There's always something good to read on Cover Reveals: Lamb To The Slaughter by Temba Magorimbo

Cover & Excerpt

Lamb To The Slaughter
Wolf on the Prowl
by Temba Magorimbo

The story of a lonely woman soon after the truce in the Rhodesian bush war...

Sandra Hamilton is fresh from acquiring a degree from South Africa.

She comes home to a Rhodesia on the brink of black rule. The guns have fallen silent. The guerrillas are either hiding in the bush or they are in assembly points created by the Commonwealth Monitoring Force group. The mighty Rhodesian land and air forces have been grounded. Elections are in the offering plate.

She is fresh and lonely when she bumps into a maternity health doctor, Harvey. They kick off to a happy relationship ending in the bliss of marriage through what every woman wants, a white wedding. Marital bliss does not last.

The home stakes are all right, all the horses there are winning their races until by accident Sandra bumps into issues about her husband’s past. For one the parents and brothers who came to her wedding are not Harvey’s parents. Where are his real parents and why did he not bring them in? Is he ashamed of his past? (continued...)

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Content/Theme(s): Medical, Rhodesia, Family Saga, Post-war
Release Date: December 9, 2014
Publisher: Indie
Excerpt & More

(...continued) Seventy-seven kilometres to her north is where Harvey grew up. She is willing to find things out. Was the wedding stage managed? What of the three women lurking there each with a baby at least who claim paternity to her Harvey? As she starts her investigations Sandra ends up discovering what she had not thought possible in any romantic relationship. How will she handle it all?

These are the life and times of an African family as the 80s move on. There is a trio of boys who have a burning ambition to burn the midnight oil. Tapiwa Chakauya makes it to university which is the ultimate prize the family wants. Everyone else thought the Chakauya boys would end up looking into the mouths of misfiring diesel engines as their father does. He is the pacesetter for his family. In quick succession things change, his sister marries and has a wedding. Oh, those lonely hearts cannot mend, she is married.

Who will become an account, a barrister, a pharmacist and a deputy headmistress of these children? Tapiwa, Thomas and even Caroline do what was the impossible by gracing the doors of the state university, a feature that is unique. Then Tapiwa is on attachment after going through his paces with the girls that come and go or return again. He has a tax problem which leads him to Josephine Dube a down to earth woman who likes mixing work, studies and church who comes from a well to do working class family that reads the Bible in the evening and likes the power of prayer. Her ideals, her morals and Tapiwa’s do not agree yet something ties him to her as he progresses through the penultimate year at university and beyond. What makes him continue to meet and rely on Josephine. She is not an attractive charming woman neither is she the modern trendsetter type. He dumps Josephine going with the trendy women of the day yet his heart is yearning. There is an emptiness which he continues to feel. Will he return and pick off where he left off with Josephine and will she stay the years away from him trusting that he will come back?
Note: International author using international spelling and phrasing.

Purchase link(s): Amazon B&N
Excerpt:
"About my latest lunch date?"

"Which date?"

"I and you were at Sebakwe dam wall remember and there were two girls we talked to. They said they were cousins. One is called Tendai and the other was called Martha," Tapiwa replied.

"I did not take details into my head like a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigations chum," Bob replied. "Then I had not received this explosive situation of news from Yvonne who says she is pregnant of me. You did note down the details in your portable computer of a head, did you not?"

"That is why you make girls like Yvonne pregnant. You lack the understanding of details!" Tapiwa exclaimed. “You lack tact Bob.”

"Tapiwa!" Bob burst out laughing after the exclamation. "You are a corrupt one. Tendai was a woman above the age of twenty-one. A girl should be between the age of sixteen and twenty-one for dating purposes by us adults."

"You set the age chum."

"You have a telegraphic memory. I remember we promised them lunch today," suggested Bob. "I was still having good ideas on Yvonne so I did not really take you serious on a double date. I agreed in order not to inconvenience you. We said Wimpy near the mosque huh?"

"If they all come, lets see who dates who," suggested Tapiwa. "Or after the whiplash of Yvonne’s pregnancy, are you sure you still want to go ahead?"

"Of course I do."

"You could opt out Bob if you are in shock," suggested Tapiwa. "You appear like Lenox Lewis after a round house blow has sent him on the canvas or better still, you look like George Foreman after Spinks’s blow to the temple."

"Are you going to name all boxers of international reputation?" asked Bob.

"I was feeling sorry for you that is all," Tapiwa replied. "Do you need a priest for you to confess or a shrink?"

"I am coming to relax my mind. I promise I won't be a burden on whomever I date of the two girls," Bob replied. "Stop that nuisance!"

"So whom do I and you date of the two Tendai and Martha?"

"I date Martha and you date Tendai full stop. Martha looked to be a sort of person who does not talk much. I will be a regular visitor to Redcliff Medical Centre so she can nurse me," Bob suggested.

"The fact that Martha is a nurse does not make her a good housewife. You will live with someone at home not their careers," Tapiwa had replied.

Tapiwa had liked chatting both up when he and Bob had driven for a day at Lake Sebakwe, which rarely spilled because rainfall these days was erratic. Both had competed in fishing hurling out of the water a sizeable catch that they had been weighing fish by fish until Tapiwa had won a lunch on Bob's account. .

"Which vehicle do we take?" asked Bob because he too had a vehicle. Bob drove a chocolate brown Mazda 323 Familia sedan.

"For what?"

"Today's adventures of Tapiwa and Bob?" asked Bob.

"Head for me tails for you. Spin a coin thrice," suggested Tapiwa. Bob spun the coin twice and came out with heads.

"The odds of my winning are not favourable," suggested Bob moving out of his office. They went down the passage taking an elevator. Tapiwa gave Bob his car keys. "We had prepared a trip for Masvingo had we not?"

"The 626 is there for that," replied Tapiwa.

"Rather there will be another different coin. I will maintain a coin in my coin pocket of my pair of trousers because you are so argumentative at times," Bob replied with good cheer. "What are these keys for?"

"As a compromise for loosing," Tapiwa replied. Bob chuckled. He engaged the alarm system from several metres away. They walked into the parking lot. The Peugeot 4.0.6 responded blinking its lights twice and releasing two short and sharp-pitched sounds before Bob opened the driver's door. Tapiwa opened the passenger seat strapping himself in. They drove out of the underground parking space heading for KweKwe's busy thoroughfare, First Street.

As they reached their rendezvous, there was no one there. Both men came out of the vehicle looking around flexing their muscles and adjusting their jackets. Tapiwa cleaned his sunglasses looking around.

"Hmmm, looks like we have been stood up," suggested Bob. "

"I can be the surrogate father of Yvonne if you want to marry her," he suggested sending Tapiwa laughing. "I will pay maintenance for my child I tell you."

"No thank you for Bob's used goods. I have a policy that I cannot retrace my foot prints and marry a girl I had ditched before."

"I am not sure of that," Bob did not agree.

"I am not so sure because I have ditched or been ditched by a number. Some were so good and really, I was more of a wolf than a partner," Tapiwa replied.

"Look who is talking?"

"Not me, I have not been stood up and I do not need reminisce about what happened after Tendai had gone into the 323 Familia hatchback," Tapiwa replied. He spied Tendai crossing the road alone.

She wore a pencil skirt with pleated detail in peach with a white blouse and brown leather women shoes. The skirt and blouse spelt out her shape and looks. She was like water to a dying man as Tapiwa ogled at her. He forgot about his massive record of having never failed a public examination. All he could see was himself telephoning the bank and asking for the assistant bank manager whenever he missed her. He wanted his vehicle to be her personal taxis, always at her beck and call whenever she wanted to use it.

"She came alone so you lose. Loser goes home. Go back to the office and ring Yvonne. Or, better still why not gets lots of loving kisses from any female relatives until your cheeks are wet with lipstick? Who knows, she may be lying naked in Fitchlea right now waiting for you."

"I will chauffeur you for lunch if she hasn't got Martha," Bob turned and groaned as Tendai reached them. She shook hands with both. Then she stood a few metres between them. "Then I will visit Fitchlea, make love, lie through my teeth and pull the bull by the horns."

"What happened to Martha?" asked Tapiwa.

"Oh, she is committed to someone," suggested Tendai. "I thought she said so. If she did not, she was just after having me have a lunch date with one of you guys."

"She should still have come," replied Tapiwa. "Anybody who is not married is still welcome to our party."

"Not exactly because we were coming together when she met Cecil."

"Cecil?" asked Bob.

"Cecil is the father of her child. Martha and her church are attempting at patching up differences, the church hates divorce."

"Differences?" asked Bob.

"It is like giving a cracked wall a plaster cast," suggested Tapiwa. "She should have started afresh with one of us. I tell you and really believe me. I and Bob are the best eligible bachelors you will ever see in KweKwe area."

"I have read your financial papers Tapiwa. My goodness, but you are brilliant," suggested Tendai.

"You are wooing me now lady," Tapiwa replied rolling his eyes at Bob who was smiling at his work mate.

"Lamb," suggested Bob making Tapiwa laugh at their phrase.

"Hey guys," Tendai could not help but laugh. "Stop scolding Cecil. If you want someone else for a date I have a very good and sociable friend. She is a cost accountant recently graduated from the university. If you want I will advise her next time though I have to talk to her decently."

"Oh poor me," wailed Bob. "I could have looked very well after the two year old child."

"It is blessed to patch up than to find a new partner," Tendai replied. "Believe you me it is very, very important to patch up. Remember the peacemakers are mentioned in the Bible as blessed. Martha is having a new start at life after my mother tried all she could to talk to the two, Cecil and Martha separately and together. Let her collect her blessing from the Bible verse 'blessed are the peacemakers'."

"Okay we will talk about us now, not Cecil and Martha. Best regards to her and him under protest! But Bob, we are blessed are we not?"

"Utter boy!" suggested Bob.

"Tapiwa!" chided Tendai.

"Tapiwa, would you be kind enough to get me a 350-ml can of fizzle Coke, Fanta or Sprite whatever nothing to eat. Do be a darling please!" wailed Bob. "I think its something that I ate yesterday. You know us eligible and prospective husbands to be of the future. We at times eat out and these cooks!"

"Just say that you cooked something bad," replied Tapiwa.

"Or he ate something he bought cheap," suggested Tendai. "Which of you guys happens to be my date?"

"Solve it in a minute," suggested Bob. "Please G, will you?"

"Lucky me," Tapiwa trotted across a service station forecourt on his way to the kiosk.

When Tapiwa came back from the kiosk, there was no metallic beige Peugeot 4.0.6 automatic transmission sedan nor was there any Peugeot even not of that make but of the same colour within a five hundred-metre radius.
~~~~~~
Purchase link(s): Amazon B&N
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