Lion of Soweto

Chapter 15

Buoyed up by the series of monetary donations coming his way, a wave of excitement grips Moyo this Saturday morning. He says to his wife. "I'll do whatever you ask of me today."

Sheline takes her eyes off the TV. "Really?"

"Yes." Moyo drops to the chair beside her. "What comes to your mind?"

Sheline bites her lip for a bit. "Err...Let's go shopping."

"Shopping?" Moyo's face turns upwards. That's now what he thinks she'll mention. "No problem. Let's go."

Grabbing her shopping list, Sheline leads Moyo toward the car park, to the admiration of neighbours. It's nice to see Moyo wearing warm smiles these days, whether leaving or returning to his flat. The lad had discussed with the residents' chairperson, pleading that all current and aspiring trouble-makers should keep away from his wife. There should be to need to ask her where the sun rises or where it sets.

Husband and wife enter their Toyota Yaris, heading to the Bulawayo Mall where they pick up a new microwave oven and kitchen utensils. Moyo selects what to buy from her list.

"Should we have our lunch in an eatery before going home?"

"Eating out is a waste of money when we have food at home."

"You shouldn't be cooking every day. Apart from that, when you travel I'll eat out. Let's take lunch here."

"If you say so."

They head to a KFC outlet on the lower floor of the mall. While the couple gets busy eating, seated opposite each other, a young man in ragged stone-jeans walks by, moping at Sheline, ignoring Moyo who to the lad is her chauffeur. "You look familiar." He points a finger at Sheline, tilting sideways. "Have we met before?"

"No, she's not familiar!" Moyo barks at the guy who jerks off. "Wooah, take it easy, man." He hastens towards the counter.

Sheline's brows rise at the unexpected reaction from her otherwise quiet husband. Yes, every man will shield his partner, but does that mean Moyo will start getting worried when she's away? He has nothing to fear Anyway. As a single Morningside lady, she didn't double-date, not to mention now that she's married to a man who cares.

A question pops up. Is Moyo likely to look elsewhere when she's at school? Is he the type that will bring home another woman when urges grip him? Going by his antecedents, that looks unlikely. Sheline perishes all wandering thoughts.

After dropping Sheline at home, tireless Moyo braces for a trip to the Bulawayo University of Science and Technology. Even if courtship is over, he still has to look after his wife. And to do that effectively, he must think outside the box. Sheline shouldn't return from South Africa after her first semester and start describing an albino to him as a white man.

Top on his mind for this visit is to watch from close range how female students dress and behave on campus. Such will help with the choice of clothes to gift her before she heads to South Africa.

After parking his car, Moyo watches as five ladies gather around a hunk, drinking and dancing to music blasting from the open boot of his BMW 6 Series SUV. The dreadlock-wearing vehicle-owner reclines on it nodding his head as ladies shake their bums around him. This must be the category of students who make Tashinga blabber.

Moyo ignores the group as he makes for the campus centre. Along the way he finds skimpily-dressed female students making out with their peers by the wall-side – apparently unmindful of passersby staring at them. He beckons on the first unaccompanied student walking by. "Can you please show me your library?"