Chapter 12

"Shit!" Tapiwa stumbled over an uneven part of the walkway. Suddenly, her body rocked forward dangerously. Her fingers tightened around her phone even as her free hand shot out to balance her or break the fall. Lucky for her, she regained her footing.

Once she realized she wasn't going to fall, Tapiwa glared at her phone. The damn thing should have been in her pocket or bag. Then she wouldn't have been missing her step over every loose stone and pothole in the ground, but it hadn't stopped ringing all afternoon.

Exasperated, Tapiwa stepped to the side, away from the flow of other pedestrians. Then she once again glared down at the screen of her phone. Asher was calling again. Damn, didn't the man know how to take a hint? Tapiwa mused with irritation.

She had been ignoring his calls and text messages all day. How else was she supposed to end the relationship? Tapiwa wanted to create as much distance as possible. If she was lucky, Asher would get frustrated and just end things, saving her the trouble. If that didn't work, she would do it and the guy wouldn't be surprised. The distance would have prepared him for it.

The plan was genius. No one would get hurt. Now, if only Asher would get with the program and stop calling so she could breathe a little easier and watch it all play out.

With a huff of frustration, Tapiwa swiped down and rejected the call. she put the phone on vibrate and shoved it back into her pocket. Then she resumed her walk home.

She was almost there but with the physical and mental exhaustion, Tapiwa felt as though the house she shared with her parents and siblings had suddenly grown legs and kept moving further away with every step she took.

Sighing, she slowed her steps instead of speeding up. If everything was going to feel like torture, then she might as well do it without her lungs burning for oxygen, she thought. Besides, nothing exciting awaited her at home. She might as well enjoy the walk even though she had done it over a thousand times.

A few minutes later, Tapiwa stopped at the last set of traffic lights before she finally reached home. The light was green for the cars, so she had to stop and wait. For some reason she couldn't put her finger on, Tapiwa raised her head and really looked around for the first time since she'd started her walk home from work.

For a second, everything seemed perfectly normal. People walked along the road, going about their business. Vehicles sped by, trying to catch the green light before it turned red. The traffic was rather light for this time of day. That was why, Tapiwa would later think, she was able to notice the man who stood on the other side of the road, parallel to her position.

In an instant, an odd sensation raced through Tapiwa that she couldn't explain. She shuddered and the urge to wrap her arms around herself overwhelmed her. What the hell?

She could only see the back of the man as he stood by a street vendor's cart and bought some bananas. He was dark and tall, and he wore black jeans and a navy blue jacket. A black cap covered his head and when he turned and looked at her, Tapiwa saw that the cap had been pulled so low over his face, she couldn't see his eyes. But there was no doubt he was looking at her, no matter how subtle he tried to be. And there was also no doubt in her mind she had already seen the man twice today.

The first time Tapiwa had seen the man was in the library just before noon. The man had been hunched over a book so focused she hadn't bothered to ask him if he needed anything and let him be.

When Tapiwa saw the man again during her lunch break, she hadn't really given it much thought. In her defense, she had already been distracted and frustrated with Asher for blowing up her phone with calls and messages she had no intention of responding to.

But seeing the man now had every thought of Asher out of her mind, and her survival instincts kicked in. Every hair on her body stood. Her heart pounded in her chest. Sweat broke out on her forehead. Tapiwa's hands flexed at her sides.

She drew a sharp breath but her vision swam. Fear coursed through her unadulterated. Tapiwa's eyes darted around for an escape. She didn't know why the man was following her. And truth be told, she had no desire to find out.

The world had turned into an ugly, scary place in recent years. Tapiwa couldn't count how many times the evening News broadcast scared her these days. People were abducted and killed by sick individuals almost every other day. There was no discrimination. Children, women, men, the old, they were all vulnerable.

With that in mind, Tapiwa jumped onto the road and crossed it before the cars had completely stopped flowing. She heard honking and shouts thrown her way, which was typical of a busy road in the capital, but she didn't slow down or turn to see if the man had followed.

Once she was on the other side, Tapiwa took off running. She didn't care how she looked, she only mentally thanked God and every angel for the sneakers she had chosen to wear that morning. It made the running easier, and it meant that ten minutes later, Tapiwa was safely in her parents' house.

It took a moment for Tapiwa to slow her heart rate back down and draw a full breath into her lungs. Her face was covered in sweat and her feet ached. Still, she was glad to be home. For a split second, she wondered if she was being paranoid.

Tapiwa quickly shook her head. She didn't believe it was all just a coincidence. Not with the nagging thought at the back of her head about the night at the party. Yes, Tapiwa had consumed a lot of alcohol, but she started to suspect that someone had slipped something into her drink as well. It wasn't unheard of and with her memory of the night still a total blank, it really was looking like a high possibility.

Shaking her head again, Tapiwa let out a puff of air. She had to stop thinking about that night if she hoped to return to normal and continue her life as though it had never happened. Which was what she wanted, she reminded herself.

"Tapiwa, is that you?"

The sound of her father's voice had Tapiwa straightening and stepping away from the door as though she had been caught doing something wrong. Before she could find her voice behind the heart beating once again in her throat, however, Allen Mvula walked out of the dining area and came into view.

The frown she was so used to seeing was firm between her father's brows. He came to a stop two feet away from her, wiping his hands on a small hand towel. Tapiwa could immediately tell from her father's mud-covered favorite work-suit pants, gumboots, and the wide-brimmed hat that he had probably just walked in as well.

She hadn't seen his truck in the driveway when she ran in so she assumed he had either parked behind the house or had someone drop him off. Maybe Lute before he made the last delivery of the day.

Tapiwa also hazarded a guess that her mother wasn't home because, as much as Miranda Mvula was submissive to her husband and soft-spoken, the woman never tolerated muddy clothes with the stench of the farm to waltz into their immaculate home.

"Good evening, Dad," Tapiwa greeted with a small smile.

Allen nodded and then looked Tapiwa up and down, his frown deepening. "Was it a stock day at the library? Why do you look so flustered?"

"Uhm." Tapiwa looked down at herself at a loss for words. She couldn't exactly mention to her father that she had gotten paranoid on the road or the reasons behind it. "I was dusting the shelves today." It was a lie, but how would he know?

Thankfully, Allen seemed to buy it. He nodded again. "Just don't get too comfortable in that place. We agreed it was only for a year before you continue with your education."

Tapiwa clasped her hands behind her back. "Yes, Dad."

"Good. And what about this boy you are seeing? What's his name? The Paterson boy?"

"Asher," Tapiwa answered, feeling the taste of bile collect at the back of her throat. She swallowed hard and kept her eyes down.

"Hmm. Yes. Asher Paterson. I get that your mother is excited, but I don't want you to get distracted with this boy." Allen paused and a beat passed. Tapiwa didn't dare meet her father's gaze. She nodded, and it seemed to have been the response he had been waiting for to continue.

"Good. Remember Don't embarrass this family, Tapiwa. You are the oldest daughter. Don't set a bad example for Amy. I trust you. Don't disappoint me."

Tapiwa thought she would collapse on the floor in a disheveled heap any second. She couldn't look up and meet her father's eyes. Her throat wouldn't work to get any words out. Now more than ever, she wished she had never met Asher Paterson.

Her father didn't want to be embarrassed, but she had already done that. A stranger had taken her virginity and although Tapiwa had taken a morning-after pill to prevent any further disaster, there was no denying the truth. If her father knew, he would skin her alive.

Just then, the sound of her phone vibrating in her pocket jolted Tapiwa so hard she yelped and jumped back.

"Jesus! Child, what's wrong with you?" Allen demanded taking a step toward her.

Tapiwa flashed. She looked up, meeting her father's concerned eyes. "Nothing. Sorry. I forgot my phone was in my pocket."

"Well, answer it. It sounds like you have a call."

Nodding, Tapiwa retrieved her phone. She didn't need to look at the screen to know it would be Asher. It was. Suppressing the urge to cringe, Tapiwa gave her father a small smile, answered the call, and then took a step toward the hallway.

She couldn't outright get out of there without raising her father's suspicion, so she stopped still within earshot and said, "Hello?"

"Tapiwa? Oh! Thank goodness, I thought you wouldn't answer again." Asher sounded both relieved and tense. Before Tapiwa could respond, he went on. "I need to see you."