Funny things can happen in our homes at times, but when they do we shouldn’t be so worked up as to spoil our family ties, but instead we should exercise calm and patience, advises TIMOTHY KAMBILIMA, who recounts how some vital cash was lost but found in an unlikely place.
SOMETIMES it becomes extremely difficult to comprehend the way certain things occur at a particular time.
Friday July 26, 2013 when Patriotic Front candidate Ingrid Mphande was celebrating victory for scooping the Mkushi North by-election, I was busy imparting knowledge to my pupils, the future leaders, at Mpatamatu Secondary School in Luanshya.
The school is remembered for having produced some valuable and notable names like former vice president the late George Kunda, Information and broadcasting services minister Chishimba Kambwili who also served as the school head boy, former health permanent secretary Dr Peter Mwaba and hard- working science teacher Mr Simon Mudolo.
After putting in my level best on that day, I headed home straight without wasting time, since I got a call from my wife that we had visitors from Chililabombwe. On my way home, my head of department Mr Chola offered me a lift and dropped me by my house which is situated on Mukulu Road in Mpatamatu township.
Upon reaching home, I found long -time family friends Mr and Mrs Chitundu together with their youngest child Willies. I was so delighted and excited to be visited by the Chitundus as it was the first time for them to visit us in years since we left Chililabombwe in 2008. We chatted, recollecting the wonderful days of the past and had lunch together before they said good bye around 15:00 hours.
Being a Friday, I thought it in order to go and unwind with friends at some joint, though I made it a point to be back home by 18:30 hours so that I could catch the 19:00 hours Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation television main news.
When I reached home, my wife whom I left smiling was in a very bad mood. She seemed annoyed and exhausted at the same time. For their part, I noticed, my children were all very quiet, too. I immediately sensed something was wrong in the house. “What is the matter?” I asked my wife. Before she could answer, she looked into my eyes and said that the K200 I gave her in the morning had gone missing in unexplained circumstances. “Maybe you came across it, Bashi Tricia?” she asked me. I certainly had not seen the money and even if I had, I told her, I wouldn’t help myself to it in the first place. I had given her the money and what sense would it make for me to ‘steal’ from her? I just couldn’t get it.
From the time we got married on June 30, 2000, my wife and I have been very sincere with each other as far as money matters are concerned. The thing is, whenever I get completely broke, I have traditionally and always asked her to spare me something and she has never let me down especially towards the month end.
Mind you, women are very good financial managers in the home. They are usually more responsible than most of us men when it comes to handling cash and meeting the needs of a home.
As a man, I’m sure one time or another you may have blown up K200 or more at the club and got home only to find there was no sugar or salt.
Well, that aside, I joined my wife in search of the money which was meant for my daughter Trinah’s user fees at Nzelu Zanga Private School. We thoroughly searched in all possible places where we thought the money could be, literary turning the house upside down, but all in vain! Where had the money gone?
“How can the money mysteriously disappear like this?” I asked myself. To make matters worse, my wife could hardly remember where she had put it immediately I gave it to her. Around 21:00 hours we gave up the search as it was getting late.
Although our niece Jane prepared supper that evening, my wife and I had no appetite due to the missing cash.
“Maybe the wizards have stolen the money,” my wife said, desperately. Her statement reminded me of the story my late grandmother Besia once shared with me about a man back home in Solwezi who had a rat that she used to send to people’s homes to magically steal money.
I quietly didn’t agree with my wife on this, to forestall another argument about superstition from erupting at that point, but instead I assured her that she shouldn’t get so worried about the loss of K200 because life was more important than the K200.
We later retired to bed and prayed as usual. Days came and went and the missing money was nowhere in sight.
Eventually, we forgot about this money and I went to Trinah’s School to explain my inability to settle the user fees, conveniently omitting the real reason for the failure to do so.
On Sunday August 11, 2013, which was our birthday-mine and my second born daughter Tricia’s, I was home just relaxing while going through a photo album which had lots of pictures taken on August 11, 2007 during Tricia’s birthday party which was organised by the family way back at house number H2/67 Mine Township in Chililabombwe which brought sad memories as far as rentals were concerned.
Believe you me, as I leafed through the album, what did my eyes come across? Four K50 notes! Was it a dream?
I excitedly called my wife immediately to come and see what the Lord had done! And she had just returned from Church service at Mpatamatu UCZ congregation.
When I showed her the money and the photo album she screamed, “Iyee, God is great!”
She now recalled that when the visitors came she was in the bedroom and that she quickly put the money in the photo album.
Imagine, during our search we never bothered to look into this all-important album. We thanked God for revealing to us where the money was. Ask me what we did with the cash. We bought two chickens, rice, potatoes and drinks to celebrate our birthday together with a few friends. The lesson I learnt from this is that we need to be calm in difficult situations like this.
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