Ngoswe Kitovu Cha — Uzembe

“Make your wish,” the old man said.

At the center of this legend was a man named Shabani. Shabani was thirty-four years old, possessed of two strong arms, two swift legs, and a mind sharp enough to solve the Sunday crossword in under ten minutes. He also held the unofficial, undisputed championship of Ngoswe: he had not left his veranda for six hundred and forty-three consecutive days. ngoswe kitovu cha uzembe

Shabani laughed—a dry, rattling sound. “Old man, you expect me to wake at dawn? For a seed? I have not woken at dawn since 2017, and that was because the roof fell on my head.” “Make your wish,” the old man said

“ Kesho , friend. Today I am conducting an important study on the flight patterns of that pigeon.” He also held the unofficial, undisputed championship of

“I wish,” Shabani said slowly, “that everyone in Ngoswe forgets the name ‘Kitovu cha Uzembe.’ That they remember a different name.”

“ Kesho , Mama. Today my joints are negotiating with gravity.”