OUT OF THE SHADOWS ...

Out of the shadows
.

One cold morning after the authorities had rid Harare of its 'filth' I heard a loud bang on the big black gate that led to my house. I looked through the window to check who it was, but the pre-cast boundary wall blocked my view. For a moment I was tempted to ignore the knock as it sounded rather intimidating. What had happened a month before was still fresh on everyone's mind!

I went out anyway, strutting my stuff as usual. I was proud of my assets! "It's a free world", I thought to myself..."but who could that be .....?" I wondered.

"Err, tingaonewo baba vepano here?" "Could I see the man of the house please?" a man asked. He was wearing a multi-coloured scarf and was accompanied by 3 other people, a man and 2 women. Their blood shot swollen eyes were sticking out as if they were about to fall off. These people must have spent the previous night drinking opaque beer at the local beer garden, judging by the man's stinking breath and the bits splattering out of his mouth.

A quick thought ran through my mind. "Ahh, iko zvino vambobuda, vabuda manje manje sooo..." "He is not here, he left a moment ago...." I answered in a faint voice, playing victim.

"When he comes back, tell him we wanted to speak to him ..  about the forthcoming elections," he said with an emphasis. The conversation was brief, as he only wanted to speak to the man of the house. I could not wait for these people to leave and shut the gate behind them. This was 25 years after independence and 10 years after my husband had passed away ..... what an insult!