The next day

The next day after the washing machine episode, Charmaine came to tell me that Ronalee had promised to come and fetch it, and take it up to her house later that afternoon. I was busy canning some peaches, when Ronalee arrived, Charmaine, and two men with her. As our driveway is very steep, Ronalee reversed in so that it would be easier to drive out with the heavy load
The two men, not very tall, and as thin as two rakes, with thin spindly legs, and smelling strongly of wine, did not look to me able enough to lift the machine, and even less able to load the heavy washing machine onto the small truck, we call it a 'bakkie', and I told Charmaine that she might have to get another and stronger person to help them. But she looked at me defiantly, and said that if I can manage to get another of the lazy Haarlem loafers away from their 'papsakke', that is like a lined tin foil bag filled with cheap wine, I am welcome to get one!
But with Charmaine giving orders in a high gutteral voice, interspersed with loud sighs and some unrepeatable language, they managed to get the thing loaded, of course with a lot of help from the verbally abusive Charmaine!
But not without a delicious little drama, as the smallest one of the two took exception to Charmaine telling them that her eighty year old Gran could pick up heavier stuff than the two of them together! At this he lost his grip, and that enraged him even more, and he yelled at the top of his voice for Charmaine to leave her s....t, and help with the loading. Charmaine just gave him an angelic smile, exposing the gap where her front teeth were supposed to be.
The two men, sweating heavily with the effort to at least get the machine out of the house, were now so enraged, and their rage gave them some much needed strength, and with loud huffing and puffing, the heavy thing was half carried, half dragged to the bakkie, and then under a new avalanche of insults and a lot of help from Charmaine, who were by then ready to push them both aside, and do it on her own, the washing machine were heaved up, and deposited on the bakkie.
The three then went up to the gate where they stood sweating, waiting for Ronalee to get the bakkie up the drive-way before they got on.
Ronalee revved up high, and slowly the bakkie started moving until she got up some speed, and with wheels spinning, scattering tufts of grass in all directions, she raced up the steep path, and without stopping to pick the three at gate up, she drove straight into the road, and then disappeared around the corner in a cloud of dust, at which Charmaine and helpers set off in hot persuit, all three using some pretty colorful language!
After a few hundred yards of chasing, they realized that Robnalee was not coming back, and Charmaine, whose patience was by now highly tested, threw her arms in the air, and shouted something that I can't repeat here! They waited for a few minutes, but then realized that Ronalee wasn't coming back soon, they started walking. Charmaine told me later that Ronalee indeed went all the way to her house, and only realized on stopping, that the other three were missing!