This is no time for mischief!

I WAS awoken from deep slumber early one Easter Saturday morning when five hired bouncers and an elderly woman were forcing a boy next-door to stay for good with a girl who had slept over at his house.

“It’s either you take her or there is no peace,” the group shouted as it threw a bag containing the girl’s belongings over a locked gate.

“In our culture, a man who is not married may not enjoy wifely favours until he makes his intentions known to the girl’s family. Tora munhu wako izvozvi or else mahwani anototangira ipo pano,” one of the bouncers shouted while doing press-ups in front of the locked gate.

All this happened while a sea of people had gathered to watch this real-life drama unfold free of charge.

The girl stood motionless and clueless like a lump of mud by the roadside.

Such is life in the ghetto where there are no secrets.

Yese inotambika!

One’s marital status can change from single to married and back in a flash.

It can be worse if you are rich or have things people universally agree make you superior — car, house, cash and style. But how did this happen?

Easy!

Most churches hold all-night prayers on Good Friday and mischievous youngsters take advantage of this to spend quality time with their lovers after making everyone at home believe they would be at church.

All hell breaks loose when the elders discover that they would have been sold bottled smoke.

Gentle reader, holidays like Easter get me wandering back to the seasons of my youth in the dusty streets of Glen Norah.

As a grown-up man now, my heart skips a beat if I see women with bags close to my house because I have male children.

This very holiday — which celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, his arrest, torture, crucifixion, burial and resurrection — meant a lot to us as children. It was also full of fun.

During Easter we got a chance to view, on our black and white television sets, films themed on the death and resurrection of Christ.

This was a time, other than Christmas, when we would enjoy sumptuous meals and even get a chance to travel to meet friends and relatives.

The Easter break was also a time when we would hide beers under beds to quaff when our parents would have retired to sleep.

It was also a period of serious worship when people would meet, read the Bible, share notes and give each other the support needed to strengthen heart and soul.

The same is not happening nowadays because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has altered the way people live and behave the world over.

This pandemic which threatened to wipe the human race off the face of the earth, thrives in crowded surroundings, making it imperative for people to avoid gatherings.

It can be worse if people disregard the general prevention protocols of washing hands, masking up and observing social distancing.

While travelling and gathering generally expose one to the pandemic, there is need for people to observe road rules to reduce road carnage.

Public holidays are notorious for the loss of life and limb in road crashes and people need to ensure they play it safe.

There is great need to avoid getting into fights at places of merriment so that we all stay alive and live to talk about this holiday break.

Holidays are known for a surge in thefts and break-ins.

Let us take the necessary security measures to keep ourselves and property safe. Report all suspicious persons to law enforcement agents and do not keep large sums of money at home.

Let us stay safe this Easter. Avoid drinking and swimming home like fish.

Inotambika mughetto.