Turning the grenade over in his hands—it was small enough to be concealed in one palm—Matesi ruminated on his attack. A wealthy farmer’s car, perhaps, or a Rhodesian Army officer on an inspection tour. The privates were like dry sticks; they’d burn with whatever blaze was put to them. Matesi fully expected them to open fire when and if he did, and to follow him into ZANLA service.
When a personal car finally did appear, Matesi was relieved to see that it did in fact carry Rhodesians. He motioned for it to halt and walked up, grenade in hand.
“Where are you going today, sir?” he asked.
The driver stuck his head out; the man was freckled and flaxen-blond. “Bulawayo, eventually,” he said. “Taking the family in to pick up some things at the druggist.”
The word “family” gave Matesi momentary pause. But no, the beaming wife in the passenger seat made no difference. She too was Rhodesian, and as Ndabaningi had drawn no distinctions, neither should he.
“We’re getting some asthma medicine!” a voice said from the back seat. Matesi looked over and saw a young girl there, hair in pigtails. She was clutching a black knit doll with spindly strings for arms and legs, and Matesi had a brief, stabbing thought of his young ones at home.
“That’s a fine doll you have there,” Matesi said. One quick pull, a toss, and then three seconds.
“Thank you,” the girl said. “Her name is Fabunni Zene. Mummy says that means ‘ God has given me this beautiful thing’ in Swahili.”
“But we do not speak Swahili in Rhodesia,” Matesi said. His hand trembled as he regarded Fabunni. So much like his daughter’s…
“Mummy says that more people in Africa speak it than anything else!” the girl said. “That’s why Fabunni chose it, to be a part of Africa.”
Excerpts From Nonexistent Books 