Kris Massie's memories of Kitwe.
Part 12
Then came the day when one toilet malfunctioned needing a new ball joint. Father-in-law expected an immediate repair! It was not as if this were the only toilet as there was another in the bathroom but it became a big bone of contention. Obtaining spare parts of any type was difficult at the best of times and most had to be ordered from the ‘head office’ which often created a delay.
So incensed was he that he decided to cut the remainder of their holiday short much to his wife’s great dismay. I put it down to his naval training and having to be obeyed at all times. They left, he in a huff with his very reluctant wife. It was such a shame.
It was normal for infants to be kept indoors for the first couple of weeks, being allowed outside in their pram for naps and only months later were they to accompany us on outings. Not quite the same today!
There is no other word for it, I was ‘summoned’ to show son no 2 to the lady of the house across the Close, the Portuguese and Italian marriage - a lethal combination in many respects for they had the most amazing rows! As I entered her lounge, she had covered her entire lounge suite with sheets in case my infant made a mess! My son was still a babe in arms and unlikely to perform any such act and I was highly amused if somewhat rattled. One was also expected to walk along ‘runners’ laid across the carpet, in case anyone made ‘a mess’ on that too! She was too house-proud for her own good and I know that her poor husband had to virtually strip naked on his return from work at the Mine only to enter the house via the scullery.
She had her ‘come-uppance’ some while later when her frantic screams for me to ‘come immediately’, had me rushing over to her home. There I found her in absolute hysterics as was her son in the bathroom, his blood all over the floor and wall tiles! My first action was to slap her face in order to get her to stop whereupon I shut her out. I then dealt with her son who was by then calmed and wide-eyed. I soon found that all he had was a small cut just inside his bottom lip. Such places we know bleed like 'billy-o' and it was soon staunched by my request for ice to use as a cold compress. I left her in wide-eyed stance too with further instructions …
The Railway house soon had an occupant from Ireland and we met over the fence after he had been there a month. All he did was moan and groan about how ‘he’d left a large house and a fantastic car’ in Ireland and had come to a menial job! My retort being ‘so what the hell are you doing here if you had it so good back home?’ That put paid to all the bad things he had to say and we didn’t see much of him before he eventually left within the year. But not before he came over to borrow a small amount of money though he did return it the following day.
On the other side of our wall, our next door neighbours were a lovely African family with the head of the household working for the Dairy Board.
So different were some of the work contract expatriates (‘expats’ as they were known). Most were only in it for the money, but something I could not tolerate was the detrimental things they said about the local people. Most of the locals had their way of working which in Africa terms meant ‘there’s always tomorrow …’ but it was up to us to show them another way. Patience was of the essence. I can say that Africans on the whole have a good sense of humour and don’t mind being ribbed without offence being given – they in turn would rib back.
I eventually left Mrs Myers with her gown shops as I felt I needed a change and I went to work as a receptionist to the Sales Manager, Derek Waters, another large garage two blocks away from the centre of town, Central African Motors. It was a good position, however as my desk was in the showroom, and every time a vehicle passed by on the forecourt the sun on that car’s windscreen would flash directly to where I was seated. These flashes of sunlight brought on the first of my migraines, which were to ‘lay me out’ completely. In subsequent years so bad were they that Dr Gottlieb had to administer medication used as a pre-med for operations to ‘knock me out’ and thereafter a good night’s sleep did the trick. I remember one year when my tongue became completely numb. This alarmed me greatly but my friend knew more about the subject and I was informed it was one of the ‘side-effects.’ I have learned to avoid bright flashing lights - no disco nights for me then!
Fortunately my last migraine (cross fingers) was over 40+ years ago, a surprising food related one on a flight via Johannesburg to Mauritius.
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