At First Sight by Vincent Katonda

Ralph was very tired; after a one kilometre journey, along a rough and dusty road from school. He wore his favourite suit: though it still looked new, it was crumpled and it looked like it had been slept in for a whole week. For the last phase of the journey he got on a cityline bus to Kondanzako Township. As he was about to throw himself onto the nearest seat, he froze. What lay beside the seat he wanted to occupy wasn’t something he was accustomed to. Mouth agape; forgetting the boredom, he did let his eyes take that dreadful second glimpse.

She was brown, not that which is purchased in cosmetic form, but for her natural beauty. Her face was almost round and smooth without any spot to add unnecessary beauty. As she stole a glance at him, their eyes met and her
expressionless face split into a sudden smile; he could see her small chalk-white teeth glittering, confirming that to let such thin lips meet those of an awe-struck boy like himself would be outrageous to her. He lowered his hungry eyes a little, while keeping an eye at her breasts, straight and well set. The sky-blue dress she wore fitted her body so well that to say it looked as if she was born in it would not, even to critics, be flattery. Indeed the question one can ask is can a man’s eyes be quenched by such mesmerizing beauty.

“Will you mind if I sit here?” For sure she wouldn’t mind, but what the eye can’t see there’s greater possibility the ear can hear it.

But she chose not to bother herself. A shake of the head was enough to let Ralph’s body cram itself onto the sit. After an exchange of greetings he learnt her name was Lucy, of course she wasn’t from the township; in fact she had bothered to tell that she would be staying with her brother in the town for months.

Suddenly, as if the bus had been flying, they reached there destination. Her brother’s house had planted itself a stone throw away from the bus stop; hence they didn’t talk much on their way from the bus stop. Being the school boy that Ralph was, he asked if he would be welcome to keep her company during most afternoons, being a stranger in the town she needed someone to show her all the corners in the town. Unfortunately, he was unable to visit her the following day; moreover, her brother was more than a hindrance to his mission, for he was strangely usually home instead of being at work. Each day began with a fresh hope that something would pop up and give him both the courage and opportunity of being with Lucy for an hour also, but by nightfall the opportunity hadn’t revealed itself.

From the other side of the township, Ralph knew of a lady named Fanny. Ralph, an undergraduate, drama major to be precise, had planted a seed in her stomach while she was still in secondary school. Obviously she had been promised of marriage after school. She had been expecting Ralph for the past weeks, but he was nowhere to be seen. Fanny wasn’t beautiful in the accepted sense of the world but Ralph had declared, and thought that she was the most attractive female figure he had ever seen. Though she now sent messages occasional asking Ralph to visit, Lucy had become the name he could shout really if someone suddenly woke him up from a sleep telling him there is fire in the house! He continued to tell his childish lies to Fanny though he knew it wouldn’t get him anywhere. He knew his protracted lies were growing stale but couldn’t resist telling more lies with someone else in his heart.

Days later, with things working out between Ralph and Lucy, with the wind being so revealing, the news that there was a new girl in town got to Fanny and she immediately made a sudden unplanned visit without notifying Ralph. She knew she would either not find him home or he wouldn’t let her to come. On this day Ralph had his long awaited opportunity, he was with Lucy at the market, and she had agreed to go with him to where he stayed. While they were busy getting acquainted with each other in the house, Ralph heard a knock on the door. He ignored it, thinking it was someone from the house or neighbour. The knock came again but this time it was harder and angrier.

“Get in.” He called out. If man had been given the gift of knowing what comes next, Ralph wouldn’t have asked Lucy to come home with him. Any other place, except Ralph’s home or Lucy’s, would have been good.

Entering the sitting room was Fanny, with a baby in her hands. Fanny’s face immediately change expression as her eyes landed on Lucy who sat beside Ralph. Just another glance at her made Ralph feel guilty over something he cared about. He could feel the tension in the room rise and for almost a minute the room was in dead silence, except for the ticking table clock.

“So it is true.” Fanny broke the silence. “What more do I need to confirm this.” She said defiantly.

“Fanny, listen,” Ralph said in croaked voice. “Sit down, then we can talk...” but Fanny was not to be treated like a kid and before Ralph finished what he wanted to say she threw the baby into Ralph’s laps and turned.

“There’s your son, Ralph! What is this? Ha! Father shouldn’t have let you continue...” Ralph didn’t get the last part because the room was filled with the echo of door she banged after her as she exited the room. The baby started crying for its mother and Ralph just looked at it as it cried. He didn’t know what to do. Lucy stood up and said the last words he expected, that almost blew Ralph’s heart.

“A flowery talk does indeed blind a girl. Showering me with cupboard love did really work.” She said in a very upset voice. “I wasn’t the only one. Besides, what can a man with a wife not to do, what can an undergraduate not do?”

Ralph was literally sweating. His silence was enough to tell her that he was dumbfound.   

“I feel sorry for you Ralph; I don’t even need to tell you about the future of our involvement.” She continued with Ralph’s eyes fixed on the wailing baby on his laps, the baby was brown, not that which is purchased in cosmetic form, but for her natural beauty. Her face was almost round and smooth without any spot to add unnecessary beauty: eyes half open, saliva oozing through the corners of her mouth: Ralph could see her small toothless gums. Her expressionless face suddenly wrinkled: a cry of a soul that if neglected would become a derelict in the streets at night.

Ralph raised his shameful eyes a little, to look at Lucy’s face: still her breasts were straight and well set. The dark-blue dress she wore fitted her body so well that to say it looked as if she was born in it would not, even to critics, be flattery. Indeed the question one can ask is can a man’s eyes really be quenched by such mesmerizing beauty?