MRS. K.B. KGWATALALA
Rowallan Park is situated in an adventurous place among the Matopo Hills. The atmosphere there is absolutely "outdoorly" if ever there's a word like that Once you put your foot there you will always have something to remember in your life no matter what you are.
Among all the days I have had at Rowallan, there is one that makes me laugh whenever it comes back to my mind. One fine day a Mrs. Smile drove from Bulawayo to give a lesson on stars to a group of Guiders at this happy Park. The lesson went very successfully and Mrs. Smile's two-year-old girl and a three months baby in the car behaved so well that there was no interruption. After this nice lesson we all went in to enjoy a cup of tea with our guest after which we all sat down around the big umbrella-like tree in front of the nice home. Then Mrs. Smile got ready to return to Bulawayo she drove her car and stopped it a few yards from where we were having a lesson on Company Management. As you know we women always have something to say to our friends before we part. Mrs. Smile ran into the kitchen to have a little goodbye laughter with the orderlies. No one knows whether our friend left the handbrake off or if her baby girl pushed it. You know what happened, and one guider shouted "Imot a hamba!" which means "The car is going!" Can you imagine what we did?
Among us there were licenced drivers but - ha-ha-ha, we gripped the back bumper pulling with all our might. Some of us went to the front to push it back. Then someone in the pushing group said "Umywana, maiwe!" ("Put on the hand brake")
Funny she was a licenced driver and could have done the right thing. Some people can be very calm even at most exciting moments. This was Miss Pilgrim who stepped up quietly and put on the brake. When all this happened the little girl on the front seat was having a lot of amusement at the scene and her baby brother enjoying a nice sleep, their mother only came out of the kitchen to find guiders around her car laughing at their stupidity and talking without listening to each other.
Was it love or fright that made us panic so much?
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