It was a Friday morning and I was waiting for the guards to lead me to the court room where my case would finally be closed and judgement be passed. I got my rosary and knelt beside my bed with one hand on my belly, three months in this cell and I had not for once been sick despite being pregnant, he is indeed a faithful God.
I made a sign of the cross and said the apostles creed, one Hail Mary then poured out my heart
‘Lord, if you can hear me; if at all you have been present through it all, I need to let out some things. Lord I have been accused of a crime I did not commit, I have been shamed before society and my own family. My husband’s lifeless body lays in the morgue, his family have already crucified me in as much as I am concerned, his spirit is not in peace because of what is happening. Lord but I am not here to beg, I am not here to ask that you should vindicate me but instead I am here to thank you. Lord I am here to thank you for the life that you have given me, I thank you for the day I met my husband, Lord I thank you for the life we had together and most importantly I thank you for the seed growing in my womb. As I wait for my verdict, Lord whatever you have planned may it come to pass. Prepare me for this journey. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, now and forever. Amen’ I made the sign of the cross and smiled
After some minutes the guards came to open my cell and told me that my lawyer wanted to see me before we went to the court room.
‘Mr Zulu.’ I said with a smile
‘You never cease to amaze me Felicia, you still have the strength to smile.’ He said as he offered me a sit
‘Thank you.’ I responded
We sat facing each other and I could notice the tension in his movements
‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ I finally asked breaking the silence between us
‘Death by hanging.’ He responded
‘And my child?’ I asked
‘They will wait for you to deliver if you are lucky, if not you will have an induced labour then the both of you will be killed.’ He said
I smiled
‘You will have to plead guilty.’ He said just as I had expected
‘Why?’ I asked not even moved
‘You will get fifty years minimum.’ He responded
‘Mr Zulu, look me in the eyes and tell me what you see.’ I told him not breaking eye contact
‘Felicia don’t do this to yourself, we have been through this.’ He said not even looking at me
‘You have finally become one of them?’ I asked with a smile
‘I have a family to feed, I couldn’t depend on the peanuts you were paying me.’ He said not even daring to look at me
‘So you allowed them to manipulate you right? With what? For what? Just so you can have food on your table whilst having a bothered conscious?’ I asked him
‘I shouldn’t have accepted this case and I am pretty sure you are going to rot in jail.’ He said before standing up
‘You know Mr Zulu, you have dug your own grave and it’s just sad that you have managed to destroy your family tree just like that. When you took up this case I told you that the people that killed my husband were very dangerous and they would wipe you out of the face of the earth should you forget what you believe in.’ I said
‘I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense.’ He said walking away
‘Rest in peace Mr Zulu.’ I said as the officers led me to the court room
***
The courtroom was fully packed when I got in, I noticed Justin’s mum in the front row with his half-sister. Lindile was on the other side with her son and the rest were people that were ready to crucify me.
‘Mrs Kunda, you are here because you have been accused of murdering your husband; Mr Justin Kunda and a Ms Chimuka Hamoonga who we have come to the conclusion that was your husband’s lover because of the nature of the crime committed.’ Her lordship said when we had all settled in
‘For the final session, I would like to call upon the deceased’s mother to say some things as per requested.’ She had said
Justin’s mother stood up and went to the stand, she looked at me then at the audience before she began speaking.
‘I bore Justin at a time when I had given up all hope on having children, I have protected him like any mother would; maybe even more because he was my life. I watched him grow into a man of strength and wisdom, having most of those traits neither from myself or his father. From a tender age I knew that he was a special kid and that is why when he told me that he was going to work for the office of the president I wasn’t surprised. The day he met Felicia, I had no doubt they would marry. I saw how he looked at her, how her eyes brightened each time he looked at her.’ She paused and shed some tears
‘Felicia has been the best that my son could have asked for, they were a happy young couple. The marriage of their youth was amazing, but problems came in when I started pushing them to have a child. You know what they say that you cannot have problems until you notice how well your neighbours are living, I pushed Chimuka into Justin’s arms.’ She said, this time breaking down uncontrollably
‘Felicia is just a woman who wanted to protect her own, the mistake she made was taking fate into her own hands. As the law decides today on what to do to her, I want her to forgive me for being one of the reasons that drove my son into the hands of another woman.’ She said and stepped down
There were people now sobbing in the courtroom.
‘Mrs Kunda, is there anything you want to say?’ her lordship asked
‘No your honour.’ I said with a smile
‘Since we have exhausted everything and all the evidence points to Mrs Kunda, I hereby charge you with…’
‘Wait.’ Mevis said when she barged into the room
..
