Can a Broken Heart Be Mended? - By Annie Changwe Nkandu

Written By: Annie Changwe Nkandu

Category: Short Story

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Annie Changwe Nkandu presents a compelling narrative in her short story titled "Can a Broken Heart Be Mended?" This work is featured in the Short Story category of the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Through the journey of a young woman named Natalie, the story delves into themes of loss, resilience, and the enduring hope of mending what is broken. Nkandu's storytelling captures the essence of human perseverance and the quest for healing amidst life's adversities.

About the Work

"Can a Broken Heart Be Mended?" invites readers into a world where challenges are met with courage and determination. With a poignant narrative style, the story explores the emotional landscape of grief and the strength found in familial bonds. The imagery of broken eggs serves as a metaphor for life's disruptions, while the protagonist's journey illuminates the path from despair to hope. Nkandu's story resonates with a message of renewal and the power of self-belief.

Can a broken heart be mended?

Original Submission by Annie Changwe Nkandu

Nkandu-Broken Heart-

4,636 words

Can a Broken Heart Be Mended?

Natalie woke from a bad dream at 05:00 a.m. “Today doesn’t seem like any other day,” she said. She peered through the window, and the sky was clear, with no sign of rain. The rooster crowed three times, but she could not see her father at the poultry farm. The day ended without hearing from him, though she did not lose hope that he would return home.

On Friday morning, she sat quietly, remembering her father’s words. “The early bird catches the worm.” She quickly got out of bed, rushed to the poultry farm to check on the hen, and shouted, “Mummy! Mummy!” “Natalie, what's the matter?” her mother asked. "The chicken has laid eggs,” Natalie replied. Her mother’s contagious smile widened, and she felt hopeful that Natalie would return to school the following month. “Mummy, I will sell the eggs before my father returns so I can raise money for my school fees.” “That is so thoughtful of you,” said Natalie’s mother. Without hesitation, Natalie rushed back to the poultry farm to collect all the eggs and packed them for sale the next day.

School reopening dates were fast approaching, but Natalie’s father had not returned home. Natalie sat down and recalled her father’s favourite Bible verse in Philippians 4:19, which says, “My God is the supplier of all my needs according to His riches and glory.” This reassured her that God provides for every need, not just material but also spiritual and emotional, out of His abundant, glorious riches through Jesus Christ. Natalie did not worry about how she would pay her school fees in her father’s absence because she decided to sell eggs from the poultry farm.

On Monday morning, Natalie packed all the eggs into a box and said goodbye to her mother. “I am going to sell eggs. I will be back as soon as they are all sold.” Her mother nodded with a smile and wished her good luck.

Natalie walked about two kilometres from home and met a man riding a bicycle who was entering through his backyard. “I have eggs for sale, sir.” The man looked at her and said, “Unfortunately, I have no money.”

With a rumbling stomach, Natalie continued walking for about 10 kilometres. She arrived at a house with thorn trees at the main entrance. The house looked haunted, but she thought it would be a good idea to knock and ask if they would be interested in buying her eggs. She knocked on the door, and a huge man with a long black beard opened it. At first glance, Natalie was afraid of him. He looked into her eyes and said, “Young lady, how may I help you?” “My name is Natalie. I have eggs for sale,” Natalie replied. The man laughed with a loud, deep voice, “Hahahaha!” “My name is Mr. Brown, and I like eggs. I eat eggs for breakfast every day; they are my favourite food. How many do you have for sale?” “I have 255 eggs,” Natalie replied. He quickly helped her lower the box off her head. After opening it, he was impressed with the quality of the eggs. “You have good eggs, young lady,” he said.

After inspecting the eggs, he found that five were broken. “I will pay for 250 eggs, and you will return the five broken eggs,” said Mr. Brown. He paid for 250 eggs, and Natalie was happy to have raised enough money to cover the school fees. As Natalie walked home with a grateful heart, she remembered the broken eggs and asked herself, “When something is broken, can it be mended?”

When Natalie was two kilometres from home, she heard an ambulance. She looked inside and saw a familiar face. “That's my father’s brother, Uncle Bob,” Natalie thought. At that moment, her heart raced as she wondered what had happened to her uncle. She reached home at exactly 10:00 a.m. and shouted, “Mummy! I saw Uncle Bob in an ambulance.” “You mean Mr. Bob? Your father’s brother?” Natalie’s mother asked. “Yes, Mummy,” replied Natalie. “Oh, my God! Let me call Mr. Bob right away,” Natalie’s mother exclaimed, her voice heavy with sadness. “He isn’t answering my calls. I think there’s a problem,” she added. Natalie looked tense as her mother panicked over the unanswered calls. Her mother looked at her and said, “I’m going to the hospital to confirm whether Mr. Bob was in that ambulance.” She quickly tied a wrapper around her waist and rushed to Green’s Hospital, the only hospital in their catchment area.

As she approached the hospital’s main entrance, she saw nurses moving a patient on a trolley, with Mr. Bob walking beside them. As she drew closer, she saw Natalie’s father lying unconscious. “Oh, my God!” she exclaimed. Sweat dripped down her face, and her blood pressure spiked as she saw her husband in that condition. “Frank! My husband!” she shouted. As Mr. Bob drew closer, Natalie’s mother asked, “Mr. Bob! What happened?” Mr. Bob shook his head and said “I found him unconscious on the road.”

Doctors quickly rushed Natalie’s father to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) because he needed to be placed on a life-support machine. Two days later, the doctors broke the news, saying, “We tried our best and did all that we could to save his life; we are sorry that he has died.” The sad news left Mr. Bob heartbroken as he held onto Natalie’s mother’s arm.

It was exactly 12:25 p.m. when Mr. Bob called Natalie. When she answered, it was not his usual short, barking laugh. Instead, he hesitated before delivering the disturbing news. Natalie peered through the window again, hoping to see her father return home. But he was gone. It was the first time Natalie had mourned uncontrollably, overwhelmed by grief and sobbing. “My father! My father! Why have you done this to me?” She remembered the broken eggs and asked herself again, “When something is broken, can it be mended?”

With a broken heart, Natalie made a personal decision to forge ahead and encouraged her three younger sisters to work hard to support their mother, who had chronic hypertension. She also sought ways to practice self-compassion and honour her late father’s memory.

After her father’s burial, Natalie and her family met to decide who would serve as the administrator of his estate. As the eldest at 20, Natalie was appointed administrator of her late father’s estate. The primary asset her father left was the farm. Being in charge of the farm was not an easy task. With her mother’s support, Natalie decided to move all the chickens from home to the farm, where there was enough space for them to lay more eggs.

Natalie decided to leave her mother’s house and move to the farm, a few kilometres from school, so she could monitor the farm’s produce more closely. The 10-kilometre walk to school was shortened to a one-kilometre walk because she had to care for the farm, which had become their main source of income.

After school closed in the second term of her final year of high school, Natalie visited her mother, who had become ill. When she arrived, she knocked on the door, and her mother shouted, “Who is there?!” “It’s Natalie," she replied. When she entered her mother’s bedroom, her mother asked, “Natalie, my daughter, are you still broken?” Tears rolled down Natalie’s face, and she said, “Mother, when something is broken, can it be mended?” “Why do you ask, Natalie?” her mother replied. “Mother, when I went to sell eggs before my father died, I took five broken eggs, and Mr. Brown, the man who bought 250 eggs, did not pay for the five broken eggs,” Natalie said. Her mother replied, “My child, when something is broken, you can endure the pain and look forward to a better life ahead.” Upon hearing this, Natalie felt better and looked forward to better days.

Natalie’s three younger sisters looked forward to seeing their mother get better each day. As they listened to the hammering rain, her sisters told Natalie that their mother had difficulty breathing at night. Upon hearing this, Natalie decided to take her mother to the hospital for a medical checkup. When they reached the hospital, Natalie’s mother opened her eyes and said, “We lost your father at this hospital.” Tears slid down Natalie’s face, but she composed herself, took her mother to the waiting room, then rushed to call the on-duty nurse. “Nurse!” Natalie shouted. The nurse arrived and looked at her mother, who was struggling to breathe. As the nurse checked her mother’s temperature, Natalie closed her eyes and offered a brief prayer. “God, please save my mother because my sisters and I depend on her as our only surviving parent.”

Natalie had a lot on her mind. The farm needed attention. There was no one left to care for the animals and crops because she was preoccupied with her sick mother. Natalie thought Mr. Bob would be helpful; she decided to reach him by phone. When he answered, Natalie said, “Uncle Bob, my mother is unwell; she is admitted to Greens Hospital.” “What!” Mr. Bob exclaimed. He arrived at the hospital within an hour.

With a downcast gaze, Mr. Bob appeared sorrowful. As the only surviving brother of Natalie’s late father, he sought a share of their late father’s farm. Natalie and her sisters did not offer him a portion of their late father’s farm because he was not entitled to it. Mr. Bob had received his pension benefits after working for over 30 years in the United Kingdom. When he returned to Zambia, he had no money and could not even afford to rent an apartment. He had not planned his retirement well, and as a result, he was roaming the streets.

To the best of Natalie’s knowledge, Mr. Bob would be the right person to stay at the farm while she cared for her sick mother, because he was the only one who had helped them in the past.

An hour after Mr. Bob arrived at the hospital, she decided to break the news. “Uncle Bob, I would like you to go to the farm and stay there; the animals and crops need extra care.” This excited Mr. Bob, who knelt with his hands raised. “I promise to take care of the farm to the best of my abilities,” Mr. Bob said. After that, he said goodbye to Natalie and wished her mother a quick recovery as he rode away on his bicycle.

When Mr. Bob left, the doctor came to conduct a ward round. The moment Natalie saw him, she stood and said, “Good morning, doctor! Is my mother going to be all right?” “Follow me to the office, madam,” the doctor said. When Natalie entered his office, he asked whether she was her mother’s next of kin, and she replied in the affirmative. The doctor explained her mother's condition and said, “Your mother has chronic kidney disease and liver failure. We are doing everything possible to provide the best medical care.” With sadness in her eyes, Natalie knelt on the floor and prayed for God’s intervention. “Please get up!” the doctor said, holding her arm.

Natalie returned to the ward and found her mother restless. It was her third week caring for her sick mother, and her mother’s health had shown little improvement. The medical bills were unpaid, and Natalie was responsible for all payments because no one else could provide the necessary financial assistance. Her sisters also needed food and other necessities at home.

On a Thursday morning, Natalie’s younger sister, Beatrice, called: “We have no food, water has been disconnected, and electricity has been shut off because the outstanding bills remain unpaid.”

With a sad expression, Natalie looked at her mother, still bedridden. With no way to fulfil her younger sister’s request, she ended the call and decided to call Mr. Bob. “Uncle Bob! How is the farm?" Natalie asked. With sadness in his voice, he said, “All the goats have been stolen. There are 300 eggs to pack for sale.” Natalie told Mr. Bob about the outstanding medical bills and her younger sister Beatrice’s request for food and payment of the outstanding utility bills. Mr. Bob said, “I will go and sell the eggs and one cow; I will bring the money to you after the sale.” “Thank you for your help. I will be grateful for it,” Natalie replied.

The following morning, the cashier came to the ward and said, “Good morning, madam. I want to inform you that the medical bills should be settled this afternoon; otherwise, the hospital will not supply your mother with any more medication.” After hearing this, Natalie’s heart raced. Mr. Bob had not yet arrived at the hospital.

The following morning, Mr. Bob arrived holding a wallet. Upon seeing him, Natalie exclaimed, “Uncle Bob! Had you not arrived today, Beatrice would have followed you as soon as the road to the farm dried out.” Mr. Bob began to whistle tunelessly as he counted the money. “How much were your sales, Uncle Bob?” “K5,000.00,” he replied. “That is enough to pay the outstanding medical and utility bills at home and to buy food and other necessities for my sisters,” said Natalie. Mr. Bob stared at Natalie again, whistling tunelessly. Natalie walked to the cashier’s desk to pay the outstanding medical bills. She then instructed Mr. Bob to buy food and take it to her sisters at home. She also paid all outstanding utility bills at home.

It was not until 04:00 p.m. according to Beatrice’s wristwatch, that she heard movement. She went to the door and listened to Mr. Bob’s tuneless whistling. “Uncle Bob, is that you?” “Yes, it is,” he replied. Beatrice opened the door and received the parcels. “Uncle Bob, you are welcome!” said Beatrice. “We had no food. Water was disconnected, and the electricity supply was shut down due to non-payment of outstanding bills.” Mr. Bob replied, “Your sister, Natalie, has paid the outstanding utility bills; water will soon be reconnected, and electricity will be restored.” With tears of joy in her eyes, Beatrice said, “We will always count on you, Uncle Bob.” After that, Beatrice turned on the lights and opened the tap in the kitchen. The house was well-lit and had an adequate supply of running water. “I must go back to the farm now,” Mr. Bob said as he opened the door and walked away.

Natalie continued caring for her sick mother until the doctor arrived on a Tuesday morning and asked, “Are you all right?” She stared at him for a long moment without speaking. He was tall, and his height was intimidating. As she listened to the doctor’s update, her rumbling stomach made him pause. With a bright smile, he said, “Calm down! Your mother has chronic kidney disease and liver failure. You may need to arrange home-based care to reduce the stress of hospitalization, especially since she is in her later years.”

The following day, after Natalie’s mother was discharged, Natalie’s third and final term of high school began. “I will be writing my final exams this year,” said Natalie. Her mother, speaking in a clear voice, said, “My daughter, when an egg is broken, depending on the extent of the break, you can clean up the mess and forge ahead to create something new. While the pain may linger, it doesn’t have to define your life; you can find new meaning, purpose, and other ways to live.” Immediately after saying this, her mother closed her eyes.

When Natalie looked at her mother, who was asleep, she took the opportunity to go to the farm to collect eggs for sale to raise money for her school and examination fees. Her sisters also needed to pay their school fees, and house rent was due. When she reached the farm in the afternoon, she found Mr. Bob in the farmyard. “Uncle Bob!” shouted Natalie. “My mother was discharged from the hospital. I left her at home and decided to come and collect some eggs for sale to raise money for school fees and house rent,” said Natalie. As an experienced adult, Mr. Bob knew that Natalie’s mother’s liver and kidney disease had reached an advanced stage. He shook his head and said nothing. He led Natalie to the poultry farm to pick and pack the eggs. They found 600 eggs, filling 10 trays. “Good job, Uncle Bob,” Natalie said. With a happy expression on his face, Mr. Bob smiled and clapped. They quickly packed the eggs into 10 trays and wrapped them in two big boxes. They handled the eggs very carefully to prevent them from breaking. This time, there were too many eggs, so Natalie had to use Mr. Bob’s bicycle. She could ride a bicycle, a skill she had learned from her late father.

After putting the eggs on the bicycle, she said goodbye to Mr. Bob and went to the house where she had earlier sold 250 eggs. The yard had tall grass and tall trees. Mr. Brown was standing outside, smoking a cigarette. When Natalie looked to her right, she saw a huge snake in a tall tree and was frightened. Mr. Brown heard the sound of her bicycle and looked behind. Natalie greeted him, “Good morning, Mr. Brown! I have some eggs for sale.” Just by looking at the box, he could tell there were many eggs. He approached the bicycle and took the eggs out of the box. Sadly, 10 eggs were broken. “Oh, my God!” Mr. Brown exclaimed. This time, the advice her mother had given her lingered in Natalie’s mind, and she was brave enough to say to Mr. Brown, “Sir, the broken eggs may not be mended, but I will go back with them, fry them, and eat them.” Mr. Brown was amazed upon hearing this. He paid for 590 eggs. Natalie thanked him and left his house. She rode her bicycle quickly before the rainstorm.

As soon as Natalie reached home, she saw her sisters outside, shouting for help. When Beatrice saw her, she ran toward her. With sadness in her eyes, she said, “I think our mother has died. She has not woken up since you left for the farm.” “What!” Natalie exclaimed, shocked. They ran into the house to check on their mother. She was still lying in the same position Natalie had left her in before going to the farm. She could not move or open her eyes. Natalie shouted, “Mother! Why have you done this to us?”

Natalie quickly ran to their neighbour’s house to ask for help. Fortunately, Mr. Sakala, their late father’s best friend and a qualified clinical officer, came out and asked, “What is the matter, young ladies?” They solemnly replied, “Our mother is lying lifelessly in her bedroom. We think she has died.” Quickly, Mr. Sakala picked up his stethoscope and rushed to their house. He made a brief examination and said, “It appears she died a few hours ago. We need to rush her to the hospital and get confirmation from the doctor.” Mr. Sakala went back home to his nephew to help him lift Natalie’s mother’s corpse and put her in his vehicle. Beatrice and Natalie went along.

They arrived at the hospital at 06.00 p.m. At that moment, Natalie was struggling to keep the money she had received safe. Her mother was assessed, and the doctor certified her as Brought in Dead (BID) at exactly 06:30 p.m. At that moment, Natalie felt as if her life had come to a halt. She mourned uncontrollably as her mother’s body was taken to the mortuary. “Mother! Mother!” she cried, remembering her mother’s last words. She thought about how she would pick up the broken pieces, start afresh, and continue with life, because she was sure she had a good future ahead despite all the challenges she had gone through. Her sisters also depended on her.

Mr. Sakala called Mr. Bob to share the sad news. Mr. Bob reached the hospital within an hour. “Uncle Bob, we only have you left,” Natalie said, her voice heavy with sadness. Mr. Bob looked at Natalie with sorrow, wiping away his tears, then grabbed the phone belonging to Natalie’s late mother and used it to contact church members and friends.

When they returned home, people had gathered in a black funeral tent set up at their house. The money Natalie had raised to pay school fees was used to cover her mother’s funeral costs, as it was the only money available. After the burial, everyone dispersed, leaving Natalie with her sisters. Mr. Bob stayed with them for a while before returning to the farm. Natalie and her sisters had to decide how to proceed as life was growing tougher after their mother’s death. Schools had reopened, and they were two weeks behind because they had no money to pay their school fees. Rent was also overdue.

Due to a lack of money to pay school fees, Natalie had to work extra hard, selling one animal to raise the money, while Mr. Bob helped on the farm. After paying the school fees, Natalie and her sisters all went to school in the third term.

Covering 10 kilometres every day became difficult as exams approached. They decided to move to the farm to reduce their rent, which was taking up too much of their income and making it hard to save for school fees.

Natalie studied day and night to prepare for her final exams. She sat for her exams with confidence that she would pass all her subjects. After the results were published, she went to school to collect them, and they showed that she had passed all her subjects. Soon after collecting her results, she went to the farm to share the good news. The moment she arrived, the cows were mooing, “moo! moo! moo!” as if they knew Natalie had exciting news to share.

When Natalie entered the farmyard, she shouted, “Hooray! Hooray! I have passed my exams!” Tears of joy rolled down her face. Mr. Bob clapped and whistled, ululating in a deep, loud voice. He said, “Well done! Well done! My child.” It was a time of joy and shared happiness. They formed a circle, and Mr. Bob tied his jacket around his waist to show how to dance. When it was Natalie’s turn, she tied a wrapper around her waist and danced for an hour. Beatrice ran to the poultry to catch the biggest rooster. "We will have this rooster for dinner and celebrate your success!” said Natalie. Her two other sisters prepared a good meal. When it was time for dinner, they all sat on the mat to eat.

As they ate, Natalie noticed that Mr. Bob was quiet for a moment. “Uncle Bob, what is the matter?” Natalie asked. Mr. Bob replied, “Natalie, I would like you to follow the right path after you graduate from the university.” Natalie didn't understand what he meant. “What do you mean, Uncle Bob?” Natalie asked. “I want you to plan effectively so that you don't end up like me after you receive your retirement benefits in the future. I have no home of my own. My survival now depends on you, my late brother’s children,” he said. After hearing this, Natalie knelt and thanked him for the kind advice.

Through discussions with her classmates during high school, Natalie developed a passion for employee rights and protections. This, combined with the fact that more than 90% of her teachers were male, fuelled her desire to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management to give her a platform for advancing workers’ rights in the workplace and to have a chance to employ underrepresented groups, including women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex (LBTQI) groups, to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.

After gaining admission to the university, Natalie was enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management at the Copperbelt University. “It has always been my desire to attend the University. Though scholarship opportunities are limited, I have to work extra hard to cover my tuition,” Natalie said as Mr. Bob waved his hands in the air.

However, a lack of adequate financial resources led Natalie to sell second-hand clothes to raise university fees, in addition to selling farm produce. In 2006, when Natalie began pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management at the Copperbelt University, she continued selling second-hand clothes, through which she raised 40% of her university fees, with the remaining 60% covered by farm produce. Balancing business and studies was hard, especially during examinations, but she chose not to give up on her dreams. Because of her hard work and determination, Natalie completed her Bachelor's degree in December 2011.

Natalie continued to save a small portion of her profits to support her young sister, Beatrice, who was in her final year of high school. This was a significant challenge, as she had to support her two younger sisters while they were in school and provide them with necessities. Mr. Bob’s aging and weariness had taken a toll on the farm's produce, as his reduced energy made it difficult for him to concentrate.

After being named the best student at graduation, Natalie was offered a job at the Bank of Zambia in March 2012. The offer compelled her to relocate to Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, separating her from her sisters, who were still in school.

Three months later, Natalie received a call from Mr. Bob. When she answered, he shouted, “Natalie! Emily is very sick. She can barely walk. I will send you a copy of her medical report.” The news was worrisome. Beatrice was writing her final exams and had limited time to care for the family. When Natalie received Emily's medical report, she froze. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed. The following day, she travelled to visit her sisters, especially Emily, who had fallen ill.

Natalie drove slowly into the farmyard, where Mr. Bob was sunbathing. He struggled to recognize her. His vision was worsening. “Who is there?” asked Mr. Bob. Natalie responded with a tuneless whistle. Mr. Bob looked closely at her and exclaimed, “Natalie! Emily is unwell; she has anaemia.” Two minutes later, Emily coughed. Mr. Bob and Natalie rushed to the living room, where she lay on the floor. “How are you feeling?” Natalie asked. “I have not eaten for three days. Beatrice is writing her final exams, and she barely has time to cook for us,” Emily said. “You must all relocate to Lusaka so we can live together as a family,” Natalie said. “This is great news; it will also help us access better health care services,” Mr. Bob said.

After finishing her final exams, Beatrice was excited to learn they would all be relocating to Lusaka to live with Natalie. “We will soon be under one roof with my sisters!” Beatrice exclaimed with delight. Natalie also wanted to be closer to Mr. Bob, whose vision was deteriorating. When they arrived in Lusaka, Natalie took Mr. Bob and Emily to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), Zambia's largest hospital and home to the most specialists.

Two weeks later, Mr. Bob and Emily were much better. Mr. Bob’s eyesight improved, allowing him to see clearly at a distance. When Natalie took Emily to the hospital the following week, the medical report showed that she had enough healthy red blood cells to deliver oxygen to the body’s tissues.

As the cold season intensified, they sat by the fireplace each evening to keep warm. It was a moment of joy and shared happiness. They reunited and lived happily ever after.

THE END

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar celebrates the creative expressions of writers from around the world. This esteemed competition provides a platform for poets and storytellers to share their unique voices and narratives. It is a gathering of literary talent, where themes of life, love, and the human experience are explored through the written word.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Annie Changwe Nkandu for her poignant short story, "Can a Broken Heart Be Mended?" Her participation in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 enriches the literary tapestry of this event. It is through such powerful narratives that we are reminded of the strength and resilience found within us all.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.