Abel’s presence in the house
brought with it new rules. One of
the first things he did was kick Fufi
and Panther out of the house.
“No dogs in the house.”
“But we’ve always had the dogs
in the house.”
“Not anymore. In an African
home, dogs sleep outside. People
sleep inside.”
Putting the dogs in the yard
was Abel’s way of saying, “We’re
going to do things around here the
way they’re supposed to be done.”
When they were just dating, my
mother was still the free spirit,
doing what she wanted, going