She rose to her feet to greet him.

“You are very welcome, Rra,” she said. “You must come in and sit down, and we can talk. Then …”

“It is not ready? It is not fixed?”

She smiled to put him at his ease. “Of course it’s ready, Rra. We have done our best, or rather the apprentice through there—you might have seen him—has done his best. I hope that it is all right.”

His relief was visible. “I am glad of that, Mma. I need that bicycle to look for work.”

Mma Ramotswe looked across the room to where Mma Makutsi was sitting at her desk and they exchanged glances.

“Well, Rra,” she began. “On that thing I have something to say to you. I can tell you …”

As she spoke, Mr Polopetsi suddenly raised a hand to stop her. “No, Mma,” he said, his tone becoming firmer. “Please do not tell me. I have had so many people telling me how I can find work. They all tell me that I must look in this place and look in that place. And I do that, and it is no good. It is always the same thing—I tell them about what happened to me and they say thank you, but we cannot help you. That is what they tell me. Every time. So please do not tell me again. I know you are being kind, but I have heard these things so many times.”

He stopped, and again there was an apologetic look, as if the courage that his declaration had required had now run out.

Mma Ramotswe stared at him. “I was not going to say that, Rra,” she said quietly. “I was not going to give you advice. No, I was going to offer you a job. That is all.”

For a few moments Mr Polopetsi said nothing, but looked at her, and then looked over his shoulder at Mma Makutsi, as if for confirmation. Mma Makutsi smiled encouragingly.

“Yes, Rra,” she said. “Mma Ramotswe does not say things that she does not mean. She is going to offer you a job.”

Mma Ramotswe leaned forward and tapped her desk. “This job is right here in the garage,” she said. “And maybe you will do a bit of work for us too. You can help us. It is not a big job.”

Mr Polopetsi appeared to be having difficulty in taking in what was being said to him. He opened his mouth to speak, and closed it again. Then he asked a question.

“Is this job for a long time?” he asked. “Or just for a few days?”

Mma Ramotswe looked down at her desk. She had not discussed this matter with Mr J.L.B. Matekoni and now, faced with the hopes of Mr Polopetsi, she had to make a decision.

“It will be for at least a year,” she said confidently. “We cannot see what will happen beyond that. But you will be safe for a year.”