The salon
The hair salon is a specific kind of imagery that helps define Vimbai's identity. When Dumisani arrives in the salon, she accepts him as a new addition to her life. She sees clients, and so does he, but the difference is that his clients actually treat him as a friend. She sees that there is a path toward more sociability and less loneliness, but she must understand Dumisani to learn what that is. The salon is an imagery that means service to Dumisani, as he attempts to make other people's day better, but to Vimbai, the salon speaks of her own personal worth.
Appearance and perception
Their job as stylists is to help people improve their appearance, and each character deals with the issue of appearance and social perception in a different way. Dumisani is brilliant at hiding behind friendly behavior, without ever letting anyone know his truth. No one really knows him for real. Vimbai is limited by her own personality, because her personality pushes people away, so she uses narcissism to defend herself from their negative opinions. They both struggle with feelings of loneliness and misunderstanding.
Loneliness through imagery
Through imagery, we see there is an abstract quality in these two lives that help them to be fast friends. They are both lonely. Vimbai pushes people away by acting superior to those around her, and by being rude. Dumisani longs for approval and intimacy that isn't available because of his community's closed-minded point of view on homosexuality. Their lives are lonely, so they are fit companions, because they share that frustration.
The non-marriage
The narrative describes through the plot a kind of imagery. This is especially true from Vimbai's point of view. She wants something, but she can't quite put her finger on it, and yet by the end of the novel, she has manufactured it from scratch. There's just one problem—it doesn't work because what she wants is a loving marriage. Through the non-marriage, we see their desires for intimacy. Vimbai invites him to her home and they do life together, but instead of getting attention, she earns an opportunity to pay attention to Dumisani's real struggles in life. She can't get the love she wants, but perhaps she can offer the love Dumisani needs through friendship and approval.
