BATTLE LINES ARE DRAWN
She is startled and makes a jump , this frightens the baby and he starts crying.
She responds in anger.
‘Why are you sneaking up on me like that, you know I have a weak heart. Do you want to kill me?’
Tanya is thrown off balance a bit, before regaining her focus. She grabs the baby off her mother, the babies are being used to spite each woman.
‘When is it ever going to end with you? You wreck havoc wherever you go! What is this you’re doing to my child? Huh?’
She is breathing heavily, shaking with anger as she tries to gently wipe off the liquid from the crying infant.
‘What is surprising about treating babies? These things have been done since your time and they will continue. Do you think I don’t know anything at my age?’
‘No! I don’t want my kids involved in any black magic , vana vanochengetwa naMwari ava!’
‘Black magic? Black magic? Ndaroya vana vako ini? My own grandkids? What do you think is so special about your Christianity that you scoff at our culture? Do you think that for you to grow this healthy and rich it was because I folded my hands and thought God would do everything? These are just traditional medicines , everyone knows small kids are vulnerable and need protection!’
‘Please mhama! Just leave it!’ Tanya turns and goes in search of bath water to cleanse her baby. Leaving the older woman muttering under her breath about how she won’t allow fake Englishness to kill her grandkids as she gathers the small bottle into her many layers of clothes.
A tense and hard air settles into the home, no one dares to make any noise. Tanya is irritable, going off at Rudo for ‘choosing’ the wrong relish.
‘Honestly! Sometimes you have to use your head, didn’t we have chicken just yesterday?’ She dumps the almost ready chicken pot in the sink to cool off before she puts in back in the freezer before she sets about preparing fish fillets.
Rudo stands, afraid another step will be condemned.
‘So now who’s cooking the sadza now that you’re just standing like a statue there?’
Rudo sighs, telling herself not to mind her employer’s mother induced mood swings.
Dylan gets back just before dinner is served, his mother in law has not come out of her room, despite being summoned for dinner 3 times. They wait, at the table. Kupakwashe even adds 1 more minute to her prayer, hoping her grandmother will come out .
In her room, Tanya’s mother is thinking. She is hungry, having skipped lunch earlier, the next meal will be in the morning. She swallows her pride, almost choking, and makes her way to the dining room, dragging a leg for good measure.
‘Maswera sei mhama’ , Dylan says with relief when she walks in.
‘Ndaswera, it’s just this leg that’s giving me trouble,’ she says in a pained whisper.
‘Someone is after the twins, but I’ve been praying for them so now they attack me.’
To avoid laughing, Dylan busies himself with dishing for himself and Tanya. Seeing no reaction, Tanya’s mother goes on.
‘Kids are a blessing and all blessings are fought, look at how you struggled to even have children.’
Kupakwashe coughs, the old woman goes on.
‘You have to be really careful about taking care of your children , there’s anything too hard for a parent to do, nothing too dirty, you hear me mwanangu?
‘Sure amai’, Dylan agrees for peace’s sake.
They eat in silence until she speaks again, ‘Eeeh, girl, take these 2 and go finish in the kitchen’.
