“I’d like to visit a coloured township. I could perhaps come and see you at home some time, Grace? For tea? she adds, as if that would make it better. Grace doesn’t know what to say. She knows that now her silence is ungracious, but what can she do? Imagine, inviting yourself to tea. No, such a palaver would wear her out, and already she feels a wave of weariness lapping at her feet. What a business that would be on her day off, and with her china set all chipped now, no longer at its best. That woman will just have to do without, and she, Grace will hope for the best, hope that it’s idle talk.”

This passage is similar to a few different passages spread out through the text because of the slightly comedic effect it has. The author uses dramatic irony here to depict how two characters react to each other while assuming the thoughts of the other. Grace is annoyed by the idea of having to cater to Fiona on her day off of work. Although it is just a visit for tea, Grace is convinced that she will have to make special preparations (like bringing out her china) to accommodate Fiona’s visit. On the other hand, as the reader discovers later in the reading, Fiona is anti-apartheid and is genuinely interested in the way of life in South Africa, especially the life lived by black South Africans. So, while Grace is uneasy with a friend of her employer coming over to her house because she will have to put up a facade to be more presentable, Fiona believes her request is a show of good faith and friendliness. This juxtaposition is one of many (like when Fiona asks about Grace’s skincare routine and when she declines Grace’s offer to iron her clothes) that brings some humor to a text that has more serious undertones throughout.