tension

I last heard from Tension when we moved house three years ago. He arrived early one morning, complete with truck. We had to get rid of some of our bigger pieces of furniture. Tension offered to auction them for us. He and I moved round the rondavel (thatched round hut), setting a reserve price for the railway teak teak sideboard, the writing bureau I kept my books in and The Desk.

The Desk had a bloody history. Leopold Smith was one of Rhodesia's most infamous murderers. On June 17 1963 he shot 11 people, killing four of them. The attacks took place at the Premier Citrus Estate, near what was then Umtali. Smith was employed as accountant and paymaster at the farm. He and his wife Joan had a turbulent marriage -- he beat her with a sjambok - and on June 14, she got a court order for the removal of her children from Premier Estate. She arrived at the farm on June 17, accompanied by a policeman and a welfare officer. When Joan started to take her clothes from the house, Smith opened fire, first killing the welfare officer. He made for the Premier Estate office where he killed a Mr Hein, also an employee. Joan and Mrs Hein barricaded themselves into the office, so Smith shot through the window, killing Mrs Hein. A gardener was also killed. Smith gave himself up after two days spent hiding in the bush. At his trial the defense argued (unsuccessfully) that Smith had his first ever epileptic attack and was unable to control his actions. Smith was hanged in 1964.

Smith wrote to his wife after the attack: "Recalling the event, I hope you did not get hurt as it was a small room and lots of objects to make the bullets glance off." He was right there -- The Desk had a bullet hole.

Tension took it to be auctioned. It was a huge heavy thing, and we didn't have the means to move it ourselves. He took full advantage of Zimbabwe's accelerating inflation, only paying us back for the furniture he sold a couple of months later, by which time the amount was worthless.

A few days ago, I got a text message: HIE. STILL IN BUSINESS OF SELLING ALL HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND ALL TYPES OF MOTOR VEHICLES TENSION GOD BLESS. I thought of The Desk, and wondered where it is now.