July's People

Bam divides his days in the village between rest and labor, repairing things and working on the water tank. His attempts at leisure are mostly unsatisfying since he can’t understand a word at July’s weekend drinking parties. One night, he returns to the hut mildly drunk on July’s maize brew, and Maureen tries to discuss their situation; she has struggled to have a serious discussion with Bam given his restless tinkering and the children always being underfoot. One of her concerns is the discovery that July has been taking small gadgets (like a knife grinder and a pair of scissors) from their house, apparently for years. She would never have missed the items but recognized them in the village; still, she’s shocked and disillusioned. Discussing what would happen to the children if he and Maureen died of malaria, Bam notices that she has a large supply of malaria prophylactics. She casually says that she looted a pharmacy back in Johannesburg.

Early in the afternoon, Bam awakens from a nap to the sound of the bakkie being driven away. Realizing that July has sole custody of the keys and must have taken the bakkie without permission, Bam emerges from the hut with “the menacing aspect of maleness,” his penis “swollen” as he struts angrily around the village (39).