A HUNGRY man is an angry man, so postulates the old adage which was manifest when Lazzo paid a courtesy call on his erstwhile watering hole mate at home!
His mate bubbled with glee as he welcomed Lazzo whom he had not seen for a while.
As he took his seat on a stool, his companion was seated on the opposite side of the room but did not appear amused.
Lazzo’s companion then sent his youngest son on a take-away errand for two sachets of opaque brew.
As he dug deeper into his pocket for a single banknote, his wife fixedly stared at him and Lazzo felt rather uneasy because she had not even greeted him!
In the dim candlelight, he was unable to ascertain whether he had fished out the correct denomination for the purchase of alcohol.
He ordered that the child check what denomination it was and he was quick to report after a close range scrutiny by candlelight “It is K2 daddy!” reported the son.
“Are you sure?” asked Lazzo’s mentor as he again dipped his palm deeper into the  trouser pocket in search of other banknotes and at last he oozed out a cluster of notes and selected another one.
The verification process was repeated and this time it was correct as he confidently dispatched his son saying “You must hurry and if you don’t I will beat the devil out of you!” he declared.
“What? you want to beat the child over that trash!,” retorted his missus who appeared incensed by the proceedings!
At this point Lazzo whispered to his mate,” Mwana, perhaps I think it would be wise to give her some money because she seems to be too reactionary,” he advised his acquaintance who curtly replied: “I do not give money to anyone just like that!”
Lazzo was beginning to figure out what was on about and soon realised the atmosphere was far from being cordial!
“That is my son and I have a right to discipline him if he makes mistakes!” thundered hubby in an authoritarian tone.
By now, the son had returned from the watering hole and delivered daddy’s cargo which he politely placed in front of him delivering a message from a friend at the watering hole that Lazzo’s mentor was needed there by a fellow imbiber.
Meanwhile, missus appeared restless but it finally dawned on Lazzo that his colleague had developed a domestic feud with missus who had in the process placed an embargo on ration money in the house.
His mate decided that he and Lazzo imbibe outside on the porch as the house had a rather curved-in enclave which served as a veranda.
Still, a staccato of protests rolled out from the missus as her two female children who also had children at the premises joined in the censure.
In his mind, Lazzo saw himself taking to his heels because the shrill voices filling the atmosphere sounded rather unfriendly to both of them.
Lazzo had immense experience about how gender-based violence originated in the hood and this commotion was no exception to bygone pointers.
He then hurriedly stood up and bade farewell to his mate who was now sternly warning his missus that if she was not happy where she was, she ought to pack up and go to her relatives!
Lazzo did not want to be a witness to household rumpus and he quickened his step round a cluster of unevenly-spaced dwellings on his way to the watering hole …
Whilst there, it was business as usual as his eyes rammed first into the rotund-faced man who beamed at his presence.
“Where have you been? There is quiet a mouthful of drinks here and we thought you were missing out. I saw our colleague’s son come here to take away some opaque brew,” he disclosed.
Lazzo explained that he had passed through his mentor’s home but had to flee the unfolding skirmish!
“That’s how they live always and don’t bother yourself because missus is a bully and she sometimes clobbers him!” announced the rotund-faced man handing Lazzo a bottle of lager.
“Sometimes when the man is jobless she even encourages his daughters and sons to ignore him. One day I visited him and he was asking for someone to buy him a cigarette from the watering hole and the boy was just walking away as if he had heard nothing!,” he said with an implied tone of disbelief.
“But when she clobbers him, why does he not report him to the police?” asked Lazzo getting interested.
“Yes, if  it was the other way round, then it was going to be a case of gender-based violence whose meaning has completely been distorted to mean that  this is violence against women only!,” echoed another patron at the far end of the counter.
Lazzo began to think that the self-imposed celibacy he was in was a blessing in disguise because his heart missed a bit when he recalled history.
He began to think that every coin has two sides and in a gambling situation when  it is tossed no one could foretell which side would be facing up for them to be declared winners!
He also thought some relationships turned out to blossom into bliss effortlessly because typical partners had providence on their side rather than their individual tact.
Lazzo also wondered how some couples led their lives thumping one another on the head and calling such relationships as ‘marriages’.
Romance can be a gambling bait because the marriage vows that precede divorces exude a manifestation of a gamble.
None of the two entering into a vow are able to tell at the moment they invoke the solemn promises between them what the heck would follow moments after that!
But one thing was clear: It was woe to one who had to contend with a missus who called her children by names assigned to animals!
Lazzo felt the alcohol taking effect and the loud music which he loathed at first was beginning to sound melodious!