Living On The Edge
Edward Chinhanhu
M
y heart immediately sank
when I heard they were
outside again. Luckily, I
was just coming out of a
bath, but even then, I still had to finish
with the toiletries and put on clothes.
As I frantically buttoned up my shirt
and buckled my trousers, I could hear
water splashing out into the sink. The
maid, watering again. This was in spite
of the vegetables not growing much. Not
that they were getting the chance to, no
way.
They were plucked everyday for a meal.
Tell me, how could the crop survive? But
the wife insisted that it be watered, daily.
It survived on nothing else - no mulching,
no pesticides but water and more water.
The bill was now $587,00 and the City
Council was outside, having come to
disconnect supplies.
Do you know what that would mean,
dear reader? Besides the already drying
vegetables, it would mean no cooking, or
the maid having to travel 500m into the
cemetery for free water there. It would
mean no use of the toilets (or storing large
containers from the cemetery).
It would also mean no leisurely
drinking in this heat. Above all, the
neighbours would notice, and it would
mean…embarrassment! I could not see
my children helping in the fetching of
water at the cemetery. They can be snotty
snobs, too used to an easy livelihood
and being provided for, though I am
sure the effort would teach them a few
disciplinary lessons.
Eventually, I went outside. They were
already at the water point where the
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