Morality for Beautiful Girls Read Online Free PDF Page B

that Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has stopped caring about this garage. I think that he has had enough. I think he wants to hand it over to us. Then he wants to go off to his lands out there and grow melons. He is an old man now, Mma. He has had enough.”
    Mma Ramotswe drew in her breath. The sheer effrontery of the suggestion astonished her: here was this … this
useless
apprentice, best known for his ability to pester the girls who walked past the garage, the very apprentice whom Mr J.L.B. Matekoni had once seen using a hammer on an engine, now saying that Mr J.L.B. Matekoni himself was ready to retire.
    It took her the best part of a minute to compose herself sufficiently to reply.
    “You are a very rude young man,” she said at last. “Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has not lost interest in his garage. And he is not an old man. He is just in his early forties, which is not old at all, whatever you people think. And finally, he has no intention of handing the garage over to you two. That would be the end of the business. Do you understand me?”
    The older of the apprentices looked for reassurance from his friend, but the other was staring fixedly at the ground.
    “I understand you, Mma. I am sorry.”
    “As well you should be,” said Mma Ramotswe. “And here’s a bit of news for you. Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has just appointed an assistant manager for this garage. This new manager will be starting here very soon, and you two had better look out.”
    Her remarks had the desired effect on the older apprentice, who dropped his oily piece of cloth and looked anxiously at the other.
    “When does he start?” he asked nervously.
    “Next week,” said Mma Ramotswe. “And it’s a she.”
    “A she? A woman?”
    “Yes,” said Mma Ramotswe, turning to leave. “It is a woman called Mma Makutsi, and she is very strict with apprentices. So there will be no more sitting around playing stones. Do you understand?”
    The apprentices nodded glumly.
    “Then get on with trying to fix that car,” said Mma Ramotswe. “I shall come back in a couple of hours and see how it’s going.”
    She walked back to the van and climbed into the driving seat. She had succeeded in
sounding
very determined when she gave the apprentices their instructions, but she felt far from certain inside. In fact, she felt extremely concerned. In her experience, when people began to behave out of character it was a sign that something was very wrong. Mr J.L.B. Matekoni was a thoroughly conscientious man, and thoroughly conscientious men did not let their customers down unless there was a very good reason. But what was it? Was it something to do with their impending marriage? Had he changed his mind? Did he wish to escape?
     
    MMA MAKUTSI locked the door of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Mma Ramotswe had gone off to the garage to talk to Mr J.L.B. Matekoni and had left her to finish the letters and get them to the post. No request made of her would have seemed excessive, so great was Mma Makutsi’s joy at her promotion and the news of her increase in wages. It was a Thursday, and tomorrow was payday, even if it would be a payday at the old rate. She would treat herself to something in anticipation, she thought—perhaps a doughnut on the way home. Her route took her past a small stall that sold doughnuts and other fried foods and the smell was tantalising. Money was the problem, though. A large, fried doughnut cost two pula, which made it an expensive treat, especially if one thought what the evening meal would cost. Living in Gaborone was expensive; everything seemed to cost twice as much as it did at home. In the country, ten pula would get one a long way; here in Gaborone ten pula notes seemed to melt in one’s hand.
    Mma Makutsi rented a room in the backyard of a house off the Lobatse Road. The room formed half of a small, breezeblock shack which looked out to the back fence and a meandering lane, the haunt of thin-faced dogs. The dogs were loosely attached to the