when we were teens

I remember when after clearing high school dad decided that my bro (he'd just cleared class 8) and I were to go shags for a week to lounge before the results were out the next year. I didn't understand why only the two of us considering we were 9 kids. We didn't complain though, but I knew we had to make the best of the time that we were going to be shags alone for the first time.

Back then we had roads, so it took us 6 hours to get there. My mum's shags is just a market away but we decided we still had 6 days to visit. So the long trek home. Then there were no boda-bodas so we had to walk quite a distance. I'm poor at measuring distances in miles, kilometres, metres so I stick to time. It takes an 45mins to an hour if walking fast or upto 1 and a half hours if not in a hurry. Mnyanye (that's what we called our step grandma) was there, my cousin who has since passed on was there too. We had to help cook as they were not expecting us, so it was extra food for us.

After lunch we just chilled out, after all we were fatigued. Later in the afternoon we fetched water as being that our house is bila anyone when we are all in 'Pango', everything is locked. Bathing is behind the house where the bathroom is improvised. Made of banana leaves (they are big enough to hide the passersby from peeking). 4 walls of 'ofito' (dont know what they are in english) covered with the leaves. But woe unto you if its late in the evening as they harbor mosquitoes that feel nothing. They bite (not suck blood) into your flesh regardless if you have soap on your body or not, they are so shameless. And their bites leave big red marks on you, and its malaria there and then. I remember I was down on day 3, and I have never understood why shagsmondos believe that change in weather causes malaria. I was taught in school that its the anopheles mosquito that does. I stand to be corrected.

Anyway, dinner in shags has to be by 6.30 as being that there is no elec, it gets dark by 7 such that even with your eyes open you have to literally touch your eyes to confirm that they are open. Well, that has now changed, solar power! It was always interesting as everyone had a way of punishing me. I'm freaked out by the dark, I will cry myself to death left alone in such a state.

Dad joined us on day 6 and we thought we were leaving the next day. Shock on us. What were we going back to do in Nai yet we'd cleared school. Stay home till results are out, that's January. Sawa fadhe. We decided to paint shags I dont remember the color, but this we did. All Nairobians are in shags during this time, all people who work from outside come back for the x-mas holidays, is fun really. We would wake up early in the morning to clean, make breakfast, bathe then away we went. Thinking of it now I feel so bad as who was I expecting to cook for dad? My mnyanye was too old for that. He never complained though. We would go to my mom's shags, lounge, my uncles had by then joined us, then I met and fell in love with this guy, I was crazy! How, but he was fly, he still is. I recall one particular day we went for walks and made it home at 6 and dad was not amused. There was no water at home, the 'kulo' or the place we get water from is normally invaded by hippos at around that time and from the stories we'd been told, who wants to be trampled on by the beasts. Just know that to punish me, dad made me go fetch water at that particular time. I so cried to and from there and I swear, I knew my dad did not like me, for a moment I thought I was adopted, how could he treat me like that. But learn me lesson I did.

Just to say that we had an uneventful remainder of the year and came back to Nai in Jan. My boo was left in shags and I felt like a knife had been put through my heart. I left him my jacket so he could remember me by, ha ha ha! Imagine that. Anyway, he claims to still be so in love with me, if he is for real or just suffering from discovering that his wife was not so faithful. Yes, he got married and has one kid. But I feel nothing as he turned into a conman too. But wish him all the best.

The greatest thing when coming back to the city, by train this time, we got to meet our estate mates as we all used the concessions to travel. It was a whole new reunion of course talking about our deeds over the holidays, who did what, missed what, where, why.............. home sweet home!