IN THE BEGINNING....

 It had been a hot September day and the sun that had worked so hard to ensure that even my dark skin get sunburns was regretfully showing it’s final orange-red rays in the horizon, a reminder that its reign of terror was a possibility the following day.

DH-T stood near the opening of the once white tent, whose sides had gaping holes, emphasizing its unkempt state. He was listening intently to, Kamau, one of the many youth that looked up to him, as if Kamau was the only thing that mattered in his life.

When he saw me walking towards him, he forgot for a moment about Kamau and a smile, so warm and welcoming, spread across his dark chocolate face. At that point, I must have thought I was the most important person in his world. Happy to see him, I returned the smile; he was my constant reminder that one of the best pleasures in life is people. I said my hellos to the duo, quickly excusing myself, wondering into my thoughts, and finding ways to apologize for being late again.

I didn’t need to apologize; DH-T began entertaining me with fables, jokes and facts the minute he was done with his little meeting, flashing that smile that showed the incisor that jutted out from the normal alignment of his set of teeth in defiance to the lack of space- a symbol of his character. He led me to the place we hang out when we needed free Internet.

“Have you started your blog?” He asked, hopeful.

“No.”

He grunted, feigning anger and disgust. He decided at that moment that putting up my blog was the most crucial thing to do. It was about 6.30 pm and I knew I shouldn’t agree to this. It could take ages if the Internet was slow and my siblings expected me home by 7.30. If I arrived late, they wouldn’t be too pleased with me. Although these worries flooded my mind, I agreed to his plan. How could I say no to him?

As luck would have it, the Internet was slow and I didn’t have a name for my blog. As time wiled away, we stared blankly at the screen trying to figure out what I would call my new creative and expressive platform.

7.00. No name. We chat a little, hoping chatter would spring up a name or even a clue.

7.05. No name. He tells me about his latest story that I have fallen in love with.

7.15. Still, no name and DH-T was getting tired of hearing me repeat over and over, ‘my sister will kill me’ like some sort of chant that would materialize a title for my blog. He was so weary of my song that he typed it as the title of my blog and continued with the process of signing up. 

I don’t even remember the time I arrived home. I just know it was past 7.30 pm. I think my sister was a little ticked off by my being late though she wasn’t ready to go out to dinner. I shouldn’t have been so worried after all.

A couple of hours later, after jokes and lots of tales had been shared around a dinner table, my beautiful sister gave a toast in my honour. She said the most amazing things about me in front of her friends. I tell you, it was a wonderful, emotionally charged moment, realizing that my sisters believed in me and that they loved me a lot. All I could do was smile, take a sip of my wine and hope the lump that was forming in my throat would go down with the wine. It didn’t.

So, this is for my big brother DH-T and Sensei for pushing me to begin this blog and write, believing that one-day I’ll be a big shot in the Literature scene and for making sure I had posted this blog post; and to my wonderful siblings who love me as I am, believe in me even when I don’t, challenge me to chase after my dreams and inspire me to be unique and kick ass. Thank you for making this happen.

And this is to my beautiful, talented, and intelligent self. Unanimity is for the invisible. Keep writing!