IT'S ALL VANITY

Life had been unfair to her. She did not question God, but kept the faith believing in the old adage that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. She was standing at the bus stop with no idea where she was headed. She smiled at the men who looked at her and looked down when the ladies passed by because she knew what they were thinking. The men looked at her beauty and wished they had her, but as for the ladies they looked at her tattered clothes and wondered why she would look the way she was. Maria had been married once and blessed with three children whom she worked for tirelessly at the Jangu Mall. They were now her past, a mirror reflection of how life can give you happiness one day and take it all the next day. She believed in what Solomon wrote in Proverbs, God’s book that she had neglected for a while now. But the beauty of it all is that she had known it at heart at one time and the verse that inspired her to wake up from her slumber stated: "It's all vanity". She had worked day and night hoping to create a good future for her children and cement a good foundation of love for her husband, but it had all been vanity. She was now crying thinking about them, she tried to wipe them away, but the more she wiped the more the tears ran freely. She fell to the ground then, emotion taking over her body. She saw some people stop and stare for a while. She did not want to cause a scene so she composed herself and stood.

She started to walk away, but felt someone tug at her. It was a small child with a handkerchief in her hand. “Stop crying now, it shall be well”. She heard the child say. She took the handkerchief with a smile and wondered how courageous and wise this child was. “Thank you so much”. She replied shyly. It is then that she thought of all the innocence of children. Children with no care of what life gives and takes. Children who had no knowledge of why things looked so perfect. Children who only knew of sadness when sick. God must have been so bright to make the mind of a child so pure. It was pure from hate and envy. It was pure from violence and hardship. It was just pure.

Maria undecided on what to do next, decided it was best if she went back to her home.It was in the dark alley in the street behind the Jangu Mall the place she had known for so long. She sat here contemplating on her next move. She had no house to go to as she could not manage to raise the rent anymore. She had no work, no relative, no papers, and no friend, what she had was her soul. She had her thoughts and ideas. She could not manage to eat a proper meal as she could not afford it and it was upon her to rummage through bins and see what she could find. Tonight, she was feeling tired from all the crying and decided it was best if she went to sleep hungry.

She got to her new home and took out two pieces of a cartoon that were dilapidated and dirty. She spread them on the cold floor and hugged herself to sleep. She had nothing to cover herself since the local askaris were on the lookout for paper bags after the ban. Initially, they had been her duvey, three black paper bags tied together with a cloth. She did not mind the cold anymore; it was better now as she had become accustomed to it. She did not want to remember her cozy bed and the warm nights she had with her overseas duvey. Money was not something she could easily get, the mere sound of it brought a smile to her face. If she wanted to be nostalgic, she passed by the supermarket and stood for a while outside and watched as the attendant fed the cash into the machine. She smiled then for a while, because it gave her hope that if the many people making the lines had it then she could also get it.

Maria had been married to Tony in a colorful church wedding. She was the envy of her friends and colleagues as he was handsome, tall and successful. He was in a hurry to get children since he was an only child. Maria had no issues with getting children so she hurried into it ,before she knew it she had three children to take care of in a span of seven years. They were both working, money was abundant, and they could afford to throw it here and there. If she wanted a trip to the coast in the middle of the week she could get it. If her child woke up and wanted yogurt, she could easily walk to the fridge and get it for her. It was a good life. She was young, beautiful and successful and they made quite a match. It was like a scene from a horror movie when she came face to face with rude reality. Tony was leading a double life. She was not the only one in the picture; He had another family tucked away in another town. The realization tore her heart out and made her crumble with disbelief. She kept it to herself for fear of being judged, but the other woman would not leave her alone. She started to stalk her, going the places she went. If it was in the marketplace, she only needed to turn and there she was. If it was at the church, she only needed to look across and she would be there smiling crudely. Maria was torn into pieces, it was a new situation for her and she had no idea what anyone did in such cases. She thought of calling the police on her, but thought better of it. It would expose his husband who was now a CEO of a successful company

She decided that she would ignore her altogether. She had talked to her at first and heard her side of the story. Tony did not refute anything, but stated that he no longer loved her. The other woman was becoming too clingy which was making her nervous all the time. She stopped going out, cut off ties with her friends and decided to guard her private life. Disaster had come knocking at Maria’s home. She lost everything in one day, her husband was fired from work, apparently, the company was in a crisis, and he had been stealing from them. He had gone to pick their kids from the school, on his way back he was involved in a grisly accident that cost them their lives. Maria lost her house the day after the funeral to pay off her husband's debts. Her perfect life was gone in a spur of the moment. She fell from grace to grass….Claudia paused then looking for what to add in the composition. Her exam was being picked in a while and she needed to finish the composition. “Twenty minutes to go”, she heard her invigilator say and a thought came into her mind and she began to write.…..

THE END