and she was ready to fight for what she wanted. Her mum had shown concern as to why she was not seeing someone at her age. Of course she realized that age was catching up on her. Being a Christian, she realized it was just a matter of time before God revealed his plans concerning a life partner she desperately needed.
Grace was such a thorn in Mr. and Mrs. Musonda's flesh. Had she been sensible, she would have been the heir apparent to her father's estate but she had disappointed them badly. Grace was an irresponsible child. Giving her to run the family businesses would have been suicidal. Mr. and Mrs. Musonda had thought that may be John and Peter, being boys would take up the mantle but they proved to be uninterested in the family businesses besides John was now a drug dealer. Angela proved to be the unlikely candidate for the role. Though young, she was so smart with expanding the family businesses. Already she was making waves at Zanaco Bank. She was rising so fast in the ranks thanks to her work ethic. Angela worked hard and did not have time to socialize or fall in love with the opposite sex. Dating for her was uncharted territory at this moment in her life. Guys in the work place could not believe it each time they were told that Angela was single. They always wondered why such a hot and cute girl could be single. Many guys feared her. They could not gather enough courage to ask her out. One thing they knew about Angela was that she was a committed Christian. This put off many of the guys.
Mavis had now started avoiding Andy. She slowly started feeling that he was not her type. Mavis could not see the way out to their financial woes as long she was with him. She needed a man she could look up to. Mavis had decided to throw in the towel. Of course it had not been an easy decision to make. She did not want to tell him. She hoped he would figure it out himself. Mavis decided to just start ignoring his phone calls. He could write romantic text messages but she just ignored them. The very thing he had been fearing the most was happening before his eyes. Andy perceived that she was sending him a signal. He was so heartbroken. He could not believe that he was losing the woman he loved so much. Of late he had been learning how to play the accordion. How he loved its sound! He loved playing it to numb the pain he was feeling. He could just go to the Goma lakes and just play his accordion. Andy was preparing for the worst. His instinct was telling him Mavis had thrown in the towel. She had dumped him but was too afraid to tell him. Third year at campus was such for Andy. He was confused. He did not know what to do with what was about to happen. Andy vowed to remain single after confirming his fears. Pain always had this creative effect on him. It made him pen the most beautiful lyrics through pain and rage. Andy wanted to form a band. He was fed up playing in the campus praise team. He wanted an avenue for his creative musical ideas. The music they played in the praise team was not in sync with what he was composing. He had a completely different direction in music. Andy tried one last time to get hold of Mavis. She cut the line. Mavis was in the middle of a love making session with a sugar daddy at a named lodge. The man was as old as her dad. He pumped her like a bull on sex pills. She moaned uncontrollably. Mavis loved it so much and the money he gave her was so good! It had been her first time to make love in a long- long time. Andy had never seen her nakedness. This is what she had been missing all along. Despite the huge benefits, she still felt guilty each moment she thought of Andy. She knew just how unfair she was becoming to him. He was such a good man despite failing to provide for her needs as a woman. Mavis too wanted to look and smell nice just like any other girl in campus. She wanted to fit in too and not feel left out.
It was all smiles from her room mates who had hooked her to the blesser. ''Yeah! That is what we have been telling you baby girl! Screamed Molly after Mavis had entered the room. ''So tell us, was he good in bed?'' excitedly asked Jennifer. ''Oh he was so good! Have never felt so alive in a long time as a woman! Thanks guys for linking us up; I just feel like we have known each other for a long time me and him'' said Mavis. She looked so tired from working in between the sheets in trying to satisfy the maniacal Mr. Mbewe, a banker at the Central Bank. He had lustfully hammered her throughout the night since his wife was away for studies in the UK. Mr. Mbewe was splashing cash on his new catch. That night Mavis had made $500 just for opening her well-shaped legs to a man who was as old as her father in Katete. She was now always suppressing her guilty conscious by assuring herself that she needed the money. ''So do you still think about that loser of your boyfriend? I hope not, and please forget about him, just dump him!'' Retorted Nelly. Mavis seemed to have made up her mind and she was not going back on her decision. She and Andy were done. She was now looking for a way to tell him that it was over. Andy was restless. He knew something was not right. He was hoping for the best. The most difficult part was that she was not picking up his calls nor responding to his text messages. It had now been three weeks since he saw her. For Mavis and her room mates, every weekend was one filled with merry making and partying. As long as the beer and the money kept coming, the girls were more than ready to offer sex for money. The old men they were going out with were more than ready to spend on them. Mavis had now stopped going to church. The once zealous church girl was now a party animal. It had just been barely a year since she stepped into campus and she was well known on the party scene at campus.
Andy was feeling sad. He started to confide in his roomie George. They went to church together and played music together. He had been the same guy who had taught Andy how to play the accordion. They had already planned to form a band of their own within campus. Their bond was so strong. ''You mean she is not picking up your phone calls? It can mean one thing bro, she has been taken and she has no guts to tell you" said George as they practiced at the Goma lakes. ''You really think so?'' asked Andy with a worried look in his eyes. ''Yes I think so; here is what we should do. Let's go near her hostel and spy on her; am pretty sure we will get the answers we are looking for'' said George. ''Now I understand why you are not into girls bro, loving them sucks'' angrily said Andy. ''You now understand huh? I fail to understand them bro, you love them and they break your heart into pieces!" continued George. ''If we confirm what you are telling me, I will never date any girl. I will just concentrate on my books and music'' said Andy. There was a moment of silence between them. George was imagining how his good friend felt. He must have loved this chick so much for him to be so affected. ''Let's play that song you wrote shall we?'' interrupted Andy. ''Okay you will play the accordion, let me play the guitar'' said George. They would carry out their mission that evening. The University of Zambia was a hive of activities on Friday. All streets were full of people, either church goers or party freaks. One could easily bump into another person or get bashed by a car. Sugar daddies would come and park their expensive cars near the School of Natural Sciences to wait for their chicks. Andy and George did not want to be seen as they trekked towards Mavis' hostel. They wanted to see the man who would take her out. That night they waited and waited but she was nowhere to be seen. Unknown to them was that she had already left campus. Mr. Mbewe her sugar daddy had already sent her some money to get a cab and come to a certain secluded lodge in the heart of Chudleigh. They would have wild sex there. She loved it and the money she was being given after each mind blowing sex romp was just so enticing. She loved this stage in her life-everything was happening so smoothly in her life. She did not need to work hard to get money. All she needed to do was to give the sweetest organ in between her legs to a man with money. ''Eish! We are wasting our time bro, maybe she is not going out tonight'' muttered Andy. ''Be patient my friend, we need to get to the bottom of this, we need to check out the bugger who has confused your girl, he needs to pay!'' retorted George. Andy was just quiet. May be Mavis was just busy with school work, perhaps she had not dumped him after all. ''Are you hearing what am saying?" asked George. ''Yeah, I have heard you bro, why should I beat up the man who has taken Mavis from me? Is it his fault? If she has decided to leave me can I hold her? Is it really worth it? Please let's just leave, we are making a fool of ourselves; just look at how the girls are looking at us around here'' said Andy as he pulled George. ''Okay, if you insist, let's go'' said George with a shrug. Their mission ended for that evening. When they reached the room Andy did not want to talk about it. He was in so much pain. He really wanted to know what was happening with Mavis. He was not ready as yet to let go of her. Weeks passed and Andy was being eaten up inside. He could not concentrate on his research work at school. He wanted to get the facts. George had never seen Andy as miserable as he saw him that period. The "poor" guy was hurting big time.