‘Oh yes, Mma,’ whispered Charlie. ‘This is a wonderful baby. Look at his head.’

‘What’s wrong with his head?’ snapped Mma Makutsi.

‘But there is nothing wrong with his head, Mma,’ replied Charlie. ‘It’s perfect. And look at his nose. It’s like a tiny… a tiny spark plug!’

Mma Makutsi hesitated, but decided that this was a compliment. ‘Thank you, Charlie.’

Charlie got closer. ‘Oh, he is so handsome, Mma Makutsi. He’s a very nice baby.’

Now pride crept into Mma Makutsi’s voice. ‘Yes, Charlie, he is.’

‘Not ninety-seven per cent, Mma – one hundred per cent!’

‘That’s very kind, Charlie. Phuti thinks so too. He said exactly that, for some reason.’

Charlie, who had been peering closely at the sleeping baby, now turned to Mma Makutsi. ‘I think he’s waking up, Mma,’ he whispered. ‘His little eyes are opening. See. Just like that. Tiny eyes.’

‘He’s due to wake up,’ said Mma Makutsi.

Charlie looked at her pleadingly. ‘Do you think, Mma… Do you think…’

‘Think what, Charlie?’

He looked at his hands. ‘Do you think that if I washed my hands – washed them properly – I could hold him? Not for long. Just a little bit.’

Mma Ramotswe thought that she had witnessed something important. ‘I think you should let him, Mma,’ she said to Mma Makutsi. ‘And Fanwell too.’

Fanwell shook his head, and made a self-deprecatory gesture with his hands. ‘Oh, not me, Mma. I’m always worried about dropping babies if somebody passes one to me. Not me.’

‘I’m not,’ said Charlie quickly. ‘I won’t drop him.’

Mma Makutsi thought for a moment before she said, ‘Go and wash your hands, Charlie. Not a couple of seconds under the tap – wash them properly. Then you can pick him up.’

Charlie gave a low whoop of delight and left the room.

‘I think he likes him,’ said Fanwell.

A few minutes later, Charlie returned. ‘See,’ he said, showing his hands to Mma Makutsi. ‘Totally clean.’

She nodded and rose from her chair. Itumelang was now quite awake, but silent, staring with interest at the ceiling. Very gently, Mma Makutsi picked him up. ‘You hold him like this,’ she said as she handed him to Charlie.

‘Oh look, Mma,’ said Charlie. ‘Look at him!’

They all watched as the young man walked up and down the office, cooing to the baby in his arms. Mma Ramotswe caught Mr J. L. B. Matekoni’s eye and she could tell that he was as surprised as any of them.

‘I want to get married,’ said Charlie when he handed Itumelang back to his mother. ‘Then maybe I can have a baby as fine as yours, Mma.’