A Sad Suitcase Case

Following the heartbreaking news of a Malawian young woman who recently got murdered in Dublin, so many of my friends back home in Africa (whom I haven't heard from in years) have contacted me claiming to have missed me. Really? It's obvious they just wanted to make sure the dead body found bundled in a suitcase in the city of Dublin wasn't mine. Of course it wasn't mine! The fact that I'm scribbling this here is proof enough that I'm still breathing. As I mentioned in my earlier blog post today, the body of the deceased was identified as that of Rudo Mawere from Malawi. Rudo came to Ireland two years ago to do her third level education, and was sharing an apartment with another Malawian girl in Rathmines, Dublin. Prior to the news of her death, I never knew or imagined Rudo existed. But weirdly, perhaps ironically, the Zimbabwean guy whom speculations believe to have been her boyfriend visited my house just before Christmas last year. I had heard my husband, who also originates from Zim, mentioning his name once or twice, but had never met the guy prior to that visit. It was my first time ever seeing his face. He looked more Somalian rather than Zimbabwean - with a sharp pointy nose, soft chocolate skin, and short spiky hair that lay flat on his head. I pointed that out (that he looked more like Nani who plays for Man U than my husband and his ilk) to him and he laughed admitting that most people say so. His Shona was fluent, though. I couldn't fault it. So yeah, this guy who is now the centre of a huge controversy, actually was in my house at one point. Yes, my house! He came with two friends of his whom I've known for a long time to drop my husband off from work. They ended up staying for dinner and a drink or two. The kids were away on the day and we had every reason to get drunk and retire to bed late. After all it was festive season! Every excuse to abuse Jesus'juice!! This guy didn't drink, though. So we got him a big bottle of coca cola instead. When I asked him why he didn't drink, he told me he'd quit anything unholy in favor of the holy a couple of years before. And anything "unholy" included the consumption of alcoholic beverages. We talked and laughed. We also discussed my published book, Insanity Resides on Facebook. I gave him a copy and he told me he would read it and give me a constructive critical analysis after. Frankly, he looked like any other normal human being. A bit too layed back, maybe. In retrospect, I think there was that something buried deep in him that raised an alarm of questions in my head. Something I couldn't place or point a finger on, but definitely could smell. Something that just didn't fit... Something that somehow crashed with his whole cool outward look. I got curious and started bombarding him with questions. Mad questions. He told me he'd just arrived in Ireland from the UK when he met my husband in the streets of Dublin. He didn't have money, or a place to stay then and my husband helped him get a job and later introduced him to another guy who gave him a place to stay temporarily till he got on his feet. I asked him if he had a Facebook or twitter account, and he told me he had ditched both social networks due to some cloying girl issues. I asked him if he was single and he said he was. (Which I now realize was a blatant lie). Anyhow, our night eventually came to an end, just like nights always do. Our visitors hit the road to Dublin (which is about 30 miles from where we live) and my husband and I went to bed. The last words I exchanged with the guy in question were: "Goobye! it was nice meeting you. Next time you visit I'll have a nice girl for a girlfriend for you." The guy has sailed with the wind now. Both his phones have been switched off since Saturday - the day the murder is believed to have taken place. I wholeheartedly hope he isn't somewhere lying lifeless too!