Zimbabwe is in turmoil again. Emmerson Mnangagwa is just another selfish man who puts his own power and wellbeing before that of his people. Maybe we were naive to believe things could be different.
My normal, US holier-than-thou pestering isn’t all that appropriate, though. Zimbabwe isn’t the only county with faithless elections. That is now the reality in the US; some would argue that this has been the reality since 2000. Zimbabwe and the US have a lot in common these days.
I wish my brothers and sisters luck in their struggles and welcome the same from them.
For this sixth installment of the adventures of the brave Chimutengwende, Wendy gets to relax and take a break. That doesn’t mean that her troubles have disappeared, they are just well enough out of sight that Wendy and the ancestors can truly enjoy one another.
Hard Stop
Wendy enjoys shutting out the real world for a time and holding up on her property. She lives in a neighborhood that is not quite a cul-de-sac, but it is an affluent community and Wendy has a sizable lawn with a high fence for ample privacy. Her house is beautiful, and her garden is her crowning achievement. It is mostly tomatoes and nice flowers, but she had paid for a nice patio in the garden with walls of shrubbery that provided excellent shade. She sits out there as often as she can, and today is no exception. She has practically been out in the patio everyday since she returned from the conflict in North Carolina and she laughs with her ancestors.
“Ishe was so scared, Anesu!” Anesuishe says uproariously. “He had the snake by the tail, and we both knew that it was a magical snake that could multiply when it was on the ground, so Ishe is so scared and holding onto it, and I’m trying to summon the ancestor with the fix because we had never seen such a thing.”
“She was purposefully taking her time,” Isheanesu said bitterly. He was the only one standing.
“I was doing no such thing, Ishe, those snakes could have ended humanity. It’s only funny now, looking back. I was scared myself, but you look so funny when you are afraid and trapped.”
“When will Tendayi be back?” Isheanesu asks, hoping to change the subject. It was Anesuishe’s favorite past time to tell embarrassing stories about him from their history. She hardly ever told the heroic ones, they didn’t make her laugh as much.
“When we need her, I imagine,” Wendy says with a shrug. “She’s helping Alia. That woman is amazing. Did y’all ever know an Alia?”
Anesuishe looks to Isheanesu and stifles her laughter.
“You should tell her,” Anesuishe says.
“Tell me what?” Wendy asks, looking to Isheanesu.
“I loved the Alia, I didn’t know what she was. Ane likes to joke that Tendayi never formally introduced us because she didn’t think I was man enough for her. But I met her and she loved me too.”
“What happened,” Wendy asks.
Anesuishe isn’t laughing anymore. “He knew that the Alia had a destiny bigger than him, and the other way around.”
“We met when I was traveling and we couldn’t live together. But she loved me,” Isheanesu says nostalgically.
“When will you tell me what happened to you two?” Wendy asks. “If you don’t mind talking about it. Why is your head turned around, and why the creepy arm necklace?”
“We wondered when you would ask,” Anesuishe says. “You are so polite. But those are stories for later. We have been through an ordeal that we have survived. It is time we enjoyed levity.”
They both smile and Wendy decides to leave it alone.
Later, when she is alone, Wendy thinks about what she will do next. Her training with the ancestors would continue, and they would work to try and find the Chief. Wendy couldn’t do very much to help with that, it was incumbent on Ishe and Ane to find him across the various dimensions and realms open to the souls of dead humans. Wendy decides that she will train her body so that she can be in the best shape in case a threat like the Red Father ever emerged again.
“Miriro will be back,” Ishe says as Wendy has dinner. “The boy Rhode is trouble. I can just imagine what he is cooking up in his free time. And with a witch like Miriro helping him, he has access to some dark forces. I should shadow them.”
“You’re leaving me?” Wendy asks. She had become accustomed to their threesome.
“Leaving my Anesu? I could never! We are on a mission, though, never forget it.”
He disappears and leaves Wendy with Anesuishe.
“You should enjoy some time to yourself,” she says to Wendy. “I will go too. Get back to your life and call us when you need us.”
Wendy waves as the woman disappears. Her house is quiet and she wonders what tomorrow will bring.
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