Long before any person in Mwisho wa Lami and its environs could understand the meaning of the word love, I was showing Fiolina, the lucky laugh of my life , true love. In those years, we were hotly in love; and I was the only man in the greater Mwisho wa Lami area who celebrated Valentine's: while Fiolina, was the only woman who was celebrated, gifted, and showered with love on Valentine's.
If you remember, I would carry Fiolina on my then brand new Raleigh Bicycle to Kasuku Hotel, where she would take kuku chips, while I would take down ugali mlima. (For those asking, ugali mlima is a delicacy of ugali served with slow-cooked cow hooves with pilipili kwa umbaali .) Many times, I would help Fiolina eat her chips.
Fiolina would take this down with Fanta Passion while I would escort ugali mlima down my throat with Stoney Madiaba, leaving room to take Fiolina’s Fanta if she did not finish. After this, as her ride or die, we would ride to the mango tree behind the posho meal, under whose shade she would spread a leso and sit down. There we would take more soda - Fiolina with her Fanta Passions while I enjoyed a second helping of Stoney Madiaba as we looked each other in the eyes – lovingly, nay, laughingly.
I would then give her expensive exotic gifts. One year I bought a pack of beautiful red handkerchiefs; another time, I bought her Cobra perfume. Yet another time, I bought her Lady Gay and Limara Lotion. Fiolina cried, tears of joy.
Then, Fiolina considered me the most romantic man on earth! Things started changing when Fiolina went to Mosoriot TTC and learnt that Valentines was no valentines if it had no flowers and chocolates.
Things changed when she met Alex, who would later be posted to our school. Slowly, I moved from being a man to a dog, and when my name was mentioned, she frowned. When with her friends, I moved from being called Sweet Dre, to Baba Sos, to now merely being referred to as Huyu.
Needless to say, we forgot about Valentine's. In any case, more important things came up. I started constructing my house, became busy at school, and Branton and Sospeter had needs. It was only in 2022, while Fiolina was in Kakamega, when she was swimming in the money, that we had a romantic Valentine's dinner at Golf Hotel. It was a Valentines to remember!
This year, I have been immersed in schoolwork, having been allowed to midwife our school from a primary school to a comprehensive school. I have been focused on the school and nothing else. In short, I have been very busy that anything else other than school did not matter to me. As you may also know, apart from the normal running of a major school like ours, there are two projects I am involved in that are occupying my time; the first one is the construction of two classes while the other one was hiring new BOM teachers.
Those are not jobs that just any other HOI can handle, as they require an experienced, focused, forthright, straightforward, and visionary HOI. Mwisho wa Lami is lucky to have me as the person steering this process, as I possess those qualities and more.
Therefore, last Friday I went to school and spent my day in the office busy working. Given the sensitive matters of national security that I am carrying out, over the past few weeks, I have been avoiding people, including colleagues so that I can focus on the job to be done, and limit any chances of being compromised by enemies of development.
So, I locked myself in the office. Nzomo saw me twice while Lena, her bad hair in tow, saw me once. Saphire who has appeared in school after a long time of absence tried to see me, but I said no. I also did not see Erick, asking him to see my next week.
When she first saw me, Nzomo wanted permission to go to Ukambani in two weeks, saying she had a personal matter to handle. I refused to grant her time off, insisting that she must give me full details of the personal matter she had. Experienced leaders will tell you that employees hide a lot behind personal matters.
On her second visit, in the afternoon, she asked to leave early. I wondered why.
“It’s Friday Dre, and Valentine’s!” she explained, looking happily in love. Indeed, she was wearing a red skirt and red shoes. “I have a date.” That afternoon, Kuya arrived on his motorcycle and carried her. Clearly, the two were up to something.
I had forgotten it was Valentine’s and I had to act first. I passed by the market to get something for Fiolina but there was nothing Valentine there, so I bought some Oreo biscuits, and had them wrapped nicely. On my way home, I plucked some lantana camara flowers and put them together with the Oreo. Fiolina was not in when I got home. I went to Hitler’s and returned at around 8pm.
I must have been woken up when I heard the sound of a boda boda. Someone had dropped Fiolina. I heard Fiolina enter the house. She stayed in the sitting room for some time. When she did, she was not moved when I gave her the Oreo wrapped in lantana camara flowers. She looked at them and put them aside ki-madharau!
With her not talking to me, I left the bedroom and went to the sitting room to cool off. What I saw shocked me. On the table were a bunch of fresh flowers and some chocolates. It was the most beautiful bunch of flowers I had even seen; they were smelling nice. I however couldn’t touch them, wondering who it was that had gifted my wife on Valentine's.
I haven’t talked to Fiolina since then, nor has she. But I have a warning. To whoever is confusing my wife, please prepare for a fight. And money is not a problem, not with the opportunities I have during the construction of two classrooms at school. You will get poor trying to take Fiolina from me.
