MISTAKEN BY FATE

Having starved in jail, Gumbuteni tried to recall how the world had brought him to the
jail. He recalled about his ex-wife, Nathenje, whom he had not divorced but parted. It
was all his fault. Gumbuteni had a happy family and was honestly known by every
man of good sense.

He was not as lazy as most men of his tribe used to be. Every morning he could
make sure that fires are set to every bushes and hence spears and dogs gave his
wife an assurance that vegetables will for surely be a history in her kitchen. Did the
husband go out and come in without a bloody creature in his lap? Will he not bring
meat every afternoon? She thanked God for such a blessing ---the husband.

One day, Gumbuteni started at seven; hunting just around their homestead. No
sooner did he see the big fresh behind the tall anti-hill than he fired a spear and
killed it. He was really a man. Everyone in the yard rushed to the scene after
hearing the noise the big animal made as it fell down dying. “Wow! ….it’s now a lion!”
shouted Gumbuteni in excitement. Every individual manifested that men were really
born different. Nathenje smiled and flowed to then kitchen and muttered “No
vegetable shall ever touch my lips, as long as this man lives”

People gathered around, in just a few a minutes, to appreciate this miracle “How
could he kill this lion without a gun” people argued. Some said he ought to be king of
all the brave and strong while others said he is dangerous enough to kill and destroy
an army. This time Gumbuteni did shower no words.

When all this was done. The meat was shared among the neighbours though some
said it was improper to eat lion’s meat. Nathenje enjoyed frying the meat. This time
Gumbuteni and Jonadi, his brother-in-law, agreed to be digging a well outside so that
water ceases to be a problem to Nathenje. They started well in a happy mood. The
two dug at the same time such that their hoes alternated in the air. This was quick
and funny. However their workability was then hijacked by a flashing gleam of a
beautiful lady passing by……… “Good morning gentlemen” she greeted smilingly.
The two did not know she had said a thing to them because they were all drowned in
her beauty. And the lady walked off. Jonadi was quickly back to his senses and bent
low to take out some rocky matter. Gumbuteni, however, was so mesmerised that he
could not do otherwise than letting his retina accompany her. While facing away, he
lifted a hoe to proceed digging. To his amazement he felt like cutting something very
soft…..clatter! No sooner did he hear the cutting sound than he heard a second
sound wave of something flying to the ground---the little boy’s head. With his eyes to
where Nathenje was, he tried to rescue the boy; but sorry he had migrated to the
flaming tongues above. Since no one had spotted him, he ran away. This was his
reason for going out to his brother hence parting with Nathenje.

His brother, Mongo, gave him shelter for a while. There also he blessed people with
meat time and again. He had an industrious mother-in-law, who always spent all her
day in the fields. Gumbuteni did not forget his hunting skill. One morning, he a bird
quietly resting on a shrub. This best hunter then seriously judged the bird by his
spear. But the little bird proved him wrong by flying away before the spear could
reach it. This made the spear go past the shrub to where the mother-in-law,
Nagama, was in the battle against witch weed. Eventually the spear had just directed
her back. Recommend, the spear did not neglect her back but piercing her to death.
Here he thought he could escape too, but was quickly in people’s hands before he
could start any run. That explained why he was in jail. He was then tired of recalling
such things. He rested a bit. Early in the morning Gumbuteni coached his fellow
inmate to make their away out. He had killed two attendants at night and dressed in
their uniforms and hence moved safely out. Since he had nowhere to go, Gumbuteni
pretended to be a beggar in the streets. Unfortunately, he was not given any coin.
This made him walk away to other areas.

On his way, he seriously become hungry but could not find something to eat. Lucky
enough, he saw a fruit tree just a few meters away. This was, perhaps, his manna
from above. He quickly climbed up and ate some. Later, he saw a car down by the
tree trunk. A strange-looking man came out of the car and stepped away to pee. But
Gumbuteni thought the man is the owner of the fruit tree so he jumped down to
escape. Unfortunately he missed off his target; ending up falling onto the car’s
windscreen and hence smashed it. The strong man was quickly charged with fury
and started chasing him. Acknowledge, that the slim people run faster than the
obese—the man did catch him. He, thus, surrendered. However, Gumbuteni thought
he was still coming so he ran. After several meters, he turned back to see whether
the chaser is eager enough to proceed. Sorry, there was a tree stump that kissed his
left limb that he fell to the ground. A lot of blood, here, cerebrated. So he became too
weak to get up. Only that some well-wishers took him to the hospital where he was
found anaemic and hence admitted.

One night, there happened to be blackout. Gumbuteni wanted to go out to pee. So

due to darkness, he could not take the right corridor to where he wanted to go. So he
ended up being at the maternity wing where women were just scattered on the floor,
with their new born babies, for overcrowding used to be a public incubus. So he
moved and moved, hoping he was drawing near the exit. Suddenly, he realised that
he has stepped on something very soft and warm---a baby.

This was a big fate. He had smashed a newly born baby with his old foot…..and then
the lights lit. All women in the wing woke up and froze. Gumbuteni paused
flabbergasted.