No matter how hard he worked around the yard, all he got was a half-hearted "thank you". Malicious scrutiny of receipts followed every trip to the shops and banking halls to pay utility bills. During his absence, worse things would happen. John's sister-in-law would pass uncomplimentary comments about the amount of food he gobbled daily, despite having spent close to two years job-hunting without success.
"Vasikana, ahh . . . ah zisadza rinotimbwa nekarume katinogara nako aka? Kungoti ndibabamudiki, hatingavarase . . . asi vakatsvaga basa zvingaite nani," the sister-in-law would say, sending neighbours, among them John's potential lovers, into fits of laughter.
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