GENRE: SHORT STORY
TITLE: MY HUSBAND NEVER LEFT
WRITER: T J CHIKAMBURE, ZIMBABWE
REVIEWER: BILDAD MAKORI, KENYA
It's a day to your wedding anniversary. Then your spouse leaves. Probably for work or maybe a stroll somewhere. But unfortunately, he fails to come back. His whereabouts remaining unknown to you not for a night neither is it for a day or two, but for a whole year! Had it been you, you would probably have moved on and forgotten him, right? But for Ruveneko in Chikambure's short story My Husband Never Left, this was not the case for her.
Every day, Ruveneko was worried sick thinking about his man. Her husband's absence affected her to the extent that she failed to eat, shower, and even get out of her room. Her family's convincing tacts through her sisters, Rumba and Ruva alias Ruvarashe were all fruitless for all that period. But, it was until the last day of the year when Ruva decided to call it quits and finally decided to reveal to Ruveneko the truth regarding her husband's absence.
Although it took her weeks after to comprehend and accept, in the end, we can see Ruveneko emerging victorious over all that she went through. She finally was able to pick herself up and open the door that saw her start a new.
Among all other literary styles used in the short story, the suspense that Chikambure creates is one of a kind. Don't be surprised to find yourself rereading this amazing short story more than once in a bid to enjoy its creative juice.
What an awesome short story, Chikambure!
Well deserved to be picked as the editor's choice.