January 11

I wake up late and in a daze as I had to take strong painkillers again last night in order to get to sleep.  I am in such pain, I consider going to A&E, but I don’t.

In the afternoon, I receive a message from the lady in the cottage saying that the internet has run out.  This is just too much.  It has lasted five days.  I go down to the cottage where I am greeted by a very glum face.  If she were an emoji, she would be the one with the straight mouth.  She can hardly say hello.  I ask her if she has been downloading movies or large files (we ask guests not to) but she is adamant that she has not.

               ‘I have only been streaming youtube videos,’ she says, ‘and that shouldn’t use up too much internet.’

               I don’t know too much about these things, but that doesn’t sound right to me.  I am sure that being on youtube 24/7 must use up a lot of megabytes.

               I tell her that I cannot renew the Internet as it is Saturday afternoon and the TelOne office is closed.  I do not have enough Ecocash to buy it online.  The straight line of a mouth becomes even straighter.  Her voice is low and monotone.  I suggest that her friends might be able to help her but she says no.  She just stands, staring at me. Eventually, I manage to escape the straight-mouthed brooding figure.  I find her attitude very odd.  All she has done in the two weeks she has been here is stay inside the cottage with the curtains closed the entire day, watching youtube videos.  On Monday, she will get on a plane and fly back to the UK and her African holiday will be over.  I wonder what she will tell people at work about where she has been.