Teresa gave only bits of meat to the children because

Days passed fast for Ntanya and Teresa. They could hardly notice the land getting brown all over kachawanga again, since neither of them noticed any more the sun come up and go down. Ntanya would work very hard in the field hauling in the last harvest and Teresa would stay at home washing, cooking and waiting, waiting for him to come home. She would cook his meal with extra care and when there was little meat she would only give bits to the children and not even touch it herself but use only the smell to get her food down and reserve the whole chunk for her husband. When Ntanya would come home with sweat on his brows she would put the wooden tray on a stool for him and sit down by him watching him eat with great satisfaction: every bolus that went down Ntanya’s throat would also go down her own throat. When Ntanya would insist on sharing the food with her she would always say she had eaten already no matter how hungry she might be. Ntanya would then eat and drink to his satisfaction and rest a while in the sun after saying ‘Thank you mother’