QUOTE : Ruthie and Raymondo had tried to conceive, day and night, ever since they married, aged fourteen. On realising their predicament, they tried every remedy in the book. Raymondo was circumcised. He ate curds and meat. Aunt Ruthie tried vaginal steaming, using a brew of rosemary, lavender, oregano, marigold, basil and rose. They made love in the dark and beneath the glow of a hundred candles, inside and outside, in the presence of both northerly and southerly winds. Nothing worked. Raymondo was sure the blame lay with Ruthie, who was sure it lay with him. But both husband and wife were too kind to blame their partner. In fact, they each admitted fault, to soothe their spouse’s conscience. They each believed their partner’s confession, which confirmed their own belief in their innocence.