Mother was at a table in her sister Maxine’s backyard, surrounded by six or seven women she had known casually for many years, but otherwise knew not much about at all. They were all close friends of her sister’s who came from different parts of Maxine’s suburb, Woodlands. One was the daughter of a previous finance minister, the other worked for the corporate office for the United Nations, and another for the American embassy. Woodlands was a neighbourhood for the rich and elite of Lusaka, and so it was no surprise to Mother that Maxine’s friends were all rich, talented, and self-absorbed.
No matter how many times they sat at this table, Mother felt she knew not a single thing about them except for what they bragged about. Lukwesa was almost always proud to be representing Bemba rights on an international scale and felt like making some point about it every single time, just as Melinda liked to name drop the C-rate celebrities or politicians she got to host whenever they came to visit Lusaka. These conversations repeated themselves over and over again. These women loved to sit around and just talk about themselves.
At least Mother had a chance to sit at the wooden table and not worry about serving others. Maxine always had a caterer, who was related to her husband, Trent. Trent was out buying things for the braai, Father was out at the hospital, and none of the women had brought their husbands or partners.
The wind was picking up, giving them a little bit of respite from the smoke coming from the braai. Outside of the fenced house, a car passed the subdivision street. It was the first car Mother had seen since Father had dropped her off. The area was completely empty. It was going to be a fairly peaceful afternoon, and Mother would have been relaxed if not for the fact that Mother’s niece, Charlotte, was here to meet everyone for the first time.
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