Harare North (4 page)

We go into bedroom and go straight for them stockpiles of
food that MaiShingi have hide under she bed before she go out
because she fear them boys' appetite in she absence. Condensed
milk, sugar, bread, margarine, Mazoe orange drink – all is up for
grabs. After big feast, we turn our attention to the
sadza
and okra
that MaiShingi have leave for Chamu and Shingi on the coal stove
in the kitchen. Later we rub our swelled stomachs and go kak
kak kak.

But when MaiShingi discover that she bedroom have been raid
she get super vex, telling Shingi he should write letter to his uncle
Sinyoro and tell him that he is living large here, being keep well
fed and is also busy thiefing from she. Sinyoro was MaiShingi's
big brother and the one that take care of Shingi's school fees
because he was schoolteacher and have lot of money.

Then she turn to Chamu and bury him under with heap of
them words: yari yari yari I don't know where this come from, it
is not from your father's side of family and also not from your
mother's side because even if she was shebeen queen, she never
thief one single cent from anyone.

She end by threaten to kick both of them out of she house.
All this heap of trouble after she have straighten them out with
long piece of sugar cane.

From then on, every time Shingi bring food to school, me I
only have to say it come from under his mother's bed and Shingi
most of the time have lose the food game. I possess him. I still
possess him.

Sekai give me hard time about where I have been. I tell her that
I decide to sleep over at friend's house because he promise to find
me job but she keep going on yari yari saying don't I know that
I am not allowed to work in this country. And Paul don't say
nothing even if he is the one that tell me to look for graft.

'Is there somewhere secret that you are stashing the bread
because I don't understand how since you arrive it disappear so
fast?' Sekai ask me when things have calm down. Now this style
of sliding tackle that she is tearing into me with, me I don't know
what to do with it. If I find graft and start making money, me I
can sniff sniff that she is going to report me to immigration people.
And if she don't do that, then she is going to start charging me
big rent and food money and I will spend all my life working to
pay rent and will never be able to go back.

On Monday evening Paul is still not back from his graft by nine
o'clock and Sekai now go to night duty leaving the phone
unlocked. I tell Shingi the whole story and the kind of style that
Sekai playing on me here and how she give me hard time because
I don't sleep in they house on Friday night. And Paul don't even
say anything as if he have nothing to do with it. Shingi just going
kak kak kak and say that's the reason he move out of his cousin's
house; things get funny and air in the house fill-up with of funny
silences.

I have not even ask him and Shingi say that if I want graft
maybe I can try the company that he know in Wimbledon because
they is looking for more labour; they don't make big deal if your
papers is not OK. Now I am full of big cheer. Me I just want to
find my money and then boom, I disappear, I tell him.

Last year, before I leave Zimbabwe, if you wanted US$5,000
you have to find £2,777.78. The exchange rate was 1.80. Last
week it stand at 1.89. Maybe in few months exchange rate jump
to 2.5.

I get the graft on the spot but because I don't have no safety
boots, they say it is best if I start when I have buy pair of boots.
That is because they rules say 'no safety boots, no job'. On the
way back home, now me I see that I have one fat problem staring
straight into my face: Sekai is going to sell me out to them immigration
people, I know. She have not tell me nothing but after
reasoning hard me I can hear it loud and clear inside my head
what she want to do.

I talk to Shingi about this trick problem. Me I have not even
ask for anything and he say he is going to talk to Aleck. Aleck
will have to hit me £25 per week for rent, Shingi tell me after
talking to Aleck. Me I don't mind as long as he don't take away
all my money and I end up working in this country for ever.

In the morning I am alone inside the house; Paul have gone to
work very early and Sekai not yet back from night shift at St
Thomas' Hospital. She usually crawl in at about 10am, so inside
the house it's quiet.

I know that Sekai is not so hot on me coasting around in they
house during the day, eating they bread and eggs. Even if I am
happy to have new graft, I have not forgot the kind of mouth she
been throwing around in them past weeks. At one time before I
learn that I am not allowed to work, me I tell she that I don't
know where to start to look for graft. Yari yari yari yea when
people is in Zimbabwe they fill the air with cries saying they want
to come to the big lights but once they is here you find them
blinking like lost goats, that's what she say to me. That make me
disappear into the toilet and close the door behind me with big
force on that day. Even while inside toilet I hear she talking to
Paul about how, like many of them Zimbabweans who don't know
what else to do in the UK, I am only going to end up becoming
one of them BBCs – British Buttock Cleaners – looking after old
people that poo they pants every hour. She also say she think that
my uncle should not have buy me plane ticket so I can run away
from the police in Zimbabwe. I should have just face trial, that's
the kind of mouth she throw around.

Me I can stand anything that Sekai throw at me if I want but
this morning when I remember that only some few days ago she
have even say President Mugabe is stubborn old donkey and will
chase away all rural people from they villages if he can find emeralds
or diamonds there, me I get out of bed, pack my bag, kick
sausage dog out of my way and go down to the garage to buy
gallon of petrol for them. The sofas, beds, sausage dog – I want to
soak everything. I have already pack my suitcase and I am thinking
whether to start with lounge or they bedroom when I remember
that they is my relatives and that old Paul help me get to Brixton.
So without doing nothing, me I drag my suitcase out of they house.

When I am halfway down the street I remember that them
streets in that area is always full of dog
kaka
. So I go back to the
house and get the big screwdriver that Paul use for DIY. I need
something to scrape it off in case I have accident and step on dog
kaka
.

Aleck have small small hands but he have been in London for
four years and is the guru and big man in the house. He is shop
assistant in Croydon but can point them places if you want something;
he know which is best markets to buy clothes from and
also know many Zimbabwean contacts if you want to send things
back home. He is also the one that point Shingi in right direction
so he get graft in Wimbledon.

First day in the house – Aleck come from his graft in the evening
and go straight to his room upstairs without saying nothing to
me, Shingi, Tsitsi and Farayi as we talk in the kitchen. After half-hour
he call me to his room. It's like those days at school when
headmaster call you to his office.

He is lying on his bed, you know like tired big tycoon, and is
busy sending messages on mobile phone. There's Nike shoes and
shirts in disorder all over floor of his room and pictures of people
that play for Arsenal on the wall opposite his bed. And one picture
of him, all alone on the other wall and looking square at them Arsenal
football players like they belong to him. Chelsea is better team.

He is busy smiling to himself and sending messages and keep
me waiting so me I stand there not knowing what to do with my
hands. I can't even walk because I will make noise on them
floorboards because I am wearing them safety boots that Shingi
have buy for me today since I promise I will pay him back when
I get paid.

When he finally finish sending them messages Aleck throw his
phone down on bed with pretend carelessness.

'Right,' he say to himself as he sit up on his bed and lean
against wall to show that now is time for serious talk. He start by
telling me about them house rules that is on kitchen door and
then go on to talk other things; that we have to clean up so the
house don't get dirty. That I can find mattress for myself in the
skips. Shingi have already say it's OK for me to share his bed until
I find mattress.

* * *

The first thing you should know when you live in Harare North:
if people tell you something cost X, remember to allow 25 per
cent for them things that have been hide. Rent is supposed to
be £25 per week; Aleck say that's true but we have to
add another £5 per week for the electricity and gas to make
£30 per week.

Another thing: always push for them more favours because if
you don't then you don't get nothing. Aleck say he is going to
be nice to me and give me soft landing by not charging me any
rent for this week because we is already in the middle of it. I ask
him if he maybe also give me soft landing for next week because
me I am still new native in town and need more time to find my
feeties; he don't answer but scratch his jaw slow to show that he
is reasoning about it.

By the time we hit the weekend he have tell me it's OK if I
take another week of soft landing. This is big scoop, even if Aleck
tell me this with voice that sound like he is mourning this decision.
Before Aleck agree I have been asking Shingi to push Aleck
for me but he say that he have use up all his favours for this week
because he have ask Aleck for too many things. We don't want
to use them up all our favours all the time or else something big
happen that require us to use favours and if we have use them all
then we is in trouble, Shingi warn me. But if I had listen to him
I would have end up snoozing and losing.

The third thing: never listen too much to propaganda from
people like Sekai telling you that your mother's village is going
to be take over by mining company that belong to some minister.
You always know more than you believe in but always choose
what you believe in over what you know because what you know
can be so big that sometimes it is useless weapon, you cannot
wield it proper and, when you try, it can get your head out of
gear and stop you focusing. Soon you lose the game and end up
dying beyond your means in Harare North, leaving behind debts
and shabby clothes. I have hear all these kind of stories.

You see now I was right to ask for soft landing, I tell Shingi. He
don't say nothing; the week has end and now Aleck have give me
more soft-landing time. Also, after three days of working in
Wimbledon I have now been paid my wages but for funny reason
the company that we graft for have put me on emergency tax code
and thief away heaps of my money; the money that I get paid all
go to Shingi to pay for the boots that he buy me. Me I explain
to Shingi how this emergency tax code thing is big con because
that's too many Mars bars already.

On Saturday morning we is still lying in bed and this Zimbabwean
woman called MaiMusindo come to our house. She is big woman
with small head, hard-bitten face and tongue that is like old shoe
leather. She have been in England for maybe twenty years and
come to our house on the morning of my first Saturday there.
She work at the African hair salon with them Ghanaian, Nigerian
and Kenyan women who is also specialists in all styles. It's them
salon woman that provide midwife help in the salon back room
when Tsitsi give birth to she baby.

MaiMusindo is frightful woman. Before she arrive Aleck and
Tsitsi have been restless, running up and down the stairs getting
ready.

MaiMusindo used to be spirit medium; she still do rituals and
is in touch with them
mudzimu,
the spirits. She don't look like
anything that work in hair salon. When she talk, she speak slow,
you can't hurry she; she can even wave death away like it is some
nuisance fly. But Tsitsi say that she is the fastest weaver in the
salon. She carry the spirit world with she and wear this old funny
air that force you to pay attention to every word that she say
because it come out and drop like stone falling on concrete floor.

'
Mamuka seyi?
' Aleck greet she at the door.

She shuffle into the house in flowing layers of clothes and red
dustcoat as Aleck lead she into the kitchen with his hands clasped
together in respectful way. Tsitsi follow and the kitchen door is
closed.

Shingi say MaiMusindo is old-school kind of Zimbabwean who
think she hold all the wisdom and want to help everyone. She
want to help Tsitsi since the day they meet at Brixton market.
That was the day when MaiMusindo is buying vegetables at
crowded stall and Tsitsi is also looking for tomatoes. When
MaiMusindo's mobile go off and she let rip in old and deep Shona,
Tsitsi nearly jump on the old woman with big rural happiness.
That's what homesickness do. Tsitsi – she don't know how to
keep things inside – she roll out she whole story and MaiMusindo
now think she can help. MaiMusindo want Aleck to help Tsitsi
go back to she aunt but Aleck is busy all the time and have no
time, that's how Farayi see it. But MaiMusindo don't understand
that she is sticking she nose in people's business; Tsitsi's aunt is
not going to like this style, me I know.

Aleck come out of the kitchen talk looking like he regret that
he take this Tsitsi thing under his wing. His neck is deep inside
his shoulder with stress.

Even if it was me who have take Tsitsi into house because of
sympathy me I will not want to take she back to family that have
mess up she life like this. She is damaged goods and things like
this can cause lot of vex and leave heaps of trousers ruined from
all the pacing about and shouting between family members. Even
worse, Tsitsi's aunt is going to accuse Aleck of trying to ruin she
marriage by pushing Tsitsi back into she house.

MaiMusindo walk out of the kitchen and throw in this mother
kind of greeting into our room.

'
Makadii ko vana vangu?
'

'
Tiripo makadii
,' Shingi and Farayi answer like choirboys.

'
Takasimba?
'

Farayi jump up and lug his firewood bum out of our room to
go and greet she properly. Shingi also feel oblige to follow and
go to stand by our door. Me I hang back because I don't know
this funny woman.

Farayi and Shingi make the usual respectful greetings that you
do with elderly person and shake hands. She look absent-minded,
or tired. But she is old spirit; she presence make everyone stand
still and quiet and wait for she to talk.

Now I creep in behind Shingi to see.

I'm still hiding behind Shingi and suddenly I can't tell if
MaiMusindo is staring at me or at Shingi. She tongue come out:
'I have hear about you from Tsitsi. Your people – where they hail
from?'

She is talking to Shingi.

'Chi . . . Chipinge,' Shingi say with big football-size eyes.

MaiMusindo nod slow. Then she wander out of conversation
in funny absent-minded way and everyone don't know if she's
talking to us or to sheself, or if she is just rethinking what she
have just said. Then suddenly she awaken from she trance and she
sneeze in funny way. She remember the point that she is wanting
to make now: 'Tsitsi has tell me about you,' she say to Shingi as
she turn round and head for the door, leaving everyone under
spell.