Act 1 Scene 1 Themes

Social Status

• A man is assessed by his ability to provide for his woman. When Atete Rutendo is asking about Leo-James, she asks if he is employed, and in the third question states, “A lawyer? I suppose his salary is as good as that of a teacher?” This highlights the importance of a man’s income as it says a lot about whether he will be able to provide for his family.
• For marriages to be strong, they have to be based on love. Atete Rutendo tells Rudo, “Marrying for love is old-fashioned but the only way. This is why there are so many unhappy marriages and broken homes. People now marry for money, not love.” Atete also admits that she married out of “social need” and this may mean her marriage was not what she had desired.
• One needs to choose a career with a good income and one that also brings respect. Ruvimbo wants to be a radiographer. Atete Rutendo asks Togara who is a teacher, “Will she get the same salary as you?” meaning that her income will be important and will define her. Similarly, when Leo-James says he is a lawyer, Atete Rutendo asks, “Is your salary as good as that of a teacher?” Atete’s obsession with a salary highlights the dependence women have on men for finances.

Love

• Nobody believes that love exists. Money dictates relationships. Atete Rutendo tells Rudo, “What is true love? True love is like ghosts which many people talk about but few have seen.”
• Rudo does not love Togara and refuses to marry him. She tells Atete Rutendo, “But I don’t love him. I want to get married to Leo.” For Rudo, love is important.

Culture

• Society dictates the choice of marriage partner even when neither partner wants to marry. Because Tambu had at her deathbed said Rudo would be married by her husband, Atete Rutendo tells Rudo, “Togara has no choice except to marry you.” Rudo insists she does not want a marriage with Togara. Atete Rutendo tells her, “These are the words of a dead person. They should be considered seriously.”
• There are clashes between traditional and modern methods of healing. When Togara asks Atete Rutendo if she has gone to see a doctor since she has not been feeling well, Atete Rutendo says, “Yes, my son Farai took me to one but I did not fully recover. I had to go to a nearby n’anga. Since receiving his treatment, I am feeling much better.”
• Cultural practices allow the marriage of young and underage girls. Rudo is only seventeen when Togara approaches her home to ask for her hand in marriage. Even though Rudo has finished school, Atete Rutendo is sceptical about her becoming a wife. She asks Togara, “Do you think she is old enough for the role of a mother and wife?” Cultural practices may thus place girls and women in places that make them prone to abuse.
• Cultural practices that determine engagements are different. When Leo tells Atete Rutendo that he intends to engage Rudo, Atete tells him, “In our custom we don’t have rings. Instead you exchange tokens referred to as nhumbi as a way of showing commitment to each other.”

Waiting

• The theme of waiting, as highlighted in the title, is one of the most significant themes in the scene. The depiction of the theme includes:
  • Atete Rutendo says to Rudo, “You have to wait for the bus and not expect the bus to wait for you.”Togara does not immediately marry Rudo because he tells himself, “I will wait until she is old enough for marriage.”
  • When Atete asks Togara to wait for another two or three years before he can marry Rudo, Togara says, “I can’t wait.”

Gender

• Women’s education is unimportant. Togara says Rutendo’s education is not necessary because “I have all the money she needs. I need her. My children need maternal love.” This highlights selfishness on Togara’s part as a woman cannot be educated because the man will look after her. He is therefore concerned about his “psychological needs … social needs … and … physical needs” rather than Rudo’s wellbeing.
• Culture dictates women and girls’ absence during their marriage negotiations. Togara and Atete Rutendo carry out the discussions between the two of them, but it is not up to Atete to make the final decision, and she tells Togara, “I can’t give you an answer now. I’ll go to Rudo’s father and hear what he has to say.” This highlights that according to patriarchy, all decision-making rests with the men.
• There is a segregation of duties according to gender within society, with women’s roles mainly in the home sphere, while men’s roles are in the workplace. When Leo-James is asked where his parents are, he says, “My mother is at home. My father is working in Bulawayo.” The economic sphere does not account for women’s contributions.

Act 1 Scene 2 Themes

Culture

• Lobola plays a large role in cementing Shona relationships between married families. When Togara tells Rose to leave his house, Rose tells him that it is not possible because she has been with him for four years and that symbolises the strength of their relationship. However, Togara responds and says, “But I never married you … I never paid lobola for you. We should have had a family by now.” This indicates that the failure to follow cultural rites leads to unsanctioned relationships.
• Supernatural forces cause unexplainable things. Atete Revayi complains to Rose about Togara’s behaviour. She says, “They must have done something to him. The family is good at mupfuhwira.” The family being referred to is Rudo’s family and thus Togara’s preference for Rudo is seen as supernatural.

Conflict between Women

• Atete Revayi did not get along with her late sister-in-law Tambu. Atete Revayi says to Togara, “You know how horrible your wife was. Proud, stinky, unbearable, rude, unapproachable, always sulky … Now, today when we have forgotten how unpleasant she was, you want to bring her sister here!” This highlights the disjointed relationship existing between sisters-in-law and the need for sisters to control who their brothers marry according to how far they get along with the potential sister-in-law.
• Rose and Atete Revayi have a more cordial relationship. Atete prefers Rose to Tambu because, “Count how many things Rose has done for you, for me … I got this pair of shoes from her.” This highlights a sense of materialism as the preferred sister-in-law is the one who has something to offer the husband’s sister.
• When Atete Revayi throws Tambu’s pictures onto the floor and the frame of the glass breaks, there is the symbolism of a broken family and broken relationships. This is especially so when two women do not get along within a family.

Act 1 Scene 3 Themes

Conflict

• Rudo does not love Togara even though she knows tradition and culture mandate her to marry him. The rhetorical questions and monologue reflect the conflict. “I have no love for Togara … I love Leo-James. Why can’t I pursue my own interests?”

Tradition

• Culture plays a role in dictating who women marry. Rudo therefore does not have the capacity to make her own choice of husband because culture dictates that. She says, “I must have the freedom to make my own choice of husband.”
• Women’s marriages are not concluded by one family member and there are many other parties who have to take part in the marriage ceremony. When Ndareva is informed of Togara’s intentions to marry his daughter, he tells Atete Rudo, “I shall discuss the matter with the elders in the family and inform you of the procedures.”

Gender

• Society expects women to bear the cross thrown at them simply because they are women. When Rudo tells her aunt and mother that she does not love Togara, but is prepared to look after her sister’s children Ruvimbo and Nyasha, Sarudzayi tells her, “You have to accept it.” This means that women do not have a choice to pursue their dreams.
• Society silences women, making them voiceless. When Sarudzayi attempts to say Rudo has a choice, Ndareva interrupts her thus silencing her. When Rudo attempts to add her voice to the conversation, her father interrupts her too and is “About to hit her.” This means that women’s voices are unimportant even when it is in regard to matters that affect them personally.
• Women are commoditized. Ndareva tells Sarudzayi that the only choice that Rudo has is on condition that Sarudzayi can “pay back all the money spent on her fees, clothing, and general upkeep.” Togara therefore helped to financially look after Rudo and the rest of the family, and therefore the family is obligated to give him Rudo’s hand in marriage.
• Society domesticates women’s roles. When Sarudzayi and Atete Rutendo talk about the lovely finish on a clay pot, Ndareva says, “Oh women’s talk … A man just can’t cope,” as he excuses himself. There is thus the trivialising of domestic matters that are just for women. He repeats twice more, “Women’s talk” when Rudo’s maturity is brought up for discussion thus highlighting disinterest.
• Men take the upper hand in decision-making in the family structure. Despite trivialising other issues that have been mentioned in the conversation, Ndareva becomes interested when Atete Rutendo mentions Rudo’s maturity. He says, “This is welcome news.” Marrying off his seventeen-year-old daughter to a man twice his age is welcome news.
• Men control women. When Sarudzayi mentions she wants her daughter to help her until the harvest before she can go off to her new husband, Ndareva refuses and says, “If she stays too long she will meet many men and we will not be able to control her.” For Ndareva, therefore, having ultimate control over his daughter is important.
• Women’s fullness is only seen when they are married. When Atete Rutendo tells Ndareva of Leo-James and that he does not intend to marry immediately, Ndareva says, “So why does he want to fool around with my daughter?” A relationship is thus only recognised as full when it has been blessed through marriage. There is also no time for courtship.

Act 2 Scene 3 Themes

Patriarchy

• Women are powerless over everything and therefore have to depend on men to make decisions for them. When Leo-James says he has been expecting a response from Atete Rutendo, Rudo tells him, “I don’t know what to do. My father is delaying. He is giving all sorts of excuses.” This highlights that women are powerless over their destinies.
• Men control women. When Leo-James offers to take Rudo home, she tells him she wants to spend the night. Leo-James is sceptical and says, “Your father.” The implication is that it is not Rudo’s mother who should be feared, but her father who has complete control over what she does and who she does it with.

Love

• Rudo and Leo-James love each other. Leo-James tells Rudo, “But I love you”, regardless of not having received a response from Rudo’s father regarding their engagement. This shows the commitment he has to maintaining and strengthening the relationship he has with Rudo.
• Rudo pledges a commitment she knows she will be unable to meet to Leo-James. In a series of repetitions, she promises him, “I will wait. I will wait for you … I will wait.” The repetition of the book title in the pledge highlights Rudo’s commitment to their relationship.

Tradition

• Family plays a large role in encouraging marriages. Leo wants to take Rudo to his home for his farewell party, but Rudo knows it is not traditionally possible for a young woman to go to a family party with a man without being introduced to the family first. She asks Leo-James, “In what capacity?” because she knows the rites that have to take place before she is accepted into the family.
• Family pressures people to marry. When Leo-James expresses his desire to have Rudo visit his home and they know she cannot, he says, “My mother always asks when she’ll see her muroora … I want to please her.” Marriage thus goes beyond the two people who are in love but also encompasses the rest of the family.

Act 2 Scene 3 Themes

Gender

• Patriarchy places blame on women for the shortcomings of other women. When Rudo does not return home, Atete Rutendo goes to Leo-James’s house after midnight, and upon finding Rudo there, she says, “Your father is mad at me for your failure to return.” Ndareva is therefore mad at Atete Rutendo instead of Rudo the real wrongdoer.
• Men control women. Despite Rudo not wanting to get married to Togar, Atete Rutendo tells her, “Your father and the other elders have arranged that I accompany you to Togara’s home on Saturday.” Rudo therefore has no control over her own destiny. Atete Rutendo even tells her, “Your father is adamant.”
• Society subjects women to timelines and expects them to fulfill these. When Rudo asks if she is supposed to have children with Togara, Atete Rutendo tells her, “Within a year you should be having a baby with him. Everyone will be looking forward to that.” Societal expectations thus tie women down.

Act 3 Scene 3 Themes

Gender

• Society expects women to carry out domestic duties. The stage directions show that Rudo is cleaning the house. “She is helped by Ruvimbo who is in her uniform. Nyasha, who is also in his school uniform but with loose shoelaces, is seen locking the school case on the table.” Society expects the girl child to help in the household. Society does not expect the boy child to do the same. Nyasha is in a rush because he wants to play football at school. Ruvimbo then adds, further highlighting the gender roles, “He gets dusty and unpresentable. I have to clean him all over again.” Ruvimbo has therefore taken the responsibility of cleaning after her young brother while the same is not expected of Nyasha.

Conflict

• Even though Togara loved his first wife, he still feels attracted to Rudo. When he reads the card that has been picked up by Nyasha, the stage directions highlight, “Shows facially that he is disturbed.” This highlights the conflict that he finds himself in.

Love

• Even though Rudo is married, Leo-James’s presence is seen in her matrimonial home highlighting the attachment that exists between her and her ex-lover. The stage directions in Togara’s home where she now lives highlight, “On the side-board” there is “Rudo’s watch from Leo-James.” In her shopping bag, there are also letters, cards, and pictures from her ex-lover, highlighting the attachment she still feels for him.
• Togara loved his first wife as symbolised by the green cup. He tells Rudo, “Your sister bought this for me just before she died. It was her last gift and I value it tremendously. No other person here uses the cup except me.” The cup therefore symbolises lost love.
• There is no love and affection between Togara and Rudo. Before he leaves for work, Togara attempts to kiss his wife goodbye, but she “shows resistance by carrying the tray into the kitchen upper left.” This highlights the impact of the arranged marriage on the two characters. When Atete Rutendo asks Rudo how marriage has been, Rudo uses several short sentences to describe her living conditions, “Boring. Frustrating. Dull. Dead. Too dead. My thoughts keep running after Leo and I keep running after her.” Rudo’s pining after her old lover demonstrates the divide between her and her husband.
• The cards and letters from Leo-James demonstrate the love that he has for Rudo. For instance, he signs off with, “Yours ever in love, James”, and “Stay as sweet as you are, LJ.” The epistolary technique further highlights this love as Leo-James writes, “I still have the same feelings for you.”

Women’s Relationships

• The relationship between Atete Revayi and Rudo is frosty. Atete Revayi thinks that Leo-James’s watch came from Togara and is jealous of her sister-in-law. She says to Rudo, “You see, my brother loves you… Getting you an expensive watch … Look at my wrist. I have nothing like this from my own mother’s son.” There is thus the existence of a competition for Togara’s affection from his sister.
• Women are each other’s enemies and will most likely side with men rather than be in each other’s corner. When Atete Revayi shows Togara the card, she tells him about Rudo, “I have been studying her for the three months she’s been here and it is easy for us women to tell whether another woman is stable or not.” Atete Revayi refuses to put back the card when Togara instructs that she does so saying, “Let’s get things right.” She is fighting for Togara’s marriage more than Togara who is a part of it is fighting.
• Society blames women for the shortcomings and actions of men. Atete Revayi believes Rudo has stupefied her husband so that he cannot think for himself. She tells Rose that Togara’s reluctance to discuss the cards is because “My brother was given mupfuhwira.” This highlights that men’s irregular behaviour is a result of women’s actions.

Act 3 Scene 1

Love

• Leo-James is unable to work even though he has just arrived from overseas. He starts by visiting Atete Rutendo’s home to find out about the love of his life. He tells Atete Rutendo, “I am supposed to resume work this morning. But I wonder whether I’ll be able to function properly without a glimpse of her.” This demonstrates how much Rutendo means to him.

Deception

• Atete Rutendo feels the need to cover up for Rudo’s absence by lying and not telling the truth. When Leo-James insists that he wants to see Rudo, instead of saying she is now married, Atete Rutendo weaves an intricate web of lies in which she eventually gets caught. She tells Leo-James, “I promise, Sunday” as a way of deflecting attention of Rudo’s absence.

Act 3 Scene 2 Themes

Women’s Relationships

• Animosity characterises Rudo and Atete Revayi’s relationship. When Atete Revayi and Togara visit the lawyer’s office, it is Atete Revayi who takes it upon herself to highlight why they need help even though it is Togara’s case. She tells Leo-James, “The wife. His wife … is horrible. She is a horrible woman.” Atete Revayi thus acts as a spokesperson against another woman.
• Throughout the conversation with the lawyer, Atete Revayi is in charge, instead of allowing Togara to speak on his own. Deriding Rudo’s character, she tells the lawyer, “One woman, five men. Five men – imagine!”
• Women-to-women relationships are difficult. When the lawyer asks Togara whether he wants to pursue divorce proceedings, Togara indicates that he loves Rudo. However, it is Atete Revayi who puts a stop to it and says, “Nonsense! Rubbish … How could you love such a woman?” Atete Revayi cannot fathom her brother loving another woman who is not her choice.
• Atete Revayi is sad that her plan to break up Rudo and Togara does not work and that Togara is still smitten with his wife. She tells the audience, “How can an educated man like him cling to a woman like this? This is ridiculous?” For Atete Revayi, because her brother is educated, Rudo is beneath him

Conflict

• Rudo’s two lovers conflict because of their love for the same woman. When Togara removes the parcel from Rudo’s supposed lover and shows it to Leo-James, “Leo recognises the parcel. He is shocked but tries to suppress that.” As the two antagonists in the play, their first interaction highlights the tension that exists between them.
• The title of the play conflicts. Togara does not immediately marry Rudo after his wife’s passing as she was still too young. He tells Leo-James, “I told myself, “I will wait” for her.” The novel’s title justifies Togara’s marriage to Rudo.

Gender

• Atete Revayi represents patriarchy. She feels entitled to her brother’s possessions. She tells Leo-James, referring to Rudo, “She does not want any one of us in that house.” This highlights that she feels more entitled to her brother’s possessions compared to his wife.
• Atete Revayi refuses for Rudo to carry their surname and insists that Rudo’s maiden name continue to be used. When Togara tells the lawyer that his wife is Rudo Chamunorwa, Atete Revayi quickly corrects him and says, “Mhondiwa is more appropriate.” For Atete Revayi, Rudo is not a part of the Chamunorwa family that she has married into.
• Togara only helped to send Rudo to school so that he could benefit from her and that she would not be married to someone else. Atete Revayi says, “He spent a fortune educating her.” He thus helped in educating her to subjugate her. Spending a fortune also symbolises the treatment of women as commodities.
• Femininity draws and keeps a man. A woman who therefore does not accept the societal standards of femininity is difficult to accept in society. Atete Revayi says of Rudo, “She is not at all feminine … I wonder what my brother sees in her.” Femininity is therefore the ultimate price.

Culture

• Togara’s basis for marrying Rudo is not love but is simply because he has to fulfil his dead wife’s last words. He says Tambu, “died seven years after our marriage and left a strong word that I should marry her sister who was twelve years old and doing Grade 7.” Because of the cultural practices tied to the words of a dying person, he felt he had to wait to marry a very young girl.

Deception

• Deception has far-reaching complications. Rudo fails to disclose her status as a woman about to be married to her lover thus allowing him to pursue a relationship with her even though she is betrothed to someone else. Leo-James laments, “My profession may be jeopardised by your reluctance to tell me the truth.” He goes on to say, “Wasting my time, my money, my energy, my opportunity abroad, my thoughts, all for nothing.” This highlights the impact that Rudo and Atete Rutendo’s deception had on Leo-James and his life.

Love

• Rudo loved and still loves Leo. She says to him about the deception, “I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t tell you because I loved you.” However, Leo-James realises the futility of their love for each other and tells her, “I don’t seem to have many alternatives except wish you the best of luck in your marriage.” Despite the hurt that the two lovers are experiencing, they realise the futility of pursuing an affair.
• Togara expresses his love to Rudo. Instead of being angry after finding the letters, cards, and parcels and even going to a lawyer. He tells Rudo, “I never meant to hurt you … You know I love you.” Even though his love is unrequited, Togara feels strongly for his wife.

Act 3 Scene 3 Themes

Women’s Relationships

• Men’s untoward behaviour results from women’s failures. Atete Revayi believes that the only reason Togara refuses to let Rudo go is because he has been stupefied by Rudo who has given him a love potion. She says to Rose, “my brother has been stupefied.” This means that Togara’s actions are not his alone, and he cannot single-handedly decide to love a woman. This can only happen because of stupefaction.
• The hate that Atete Revayi has for Rudo is ironic because she loves Rose, her brother’s former lover. She wants her brother to let go of Rudo whom she accuses of stupefaction, yet she allows Rose to participate in the stupefaction of her brother with her. She asks Rose what the herbs will do, and then when Rose responds, “Then induce the love,” Atete Revayi says in a rhetorical question, “If other women can do it, why can’t we?”
• Sisterhood can be used negatively. Rose, in trying to divert Rudo’s attention from the poisoning that is about to take place, picks a picture of Tambu from the sideboard and tells Rudo, “Oh, how I love this picture … Do you realise how much she resembles you.”
• Women do not support each other during times of illness. When Rudo starts vomiting, Togara volunteers to take her to a specialist. Atete Revayi  says to Togara, “Be prepared to spend some money too.” For Atete Revayi, spending money on Rudo is a waste.
• Atete Revayi only uses sisterhood when it benefits her. When she realises that her brother has been given the wrong potion, she calls Rose, “Silly little dog!” and “Devil woman!” The use of epithets highlights how quickly Atete Revayi castigates women.

Gender

• Women feel incomplete without men and therefore they go to difficult lengths to secure love. Rose, who still longs Togara, brings “five small plastic packets” to Togara’s house to participate in a ritual to vomit the love potion he has been fed by Rudo so she can get back into his life.
• Gender roles denote that women do the domestic work while men work outside the home. When Togara begins to take off his clothes and puts them on the floor, Atete Revayi complains and says, “That is why I refused to get married. Men can behave like children at times.” The use of a simile denotes the domestication of women’s roles.

Act 4 Scene 3 Themes

Gender

• From a young age, men should show strength. When Nyasha is worried about Amainini Rudo’s return as it is getting late, Ruvimbo asks him when he is going to grow up. She tells him, “A boy of your age getting scared?” This means that fear is not an emotion associated with men.

Culture and Tradition

• After the death of her husband, Rudo wears black to show that she is in mourning. This is a cultural practice reserved specifically for women and not men so that everyone knows they are still in mourning.
• Women have to be in mourning for at least a year after the passing of their husbands. Atete Rutendo tells Leo-James that they have a ceremony, “Kurova guva held a year or so after a person’s death … at this ceremony … the widow decides to be inherited by another member of the deceased’s family.” While the woman is free to turn this offer down, tradition still has to be followed.

Love

• Leo-James uses a series of repetitions to demonstrate his willingness to wait for Rudo until she can remarry. Repeating the play’s title, “I will wait” four times, Leo-James demonstrates that he is ready to pursue the love he has always had for Rudo.