Chapter 10

When I said I needed you, you said you will always stay and now you have gone away.do you see that now you have gone and am left here all alone but I will have to follow you and beg you to come home, many days had gone by, now a grandpa with two grandkids but feeling weak and sick due to my old age? I guessed time was running out, for me as they said, “they grow so first” my daughter, now a neuron-surgeon had been married to a well-known doctor from the state, now home alone looking toil and worn out, my hair was wizened and straw-like, nearly fossilized it was so dry, my way-worn eyes and a distinctive beard, it wasn’t prophet Abraham beard rather something lunatic might have: straggly, unkempt and spittle-flecked.it was my wife’s death anniversary. I walked with a weary, lethargic air until to my wife’s graveyard and sat at an old, rusted swing chair which I had kept beside the grave during my early visitations. I turned on, my old radio and tuned it to a special song which I used to dance with my wife during our dates, took out by tobacco stick as I rocked the chair and smoked the pie as the smoke swirled up the air.

As I was lost out in thoughts, in deep thoughts, I was wracked with ague and gnarled with age as my thoughts drifted more and more to my late wife. I was trying to recall my wife’s epitaph as I clutched clumsily at my walking stick; my memories were getting cloudy as my eyes these days. The ebb and flow of time had chiseled away at my wizened face, ravaging it with the careful patient; it was as crinkly as faded parchment now. The chapters of my life were written there to read; strength of character and memories of lost loved ones tinged with sadness because I was all alone now in the village, my daughter in the city with her husband. As I choked out from my own tobacco smoke, slowly my breathing changed and became more ragged, a rasp than a rattle, I definitely knew it was time as my fingers turned blue, death was quite sudden and absolutely unmistakable, I remembered my daughter’s warning as she grew “Dad, this tobacco smoking habits will one day kill you, please stop” I was smiling at death was this it, so be it as the heavens opened its gate for me, I had no doubts since my daughter had been secured she had people who loved and cared for her.

My daughter arrived at our village residence only to find that the dad wasn’t around, it was our lifelong habits of visiting her mother’s graveyard each anniversary, as she went out to look for me, and she met with the dead motionless body. She was very much heartbroken with his father’s death but guess what you can never bring the dead alive. She went and called out for help as villagers came and assisted her in covering the body and carrying it to the mortuary. A letter fell from where I had sat she picked it up and read it out “My princess, my cute little daughter, as you are reading this letter I might be long gone but do not worry although our lives’ journey has bid us be a part, I am with you, you are with me always in our hearts, I love you very much, when I had no reason of being alive you gave me one and am glad to have witnessed it all as you grew out to the most beautiful, charming, elegant, respectable woman you have become am proud of you. I remember the trips we used to have during your summer holidays like than one in America, when we got into the cafeteria and ordered (Sima matumbo)  known as ugali and meat back home in Kenya and all they had to offer was cheeseburger, hamburger, chilly cheeseburger, bacon cheeseburger, “like why? Why do this, have other food’s on your menu” were your word’s like was this even healthy? everything wet, like wet tomatoes, wet onions, wet chilies like what the… it was like when God made meat, he said to Adam, this must have a sauce, well am not trying to be biased anyway but Africa is a home of real food as they say. It was very funny seeing you acting out to the waiter, I was very proud of you for speaking out about what was in your mind. Well am now gone I will have lots of stories to tell your mum, she will be very proud of what you have become, you have turned out to be my inspiration and story that will be told to generations and generations, you are my pride baby girl I don’t know what else to say to you cause you are everything I was not, a fighter, a survivor, a lioness a woman with power, lead on our legacy and teach your children, my grandchildren right and tell your hubby now that am gone if he dares to mistreat you I will haunt him like crazy, LOL, just kidding but tell him to behave I don’t want to see you crying, I love you very much my dear, I will be on the other side waiting, take care my dear bye-bye much love to all of you.”

As my daughter finished reading the letter she wept distractedly as the villager comforted her, well, sometimes a good story will remind you of who you want to be, maybe that’s why they are so many, stories about good and evil, stories about the trial of the human spirit, stories about living and dying and how you are supposed to do one in spite of the other well this story it’s about you and me, you see life taught me the hard way, no matter what you have to thrive to survive like that saying that goes I get knocked down but I get up again course you are never going to keep me down.

While my body was lying on the mortuary table in the deep freezer, a date was set for the fallen legend, author, technician, and lawyer by profession for the burial, a huge gathering had gathered in our village as the casket was brought from the mortuary, people crying here and there until it made me wonder in my coffin I never knew I had so many fans, multitude, like people were on top of trees, on top of roofs and everywhere, just to witness the lowering of my casket, I tell you out there don’t think of yourself small course the world is very funny, the time you think you have got no one is the time you have got everyone, tributes paid as I heard a legend, you were, “hell yeah” running in my thoughts, you were a humble man, full of love, strength, and encouragement to us. In life and now death you wouldn’t want us to focus on the sadness and sorrow for your loss, there’s a saying that I found, which goes; “Nothing is so strong as gentleness and nothing Is so gentle as real strength”. That saying could have a meaning to our fallen friend. How can anyone forget in a hurry the amazing personality and lofty future that honorable Mr. Gift represents? Seeing his pictures again this morning made me smile, such a crazy personality I will say. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain”. This is a lesson learned from his life as we witnessed, he is truly a mentor to all of that have hit rock bottom take quotes, life is about not giving up. Much respect to you Mr. Gift Mwakai, we salute you.

As the pastor stood and said “receive the Lord’s blessing.  The Lord bless you and watch over you. The Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord look kindly on you and give you peace; in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. “Congregation:” Amen.

As the casket was slowly lowered down the ground, from dust you came from dust you shall return, as the congregation chanted “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” marked the end of the sun ravishing light hitting on my casket, as they covered the top that was it for me gone to the land of milk and honey to meet my dear wives and rejoice with Lord as I had crossed, despite the fact that I felt emotionally disturbed for living my daughter an orphan, I knew she will do just fine.“Lost In the static, our thought like wind reminds us of what we were. As the universe toils and turns or can you call upon GOD and radiate the way you do know, Take heart, my wife, your daddy was a great man and we shall leave through his legacy,” these were the words to my daughter from her hubby, proud I was in did she choose right and I have got nothing to worry about, except for the epitaph I had requested to be written on my gravestone "life sucks then you die":-) as per my own wishes.