In the first of a new series of short stories highlighting the rich history and contemporary work in the form being done by Welsh publishers, we bring you a story from award-winning Zimbabwean writer Brony Rheam, “Potholes”, whose debut collection of stories, Whatever Happened to Rick Astley? is out now with Parthian Books.
When the Bulawayo City Council stopped mending the roads, Gibson Sibanda took it upon himself to fill the potholes along Napier Road with sand and small stones. At first, his job was a thankless one: hardly anyone stopped to say thank you or toss him a couple of coins. In fact, not many motorists seemed to notice that the holes had been filled in at all. They still tore down the road at great speed, oblivious to him standing on the side of the road, shovel in one hand and cap in the other. When they did notice his presence, they hooted loudly or leant out of car windows to tell him to get off the road before he got himself knocked over, ‘bloody stupid idiot.’
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