The ManicaPost
FRIDAY
We all welcomed my mother and step-father back home tonight with much excitement. My wife showed them great respect, which I was proud of. You never know with women! My mother of cause and as usual, played the card of “head mother of the house”. I wish she would not do that, we all know she is senior mother, there is no need for her to demand it. That attitude serves only to make people nervous around her and to make my wife retaliate. Anyway my wife took the mature road and showed she was the better woman tonight.
SATURDAY
My mother returned with tons of vegetables from our rural home, some for seed and some to eat. I must say I appreciate it a lot, because it means we do not need to spend money on much in the way of vegetables. We killed a goat to celebrate their return. We invited the neighbours etc. We invited my wife’s family too which is always a good thing. Even though our cultures are different; when it comes to food and drinks, everyone becomes one.
SUNDAY
Because my Dad used to be an Elder in our church, she is still given an Elders wife’s respect, even though she is remarried. So today they of cause got her on stage and prayed for her and us etc. She gave her usual testimony about the happenings in the rural areas and so forth. Ah my mamma is such a DIVA!
MONDAY
Today we were all busy, sorting sacks of seeds and sacks of dried or fresh vegetables/grain and fruit. My mother always returns with a truck load of these things, which takes us through the months well. Planting season is coming so the seeds are here at the right time. I just have to get the guys to grade the seeds, so we can plant the best . The women will have their hands full with sorting sorghum, wheat and maize. Even my wife had her traditional head gear and ma Zambia around her body doing what the rest of the women were doing. Nice to see women working together so well for a change. Maybe it was good that my mother went away then returned now full of gifts.
TUESDAY
I am back to sorting the fields, from before the sun rises to after the sun sets. Like the bible says “man will produce food for his household through the sweat of his brow”…I tell you diary, we are sweating like crazy. The sun is unforgiving this season, and the rains are holding back laughing at our demise. My mother as usual is organising a ritual to appease the spirit so we can get rain. In fact all the farmers in this area are going to be coming together to do this. My wife hates it when we do this, because she feels that it is not the spirits who control the weather, but it is God. She feels that as church going people, we should be praying to God to send the rain. I hate getting into this discussion with her, because inevitably an argument will breakout, where I will have to insist she attend the event; then my mother will notice that my wife does not want to be there, then an argument starts there and it never ends.
WEDNESDAY
The date for appeasing the spirits so we can have rain is set a week from now. Now I have to tell my wife yezho!
THURSDAY
You know what diary I decided, I will not tell my wife about the rain ceremony now, hopefully no one will say anything until close to the time, then I will tell her as a matter of fact. But if someone tells her now; I will have a big problem on my hands. So of cause what am I doing now? Spending as much time in the field as possible, away from the looming trouble at home.
