LET IT BE KNOWN to the world this 11th day of August, the year of our Lord, that Lorot Son of the Hills appreciates his mum behind the hills.
For how do we thank a person who chewed ripe banana in order to feed me when I was young?
How do we show gratitude for a person who, for lack of a better word, sucked mucus from my nostrils and spat it out?
How do I say thank you to a person who jumped to her feet when I cried even before Jesus woke up and san g me lullaby?
How in the world do I return such kindness where even in my baby bravado I jetted out urine to her face and instead of a slap I received a smile and tender warmth?
Where do I start honouring such a person for beating me up when I was wrong and immediately feeding me and making me happy?
Where are the words to express such feeling, such unconditional love, such sacrifice, such motherliness?
Oh Mum, how you make me laugh when I remember your pieces of advice and anecdotes. “Mama yako ni mama yako hata awe kiwete”, “Mtoto yangu usiibe wala usinyang’anye riziki haivutwi na kamba”. And my mum has her fair share of expressions. When I used to be excited about things and was always hurrying she could say: “Huyu mtoto ni kizabzabina, morimodo, kimbelembele, sharpsharp, macho dak dak”. I remember my younger brother Kevin too. He once got into an argument with mum. Mum told him: “Usinishike koo”. And when he kept quiet he asked him: “Usikasirike, fungua roho yako”.
Perhaps one striking feature of my mama behind the hills is her beauty. And she knows it. She has this height of a gazelle and an enchanting face glowing with Pokot beauty.Si mweupe sana si mweusi, si mfupi. Sometimes I think she must have tantalized men in the village as she grew up petite and gorgeous.When she got married, tale is told, men who used to eye her complain to this day. Some moved out of the village to nurse their frustrations. But this does not get into her head. Ironically, she is one of the humblest souls I have met. She doesn’t talk a lot and she prefers to maintain a low profile. When I once asked her about this, she told me: “Mondanyu, sipendi kujidekeza”. And it is this “Sipendi Kujidekeza” philosophy that might have taken root within me. Then mum made me laugh one day when she said: “Salem, mimi sijui kuomba..hii kuomba ni ngumu sana kwangu. Hata naweza kufa njaa na nisiombe”. But this was not a laughing matter. This philosophy too, I try to keep within me. Have you ever known a person who constantly begs and upon greetings your immediate hunch is that (S)he might beg and does exactly that?
While growing up in Kacheliba, life has been fun. There were 'Sunday Clothes". No jokes. You could wear all these other clothes anyday upto Saturday but not on Sunday.Christmas too was different. Food had to be different. Mum decided to flip the script one Christmas and cooked Githeri. That was sacrilege!We are from church with almost 10 other kid friends and guess what our delicacy on Christmas is? Githeri.Upon which I complain: "Yo, sasa unapika githeri na kila mtu anapika mchele na chapati.(sobs)". Mum replies: "Mondanyu, hii githeri ni tamu hata onja..iko na viazu mtoto yangu..onja tu". More sobs.
But if there is anything that my mum understands best then it is instant justice. Unafanya makosa, unamaliziwa hapo hapo iwe mwiko, kijiko ya kupakulia, sufuria, ndoo, anything...I don't regret them. You see, mum beat me into shape nikaingia line. Uzuri ya kichapo chake si ya kumaliza mtu. Plus there is food at the end of it after all.
One thing that Lorot Son of the Hills’ mum knows is that I don’t know maths. That is for sure. Everytime I brought report card home she said: “Hata kama wewe ni namba three, hiyo hesabu ndio umeanguka..Ninajua”. Then she will brag that in Primary she was very sharp in mathematics. She could say: “Akili yangu ilikuwa kama kompyuta. Hesabu pap pap, rak tak.. na nimeandika majibu hapo”. And my hate for mathematics makes sense. How in the world do you factorize numbers? How do you apply it in real life? Another thing. I never liked an inch about the use of X and Y. I just saw them in the middle of a mathematical problem and I,poor soul, knew that I was in trouble. Those two letters still scare the hell out of me. Plus the compass and those small little weapons in a thing called a mathematical set. Who the hell came up with it anyway? And that is why Mama was right. Mathematics was always my letdown.
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