Zimpapers Logo

uncle after the death of his parents in the 90s. He was an average student who with a bit of hard work could have managed to scrape through with eight Grade C passes. He did not even have one pass.

Charles’ guardian runs several shops in Mhondoro, so it was imperative that Charles spent a lot of time behind the counters rather than studying.

There are full-time shopkeepers, but Charles loafes and bosses them around as the nephew to the big man.

On one encounter when we had a family gathering in Mhondoro, I expressed my sentiments that Charles was behaving like a spoiled brat. I believe no one really took me seriously, but said that I was putting him under the microscope hence I was prejudging him.

On that particular day, he played the radio loud and even though clients requested to have “museve”, he continued to play his selection of R&B only.

He also had a horde of school girls giggling and swarming him as he sat on one of the big speakers in the shop. Then he was 19, and I asked him what he planned to do about his future.

“Amainini, I am okay living here in Mhondoro and I do not need to resit the O-Level examinations as you asked me to do. I really do not fit in the school environment and, in fact, the teachers are not that good, so it’s a waste of time and money,” Charles said.

He went on to say that he was the cog in the wheel of the business venture that our uncle ran as he moved from one shop to the other as the “de facto” supervisor.

“As you know mudhara is easy going so I am the one in charge of seeing to the smooth running of the shops. The workers need someone who is alert and a no-nonsense man so I am that man,” he added.

I told Charles that there will come a time that he cannot be taken as a dependant and when that time comes, he will have to be man enough to stand on his own.

“Amainini, your problem is that you worry about the future. The future is trivial it will take care for itself,” was his matter-of-fact response. I quickly ended the discussion as it was getting me nowhere.
Last week our uncle phoned informing us that a girl from Charles’ church had eloped to him.

“As you know Charles is a madzibaba and a prophet at his church so one of the girls, who is a daughter to the founder of their branch, is six weeks pregnant.

“She eloped to our homestead three days ago. The father sent madzimai from the congregation to say that they will not have it any other way but have Charles marry her. So that is the news here,” said my uncle.

I asked how they were going to live, where they going to give him a bedroom and a portion to farm or he would continue to “work” as the business venture supervisor. My  uncle even had more gloomy news.

“That is not all, one more girl eloped after hearing that Charles now had a wife. This girl is three months pregnant, so when she came she said she was maiguru because the first girl to elope is only six weeks’ pregnant.

“As if that was not enough, another girl from Mamina phoned and introduced herself as Charles’ wife who was on the way,” said uncle.

Uncle went on to say that he was in no position to have three daughters-in-law neither was he able to give them kitchens or bedrooms at his homestead.

That Charles is not in control of his sexuality is open for all to see. In the space of one week, he had three women claiming that he had fathered their babies-to-be. But Charles insists he is not in a position to marry anyone.

The sad part is that Charles is an orphan who now chooses to make his children orphans when he is alive. Charles lost both parents to Aids.

It seems he is repeating the cycle as he lives in the fast and rough lane. Definitely he is a stranger to the condom because how does one explain impregnating three girls in a row.

If one is man enough to father a child, one must be man enough to look after that child.
If you cannot control your sexual appetite then condomise.

Feedback: [email protected]