The Photograph

Every story has two sides. Truth only one, but at times both!

A radiant smile smeared his countenance that day as he walked into the university for admission. He was flanked on both sides by his parents and was tugging along his bulky suitcase. To him this was a dream come true and to his parents, heaven. Their first born son had made it to campus to pursue a degree in Law. What more could a parent want?

Theo scanned the surrounding. He let his eyes graze the environment. The tenderly trimmed flowerbeds and green lawns with luggage sprawled on it. He took one ponderous sweep of the opposite bench. What he saw re-affirmed his teacher's remarks that University has variety. Quickly, he selected the best out of them and put a bounty on their heads.

University life was good. That's considering things other than the frequent financial hostility. He utilized his newly-acquired freedom to the fullest. Partying. Dating. Drinking. All the stuff you do in campus. You know these things right?

The most intriguing part of his life was his dating life. Prior to campus, Theo had never dated. The parents would breath fire and brimstone down his neck if he looked at a girl twice. Campus sparked the curiosity in him. The sense of adventure in him coaxed and cajoled him till he embraced it. He went around shooting his shots here and there, plucking some rosebuds and sometimes getting only the leaves, leaving a few broken hearts in his wake. Isn't that what campus life is?

The first girlfriend he had was some beautiful lady from the lake side. She had everything a man would want in a lady. Except she valued her chastity more than her own life. For an adventurer like my guy Theo, this was a luxury he couldn't afford. Moving forward he got a Kalenjin lady. Yes you heard me right, a mkale. What this girl did to him I can't say without legal permission. Excuse me. The relationship lasted for barely a week.

In his third year he found a petite girl of an unknown heritage. You know what they say about petite girls and their appetite, don't you? Story for another day. The girl was more of an adventurer than he was. Like poles repel.

After the petite madam, he fell for a beautiful girl who was very slender. Yes slender like sugarcane. She was nice and managed to convince Theo that he could settle at last. He fondled this thought till he was reminded in the crudest possible way that he was still too young to have such weird ambitions. Turns out the girl adopted more sugarcane characteristics other than slenderness. She was the type to be chewed and spit out. 

In his final year when he was on the verge of giving up on love he met a second year girl. A  Taita girl. Beautiful. Brilliant. In the backdrop of her success, a very inspiring story. One that could motivate your kids to work their fingers off to success. Theo had a little intrinsic talk with himself and they decided she was the girl to take home. Before then, he had put the girl on family way and had to adjourn his plans till she delivered.

When they finally went home, the mother was so happy to have a grandson. At least she wouldn't have to tussle with her daughter-in-law to have grandchildren. For the very first time on earth there was a mother and a daughter-in-law who got along well. 

The old man was also quite happy. Just recently his son had been crowned with the barrister's wig and now he brought home a beautiful wife and a baby boy. However his joy ebbed away during the introductions. The girl introduced herself. She was Shally Isime from Taita hills. Her mother, a school teacher, died at a young age and she was brought up by her senile grandmother with the help of well-wishers.She didn't have the privilege of seeing her father since he vanished as soon as she was born.

The old man shuddered and looked straight into her eyes. He felt a queer sense of compassion and rapport that tethered his soul to that young girl. He recognized the pearl-white eyes, the jade like skin and the voluptuous curves. The liquid golden voice. The very features that made him forget he was married back in the day. The only slight difference was the skin pigment. This girl was a bit lighter and more radiant. 

What was your name again? He asked still in his stupor. Before she could pronounce the last word he had latched his hands on the door knob and was traipsing towards his bedroom. He gave an excuse that he had to take some meds and the programme should just continue.

In his room he opened the wardrobe and retrieved an old Rusty metal box. It shattered and clanged as he forced it open. In it was some ancient photos and artefacts that were caked with dust. At the very bottom was a note book whose pages had turned brown with age and were compacted into one hard pad. He ripped the pages apart and went over every single one of them precisely until he reached the one with a black and white photograph in it. He held it delicately between his thumb and the index finger. Crystal drops of tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. 

The photograph bore the image of a woman cradling a baby in her arms. She had Shally's eyes and was the bearer of her brilliant smile. The old man's eyes drifted to the page in the note book. Scribbled in nearly imperceptible handwriting were the words ' my daughter Shally Isime Birthday 6th January 1996.' 

The good old days. He was a highschool teacher in Mombasa back then. A transfer had sent him to Mombasa leaving behind his young wife and their toddler, Theophilus. He had met the young woman on the photograph who was in teaching practice at the nearby primary school. Fresh from college. A woman in her prime. Striking feminine features that would leave any man drooling over her. He dropped his baggy trousers, abandoned his dangling wrist watch and shaved off his moustache, along with any other thing that could show he is a married man. She moved in.

A year later a transfer letter back to his village came and so did the declaration for pregnancy. They came simultaneously as if someone orchestrated it. It then dawned on him that he had a family back home. He took off without so much as a goodbye. Two decades later, the daughter he had abandoned crept back into his life. As a daughter-in-law! The thoughts overwhelmed him and his blood pressure set in.

Thirty minutes later the wife started getting cold feet and decided to check. A shrill scream escaped her lips immediately she opened the door to their bedroom. Mzee was lying stiff on the ground between his fingers was the photograph and next to him the notebook. The son and his new bride came in followed by the curious revellers who crowded the door. Mama Theo squatted,took the photograph and scrutinized it painfully. She then took the book, perched her glasses on her nose and read. The message immobilized her and soon she fell over, breathing heavily and her heart beating loudly. She was about to have a heart attack.

"Someone call the ambulance!!" Theo shouted as she went to give his mother cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Shally picked the photograph and the notebook. She read it over and over again as she cried until there were no more tears. Her heart was a stone in her chest. She took one hard look at the baby in her arms. What would her baby call her when he finally learnt to speak. Auntie or Mommy?

                                  ~A. Major~