The sun in his shoes-and other short stories

We were walking to church on Sunday and he was dragging his feet on the ground.
11am the sun is up and super hot, you couldn't blame him. But this was intentional, he was literally dragging his feet. 

'Jeff unajua ukiendelea kudrag miguu hivyo, viatu zako zitaisha kabisa. Alafu utahave kutembea na viatu hazina sole mpaka church. Unaona vile hii ground ni hot!' (That kastretch headed to Usiu is all tarmac so when it's hot, it's hot) 

He looks back at me and starts, with all the confidence, 'Zikiisha nitasimamisha bodaboda, simama simama, beba bebah,(he illustrates flagging down a motorbike) viatu zangu zimeisha na staki kuchomeka miguu. Nibebe aki aki'

I stiffle laughter. 'Sasa akishakufikisha utalipa na nini?' 

He pauses to think. 'Nitamwambia, aki sina pesa ya kukulipa leo, ntakulipa siku ingine. Please have mercy on me.' 

I wonder whether Mr. Motorbike would have had mercy on my son. 

#OnTheChroniclesOfJeff

As written on Oct 5th,2016

I'm trying to get off sugar. It's not been recommended by a doctor, neither I'm I on a diet. It's just because. You become an adult and you start doing strange things. My inspiration, my seven year old son. He doesn't take sugar. No sugared tea/chocolate, no sugared porridge. Nothing. And if you dare put sugar for him in any of those, just drink it yourself mum. It was trip day the week before they closed school. Time to buy snacks. The sweetest items among what he got were Tictacs and a large bar of chocolates. He knows how too much sugar affects his throat. 'Mum wacha nibebe yenye haina sukari mingi, Tictacs. Chocolate itabaki home, ntaikula pole pole tukifunga.' The boy seems to have understood his limits. 

Yesterday night he went over to my stack of books and picked one. He sat down and started reading, quietly, like a grown up. I silently watched as he went through one page. I asked him to read out the next page loudly. He finished and said, 'Mum kesho uninunulie story book za watoto, na ununue zile zikona pages nyingi kama zako.'  Bookie in the making? 

'Mum ulizaliwa the year twenty..?'

'Ati twenty?Nilizaliwa 1988... '

The horror on his face. I immediately felt like a fossil

We have a rule amongst many-after dinner, take your plate to the kitchen. I finished my dinner and sat with my plate, as I lay sprawled on the couch. He finished his and took his plate to the kitchen. 'Daddy please nipelekee sahani yangu.' A hard stare. 'Mimi nikupelekee sahani yako mimi?' He must have learnt it from his grandma.

I was stepping out for work a couple of days ago;applying lipstick and touching up after breakfast. He is observing. 'Mum si lazima ushindange umepaka malipstick kila, saa. Unaeza enda tu bila na bado utakaa poa.' I froze and said goodbye. Boy is sweet but savage. 

He made the Merit Roll in school this term by the way. Excellence is your portion little boy. Hujui  merit roll nini? Google is your friend. 

#OnTheChroniclesOfJeff

As written on Aug 9th,2017