Alistair Karume looked back. It was still following him. A big hyena, which hoped he would drop dead any moment, so it found it safe to follow him at a considerable distance. He felt tired, so tired that he needed a rest.
There was still a long journey before he could catch a glimpse of his destination. It was the presence of the hyena and the fact that he was still in the forest that made it impossible for him to rest. The animal meant serious business and Karume felt it would be a threat to his life.
Karume’s knees peeped out any moment he folded his legs to take a step. If you had looked at them from the sides, you would have thought they were playing peek-a-boo. His big hands swayed as if a weak string on his shoulders suspended them.
He Nearly Jumped out of his Skin
The tall man looked back again and he nearly jumped out of his skin. The ugly and hungry-looking animal had caught up with him. It had been waiting for one of his hands to fall and if not so, then it must have been betting that the man would not go for more than a hundred metres before he collapsed. From behind, the man looked like he would collapse but this was because of the way he carried himself.
The desperate hyena was about one metre high. Strong teeth were the predominant characteristic of the open mouth. A tired tongue hung loosely several inches to the ground. Saliva oozed freely from the big mouth like a stream.
The animal had big round eyes. Its yellowish-grey fur was covered at random with dark spots. The tough fur on the neck stood erect. The hyena did not look very healthy; it could have been starving for days.
The Scientific Classification of Hyena
In high school, they had learned about animals in boring Biology lessons. The scientific classification of hyena was: – Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Carnivora Suborder: Feliformia, Family: Hyanidae. Now as he was about to be turned into a meal, all he had learned would not help him.
For heaven’s sake, Karume had to do something. He snatched a big stone and sent it flying towards the beast to scare it. The stone moved swiftly towards its target. He expected the hyena to run away yelping if the stone got it. The stone nearly missed the hyena but all the same, it bruised its back. It gave out a small yelp and bared its fangs. Then it charged like a wounded lion.
The Man Was in Grave Danger
Since he had no weapon, he had to show a clean pair of heels. He felt a sudden rush of adrenalin and he bolted like he had been released from a powerful spring. The hyena even in its natural wobbling gait charged after the fleeing man at a terrifying speed. As it chased him, it gave out its silly giggling noise. Hyenas are opportunistic animals and this was no different.
Karume ran as fast as a deer towards the nearest tree. He found one with low branches and began hauling himself upwards. The animal had already caught up with him. Luckily for it or unluckily for Karume, it closed its strong jaws on his wide-bottomed trouser and pulled. Karume tightened his grip. If he gave in then he would fall on the hyena’s back.
It was a tug of war and eventually, there had to be a winner. Karume couldn’t fathom himself as a loser so he gave out a blood-curdling scream, which caught the hyena off guard. It released his leg and although it had done damage to his trouser, he was lucky it had not touched his leg.
The animal backed off its cowardly instincts having taken over but then it seemed to sense it had the upper hand, so it went back to the base of the tree. It looked at him with watery eyes and bared its fangs.
He hauled himself to the top most branches. A cold sweat had wet his pants in the process of the struggle. He wiped his forehead and looked down. The hyena was still waiting for him. He waited and waited.
Time went by and the hyena hung around like death. Maybe it knew that whatever goes up must come down. It was unsafe to remain on the tree for the rest of the night. What if a lion came or a leopard and they decided to have him for dinner?
He did not like it at all. He had a future and a life to live, not ending up in the intestines of wild animals only to be disposed of the following day as lion’s shit or worse still, as hyena’s shit.
Mukuri town was big but not very big compared to other towns in the vicinity. It had several skyscrapers. It could be termed as a developing town though the rate of growth was alarming since grabbed pieces of land were being developed overnight.
Refuse lay scattered everywhere
The town was dirty for heaps of all kinds of refuse lay scattered everywhere. Most of the refuse lay in big heaps while the rest lay in small heaps. Plastic paper bags flew like a swarm of locusts when a small wind disturbed them.
At a time like this, you would see the residents dodging the offending dirty papers as they carried out their businesses. These offending and environmental degrading papers were of all imaginable colours and sizes. They were everywhere from the front doors of the shops to the ones hanging on the power lines like clothes on drying lines.
At a glance, it looked like the other big towns emptied their bowels on this small town. How could a small town like this produce so much garbage?
Large, well-fed flies jumped from the malodorous heaps of waste that resembled mountains whenever an intruder approached. Other lavatory flies hovered over the waste. They were countless.
Thousands of maggots wriggled inside the raw sewage that had stagnated into small and big ponds. Some were dying on the pavements used by the pedestrians after having come out of their refuge and being scorched by the hot sun or trampled underfoot.
The foul air was choking to a newcomer since it was a mixture of fumes from the exhaust of very old vehicles and from the garbage that had been set on fire to try and reduce it. And the raw human sewage that was flowing like streams even in the middle of the town. Almost everywhere you turned, there was a burst sewer.
The Roads Were in a Sorry State
The roads in this town were in a sorry state. If you wished to know what the road was made of, then you would have to conduct a test and most preferably, you would be advised to use carbon dating.
Deep potholes everywhere
The town folks claimed that they were once-upon-a-time tarmac roads. The roads compared to gnu tracks the latter were better off. During rainy seasons, small lakes and dams formed in the numerous potholes. Other times you would not have to wait for the rain, the burst sewers filled them.
In this very town, overzealous hawkers seemed to have conspired with the government to create havoc for motorists and pedestrians. They had grabbed the road reserves, pedestrian walks and even the road itself for their hawking business.
All sorts of persuasions were being employed to woo customers. These hawkers were gifted with mouths that needed no loudspeakers and vulturine patience. Mixed with the hawkers were the muggers and the pickpockets.
Hawkers!
Typical African Gamblers
Aha! And don’t forget the typical African gamblers (or broad day thieves in incarnation if you like it that way). They would milk you dry if you fell into their trap, and if you discovered their trick and started winning, then decide to quit after several wins, then you would be in for a rude shock.
They would gang up and beat you relieving you of your money and other valuables. The conmen with their juicy stories (true lies) were abundant and many people fell into their traps and ended up regretting the day they were born.
In African universities do they offer a course called The Art of Deception? If yes, these conmen and the African politicians pursued the course to the PhD level.
Street urchins loitered on every part of the town, half-naked. Their faces were black due to warming themselves in fires lit using old tyres every night and on cold days. Their tattered clothing clung fearfully to their dirty bodies.
They were always busy. Some were sniffing glue, others injecting themselves with banned substances while others walked looking for a possible victim to terrorize and rob. In the same instance, others walked in groups looking for unmanned cars to vandalize.
They worked as a team, some acting as lookouts while the rest going for the valuables like the side mirrors, signals, parking lights and the eyes of the vehicle.
Their Forefathers Fought for Black Man’s Freedom
The advanced ones went for the car stereos. Those who seemed to be idle stayed in groups either quarrelling or planning what to do next. Still, others were scavenging the rotten garbage for anything worth eating or for any resalable items like old shoes, plastics and scrap metal.
They were all rugged. What a life! And they were citizens of an independent country after their forefathers fought for black man’s freedom and paid dearly with their lives.
What was worrying was that they were now evolving to become street families, not street kids anymore. The reason is that they also knew how to reproduce and they had a share in filling the world.
Of all other things, that is what they could not be denied. Now, who is to blame for their plight? They? Their parents who brought them into this damned world?
Wait a minute, you want to argue that they don’t have parents, well, then are they test tube babies so that we can blame the scientists? Who else can we blame, the society, the government, the politicians?
The Beautiful Girl
Well, in this town a peculiar young girl was walking slowly watching the happenings bewildered at what she saw. She was a slightly tall girl with sharp breasts threatening to tear her dress.
She wore a full dress of a dull colour. Her black hair was held behind her back with a single hairpin. She wore black leather shoes that were in very bad shape since they had outlived their days. They were badly cracked and had big holes in them.
The front part of her right shoe’s sole hung on by a few stitches. She was dragging her feet as she walked looking like she had been doped with a general anaesthetic. She mingled with the townies that were just moving slowly as if they did not know what to do next.
Despite her appearance, her face was beautiful. She was very pretty. There was one thing clear. If the girl was supplied with whatever she was deprived of, then she would win the miss world beauty contest.
She moved away from the centre of the town and headed towards its outskirts where there were residential houses. Here the chaos and the hullabaloo of the town dwindled to almost nil. There was some bit of peace and the air was not very bad though it could not be called fresh.
The youthful lady moved to a door, paused and then tried to fix a smiling face. She tried several times but after failing she knocked wearing a haggard face. She knocked very softly as if she was afraid of waking sleeping ghosts. Her faint knocks were answered instantly. It looked like whoever answered them was just waiting for her to knock.
A braided head of a young woman showed up through the half-opened metal door.
“Yes, who are you? What can I do for you?” She asked eyeing the girl.
No greetings. That was the way of the townspeople, they were wary of each other. It was one of the basic rules of survival in major towns. What you were supposed to know is that the person next to you could rob you, rape you or even kill you the next minute. So it was like a courtesy to avoid any stranger, man or woman, either could not be trusted, the world had changed drastically.
The visitor spoke in a feeble voice hardly audible.
“Please give me water.”
After scrutinizing her from head to toe, maybe out of pity, the woman opened the door wider for her to enter.
“Please do get in.”
The girl walked in and the door closed behind her with a thud making her jump.
Alistair Karume moved quickly after coming out of Ting Shark’s office and bid Mugo goodbye. He also took the letter he was to take to Mugo’s wife and tucked it safely in his back pocket. He stood at a junction unable to decide which route to follow.
There was this murram road that went to the town. If he followed it then, it would take him two villages away from his village. Thus, it would be a long and tiring journey. The other was just a mere path that passed through the Witeithie forest.
It was not all that safe in the forest since there were several marauding animals in it. The advantage of using it was that it would directly land him in his village. He opted for the latter irrespective of the dangers it posed.
The quarries had fallen far behind him, as he made big strides towards the dense forest. Notwithstanding the unreliable rainfall in the area, the forest was healthy perhaps because several streams were passing through it.
Karume had no luggage on himself, so he felt light, which meant he would be able to walk faster. He had dark kinky hair that he hadn’t bothered to comb. He wore a black, short-sleeved t-shirt that was partly covered by the heavy jacket he wore. The trouser was faded denim jeans that were torn on the knees.
A Bird Sitting on a Tree Branch
His face was thin but the features of youth like the strong jawline were still present. The tall man walked throwing his legs quite carelessly and his hands swaying. At first, it looked as if he was the only living creature in the dense forest. Well, as he moved on, foolproof evidence that there were other creatures – big and energetic – showed up. Big tree branches looked badly mangled and animal waste was scattered all over.
Inside the Forest
Songbirds adorned the evening air with their daily melodious tunes, which not many human beings stopped to appreciate. Sometimes the path narrowed dangerously to the point of extinction. Karume did not lose courage. He trekked on high alert for the slightest indication of danger. In some places, huge tree branches infested with caterpillars hung dangerously low posing a threat to his height. He bent where necessary.
A Strange Noise
Suddenly he heard it; a strange noise coming from ahead of him. He stopped to listen readily to flee in case of danger. The voice was very distinct now, caterwaul!Caterwaul!Caterwaul! Karume laughed loudly as he recognized the sound. It was the howling cry of a tomcat searching for anything to eat, or perhaps a mate. When he came close to it, it stopped howling and looked at him. At the same instant when Karume saw it, he broke his continuous steps. It was a big black one with sharp eyes.
“Bad omen,” he muttered to himself and continued walking.
Sometimes when one was lucky, one would hitch a lift from Ting Shark’s lorries, but not his car. This only happened when the lorries were taking building materials to the town. He came to a glade where the trees were scattered.
Some powerful, money-hungry individuals had decided to cut down the indigenous trees for timber irrespective of the side effects to the environment. Here he felt a bit safe since he could see all around. However, this was an unwise assumption. In Africa danger lurks at every corner and death is a companion of the oppressed Africans.
Mr Ting Shark could not release Karume early in the morning on the day of his leave. This not only happened to Karume but also to all other workers. He had to work until late afternoon. The day’s work was hard, as they had to load lorries with building stones.
Sledgehammer
After a cold shower, Karume felt relaxed. He grabbed his heavy sledgehammer, which was a must to return when one was going on leave. He knocked at a door, entered and the secretary nodded as the man went straight inside the boss’ office.
Ting Shark Sat Relaxed Reading a Novel
Ting Shark sat relaxed reading a novel. He looked up as Karume entered then lowered his eyes like an owl and opened another page. On the table, there was the day’s newspaper still looking new, a pen on top of it and a closed executive file.
A stapler sat in front of a table calendar. On his right, an office phone and a small mobile phone sat close to each other looking like they were challenging one another. On another small table, a computer was running with a screen saver saying ‘Enjoy life while you can.’
Several music CDs lay scattered on the table. A flash disk was hanging at one of the USB ports at the front panel of the branded Dell computer.
“Hello sir,” Karume offered greetings.
Ting Shark remained mute. Only his eyes were rolling from side to side as he read from the presumably entertaining novel. Karume was disgusted. This was not a good welcome, besides his time was running out.
Time was running out
What Do You Want?
He looked around the commodious room. He located a metal chair and pulled it. The chair made a shrill grating sound that brought Ting Shark back to the present world.
“Who allowed you to sit? You son of…!” He placed the book he was reading down with a bang just as he cut short the rude word he was about to release and adjusted his glasses. “What do you want?” He demanded without trying to be friendly at all.
Karume did not know how to answer the question. Anger was beginning to build up in him. He picked up his sledgehammer and shoved it at his boss.
The man picked the point without being told. He picked up the pen, opened the file on the table and flipped through the pages.
“You have only tomorrow. On Monday at exactly 2.00 pm I expect you to be here.”
Karume stood up.
“And my money?” he demanded.
He Produced Some Crumpled Notes and Coins
Ting Shark fumbled in his pockets. He produced some crumpled notes and coins like the change one gets from a charcoal dealer, opened the file then marked something and gave Karume the money.
Crumpled Notes
“This is not all.”
“No more,” Ting Shark said curtly. “Till you come back. Okay?” He adjusted his spectacles and as a sign of dismissal, he took his novel and began to read. He lifted it close to his long nose and Karume was able to read the title of the rather fat novel, ‘The Key to World’s Riches,’ engraved in gold letters.
Karume moved out with a bitter heart. There is something that he didn’t quite understand. Why did Ting Shark pay him half of his money yet he had worked for it? This is what Karume feared, to work under a tyrant for the rest of his life.
To be controlled like a machine by an oppressive man who knew nothing about labourers’ rights. Or if he knew, he cared less. His main interest was the billions he would make by the end of the year.
He was a Despot Boss
Ting Shark knew how to cut expenses; paying the workers peanuts so that the profit would be enormous. In the modern world, Ting Shark and the likes of him had indeed found slaves to use.
The despot boss knew his workers would do nothing and they had nowhere to go. The trade unions formed for the poor workers were impotent. Instead of helping the workers, they helped in draining the last energy from the tired workers.
Those who benefited were the union leaders and top government officials who siphoned money from the unions into their accounts abroad. The unions had been formed in good faith only to be hijacked by greedy fellow countrymen.
The knowledge of this fact made Karume feel unbearable pain inside him. The labourers were disunited while the union leaders and the employers worked jointly to violate the workers’ rights.
He likened the workers to the donkey that pulls heavy loads but he realized that the animal is better off – it is allowed time to feed and rest so that the next day it would be alive for more work. For the workers, there was nothing like that. If one died he was replaced immediately.
A heavy, black metal door was closed and sentenced to a night of carrying heavy padlocks. The reason behind it was to make sure that those who reap where they haven’t sowed could not gain access to the building.
If they tried, then it would be a lot of intimidating work for them. Sometimes it was just a delay tactic rather than a full protection measure.
A locked door
Then the young man of about twenty-five, dangling a bunch of keys in his right hand, crossed the worn-out road. He looked back and saw the usual signboard he was used to for the past three years – LEVI THEO****, s HARDWARE.
Below it in small letters read, – ironmonger; available: pans, nails, locks, pipes and many more building materials, farm and household inputs. Many people called it the four-star hardware. It was their favourite.
Proud Owner of the Hardware
Levi Theodore was no other than the proud owner of the hardware. He had made a profitable investment immediately after clearing his secondary education.
Levi did not manage to secure a place in any of the local universities. Not that he had performed poorly but the entrance grades had been raised so much.
He missed the cut point by a mere two points. He wanted to join any of the private universities in the country but the fee was exorbitant. It is only the filthy rich who could afford to take their children to those universities.
The irony of it is that most of those taken there were dunderheads but since they were able to pay their fee then no one would complain.
Levi decided to join one of the small local colleges for a course in Business Management. After two and a half years, he graduated and he decided to start his own business.
He wanted to be his boss. After gathering all he had saved, Levi went to his father for a soft loan. His father agreed to the idea on the condition that Levi would repay him in small instalments once the business picked up.
A Well-Moneyed Young Man
The hardware business had helped him to invest in other businesses and they were all doing well. His investments had catapulted him from a low-income earner to a well-moneyed young man.
It was a feat that most of the young men of his age had not yet achieved since most were still dependent on their parents and did not want to dirty their hands. So it was either drugs or crime for them.
Levi was just transitioning from a teenager to a respectable young man, thus he was very handsome. He was of average height. His dark hair was well kept and he was clean-shaven.
A-One Thousand Kenya Shillings Note
He wore blue jeans trousers and a light grey jacket. The young man looked immaculate. He wore the Stetson hat he had been holding in his other hand and walked on mingling with the nightwalkers who were hurrying to their homes before they were stopped by the night ladies or even the police.
The New Dola pub
Theodore was headed to the New Dola pub. This was his favourite pub; in fact, he was a patron. It was a bit quiet due to its location in a cool part of the busy town, but to say the inside was devoid of noise would be a lie.
He went in and walked over to his favourite corner. He sat at a table for two not that he was expecting company but he didn’t want to join the rowdy youths who even lacked respect for themselves.
Even before he had accustomed his eyes to the place and its occupants, a waiter was breathlessly standing in front of him. “Your pleasure sir?”
If there was something done perfectly in the New Dola Pub, it was the lightning speed of serving the thirsty customers.
The waiters and waitresses were not the drowsy types who you find in nearly every other drinking place. These were alert, fully alert.
They Sat at the Bar Nursing Their Drinks
He looked up at him. The waiter was a young man with very wide eyes almost the size of a cow’s. His spotless white coat made him look more like a doctor than a waiter was it not for the pub’s logo on the breast pocket.
Levi could not fail to notice his well-manicured fingers with a fresh coating of nail polish and his African hair which had been subjected to a torturous process to make it curl like spring only that it could have been better to leave it like that of a bushman.
“Hello Don,” Levi called without using the full name, – Donovan, indicated on the badge. “You don’t have to think of business every time nor do you have to keep on calling me sir every time I come to this watering hole.”
They Sat at the Bar Nursing Their Drinks: Photo by Edward Eyer on Pexels.com
Donovan smiled evenly showing a set of brownish teeth, a sharp contrast to his white overalls and shirt. He adjusted his bow tie sheepishly and rolled his eyes like a lost chameleon looking for its way home.
“You see I have been used to it.”
“Okay man,” Theodore said. “My usual and have one on my account. But be careful not to be caught by your boss.”
He walked Away Smilling
Don walked away smiling, like someone who had invented a new kind of dish.
Now customers were beginning to flow in. They came in singles others as couples. Some were smiling others laughing out loud while others wore serious and surly faces. Most tables were by now full and covered with all kinds of drinks and drinking glasses.
As Levi nursed his cold drink, savouring its taste, a man came and sat opposite him. Levi looked up and they shook hands.
“Otieno, how are you?” Levi Theodore called to his friend.
Otieno was a tall and stony looking man. His physical appearance and the way he carried himself were an outright sell-out of what kind of job he did. He was clean-shaven and he wore a heavy jacket.
His Brown Eyes Were Sharp and Piercing
His brown eyes were sharp and piercing. As he entered the pub he had scanned the place like a forward-looking infrared radar camera. Only a few people could not recognize that he was a policeman.
“I am very fine,” he said releasing Levi’s hand. “How are you pushing on with your business?”
“It is going on well,” Levi said and called for Don who emerged from behind the counter. He hurriedly walked towards them licking his lips ready to take orders.
When he was halfway to their table, Otieno shouted, “my usual one.”
Donovan halted and made a beautiful u-turn.
Levi couldn’t help smiling.
“How is police work?”
The waiter walked away heading to another table with his beer laden tray after delivering their order.
Crime Rate had Gone Up
“Well Levi,” Otieno began, “Here in Mukuri town, we are sandwiched between two forces. The public is demanding action from us, and the thugs are giving us nightmares. Nowadays there is a lot of shooting. People are dying. The crime rate has gone up.
Each day these thugs are getting bolder and they are getting a lot from their raids. Imagine a man enters a bank poor, and when coming out, he is worth millions. Mark my word no one ever catches him.”
“What do you mean by this? Are you supporting them?”
“No! And I say no a thousand times.” He said raising his voice slightly over the background noise of the patrons and soft African music that was playing. Then in a low tone, the policeman said, “Something must be wrong in the … or I may say in our police force.”
“Good,” Theodore said. “I see your point. Internal wrangles, that is what they are called.” He put his glass down. “Then the problem must be high up above your reach.”
Otieno gave a short dry laugh. “You got it.”
Crime was becoming the order of the day: Photo by kat Wilcox on Pexels.com
He took his glass and downed his beer in one big gulp. “It is worse than that. Some officers are abetting crime by giving out guns and shielding criminals instead of helping in curbing crime.”
His friend shook his head in disgust. “That’s terrible. Where is the world heading?”
They talked for quite some time while watching the activities in the New Dola pub. They concurred that crime, (child and drug trafficking, kidnappings, and other flagitious crimes) had shot up in the last few months in the country.
A Failed State
Well-formed gangs and cartels were terrorizing the harmless wananchi committing all sorts of atrocities against them. Cold blood murders, maiming, indiscriminate rape and of late, something previously unheard of sodomy!
Everyone was crying of insecurity; the moneybags and the hoi polloi alike. Insecurity was a vice that inhibited Africa from becoming an economically stable continent.
Foreign investors could not risk bringing their hard-earned money to an unstable Africa. Also, most of the wealthy Africans themselves could not invest in their own countries.
It was extremely difficult for the ordinary citizens to start investments with the draconian rules set in place by the government itself or, sorry to say, most of them had been set by the colonial governments.
Another hindrance to prosperity was the lack of initial capital for the youth to start reliable businesses. But the sad thing was that politicians were not willing to change the outdated oppressive laws.
Gun-Totting Thugs Roaming All Over
This is because they largely benefited from them and also because they did not care about the poor. Then there were the cartels demanding money for protection. There were also the gun-totting thugs roaming all over the country terrorizing the populace. What was the sense of stealing from a man and then killing him? What was society coming to?
Small light arms had infiltrated the country so much that they were readily available and at a throw-away price. To make the matters worse some were readily available for hire. You could hire a gun like people hire vehicles and then take the gun back once you were through with your business.
Drug cartels were on the rise, trafficking all kinds of drugs mostly to the cream of the Nation – the youth. On one hand, the drug peddlers could be blamed for the rise in crime since once the young people were high on drugs, they could commit any sort of crime without thinking twice.
On the other hand, the addicts could involve themselves in antisocial activities to get money for one next high. It was a rather confounding situation; a catch-22 situation. Even Otieno didn’t know what was to be done now to change these people who had refused to conform to the norms of the society.
The Politicians Had Failed the People
All in all, he knew deep within himself that the leaders of the country had a role to play.
Otieno glanced at his wristwatch. It was getting late. “My wife must be very lonely,” he said rising. He needed to rest and wait for the new day ready to face challenges.
Levi stood up, stretched and yawned. “We must be on our way.” After paying the bill, which was Otieno’s turn, they left the pub. Theodore bid his friend goodnight, crossed the dimly lit street which was a haven for muggers and headed straight to his house.
Those Present Were Rushing Home
At this time of night, the streets had fewer people and those present were rushing home as if a ghost was chasing them, most of them muttering prayers that were hard to comprehend. Levi opened the door and entered his three-roomed house.
The sight of these large rooms brought his mind back to what he had been thinking of earlier. He sat on the bed after switching on the lights. He had not eaten but he did not feel hungry. How he detested cooking!
Levi’s mind was set heavily on thinking; he was trying to visualize whether he needed a woman, a caring and loving one. Someone who would ease the loneliness he had.
He dreamt of a beautiful, young and self-worth girl, a vivacious girl with a sweet temper and one who sheds happiness around her. Someone he could trust and give his heart to.
Yes. Not like this girl he had loved so deeply only to end up with a broken heart slow of healing. Where had trust gone in modern society?
You give your heart to someone who swears never to betray your trust, but in the end, that special someone ends up being careless with your heart and as a result ends up breaking it, shattering it into small pieces. That is what had happened to Levi.
Julia Muthoni, when Levi came to know her, was a black African queen. A tall slender girl of fair complexion. Her well-aligned teeth were sparkling white. Her lips were round and beautiful. She had an infectious smile.
She Became Obsessed with Worldly Things
But what was more captivating were her charcoal black eyes, cool but penetrating on whoever they were directed to. Most of the time she let her long, black hair fall loose on her shoulders. In simple terms, nature had granted her beauty, a beauty that made every man turn and others ogled whenever she passed by.
Levi, who considered himself lucky thought he would live a blissful life with this beautiful lady who worked at a beauty salon.
At first, their relationship was steadfast and smooth, but with time the glamorous girl began to change slowly. She became obsessed with worldly things and her love for Levi started fading.
Julia had proclaimed to Levi in a silky voice. “I have no other man apart from you. I love you so much, Levi. You are the pillar of my heart,” she kept on saying. This however was pure hypocrisy.
Then at the end of their relationship, the girl changed drastically like a chameleon. She began hanging out in bars with other men irrespective of the dreaded modern-day sexually transmitted diseases. She changed men like clothes.
Levi Theodore tried to make her change her habits but in vain. The irony of it all was that she refused to admit that she had affairs with other men. She continued reiterating how she loved Levi.
What kind of love was this that could lead them to their early demise?
“Julia Muthoni, you were a beautiful lass,” he said to himself. He shuddered and grimaced like a man in great pain. He sighed with a big relief and let his eyelids meet.
***** It was an Afternoon Off at the Mines
In the quarries, there was no work in the afternoon after the ghastly accident. Ting Shark had given the miners the afternoon off and in that way, he had managed to fool them so that they would not think of protesting like they had done last time.
Some of those who could reach their homes had rushed to see their families. The others had found time to stretch their tired limbs; they did this by lying flat on the bare ground like the red-headed rock agama lizard.
Mugo and Karume were working on their small shamba. Since the sun wasn’t so hot they had decided to water their plot of Sukuma wiki. It was hard work fetching the water from the unused quarries but they had no option but to persevere.
“Mugo, Karume, hey you people, you don’t even rest for a while?” A voice echoed all around in the defunct quarry they were fetching water from.
The two men looked up startled.
It was Kariuki, a co-worker, who was coming toward them.
“We came here on our own feet but it seems as if we will leave on stretchers and if unlucky, inside coffins.” He was referring to the morning incident.
“Do not even mention it,” Karume said. “Something has to be done so that we save ourselves from such a calamity. You cannot cut down the only tree that is bearing fruits.”
“It is true,” Mugo concurred with Karume. “But do you think Ting Shark will toe the line?”
“Not unless we the miners came together and faced him. That is the only time our lives can be a bit protected,” Kariuki spoke his thoughts.
Karume said, “But with the disunity among the workers I wonder how far we can go.”
“Anyway,” Kariuki said, “I have come to buy onions and Sukuma wiki; let us leave politics to our wise political leaders.”
Sukuma wiki!: Photo by Anna Guerrero on Pexels.com
He Wanted to Change the Topic
“It is good of you to be supporting us,” Karume said also eager to change the topic.
“I feel I must support your work. You know what? You are the ones who keep the quarrymen alive. We cannot depend on the rations issued by our boss,” Kariuki spoke as he took his purchases.
“We have to help each other if we want to succeed in life,” Karume said pocketing the money Kariuki had paid.
“Thank you, men,” Kariuki said moving away. “And don’t forget the proverb that says; ‘he who tills the land is not the one who consumes.’”
When the realization of what Kariuki had said hit Karume, Kariuki was long gone. Karume could have called him back and explained to him how thugs had altered the proverb so that they could steal everything that the farmer produced.
