The Col

l
ect
orOfTr
easur
es
Thel ong- term cent ralstatepr isoni nt he
southwasawhol eday 'sjour neyawayf rom the
vil
lagesoft henor t
her npar toft hecount ry.
Theyhadl ef tthev il
lageofPul engataboutni ne
thatmor ningandal l dayl ongt hepol icet ruck
dronedasi tspedsout hwar dsont hewi de,
dustycr oss- count rytrack-r oad.Theev er y
day
wor l
dofpl oughedf ields, grazingcat tle,and
vastexpansesofbushandf orestseemed
i
ndi f
ferentt ot hehungr yey esoft hepr i
soner
whogazedoutatt hem t hrought hewi remesh
grati
ngatt hebackoft hepol i
cet ruck.Atsome
pointdur i
ngt hej ourney ,thepr isonerseemedt o
stri
keatsomeul t
imat esour ceofpai nand
l
onel i
nesswi thinherbei ngand, overcomebyi t,
shesl owlycr umpl edf or war dinawast edheap,
oblivi
oust oev ery
thingbutherpai n.Sunset
sweptby ,t
hendusk, thendar kandst i
ll t
het ruck
dronedon, imper sonal l
y ,uncar i
ng.
 Atf i
rst,f
aintl
yont hehor i
zon, theor ange
glowoft heci t
yl i
ghtsoft henewi ndependence
townofGabor one, appear edl i
keanast onishi
ng
phan-t om i ntheov erwhel mi ngdar knessoft he
bush, untilthet r
uckst r
uckt arredr oads, neon
l
ight s,shopsandci nemas, andmadet hebush
aphant om ami dstabl azeofl i
ght .Allthis
passedunt i
med, unwat chedbyt hecr umpl ed
prisoner ;shedi dnotstirast hetruckf inall
y
dronedt oahal toutsidet hepr isongat es.The
torchlightstruckt hesideofherf acel i
kean
agoni singblow.Thi nkingshewasasl eep, the
policemancal ledoutbr iskly:
'
Youmustawak.Wehav
ear
ri
ved.
'
Hestr
uggl
edwi ththel
ockinthedar
kand
pul
ledopent
hegr ati
ng.Shecrawl
edpainf
ull
y
for
ward,i
nsi
lence.
Together,t
heywalkedupashortf
li
ghtofstai
rs
andwai t
edawhileasthemantappedli
ghtl
y,
sever
al t
imes,ontheheav
yir
onprisondoor.
Thenight-dutyatt
endantopenedthedoora
crack,
peer edoutandthenopenedthedoora
l
ittl
ewiderf ort
hem toenter
.Hequiet
lyand
casual
lyledt hewaytoasmal lof
fi
ce,l
ookedat
hiscol
leagueandasked: '
Whatdowehav e
here?'
I
t'
sthehusbandmurdercasefr
om Puleng
v
il
lage,
't
heotherr
epli
ed,handi
ngoverafil
e.
Theat tendantt ookthefi
leandsatdownata
tableonwhi chlayopenal arger ecordbook.I
n
abi g,boldscr awl herecor
dedt hedetail
s:
DikelediMokopi .Charge:Man-slaughter
Sent ence:Life.Ani ght-
dut
ywar dressappeared
andl edthepr i
sonerawayt oasi decubicl
e,
wher eshewasaskedt oundress.
'
Havey ouanymoneyony ou?'
thewardr
ess
queri
ed,handingherapl
ain,
greencot
tondress
whichwast hepri
sonuni
form.Thepri
soner
si
lent
lyshookherhead.
 "So, y ouhav eki ll
edy ourhusband, hav eyou? '
thewar dr essr emar ked, withaf l
ickerofhumour .
'
You' llbei ngoodcompany .Wehav ef ourot her
womenher efort hesamecr i
me.I t'
sbecomi ng
thef ashi ont heseday s.Comewi thme, 'andshe
l
edt hewayal ongacor r i
dor ,turnedl eftand
stoppedatani rongat ewhi chsheopenedwi t
h
akey ,
wai tedf ort hepr isonert owal ki nahead
ofherandt henl ockedi twi tht hekeyagai n.
Theyent eredasmal l,immensel yhigh- walled
cour tyard.Ononesi dewer et oilets,shower s,
andacupboar d.Ont heot her, anempt y
concr et equadr angl e.Thewar dr esswal kedt o
thecupboar d,unlockedi tandt ookoutat hick
rollofcl ean- smel lingbl anket swhi chshe
handedt ot hepr isoner .Att hel owerendoft he
walledcour tyardwasaheav yirondoorwhi ch
l
edt ot hecel l
.Thewar dresswal kedupt othis
door ,bangedoni tl oudl yandcal l
edout :'
Isay ,
willyouwomeni nt her elighty ourcandl e?'
 Av oicewi thincalledout:'
Allri
ght,
'andthey
couldheart hescr atch-scrat
chofamat ch.The
wardressagai ninsertedakey ,openedthedoor
andwat chedf orawhi leasthepr i
sonerspread
outherbl anket sont hefloor
.Thef ourwomen
pri
sonersal readyconf i
nedinthecellsatup
bri
efl
y ,
andst aredsilentl
yattheirnew
compani on.Ast hedoorwasl ocked,t
heyall
greetedherqui etl
yandoneoft hewomen
asked:'Wher edoy oucomef r
om? '
'
Puleng'
,thenewcomerr eplied,and
seemi nglysati
sfi
edwiththat,thelightwas
blownoutandt hewomenl aydownt ocont
inue
theiri
nterrupt
edsleep.Andast houghshehad
reachedt heendofherdest i
nat i
on, t
henew
prisonertoofelli
ntoadeepsl eepassoonas
shehadpul l
edherblanketsabouther .
Thebreakfastgongsoundedatsixthenext
morning.Thewomenst i
rredthemselvesf
or
t
heirdail
yrouti
ne.Theystoodup,shookout
theirbl
anket sandr oll
edt hem upi ntoneat
bundles.Theday -dutywar dressrattl
edt hekey
i
nt helockandl etthem outi ntothesmal l
concretecour tyardsot hatt heycouldper f
orm
theirmorningt oil
et.Then, wi t
haloudcl atterof
pail
sandpl ates,t
womal epr i
sonersappear ed
atthegat ewi thbreakfast.Themenhanded
eachwomanapl ateofpor ridgeandamugof
blackteaandt heyset t
ledt hemselvesont he
concretefloort oeat.Theyt urnedandl ooked
attheirnewcompani onandoneoft hewomen,
aspokesmanf orthegr oupsai dkindly:
'
Youshouldtakecare.Theteahasno
sugarinit
.Whatweusual l
ydoisscoopthe
sugaroffthepor
ridgeandputitint
othet
ea.
'
Thewoman, Di
keledi,l
ookedupand
smiled.Shehadexper i
encedsucht er
rordur
ing
theawaiti
ng-tr
ialperi
odt hatshelookedmore
l
ikeaskel et
ont hanahumanbei ng.Theskin
creakedtautl
yov erhercheeks.Theot her
womansmi l
ed,butafterherownf ashion.Her
facepermanentlywor ealookofcy nical
,
whimsicalhumour.Shehadaf ul
l,plumpf i
gur
e.
Sheintr
oducedher selfandhercompani ons:
'
Mynamei sKebony e.Thenthat'
sOt setswe,
Galeboe,andMonwana.Whatmayy ourname
be?'
"
Dikel
edi
Mokopi
.'
'
Howisitt
haty ouhavesuchatragicname,
'
Kebony
eobserved.'Whydidyourparent
shave
tonameyoutears?'
"Myf atherpassedawayatt hatt
imeandi ti
s
mymot her'
stearsthatIam namedaf t
er,
'
Dikeledi sai
d,thenadded:'
Sheherselfpassed
awaysi xyearslat
erandIwasbr oughtupbymy
uncle.'
Kebonyeshookherheadsy mpathet
ical
l
y,
sl
owlyrai
singaspoonfulofporr
idgetoher
mouth.Thatswal
lowed,sheaskednext:
"
Andwhatmayy
ourcr
imebe?
'
“
Ihav
eki
l
ledmyhusband.
'
"Wear eallher
efort
hesamecr i
me,
'
Kebonyesaid,t
henwithhercy
nical
smil
easked:
'
Doy oufeelanysorr
owaboutthecri
me?'
'
Notr
eal
l
y,'
theot
herwomanr
epl
i
ed.
"
Howdi
dyouki
l
lhi
m?'
'
Icutoffall
hisspeci
alpar
tswi
thakni
fe,
'
Di
keledisai
d.
'
Idi
ditwit
har azor
,'
Kebonyesai
d.Shesi
ghed
andadded:'
Ihavehadatroubl
edli
fe.
'
Alit
tl
esil
encefol
lowedwhilet
heyall
busi
edthemselveswi
ththei
rfood,
then
Kebony
econtinuedmusingl
y:
'
Ourmendonott hinkthatweneed
tender
nessandcar e.Youknow, myhusband
usedtokickmebet weent helegswhenhe
wantedthat.Ionceabortedwithachil
d,duet
o
thi
streatment .Icouldseet hatt herewasno
wayt oappeal t ohimi fIfeltil
l
, soIoncesai dt o
himthati fhelikedhecoul dkeepsomeot her
womanaswel l becauseIcoul dn'tmanaget o
sati
sfyall hi
sneeds. Wel l,
hewasaneducat ed-
offi
cerandeachy earheusedt osuspendabout
seventeenmal eteacher sformaki ngschool
gir
lspregnant ,butheusedt odot hesame.The
l
asttimei thappenedt hepar ent soft hegi r
l
werev eryangr yandcamet or epor tthemat ter
tome.It oldthem: "
Youl eav eittome.Ihav e
seenenough. "AndsoIki l
ledhi m. 'Theysati n
sil
enceandcompl etedt heirmeal , t
hent hey
tooktheirplatesandcupst orinset hem inthe
wash-room.Thewar dresspr oducedsomepai l
s
andabr oom.Thei rsleepingquar tershadt obe
fl
ushedoutwi thwat er;therewasnotaspeckof
dir
tany where, butthatwaspr isonr out i
ne.All
thatwasl eftwasani nspect i
onbyt hedirector
ofthepr i
son.Her eagainKebony et urnedtot he
newcomerandwar ned:
 '
Youmustbecar efulwhenthechiefcomes
toinspect.Hei smadaboutonet hing-at
tent
ion!
Standupst r
aight
!Handsaty oursi
des!Ifthi
sis
notdoney oushouldseehowhest andshere
andcur ses.Hedoesnotmi ndany -thi
ngbut
that.Heismadaboutt hat
.'
Inspect i
onover
,thewomenwer etaken
throughanumberofgat estoanopen, sunny
yard, f
encedi nbyhigh,barbed-
wirewheret hey
didt heirdail
ywork.Thepr i
sonwasa
rehabi l
i
t at
ioncent
rewher ethepri
soners
producedgoodswhi chwer esoldintheprison
store;thewomenpr oducedgar mentsofcloth
andwool ;
themendi dcarpentr
y,shoe-
maki ng,
brick-maki ng,
andvegetableproducti
on.
Dikel
edi hadanumberofski ll
s-shecould
knit
, sew,andweav ebasket s.Al
lthewomenat
presentwer ebusykni tti
ngwool l
engar ments;
somewer elear nersanddidt hei
rwor ksl
owly
andpai nstakingly.TheylookedatDi kel
ediwit
h
i
nterestasshet ookabal lofwoolandapai rof
kni
tti
ngneedlesandr api
dlycastonsti
tches.
Shehadsof t,caressing,
almostbonel
ess,
handsofst r
angepower -
-workofabeautif
ul
desi
gngr ewf rom thosehands.Bymid-morning
shehadcompl et
edt hefrontpar
tofajersey
andtheyallstoppedt oadmi r
ethepatt
ernshe
hadinventedinherownhead.
'
Youar
eagi
ft
edper
son,
'Kebony
eremar
ked,
admi
ri
ngl
y.
'
Allmyf ri
endssayso, 'Di
keledirepli
ed
smiling.'
Youknow, Iam t hewomanwhose
thatchdoesnotl eak.Whenev ermyf r
iends
want edtothatchtheirhuts,Iwast here.They
woul dneverdoitwi t
houtme.Iwasal ways
busyandempl oyedbecausei twaswi ththese
handst hatIfedandr earedmychi ldren.My
husbandl eftmeaf t
erfoury earsofmar ri
age
butImanagedwel lenought of eedthose
mout hs.Ifpeopl
edi dnotpaymei nmoneyf or
mywor
k,t
heypai
dmewi
thgi
ft
soff
ood.
'
'
It
'snotsobadhere,'Kebonyesaid.'
Wegeta
l
itt
lemoneysavedforusoutt hesaleofour
work,andify
ouwor kli
kethatyoucanstil
l
producemoneyforyourchil
dren.Howmany
chil
drendoyouhave?'
"
Ihav
ethr
eesons.
"
Aret
heyi
ngoodcar
e?'
'
Yes.
'
'
Ili
kelunch,'Kebonyesai
d,oddl
ytur
ningt
he
conversat
ion.'I
tist
hebest
mealoft
heday
.Wegetsampandmeatand
veget
abl
es.
'
Sot hedaypassedpl
easantlyenoughwi t
h
chatterandworkandatsunsett hewomen
wereoncemor et
akenbacktot hecellf
orlock-
uptime.Theyunroll
edthei
rblanketsand
preparedthei
rbeds,andwit
ht hecandleli
t
conti
nuedtotal
kawhi lelonger.Justasthey
wereabouttoret
ir
ef orthenight,Di
keledi
noddedtohernew-foundf r
iend,Kebonye:
"Thanky ouf
oral
lyourki
ndnesst
ome,
'she
sai
d,soft
ly.
'
Wemusthelpeachot her,'
Kebonyerepl
i
ed,
wi
thheramused,cyni
calsmile."Thisi
sa
t
err
ibl
eworl
d.Thereisonlymi seryher
e.'
Andsot hewomanDi keledibeganphase
threeofal i
fethathadbeenasheni nit
s
l
onelinessandunhappi ness.Andy etshehad
alwaysfoundgol damidsttheash, deeplov
es
thathadj oi
nedherhear tt
ot heheartsofot
hers.
Shesmi ledtenderl
yatKebony ebecauseshe
knewal readythatshehadf ound
anothersuchlov
e.Shewast
hecol
l
ect
orof
suchtreasur
es.
*
***
**
Ther
ewer
ereal
l
yonl
ytwoki
ndsofmeni
n
thesoci ety.Theoneki ndcr eatedsuchmi sery
andchaost hathecoul dbebr oadlydamnedas
evil
.Ifonewat chedt hev il
lagedogschasi nga
bit
chonheat ,theyusual l
ymov edar oundi n
packsoff ourorf ive.Ast hemat ingpr ogressed
onedogwoul dat temptt ogai ndomi nanceov er
thefest i
vit
iesandoustal l theothersf rom the
bit
ch'sv ulva.Ther estoft hehapl essdogs
wouldst andar oundy appingandsnappi ngi nit
s
facewhi lethet opdogi ndulgedinacont i
nuous
spurtofor gasms, dayandni ghtunt i
lhewas
exhaust ed.Nodoubt ,duringt hatHer culeanf eat,
thedogi magi nedhewast heonlypeni si nthe
worldandt hatt herehadt obeascr ambl eforit.
Thatki ndofmanl ivedneart heani mal leveland
behav edjustt hesame.Li ket hedogsandbul ls
anddonkey s, healsoaccept ednor esponsi bil
ity
forthey ounghepr ocr eatedandl ikethedogs
andbul lsanddonkey s, heal somadef emal es
abort.Sincet hatki ndofmanwasi nthe
major i
tyint hesoci ety, heneededal itt
le
anal ysingashewasr esponsi blef ort he
compl etebr eakdownoff ami l
yl i
fe.Hecoul dbe
anal ysedov erthreet i
me- spans.I nt heol dday s,
bef oret hecol onial i
nv asi onofAf rica, hewasa
oft heset radi t
ionswer ecompassi onat eornot -
theydemandedt hathecompl yandobeyt he
rules, withoutt hought .Butwhent hel awsoft he
ancest or sar eexami ned, theyappearont he
whol et ohav ebeenv ast ,external disci -
pl i
nes
fort hegoodoft hesoci etyasawhol e, wi t
hl it
tle
attent i
ongi v entoi ndi vi
dual preferencesand
needs.Theancest orsmadesomanyer rorsand
oneoft hemostbi tt
er -
maki ngt hingswast hat
theyr elegat edt omenasuper iorposi tioni nt he
tri
be, whi lewomenwer er egar ded, ina
congeni tal sense, asbei ngani nfcriorf or m of
humanl ife.Tot hisday ,womenst il
l suf f ered
from al lthecal ami t
iest hatbef al
l ani nf eri
or
form ofhumanl ife.Thecol onialer aandt he
per i
odofmi grator ymi ni nglabourt oSout h
Af r
ica
wasaf urtheraf f
lictionv isi
tedont hisman.I t
broket hehol doft hean-cest or s.Itbroket he
old,tr adi t
ionalfor m off ami lylifeandf orlong
periodsamanwassepar atedf rom hi swi feand
chil
dr enwhi l
ehewor kedf orapi ttancein
anot herl andinor dert or aiset hemoneyt opay
hisBr iti
shCol oni al poll-tax.Br i
t i
shCol onialism
scar cel yenr i
chedhi slife.Het henbecamet he
boy 'oft hewhi temanandamachi ne-tool oft he
Sout hAf ri
canmi nes.Af ricanindependence
seemedmer elyonemor eaf fl
ictionont opt he
affl
ict ionst hathadv isitedt hisman' sli
fe.
Independencesuddenl yanddr amat i
call
y
changedt hepat ternofcol onial subser vience.
Mor ej obsbecameav ailabl eundert henew
gov er nment '
slocal i
zat i
onpr ogr ammeand
salar i
essky -
rocket edatt hesamet ime.It
prov idedt hefirstoccasi onf orf ami lyli
feofa
newor der ,abov et hechi ldl
ikedi scipli
neof
cust om, t
hedegr adat ionofcol onialism.Men
andwomen, inor dert osur vi
ve, hadt oturn
i
nwardst othei
rownr esources.Itwastheman
whoarri
v edatthist
urningpoint,abrokenwreck
wit
hnoi nnerresour
cesatal l
.Itwasast hough
hewashi deoustohimselfandi nanef f
ortt
o
fl
eehisowni nnerempt i
ness,hespunaway
fr
om himselfinadizzykindofdeat hdanceof
wil
ddestructi
onanddi ssi
pation.
OnesuchmanwasGar esegoMokopi ,
the
husbandofDi keledi.Forf oury ear
spr i
orto
i
ndependence, hehadwor kedasacl erkinthe
distr
ictadmi nis-tr
ationser vice,atast eady
salaryofR50. 00amont h.Soonaf ter
i
ndependencehi ssal aryshotupt oR200. 00per
mont h.Ev endur i
nghi sleanday shehadhada
tastef orwomani singanddr ink;nowhehadt he
resour cesforar ealspr ee.Hewasnotseenat
homeagai nandl i
vedandsl eptaroundt he
vil
lage, fr
om womant owoman.Hel efthiswife
andt hr eesons—Banabot he, theeldest,aged
four;Inalame,agedt hree; andt hey oungest ,
Mot somi ,agedone- totheirownresources.
Per hapshedi dsobecauseshewast heboring
Ther ewasanot herkindofmani nthesociety
wi t
ht hepowert ocr eatehimselfanew.He
turnedall hisr
esour ces.Perhapshedidso
becauseshewast hebor i
ng,semi-l
it
erat
e
traditi
onal sor
t,andt herewer ealotofexcit
ing
newwomenar ound.I ndependenceproduced
mar velsindeed.
Therewasanot herkindofmani nthesociet
y
wit
ht hepowert ocreatehinselfanew.He
tur
nedallhisresources,bothemot ional
and
material
,towardshi
sf ami l
yli
feandhewenton
andonwi thhisownqui etrhythm, l
ikeari
ver
.
Hewasapoem oft ender ness.
OnesuchmanwasPaul Theboloandheandhi s
wif
e,Kenalepe,andtheirthr
eechildr
en,camet o
l
iv
eint hevil
lageofPulengin1966, t
hey earof
i
ndependence.PaulThebol ohadbeenof fered
t
heprincipal
shipofapr i
mar yschooli
nthe
vi
ll
age.Theywereal
l
ocat
edanempt yfi
eld
besi
detheyardofDi
kel
ediMokopi
,fort
heir
newhome.
Neighbour sarethecentreoft heuni verse
toeachot her
.Theyhelpeachot heratall t
imes
andmut uall
yloaneachot her'
sgoods.Di kel
edi
Mokopi keptani nt
erestedey eont hey ardof
hernewnei ghbour
s.Atf i
rst,
onl ytheman
appearedwi t
hsomewor kment oer ectthe
fence,
whi chwassetupwi t
hi ncredi
blespeed
andefficiency.Themani mpr essedher
i
mmedi at elywhen
shewentar oundtoi nt
roduceher selfandfi
nd
outal it
tleaboutt henew-comer s.Hewast al l
,
l
ar ge-boned, slow-mov i
ng.Hewassopeacef ul
asaper sont hatthesunlightandshadow
playedal lkindsoft r
ickswithhisey es,makingit
diffi
culttodet erminetheirexactcolour.When
hest oodst ill
andl ookedreflect
ive,thesunl
ight
l
ikedt ocr eepintohisey esandnest lether
e; so
somet i
meshi sey eswer et hecol ourofshade,
andsomet imesl i
ghtbr own.Het ur nedand
smiledatheri naf ri
endl ywaywhenshe
i
ntroducedher sel
fandexpl ainedt hatheandhi s
wifewer eont ransf erfrom t hev i
llageof
Bobonong.Hi swi feandchi ldrenwer eli
v i
ng
withrelativ
esi nt hev il
lageunt ilt
hey ardwas
prepared.Hewasi nahur r
yt oset tl
edownas
theschool t
er m woul dst artinamont h'
stime.
Theywer e,hesai d, goingt oer ectt womudhut s
fi
rstandl aterhei nt endedset tingupasmal l
houseofbr icks.Hi swi fewoul dbecomi ng
aroundi naf ewday swi thsomewoment oerect
themudwal lsoft hehut s.
'
Iwoul dli
ketooff
ermyhel ptoo,
'Dikeledisai
d.
"I
fwor kalwaysst
artsearl
yinthemor ningand
thereareaboutsi
xofus, wecangetbot hwall
s
erectedinaweek.Ifyouwantoneoft hehut s
donei nwoman'sthatch,
allmyfri
endsknow
thatIam thewomanwhoset hat
chdoesnot
l
eak.
'
Themansmi l
ingl
yr epli
edthathewouldimpar
t
al
lthisinf
ormat iont ohiswife,
thenheadded
charmingl
yt hathet houghtshewoul dl
ikehi
s
wifewhent heymet .Hiswifewasav er
yfri
endl
y
person;everyonelikedher .
Dikel ediwal kedbackt oherowny ar
dwi t
ha
highhear t.Shehadf ewcal l
ers.Noneofher
relativescal l
edf orfearthatsinceherhusband
hadl efthershewoul dbecomedependenton
them f ormanyt hings.Thepeopl ewhocal led
didbussi nesswi thher;t
heywant edhertomake
dressf ortheirchil
drenorkni tjerseysf
orthe
wint ert i
meandatt imeswhenshehadno
order satal l,shemadebasket swhi chshesold.
I
nt heseway sshesuppor tedherselfandthe
threechi l
drenbutshewasl onelyfortr
ue
fri
ends.
Al
lturnedoutasthehusbandhadsai
d—hehad
al
ov el
ywife.Shewasfai
rlyt
all
andthi
nwi
tha
bright,vi
vaciousmanner .Shemadenoef f
ortto
conceal thatnormal ly,
andev eryday,shewasa
veryhappyper son.Andal ltur
nedoutas
Dikeledihadsai d.Thewor k-
partyofsixwomen
erectedthemudwal lsofthehut sinoneweek;
twoweeksl ater,thethatchwascom-pl ete.The
Thebol ofami l
ymov edintothei
rnewabodeand
DikelediMokopi mov edintooneoft hemost
prosperousandhappyper iodsofherl i
fe.Her
l
ifetookabi g,wideupwar dcur ve.Her
rel
at i
onshipwi ththeThebol ofami l
ywasmor e
thant heusual fri
endlyexchangeofnei ghbours.
Itwasr i
chandcr eati
v e.Itwasnotl ongbefor
e
thetwowomenhadgoi ngoneoft hosedeep,
affect
ionate,sharing-everythingkindof
fri
endshipsthatonl ywomenknowhowt ohave.
Itseemedt hatKenal epewant edendless
amount sofdr essesmadef orherselfandher
threel
itt
legirl
s.Si nceDi keledi wouldnotaccept
cashfort heseser vi
ces- shepr otestedaboutthe
manybenef itssher eceiv edfrom hergood
neighbour s-Paul Thebol oar rangedt hatshebe
paidi nhousehol dgoodsf ortheseser vi
cesso
thatf orsomey ear sDi kelediwasal way s
assur edofherbasi chousehol dneeds- -
theful
l
bagofcor n, sugar , tea,powder edmi lk,and
cooki ngoi l
.Kenal epewasal sotheki ndof
womanwhomadet hewhol ewor ldspinaround
her; herat tractiveper sonal i
tyattr
actedawhol e
rangeofwoment ohery ardandal soawhol e
rangeofcust omer sf orherdr essmaki ngfri
end,
Dikel edi.Ev entual l
y ,Dikeledibecameswamped
withwor k,wasf orcedt obuyasecondsewi ng-
machi neandempl oyahel per.Thet wowomen
didev erythingt oget her -
-theywer eforeverto-
getheratweddi ngs, funerals,andpar ti
esinthe
vil
lage.I nt heirleisur ehour stheyfreely
discussedal ltheiri ntimat eaffai
rswi theach
other , sothateachknewt horoughlythedetail
s
oft heot her'
sl i
fe.
Youarealuckysomeone,
'Di
kel
edir
emarked
oneday,wi
stful
l
y.'
Notever
yonehasthegi
ftof
ahusbandli
kePaul.
'
'
Ohy es,'
Kenalepesaidhappi l
y.'
Heisanhonest
somebody .
'Sheknewal i
tt
leofDikel
edi'sl
istof
woesandquer ied:
'Butwhydi dyoumar rya
manl i
keGar esego?Ilookedcarefull
yathim
wheny oupoi ntedhim outtomeneart heshops
theotherdayandIcoul dseeatonegl ancethat
heisabut t
erf l
y.'
'
IthinkImost l
ywantedtogetoutofmyuncl
e'
s
yard.'
Dikeledir
epl
i
ed,'
Ineverl
ikedmy
uncle.
Richashewas, hewasahar dmanand
veryself
ish.'
Iwasonlyaser
vantthereandpushedabout .I
wentt
herewhenIwassi xmymot herdi
ed,and
i
twasnotahappylif
e.Al lhi
schildrendespi
sed
mebecauseIwastheirser v
ant.Unclepaidfor
myeducati
onforsi
xy ears,thenhesaidImust
l
eaveschool
.Il
ongedf ormor ebecauseasy ou
know, educat ionopensupt hewor ldf orone.
Garesegowasaf riendofmyuncl eandhewas
theonl ymanwhopr oposedf orme.They
discussedi tbet weent hemsel vesandt henmy
uncl esai d: "You'dbet termar ryGar esego
becausey ou' rejusthangi ngar oundher el ikea
chainonmyneck. "Iagreed, justt ogetaway
from t hatt err i
bleman.Gar esegosai datt hat
ti
met hathe' dr atherbemar r i
edt omysor tthan
theeducat edki ndbecauset hosewomenwer e
stubbor nandwant edtol aydownt her ulesf or
men.Real ly,Idi dnotev erpr ot estwhenhe
startedr unni ngabout .Youknowwhatt heot her
womendo.Theychaseaf t
ert hemanf rom one
hutt oanot herandbeatupt hegi rl
fri
ends.The
manj ustr unsi ntoanot herhut ,that '
sal l.Soy ou
don'tr eal l
ywi n.Iwasn' tgoingt odoany thing
l
iket hat .Iam sat isfi
edIhav echi ldren.Theyar e
abl essi ngt ome. 'Oh, i
tisn'tenough, 'herf riend
said, shaki ngherheadi ndeepsy mpat hy .
'
Iam amazedathowl if
eimpar tsi
tsgifts.Some
peoplegett
oomuch.Ot hersgetnothingatal l
.I
havealwaysbeenluckyinli
fe.Onedaymy
parentswi
llv
isi
t-
-t
heyliv
eint hesouth-andy ou'
l
l
seethefusstheymakeov erme.
Pauli
sjustt
hesame.Hetakescar
eof
ever
ythi
ngsothatInev
erhaveadayof
wor
ry.
..
'
ThemanPaul ,attr
actedaswi dear angeof
malef r
iendsashi swi f
e.Theyhadguest sev ery
evening;i
ll
iteratemenwhowant edhimt of i
ll i
n
taxformsorwr i
telett
ersforthem, orhisown
coll
eagueswhowant edtodebat ethepol i
tical
i
ssuesoft heday -t
herewasal way ssomet hing
newhappeni ngev erydaynowt hatthecount ry
hadindependence.Thet wowomensatont he
edgeoft hesedebat esandlistenedwi th
fasci
natedear s,buttheyneverpar t
ici
pated.
Thef ol
lowingdayt heywoul dchewov erthe
debateswi t
hwi se,earnestexpressions.
 'Men' smindst ravelwidelyandbol dly,
'
Kenal epewoul dcomment .'
Itmakesmeshi ver
thewayt heyfreelycriti
ciseournew
gov ernment.Didy ouhearwhatPet rossaidlast
night ?Hesaidheknewal l
thosebast ardsand
theywer ejustal otofcr ookswhowoul dpulla
l
otofdi r
tytr
icks.Ohdear !Ishiveredsomuch
whenhesai dthat .Thewayt heytalkaboutthe
gov ern-mentmakesy ouf eelinyourbonest hat
thisisnotasaf ewor ldtobei n,notliketheold
day swhenwedi dn'thavegov ernment s.And
Lent swesaid
thattenper centofthepopul ationinEngland
reall
ycont r
ol allt
heweal thoft hecountry,whi
le
therestli
v eatst ar
vationlevel
.Andhesai d
communi sm woul dsor tal
lthi
sout .Igathered
from thewayt heydiscussedt hismatterthat
ourgov ernmenti snoti nfavourofcommuni sm.
Itrembledsomuchwhent hi
sbecamecl earto
me. .
.'Shepausedandl aughedpr oudl
y.I'
ve
heardPaulsaythi
sseveral
times:
"TheBr
it
ish
onlyrul
edusforeight
yyears.
"IwonderwhyPaul i
ssof ondofsayingthat?
'
Andsoacompl etel
ynewwor ldopenedupf or
Dikeledi.Itwassoim-possibl
yri
chandhappy
that,ast hedayswentby,sheimmer sedherself
mor edeepl yini
tandquiteoverl
ookedt he
barrennessofherownl if
e.Butithungt her
elike
anaggi ngachei nthemindofherfri
end,
Kenal epe.
"Yououghttofindanot
herman,
'sheur
ged
oneday,whentheyhadoneofthei
rper
sonal
di
scussi
ons.'
It'
snotgoodforawomantoli
ve
al
one.'
"Andwhowoul dthatbe?'Di
kelediasked,
disi
ll
usioned.'I
'
donlybebr i
ngingtroubleint
o
myl i
fewher easnowi ti
sallinorder.Ihavemy
eldestsonatschool andIcanmanaget opay
theschool f
ees.That'sal
lIreall
ycar eabout
.'
'
Imean,'
saidKenalepe,'
wear
eal
soher
eto
makeloveandenjoyit.
'
"
OhIneverreal
lycaredfori
t,
't
heotherrepli
ed.
'
Whenyouexperiencetheworstofi
t,i
tjustput
s
y
ouoffal
together.
'
"
Whatdoyoumeanbyt
hat
?'Kenal
epeasked,
wi
de-
eyed.
"Imeani
twasjustj
umponandj
umpof
fandI
usedtowonderwhati
twas
al
labout
.Idev
elopedadi
sl
ikef
ori
t.
'
'
YoumeanGar esegowasl ikethat!Kenal epe
said,fl
abber gasted.'Why ,
that'
sjustlikeacock
hoppingfr om hent ohen.Iwonderwhathei s
doingwithall t
hosewomen.I '
m sur et heyare
j
ustaf t
erhi smoneyandsot heyflatterhim..
.'
Shepausedandt henaddedear nestl
y :'
That'
s
reall
yallthemor er easony oushouldf i
nd
anotherman.Oh, ifyouknewwhati twasr eal
ly
l
ike,youwoul dlongf orit
,Icant ellyou!I
somet i
mest hi
nkIenjoythatsi
deofl i
fefartoo
much.Paul knowsal otaboutall
that.Andhe
al
way shassomenewt r
ickwit
hwhi chto
sur
priseme.Hehasacer t
ainwayofsmi l
ing
whenhehast houghtupsomet hi
ngnewandI
shi
veral i
tt
leandsayt omy sel
f:"
Ha, whatis
Paulgoingtodot oni
ght!"
Kenal
epepausedandsmi
l
edatherf
ri
end,
sly
ly.
'
Icanl oanPaul toyoui fy
oulike,
'shesai
d,t
hen
raisedonehandt oblocktheprot
estonher
fri
end'sface.'
Iwoul ddoitbecauseIhavenever
hadaf r
iendli
key ouinmyl i
febeforewhom I
trustsomuch.Paul hadothergir
lsyouknow,
bef or
ehemar riedme, soit'
snotsuchan
uncommont hingt ohim.
Besi desweusedt omakel ovelongbef orewe
gotmar riedandInev ergotpregnant.Het akes
careoft hatsidetoo.Iwouldn'
tmi ndloaning
him becauseIam expect i
nganot herchildandI
don'tfeel sowell
theseday s.
..
.'
Dikel
edistar
edatthegroundf
oralong
moment,thenshelookedupatherf
ri
endwi
th
t
earsinhereyes.
'
Icannotacceptsuchagi f
tf r
om y ou,'shesai d,
deepl ymov ed.'Butify ouareillIwillwashf or
youandcookf oryou. 'Notputof fbyherf ri
end's
refusalofhergener ousof fer,Kenal epemen-
ti
onedt hedi scussiont oherhusbandt hatv er
y
night.Hewassot akenof f
-guar dbyt he
unex pect
ednessoft hesubj ectthatatf i
rsthe
l
ookedsl ightlyastoni shed,andbur stouti nto
l
oudl aughterandf orsuchal engthyt i
met hat
heseemedunabl et ost op.
"Whyarey
oulaughi
ngl
i
ket
hat
?'Kenal
epe
asked,
sur
pri
sed.
Hel aughedabitmor e,
thensuddenl
ytur
ned
veryseriousandthoughtf
ulandwaslostinhi
s
ownt houghtsforsomet i
me.Whensheasked
him whathewast hinki
nghemer el
yrepl
ied:'
I
don'twanttotelly
ouev er
ythi
ng.Iwantt
okeep
someofmysecr
etst
omy
sel
f.
'
ThenextdayKenal
eper
epor
tedt
hist
oher
fr
iend.
"Nowwhatev
erdoeshemeanbyt
hat?Iwantt
o
keepsomeofmysecret
stomy
sel
f?'
'
Ithi
nk,'
Dikel
edisai
dsmili
ng,'
Ithi
nkhehasa
concei
taboutbeingagoodthan.Also,when
someonelovessomeonet oomuch, i
thurt
s
them t
osayso.They'dr
atherkeepsil
ent.
'
Shor
tl
yaf
tert
hisKenal
epehadami
scar
ri
age
andhadt
obeadmi t
tedto
hospital forami noroper at
ion.Di keledi kepther
promise' towashandcook' f orherf ri
end.She
ranbot ht heirhomes, fedthechi ldrenandkept
everythingi nor der.Also,peopl ecompl ained
aboutt hepoor nessoft hehospi t
al dietand
eachdayshescour edthev i
llagef oreggsand
chicken, cookedt hem, andt ookt hem t o
Kenalepeev erydayatt helunch- hour .
Oneev eningDi keledi rani nt oasnagwi t
hher
routine.Shehadj ustdi shedupsupperf orthe
Thebol ochi l
dr enwhenacust omercame
aroundwi thanur gentr equestf oranal terati
on
onaweddi ngdr ess.Theweddi ngwast otake
placet henextday .Shel eftt hechi ldrenseat ed
aroundt hef ireeat i
ngandr eturnedt oherown
home.Anhourl ater,herownchi ldrenasl eep
andset t
led,shet houghtshewoul dcheckt he
Thebol oy ardt oseei fal lwaswel lther e.She
enteredt hechi l
dren'shutandnot edt hatthey
hadputt hemsel vest obedandwer ef astasl eep.
Theirsupperpl ateslayscat teredandunwashed
aroundt hef ire.Thehutwhi chPaul and
Kenal epeshar edwasi ndar kness.I tmeantt hat
Paul hadnoty etretur nedf rom hi susual
eveni ngv i
sittohi swi f e.Di keledi collectedt he
platesandwashedt hem, t
henpour edwi t
ht he
dirt
ydi shwat eront hest i
ll-glowi ngember sof
theout doirlif
e.Shepi ledt hepl atesoneont op
oftheot herandcar r
iedt hem t ot het hird
additi
onal
hutwhichwasusedasaki tchen.
JustthenPaulTheboloent
eredt
hey ard,
noted
thelampandmov ementi
ntheki
tchenhutand
walkedovertoit
.Hepausedattheopendoor .
'
Whatar eyoudoingnow,Mma- Banabot
he?'he
asked,addressi
ngheraff
ect
ionatel
yinthe
customarywaybyt henameofhereldestson,
Bana-bothe.
'
Iknowquit
ewellwhatIam doi
ng,
'Di
kel
edi
r
epli
edhappil
y.
Shet urnedaroundtosayt hatitwasnotagood
thi
ngt oleav
edi rt
ydishesstandingov er
night
buthermout hf l
ewopenwi thsur pri
se.Twosoft
poolsofcool li
quidl
ightwereinhi seyesand
somet hi
nginfini
tel
ysweetpassedbet ween
them;itwast oobeautif
ultobel ove.
"Youareaver
ygoodwoman,
Mma-
Banabot
he,
'
hesaidsof
tl
y.
I
twast
het
rut
handt
hegi
ftwasof
fer
edl
i
kea
nuggetofgold.Onlymenl ikePaul Thebol
o
couldoff
ersuchgi f
ts.Shet ookitandstor
ed
anothert
reasureinherhear t.Shebowedher
kneeinthetradi
ti
onal cur
tseyandwal ked
quiet
lyawayt oherownhome.
*
***
*
Eighty earspassedf orDi kelediinaqui et
rhythm ofwor kandf r i
endshi pwi tht he
Thebol o's.Thecr i
siscamewi t
ht heel destson,
Banabot he.Hehadt ot akehi sprimar yschool
l
eav ingexami nati
onatt heendoft hey ear.This
seri
ousev entsoberedhi m upconsi der ablyas
l
ikeal lboy shewasv eryfondofpl ay ti
me.He
broughthi sbookshomeandt ol
dhi smot her
thathewoul dli
ketost udyi ntheev enings.He
woul dliket opasswi t ha' GradeA' topl easeher.
Wi t
haf l
ushedandpr oudf aceDikel edi
ment ionedt histoherf ri
end, Kenalepe.
"Banabot
hei
sstudy
ingever
yni
ghtnow,'she
said.'
Henev
err
eall
ycaredf
orst
udies.Iam so
pleasedaboutt
hist
hatIboughthi
m aspar e
l
ampandr emovedhi
mf rom t
hechi
ldren'
shut
tomyownhutwher ethingswil
lbepeacefulf
or
him.Webot hsi
tuplat
eatnightnow.Isewon
buttonsandfi
xhemsandhedoeshi sstudies
...
'
Sheal soopenedasav i
ngsaccountatt hepost
offi
cei nor dertohavesomest andbymoneyt o
payt hef eesforhissecondaryeducat ion.They
werer atherhigh-R85.00.Butinspiteofal l her
hoardingofoddcent s,towardst heendoft he
year,shewasshor tonR20. 00t ocovert hef ees.
Midwaydur i
ngtheChr i
stmasschool holiday s
theresul tswereannounced.Banabot hepassed
withaGr adeA.Hi smot herwasal most
hystericalinherjoyathisachiev ement. But
whatt odo?Thet woy oungersonshadal ready
start
edpr i
mar yschoolandshewoul dnev er
managet ocoverallt
heirfeesfrom their
resources.
Shedeci dedt or emindGar esegoMokopi that
hewast hef atheroft hechi ldren.Shehadnot
seenhi mi nei ghty earsexceptasapasser -byi
n
thev i
l
lage.Somet i
meshewav edbuthehad
nevertal kedtoherorenqui redaboutherl ifeor
thatoft hechi ldren.Itdidnotmat ter.Shewasa
l
owerf or m ofhumanl i
fe.Thent hisunpleasant
somet hingt urnedupathi sof fi
ceoneday ,just
ashewasaboutt oleav ef orl unch.Shehad
heardf rom v i
llagegossi p, thathehad
eventual l
yset tleddownwi thamar riedwoman
whohadabr oodofchi ldrenofherown.Hehad
oustedherhusband, inat y picalvil
lage
sensationofbr awls,curses, andabuse.Most
probablyt hehusbanddi dnotcar ebecause
therewer ealway sarmsout stret
chedt owardsa
man, asl ongashel ookedl ikeaman.The
attr
actionoft hispar t
icularwomanf or
GaresegoMokopi,soherfor
merloverssai
d
wit
hasni cker
,wasthatshewentinforheady
for
msofl ove-
makingli
kebi
ti
ngandscr atchi
ng.
GaresegoMokopiwalkedoutofhisoffi
ceand
l
ookedi r
ri
tabl
yatt
heghostfrom hispast,hi
s
wif
e.Sheobv i
ousl
ywantedtotal
kt ohim and
he
walkedtowar dsher ,l
ooki ngathi swat chal lthe
while.Li
keal l
thenew.' successmen' ,hehad
developedapaunch, hisey eswer eblood- shot,
hisfacewasbl oat ed,andt heodouroft hebeer
andsexf rom thepr eviousni ghtclungf aintly
aroundhim.Hei ndicatedwi t
hhi seyest hatthey
shouldmov earoundt ot hebackoft heof fice
blockwher etheycoul dt alkinpr i
vacy.'You
musthur r
ywi thwhat ev ery ouwantt osay ,
'he
saidimpatientl
y." Thelunch- hourisveryshor t
andIhav etobebackatt heof f
icebyt wo. 'Not
tohim couldshet al
koft hepr ideshef eltin
Banabothe'sachi evement ,
soshesai
dsi
mplyandqui
etl
y:'
Garesego,
Ibeg
youtohel
pmepayBana-
bothe'
sfeesfor
secondaryschool
.Hehaspassedwi t
ha"Grade
A"andasy ouknow, t
heschoolfeesmustbe
producedonthefi
rstdayofschoolorelsehe
will
bet ur
nedaway.Ihavestr
uggledtosave
moneyt hewholeyearbutIam shortbyR20.
00.'
Shehandedhim herpostoffi
cesavi
ngsbook,
whichhetook,gl
ancedatandhandedbackt o
her.Thenhesmil
ed,asmi r
kyknow-al
l smi
le,
andthoughthewasdeliver
ingherablowinthe
face.
'
Whydon' ty
ouaskPaul Thebol
oforthe
money?'hesaid.'Everyoneknowshe'skeeping
twohomesandt hatyouar ehisspar
e.Everyone
knowsaboutt hatfull
bagofcor nhedeli
versto
yourhomeev erysixmont hssowhycan'the
paytheschool f
eesaswel l
?'
Sheneitherdeni
edthis,norconfi
rmedi
t.The
bl
owgl ancedoffherfacewhichsherai
sed
sl
ight
ly,i
npr i
de.Thenshewal kedaway
.
Aswast heirhabit,
theirhabit
,t
hetwowomen
gottoget herthatafternoonandDikeledi
reportedt hi
sconv ersati
onwi t
hherhusbandto
Kenalepewhot ossedbackherheadi nanger
andsai df i
ercel
y :'
Thef i
lt
hypighimself!He
thi
nksev erymani slikehim,doeshe?Ishall
reportthismat tertoPaul,thenhe'
ll
see
somet hing.'
Andi ndeedGar esegodi dseesomet hi
ngbuti t
wasj ustuphi sal l
ey.Hewasaf emal
e
prostit
uteinhi sinner mostbeingandlikeall
professionalprost i
tutes,heenjoyedpubli
cit
y
andsensat ion-itpromot edhiscause.Hesmi led
geniall
yandexpansi vel
ywhenamadl yangry
Paul Thebolocameupt othedoorofhi shouse
wher ehel i
vedwi t
hhi sconcubine.Garesego
hadbeent hroughal otofthesedramasov er
thoseeighty ear sandheal mostknewbyr ote
thedialoguet hatwoul dfol
low.
"
Youbast
ard!
'Paul
Thebol
ospatout
."Your
wi
fei
sn'
tmyconcubi
ne,
doy
ouhear
?'
payher
?'
"Thenwhyar ey
oukeepi ngherinf ood? '
Gar esegodr awl
ed.'Menonl ydot hatf orwomen
theyf uck!Theynev erdoitfornothing.'Paul
Thebol or est
edonehandagai nstthewal l
,hal
f
dizzywi thanger,andhesai dtensely: '
Youdefi
le
l
ife,Gar esegoMokopi .There'
snot hingelsein
yourwor l
dbutdef i
lement.Mma- Banabot he
makescl othesformywi feandchi ldrenandshe
willneveracceptmoneyf rom mesohowel se
mustI
"
Itonl
yprovesthest
orybothways,
't
heot
her
r
epli
ed,v
il
ely.'
Womendot hatf
ormenwhofuck
t
hem.'
PaulThebol
oshotoutt heotherhand,punched
hi
m soundlyinonegrinni
ngey eandwalked
away:Whocoul dhidealivi
d,swoll
eneye?
Toever
ysurprisedenquir
y,herepli
edwithan
i
njur
edair:
'I
twasdonebymywi fe'
slov
er,Paul
Thebol
o.'
 Itcert
ainlybroughttheat tenti
onoft he
wholev i
ll
ageuponhi m, whichwasal lher eall
y
wanted.Thoseki ndsofmenwer ethebot t
om
rungofgov ernment .Theysecr etl
yhunger edto
bethePr esidentwithalleyesont hem.He
workedupt hesensat ional it
tl
ef urt
her.He
announcedt hathewoul dpayt heschool feesof
thechildofhisconcubi ne,whowasal sot o
entersecondar yschool,butnott heschool fees
ofhisownchi l
d,Banabot he.
Peopl ehal
fli
kedt hesmearonPaul Thebol o;he
wast oogoodt obet r
ue.Theydel i
ght edin
maki nghim apartoft hegener aldirtofthe
vi
llage,sotheyturnedonGar esegoandscol ded
:'Yourwi f
emi ghtbeget ti
ngt hingsf rom Paul
Thebol obutit
'sbeyondt hepur seofanymant o
payt heschool f
eesofhi sownchi ldrenaswel l
ast heschoolfeesofanot herman' schi l
dren.
Banabot hewouldn'tbet herehady ounot
procreatedhim,Gar esego, soitisyourdut yto
careforhum.Besides,
it'
syourfaul
tify
ourwif
e
takesanotherman.Youleftheral
oneallt
hese
years.
'
Sot hatst or ywasl iv edwi t
hf ortwoweeks,
most l
ybecausepeopl ewant edt osayt hatPaul
Thebol owasapar tandasuncer t
ainofhi s
mor alsast heywer e.Butt hest orytooksucha
dramat ict ur nthatitmadeal l t
hemenshudder
withhor ror .Itwassomeweeksbef oret hey
couldf i
ndt hecour aget ogot obedwi thwomen;
theypr eferr edt odosomet hi
ngel se.Gar esego'
s
obscenet houghtpr ocesseswer ehisown
undoing.Her eall
ybel i
ev edthatanot herman
hadast akei nhi shen- penandl ikehairupabout
i
t.Het houghthe' dwal kinandr e-establishhi s
owncl aimt oitandso, aft
ertwoweeks, once
theswel lingi nhi sey ehaddi eddown, heespi ed
Banabot hei nt hevillageandaskedhi mt otake
anot et ohi smot her .
Hesai
dthechi
l
dshoul
dbr
ingar
epl
y.Thenot
e
read:'
DearMother,Iam cominghomeagainso
thatwemayset t
leourdiffer
ences.Wi
l
lyou
prepar
eameal formeandsomehotwat erthat
Imighttakeabath.Gare.'
Dikel
edi t
ookthenote,r
eaditandshookwith
rage.Alli
tsovert
oneswerecl
eartoher.Hewas
cominghomef orsomesex.Theyhadhadno
dif
fer-ences.Theyhadnotevental
kedtoeach
other.
'
Banabot
he,'
shesai
d.'Wi
ll
youplaynearby
?I
wanttot
hinkabi
tthenIwil
lsendyoutoyour
f
atherwi
thther
eply.
'
Herthoughtprocesseswerenotv er
ycl
earto
her.Ther
ewassomet hingshecouldnot
i
mmedi atel
ytouchupon.Herl i
fehadbecome
holytoherduri
ngallthoseyearsshehad
str
uggledtomai nt
ainhersel
fandthechi
ldr
en.
Shehadfi
ll
edherl
i
fewit
htreasur
esof
ki
ndnessandl
oveshehadgat
heredfrom
othersandi twasal lthisthatshewant edto
protectfrom def ilementbyanev i
l man.Herf i
rst
panic-st
rickent houghtwast ogat herupt he
chil
drenandf leet hev i
ll
age.Butwher etogo?
Garesegodi dnotwantadi v or
ce, shehadl eft
himt oappr oachheraboutt hemat ter,shehad
desistedf rom t aki nganyot herman.Shet urned
herthought st hiswayandt hatandcoul dfind
nowayoutexceptt of acehi m.Ifshewr ote
back,don' ty oudar eputf ooti nthey ardIdon't
wantt oseey ou, hewoul di gnoreit.Black
womendi dn' thav et hatkindofpower .A
thoughtful, broodi ngl ookcameov erherface.
Atlast,atpeacewi t
hher self,shewenti ntoher
hutandwr ot ear eply :'
Sir
,Ishal lprepar e
everythi
ngasy ouhav esai d.Dikeledi.'
I
twasaboutmi ddaywhenBanabothesped
backwiththereplytohisf
ather
.Allaf
ter
noon
Dikel
edibusiedhersel
fmakingprepar
ati
onsfor
theappearanceofherhusbandatsunset.At
onepoi ntKenal epeappr oachedt hey ar dand
l
ookedar oundi namazementatt hemassi ve
prepar ations,thel ar gei ronwat erpotf ullof
waterwi thaf irebur ningunderi t
, theext ra
cookingatagr inding- stoneandshar penedi t
slowlyandmet hodi cal l
y .Whatwasi nf ocus
thenwast hef inal andt ragi
cexpr essi onont he
upturnedf aceofherf riend.I
tt hrewheri nto
confusi onandbl ockedt hei
rusual freeandeasy
femininechat ter .WhenDi keledi sai d: 'Iam
maki ngsomepr epar ationsforGar esego.Hei s
comi nghomet oni ght ,
'Kenalepebeatahast y
retr
eatt oherownhomet err
ified.Theyknew
theywer einv olvedbecausewhenshe
ment ionedt hist oPaul hewasdi stract edand
uneasyf ort her estoft heday .Hekeptondoi ng
upside- downsor tsoft hings,notr epl yingt o
quest i
ons, absent -mi ndedl yleav ingacupoft ea
unti
l i
tgotqui tecol d, andev er ynowandagai n
hest oodupandpacedabout , losti nhi sown
thought s.Sodeepwast hei
rsenseof
dist
urbancethattowar dsev
eningtheyno
l
ongermadeapr etenceoftalki
ng.Theyjustsat
i
nsi l
enceinthei
rhut .Then,
ataboutnine
o'cl
ock,t
heyheardt hosewildandagonized
bell
ows.Theybot hrushedouttogethertothe
yardofDikel
ediMokopi .
*
***
Hecamehomeatsunsetandf oundev ery
thi ng
readyf orhi
m ashehadrequest ed, andhe
settl
edhi msel
fdownt oenjoyaman' slif
e.He
hadbr oughtapackofbeeral ongandsat
outdoor ssl
owlysavouri
ngi twhileev erynow
andt henhiseyesweptov ertheThebol oy ard.
Onlyt hewomanandchi ldrenmov edaboutt he
yard.Themanwasoutofsi ght.Gar esego
smi l
edt ohi
m-self,
pleasedt hathecoul dcr ow
asloudashel ikedwithnoanswer ingchal lenge.
Abasinofwarm waterwasplacedbefor
ehim
towashhishandsandthenDikeledi
servedhi
m
hismeal
.Ataseparatedi
stanceshealso
serv edt hechi l
dr enandt heni nstructedt hem t o
washandpr epar ef orbed.Shenot edt hat
Gar esegodi splay ednoi nt erestinthechi l
dren
what soev er.Hewasent i
relywr appedupi n
himsel fandt houghtonl yofhi mselfandhi s
owncomf ort.Anyt endernessheof feredt he
childr enmi ghthav ebr okenherandswer vedher
mi ndawayf rom t hedeedshehadcar ef ull
y
plannedal lthataf t
ernoon.Shewasbeneat hhis
regar dandnot icet oof orwhensheev entu-al
ly
broughtherownpl ateoff oodandsatnearhi m,
henev eroncegl ancedatherf ace.Hedr ankhi s
beerandcasthi sgl anceev erynowandagai nat
theThebol oy ard.Notoncedi dthemanoft he
yardappearunt i
l i
tbecamet oodar kto
distingui shany thinganymor e.Hewas
compl etelysatisf i
edwi t
ht hat .Hecoul dr epeat
theper f
or manceev erydayunt i
lhebr oket he
met tleoft heot hercockagai nandf orcedhi m
i
nt oangr yabuse.Hel ikedt hatsor toft hing.
'
Gar esego, doy out hi
nky oucoul dhel pmewi t
h
Banabot
he'
sschool
fees?
'wi
thany
one
Di
kel
edi
askedatonepoi
nt.
"
Oh,
I'
ll
thi
nkabouti
t,
'her
epl
i
edcasual
l
y.
Shest oodupandcar ri
edbucket sofwat erinto
thehut ,whichshepour edi ntoal arget inbat h
thathemi ghtbat hehi msel f,thenwhi lehet ook
hisbathshebusi edher selft i
dyingupand
compl etingt helastoft hehousehol dchor es.
Thosedone, sheent eredt hechi ldren'shut .
Theypl ay edhar ddur i
ngt hedayandt heyhad
alr
eadyf al l
enasl eepwi thexhaust ion.Sheknel t
downneart heirsleepingmat sandst ar edat
them foral ongwhi le,withanext remel yt ender
expression.Thenshebl ewoutt heirlampand
walkedt oherownhut .Gar esegol ayspr awled
acrosst hebedi nsuchamannert hati ndicated
heonlyt houghtofhi mselfanddi dnoti ntend
shari
ngt hebedel se.Satiatedwi thfoodand
dri
nk,hehadf all
eni ntoadeep, heavysl eept he
momenthi sheadt ouchedt hepi l
low.Hi s
concubinehadnodoubttaughthimthatthe
correctwayforamant ogotobed,wasnaked.
Sohel ay,unguar
dedanddefencel
ess,sprawl
ed
acrossthebedonhisback.
Thebat hmadeal oudclatterasDi keledi
remov editfrom theroom, butstillhesl epton,
l
ostt othewor ld.Shere-
ent eredt hehutand
closedt hedoor.Thenshebentdownand
reachedf ortheknifeundert hebedwhi chshe
hadmer el
yconceal edwit
hacl oth.Wi ththe
precisi
onandski l
lofherhar d-wor kinghands,
shegr aspedhol dofhisgeni tal
sandcutt hem
offwi t
honest roke.Indoi
ngso, shesl i
tthe
mai narterywhichranont hei nsideof
thegroi n.Amassivespurtofbl
oodarchedit
s
wayacr ossthebed.AndGaresegobell
owed.
Hebel lowedhisanguish.Thenall
wassilent
.
Shest oodandwat chedhisdeathangui
shwi t
h
anintentandbr oodingl
ook,missi
ngnotone
detai
lofi t.Aknockonthedoorstir
redherout
ofherrever
ie.I
twastheboy,Banabothe.She
openedthedoorandstar
edathim, speechless.
Hewast rembli
ngvi
olent
ly.
"Mother
,'hesai
d,i
nat
err
if
iedwhi
sper
.'Di
dn'
tI
hearfat
hercry?
'
'
Ihaveki
ll
edhim,
'shesaid,wavingherhandin
theai
rwit
hagesturethatsai
d-well
,that
'
sthat.
Thensheaddedsharpl
y:'
Banabothe,goandcall
the
pol
i
ce.
'
Het urnedandf l
edi ntothenight.Asecondpai r
offoot st
epsf oll
owedhar donhi sheels.Itwas
Kenaleper unningbackt oherowny ar
d, hal
fout
ofhermi ndwi thf ear.Outofthedar kPaul
Thebol osteppedt owar dsthehutandent eredit
.
Het ookinev erydet ailandthenhet ur
nedand
l
ookedatDi keledi wit
hsuchat ort
ured
expressionthatf orat imewor dsfail
edhi m.At
l
asthesai d: '
Youdon' thavetowor r
yaboutt he
chi
ldren,Mma-Banabothe.I
'
llt
aket
hem asmy
ownandgi vet
hem all
asecondaryschool
education.
'