The fierce love of a mother #100

Dear Mum,

This morning I had the privilege of interacting with a mother who had not heard from her daughter and couldn’t reach her for about one and a half days. It was as if her daughter had been missing for a year; she was ready to do each and every thing to find her. She wasn’t keeping count of how much airtime she was spending to call every other number on her phone book (that’s how she landed on mine). She even put all her business on hold to travel to her daughter’s former high school to find a lead. I had promised to help, but she couldn’t wait for me to make my tens of phone calls. Her love was stronger than Valentines’s will ever dream of, it was like a real tangible thing. We found her girl after a few hours of dialing green buttons (and Googling), thank goodness.

“My mother is pure radiance. She is the sun I can touch and kiss and hold without getting burnt.” ― Sanober Khan

I remembered one time a few years ago when I found 33 missed calls from one number. That’s the most I’ve ever had in a day. Mum, what exactly was going on in your mind? I mean, all those who have claimed to love me (or really loved me) have given up calling me after 3-5 trials at most. What drove you?  Last night we learned about the theory of classical phenomenology, which says that truth can only be ascertained through direct experience. That said, I may have to wait to become a mother to really get the gist of this.

But truth be told; you are the only one in the universe (so far) with the patience of calling me 33 times. That’s why it saddens me to know that this is the last letter I will be writing to you in this manner. At the same time, I’m glad that these letters have made me think more about you every time I have written. I know you have only read a few of them, and I’m grateful. I wouldn’t mind if you read all of them. I even have an illusion that perhaps you would like to write a reply for me? Well, a girl’s gotta dream.

I’m not always a good girl, you know better. Sometimes I’m upset about stuff and I act as if the universe revolves around me. My inconsistencies factored in, I want you to always know that I love and respect you for who you are and all you do. You are in many ways a role model to me; your kind of love, your daily prayers for Neema and I, your character and hard work are second to none. I don’t deserve you at all, but every day, I want to be a daughter you are proud of.

The next few weeks (or months), I will be working closely with some young man to upgrade this blog into a website that will capture most of what I’m about. I will without doubt resume my writing, though I will not be writing letters. Either way, you will always be on my heart and mind. My mentor advised that I turn these letters into a book; I like the idea and I will be exploring the possibility of the same.

To all my readers; you are simply the best. You have stuck with me even when I didn’t have ideas (haha, trust me it happens to writers; sometimes we have nothing to say). To both the faithful and the one-off readers; thank you! We’ll come back better and stronger.

Adieus,

Ndindafah

Credits: Cover photo from iStock

What it’s really been (#97)

Dear Mum,

There are dreams we have and sometimes even write down at the beginning of each new year, and there’s always what the year really turns out to be. Though we all desire that these be one and the same, it’s not always so, and that’s life; full of surprises- some days are pure bliss while others look like mistakes.

Before we dive too deep, let me say thank you Mum for the holiday 😀. I had a wonderful time at home. I might have to wait another long year to see you come home with those finger-licking-sweet mangoes. You are such a miracle. Then there was our little girl who did so well in her KCSE and made us proud. With such good news, you noticed I didn’t watch news bulletins the whole time. What better news could life probably have?

When 2017 began, I had no doubt that it would be a new season for me. I wanted a new season, I craved it, I asked God for it. What I didn’t know is that every new season comes with change, and as much as change is inevitable, it’s never easy. I had to change so many things but mostly perspectives about life. Now that the year is done, I look back and describe 2017 as a rich year. Now, that has nothing to do with money, but everything to do with experiences and lessons. I simply cannot trade those for anything else. It’s been to me an epiphanous year, full of aha-moments and illuminating realizations. I’ll try and highlight some areas in which I had significant idea-shifts:

1) Work

Don’t ask me why it took me so long to understand work, not as a means of earning income but as a tool for personal growth. 2017 has caused me to appreciate the character-shaping and personality-molding that comes with facing challenges in the place of work. This attitude would require me to be excellent at what I do, to explore my capabilities and exhaust my potential for my own growth.

2) Love

As much as I wanted to believe that love is madness, it dawned on to me that love is actually a gift. It cannot be taken for granted that someone cares about you, thinks about you and shares their time and resources with you. Love should be valued and respected. At the same time, it should be thought through and all impurities removed from it. The sad part of this lesson was that sometimes, the best thing you can do out of love is walk away from those you love. Don’t tell me it’s complex, I bet everyone has to do it at some point in their lives.

3) Places

Changing places to be precise. It was fun when it was about travel and adventure. It was sad when it came to moving houses. I had to walk away from 3-year-long memories. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. And it was wise.

4) God

That God is not an ATM machine to visit when in need, nor is He a punching-bag to relieve our pressures. He is a person; he has a mind, a heart and principles. He sees, hears, speaks, feels and understands, and we should not assume that He is not present at any given time. He requires and desires our devotion to Him.

The more serious stuff already said, here’s some information you didn’t ask for:

My favorite book this year?

‘The defining decade (why your twenties matter…)’ by Dr. Meg Jay

My favorite letter…

(I guess); ‘Nairobi through the lenses (#78)’

The best compliment I received:

“You are a good human being”.

I wish you an elated 2018 full of every good thing. May your prayers be answered and may you live in the bliss of dreams fulfilled.

Happy New Year,

Ndindafah

 

 

 

 

Meet Adelle (Part 3) (#89)

Dear Mum,

Thank you for giving Adelle more than a fortnight to simply think. You see, every girl needs ‘moments of thought’. I’ll tell you what those moments are all about. Life can be busy, emotions can be unstable and situations can be tough. Feelings can be sporadic, intermittent, on and off. The heart can be unreliable. Advice from friends can be misleading, contradicting or irrelevant. In her closet, a girl can go through the same thought over and over again. She can summon herself to a meeting and consider her life. What does she need? Or does she just want it? Can she do without it, and does she have to?

There’s a school of thought that women are emotional, and they can just wake up and make a random decision, without reason, just out of the blues (BTW, are there any reds out there?). Truth is, never has been. We are thoughtful beings. We sleep over critical decisions. We allow small things to build up to major decisions. By the time we say ‘let’s give this a try’, ‘not gonna happen’, or ‘it’s over’, trust me, it’s been quite a while.

“You are responsible for everything you TWEET and RETWEET.” ― Germany Kent

Dumbfounded, Adelle pulled out her notebook and put down a poetic entry:

Love, Oh Love!

You are restless, ever searching

But I’ve never quite thought about you

You are a dreamer, so daring!

Are you really blind?

Cause I’ve never quite believed in you

I find you expressive, but not impressive

You can be excessive, but not persuasive

You seem to easily forget, so you regret

You neglect perfection, so you reflect

An illusion of it.

I don’t believe in you.

How was she going to tell Javan that she didn’t believe in love? He wouldn’t understand. He would ask questions; was she bitter with life, or was something wrong with her? She wasn’t ready for an interview, so she decided to put the issue in the parking lot of her mind.

Before long, she received her admission to ‘the’ university, to pursue Bachelor of Science in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Her dream had just began. She was going to campus. The University. The place where her fears were going to face her, yet she knew it not. The place where everything she believed was going to be put to test. The place where love and many other ghosts were going to haunt her.

Will she thrive?

Ndindafah

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Adelle (Part 2) (#88)

Dear Mum,

I hope you are moving on well, especially now that our little girl has ‘forsaken’ you for the next 3 months. She will be facing whatever Matiang’i and his crew will put on her table in November. We will meet her on our knees when we pray for her, and in our imagination when we visualize the successful young woman that she is becoming. Today must therefore be the opportune day to continue with the Adelle story.

Before Javan could finish his statement, Adelle put off the music and turned around to face him. What important subject could he probably raise? Why did he have to wait to raise it? Why wait until now, and what was so special about now? In that split of a minute, her mind processed as many probabilities as possible, most of which revolved around Javan’s story.

Javan was no ordinary boy. He had been through thick and thin to still have a smile on his face. He’d lost both of his parents in a fatal road accident five years ago, and he’d since been living with his uncle Jim. Jim’s wife was like Penny of ‘The Big Bang Theory’; a force by herself, enterprising in business, care-free by all means and disorganized in any example you could give. Javan had to step in as a big brother to his cousins so as to cover for the loopholes left by her aunt. That partly worked for his good, making him mature and responsible at a young age. He could be relied upon to deliver on his promises, and he was keen to live a meaningful life.  He was respectable, and Adelle liked him for that.

She thought she’d read and mastered his story, but this particular page seemed to have been plucked out of her sources.

“Adelle, I know it’s probably the wrong time, you will tell me. I feel like I’m sitting on something uncontainable, like I’m pushing hard against a wall stronger than me, like I’m swimming against a current, or putting off a whirl-fire by myself”.

He paused for a moment, and Adelle had to say something, “Whatever it is, I’m listening”. She had no idea how off-tangent she was.

“You have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I know you better than anyone I could meet, and I feel that spending the rest of it with you is by far the wisest decision I could make. I love you, and I didn’t want to keep it to myself any longer. Would you like to be my girlfriend? We can start planning for our future as early as now!”.

“Love!”, Adelle thought. “My life has been going on just fine without you, but here you are with your four letters, threatening my space, my friendships, my life. Can’t a girl chase another thing but you?”

Well, those were thoughts, and this was no thinking spree. She was supposed to give an answer.

“Javan, I respect you and I have to be honest with you. I have not thought about it yet”.

“Take your time. I have to be on my way right now”.

“Okay then”, Adelle agreed, knowing that there was nothing more to talk about at the moment.

Exiting the door, Javan met Adelle’s Dad.

“My son, why so soon?”, he muttered with his ever robust voice.

Adelle didn’t want to follow what went on, so she slipped into her bedroom and locked the door behind her.

She had stuff to think about.

Will you let her?

Ndindafah

 

 

 

 

Meet Adelle (Part 1) (#87)

Dear Mum,

I was glad to spend some time with you over the last week, in the name of voting. I wonder whether there’s another country where people vote for a whole week, and once election results are out, those who prefer it otherwise ask the citizens (who faithfully voted for a whole week) to boycott work for one more day. Reason? You don’t wanna know (ustake-jua). Kenya is just special. In all the world, there is no country like us.

Meet Adelle.

She was as sweet as her name; a girl beautiful in every way. Chocolate in complexion, silky hair (black and long), curvy, soft-spoken, infectious smile and smart. Smart enough to top her class of 147 students in the K.C.S.E the previous year. She’s invested her time, focused her energy and purposed in her heart to bring the best out of her life, and yes she did. She became the admiration of many; her teachers sang her praises and her age-mates considered her a heroine.

She would soon be joining the prestigious University of Nairobi (Did I forget the article ‘the’? Sorry, my bad). Her dream was to become an astronaut. Every time she looked into the sky, she was curious about the stars. She wondered, ‘How many of them are up there? Aren’t they ever tired of shining? What are their names? Do they have families? Do they fall in love?’. Adelle wanted to go into space.

In the evenings, she would stare at the sunset from her bedroom window. She took pictures of it and she spent hours staring at them. In the night, she often woke up to admire the moon and stars. She took walks in the night, thinking of her own life, her family and the space in her heart. After such moments, she would sit at one corner of her bed and update her journal. On 25th December 2015, she wrote ‘Christmas with a full moon! What a magnificent sight! How beautiful could life get? And how fleeting spectacular moments could be, for this miracle will last just a short while’. Her eyes had been transfixed on the moon for about an hour. It was like a first date with a crush, yet it wasn’t. It was probably the tenth or twentieth, yet each experience was unique, freshly inspired and passionately desired.

“Della! Della!Della!”, her Dad’s robust voice tore through the fabric of her engrossment.

“Are your ears blocked? I have been calling you all day”.

Is that even possible? Adelle’s Dad was always a clown. He was the kind of father who would find a joke in every serious matter. His love for talking landed him a lecturing job at one of the universities in the city. He taught Swahili, and had an excellent mastery of languages. He could talk an ostrich out of its own eggs.

Before Adelle could process the ‘all-day-call’…

“Javan is here to see you”, he shouted.

“I’m on my way”, she said wondering if she was loud enough to stop her Dad from shouting. He never thought he was shouting. No, never. She closed her diary and put it under a bunch of clothes in her closet, jumped out of her bed, grabbed her slippers and sped towards her Dad.

She didn’t remember agreeing on Javan’s visit, but there he was. He didn’t need an introduction. They had grown up together; they attended the same primary school, the same church, and had lived in the same neighborhood for as long as she could remember. She ushered him in unceremoniously, they exchanged a few pleasantries and she put on a video of the latest gospel hits…as usual. She thought it was just any other agenda-less Javan visit.

“Adelle, there is something I have wanted to tell you, but I decided to wait, at-least until now…”

Hang on, part 2 is coming next.

Patience,

Ndindafah

 

 

Unconditionally (#75)

Dear Mum,

Just before we close the curtains on Easter, here is a poem for your meditation:

Have you ever had a delightful moment that only lasted a short while

It was thrilling, yet fleeting. Though for all you care, it was worthwhile

But why didn’t it last? Why fly away so fast?

The Calvary story does vary, unconditionally

It outlives even Romeo and Juliet, generationally

It’s impactfully transformational, unquestionably

This man Jesus changed history

There’s no better love story

A love so indescribable, immeasurable, uncontainable

Grace so tangible, unthinkable, immeasurable

Mercy so irrational, unbelievable, incredible

Unconditional

When He spread out His arms on the cross

He wasn’t keeping fit or expecting a hug

He was in excruciating pain

Was it succeeded by gain?

When blood oozed down his brow

It wasn’t any other accidental wound

It was the cleansing flow

That makes us whole

Unconditionally

When He cried out “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”

It wasn’t a rhyme in a line of poetry

It was a cry of desperation, longing for victory

Wholeheartedly

Boundless love…

He spared not His own, but gave Him up for us all

Amazing grace…

We received forgiveness that we did not deserve

Improbable Mercy…

We were reconciled to the Maker of Heaven and Earth

Loving Jesus…

He gave up His glorious life you, will you love Him back?

Unconditionally

“May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost
Undone my mercy and left speechless
Watching wide eyed at the cost
May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross”

Awestruck,

Ndindafah

Love and Poetry, #68

Dear Mum,

Happy Valentine’s! You have taught me what love is; commitment, sacrifice, selflessness and a lot of letting go and letting God. So yes, I love you. I don’t think I could ever love you enough, let alone love like you.

That debt paid, here’s one reason why I love to write: my readers. I’m happy that they read, and the more they read, the more they write. Take for instance, Miss Ndetei. This girl has intercepted, read and commented on each of the letters that I have written to you. She just wrote this to us:

LOVE, a favorite four letter word, To many all over the world

You mean so much to us, And we treasure you to bits

Your theme be in block boldly, In sweet February annually

We call you proudly Valentines Day…

Most of us celebrate you more, In the unique versions we know

Cause holding on to each other, Remains real happiness for all together

Dear eventful love theme, Remind us to spread you on aim

In kind and genuine gestures, No matter what at all times

To my beautiful friends out there, You are safe to be sure

Love we have for humanity in need, To care for and bless each other indeed.

(Freelance poet, Miss Ndetei)

This other piece is a duet by the lovers of the night. Everybody loves something you know… Enjoy!

The night does appeal to us more than the day,

The stars shine brighter than the Sun,

The moon is more beautiful than the light of day,

Darkness has a less complicated color than light,

Cause it’s just dark, unlike dusk.

Darkness is cooler than the heat of day,

The fears of the night are stilled,

By serenity.

And yeah, there is no fright at night;

Just delight,

For we delight in the night.

Mum, there is no love without poetry.

Happy Valentine’s,

Ndindafah & her poetic readers.

Why the answer to “Move in?” should be “Ouch!”…#67

Dear Mum,

Your girl is of age and she has been dating Okwis say for two years now. You have never seen him, except for the pictures you’ve illegally seen in her phone. This time though, the wave of affection is sweeping her off her feet and she calls, “Mum, Can you imagine… He asked me to move in with him…  It will help us save up for our wedding, I’ll get to know him more, and after all we are getting married… What do you think?”

Would you be happy for her, or would you start thinking that perhaps she is walking into a trap? Well, I’ve had this cohabitation discussion with some of my girlfriends long enough, I thought it’s time to get over-with and just tell the world why I think it’s a mistake.

1. Chances are now high that you will not get married. Statistically speaking, only 40% of cohabiting couples end up in marriage. 32% cohabit forever, and 27% break up.
2. You might just as well forget about that dream wedding. You start living together as a married couple. “So, what’s the hurry with an expensive wedding? It can wait, let’s raise a family”, you are likely to be told.
3. Weddings are now as cheap as 100 bob. If that is not affordable, then what is?
4. Cohabiting will not help you to know your partner. Neither will 9 years of dating. Ask those who have been married for decades; they are still discovering one another.
5. He is not sure about you. He is running a compatibility test and you are the specimen. He’s not happy, you’re out. Unfair, right? Isn’t this kind of love supposed to be unconditional?
6. If your guy can get away with you, then he can get away with anything else. After all in this set up, you are not accountable to anyone.
7. If he asks you to move in with him, he is taking you for granted. He’s not ready to make a commitment before the people that care about you. Chances are that you will quarrel more than you expect.
8. Your family, church or even friends do not feel part of your union. Mostly it’s your little secret-why live a life you are not proud of?
9. Research shows that 65% of children born to cohabiting parents saw their parents’ breakup by age 12, compared to 24% born to married families.
10. Cohabiting couples are more than twice as likely to breakup and four times as likely to be unfaithful to one another, compared with married couples.
11. You will be lying to us when you invite us to your ‘holy wedding’.
12. As for your Maker, sex before marriage is one of the things that break His heart. It’s a bad seed you sow into your marriage life. Don’t you want to please God?
13. In the Bible, all women who cohabited with men who were not their husbands are not very celebrated. One was Delilah, and another was the Samaritan woman. They don’t exactly sound like role models.
14. You are taking a short cut in life. Most of them lead to dead ends. How about you take the long path and go through the whole process? That’s tenacity.
15. Volatile things come easily. If you want something permanent, it takes patience, sacrifice and investment to give it a good foundation. Whether it’s a struggle to impress those in-laws, vows you need grace to keep or documents you need to sign to do it right, why not?

That said, I sign off with one of my favorite quotes by Rick Warren, “When God wants to make a mushroom, he does it overnight, but when He wants to make a giant oak, He takes a hundred years. Great souls are grown through struggles, storms and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process.” Before you move in, decide what you want to make of your marriage: a mushroom, or a giant oak.

Ouch,

Ndindafah

 

A wave of affection… #66

Dear Mum,

Happy New Month! How does that sound, one week into the month? It’s not just any other month; it’s February! I hear that that this month is actually a big deal for lovers… Oh how I wanted to run away from this subject, but how can I?

Last Saturday for instance, I attended a certain meeting and this is how Mr. Philanthropy introduced his wife: “Ladies and gentlemen (that was obvious right? anyway…), I present to you the most beautiful woman on the face of the Earth. She is the queen of Africa, the woman who boils my blood, the only strawberry on my yogurt…” He went on and on and the laughter in the hall could not let me hear the rest. He later introduced the speaker, “Man of God, you are such a cocktail of grace… A friend and a father to me…”

Clearly, people are putting their most lovey-dovey foot forward, which makes it hard to ignore the wave of affection. I also realized that some of my Mr. friends are naturally warming up in their conversations. Instead of the usual ‘Hi Ndinda…’, it’s now ‘Hi Sweet@’ and truth is, I still don’t get it… Like, is the word ‘heart’ that long? Is ‘lov’ a word in any dictionary?

Don’t get me wrong, this ain’t about ‘playing hard to get’, it’s about clarity and avoiding assumptions. What I would tell my girls is that whatever they say this month, just smile, understand and pass. It’s a tricky month and it’s advisable that you take your time before you make a permanent decision based on a temporary mood.

Yes, it’s a mood and a wave of confusion for many hearts. In case you are doubting and you think it’s all real, what would you say about the Facebook updates on my home page:

MW was feeling concerned: “Dear friends, please help. When someone calls you sweetie, honey, love, sweetheart and the rest, does it necessarily mean that you are in love with them, or something of that sort?”. Poor guy, I thought. I hope the 20 comments posted within a few hours of his post were of some help.

I scrolled down expecting to find something different; A recent scientific innovation, a wisdom nugget from the quote-lovers, or a new month declaration from my ever spiritual friends but guess what… JM was looking for love: “Every time I try to think of you and remember your glorious memories, tears come to my eyes and I cannot see. I need somebody to whisper to me. Three words, three words, three words that say ‘I love you'”. Within 15 hours, he had 205 likes and 87 comments, most of which were ladies telling him how much they loved him.

“Never rush into falling in love, because love never runs out; Let love be the one to knock at your door. Besides true love is worth waiting for”.

Whatever you do with love this month, remember this legendary wisdom: “Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken love until the time is right”, Song of Solomon 8:4, NLT

Here is my gift to all @ndindafah readers:

I love you, Not only for what you are,

But for what I am,When I’m with you.

I love you, Not for what you made of yourself,

But for what… You are making of me.

I love you, For ignoring the possibilities,

Of the fool in me, And for laying firm hold.

I love you because you are helping me to make,

Of the foundation of my life…

Not a tavern but a temple; And out of the words,

Of my everyday not a reproach but a song.

Poem: Why do I love you? By Halpaa duarte.

Warmest Feb Regards,

Ndindafah

 

 

 

In the name of LOVE #52

Dear Mum,

You are keeping well, right? I’ve got to be right anyway. I’m back, to the love story. I mean, the things that people are doing lately in the name of the four letter word. In one longer word, I’ll call it ridiculous.

Few days ago, I’d a chat with one of my girlfriends and I’m sure she thinks I’m void of emotions – no please, I cry, I laugh and I get excited, thrilled and impressed. Thing is, I’m surprised and I’ll tell you why. There’s a particular mug of mine that I totally LOVE. I read a Facebook post by Steve Muthusi and I LOVED it. I read a book named ‘The Power of your Imagination’ and I LOVED it. I LOVE coffee. My friend Mueni LOVES lamb-chops at Java. I LOVE my church and I LOVE my YAF group, JABALI.

I’ll tell you the truth: all of that is TRUE. Love love love… I think it’s the most over-estimated word ever. After loving all those, why would your nervous system register an anomaly if I told you, “Okwis, I love you”. Why would you start wearing different colors of socks because I said that? Why would you start booking a flight to the land of untold imagination because of that statement?

I’ll tell you what I believe about love. Not too much though, just three things to be sure that you can remember them by the time Okwis comes to pay dowry:

#1 True love thinks.

Being in love doesn’t guarantee that you leave your mind at home. Allow me to quote Kiogora Magambo, “Any vehicle where the emotion is the driver and the brain is the passenger, the heart will have an accident. What you know is stronger than what you feel”. I know you are in love, but come on…think. Can you live with him/her for the rest of your life? Is he a man/woman of values? Are you compatible? Suppose you woke up one day and were no longer in love, would you still live together?

#2 True love is not desperate.

My fellow ladies, I wish to register my apologies to us, because we all LOVE (haha, again) these lines: “You are my everything”. “If I don’t marry you I’ll die”. “Babe I can’t do without you”. Come on guys, stop lying to us. We just met yesterday and you are dead without me? How have you survived the past 26 years? Oh, if I don’t move in with him, he’ll get another girl. Please let him.

#3 True love is has character.

Ladies and gentlemen, here’s the good news: The love-meter has been in existence for over 2,000 years. Now you can measure all strains of love against this ancient love-meter:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV Bible

So, he loves you but he cheats on you once in a while… He drinks just a little, when he is stressed… He only beats you up when he is really angry. Well, it’s better than breaking expensive glasses, right?  Mmmh, and he needs to taste the waters to determine their saltiness before marriage, now you are stressed because you are born again and you know it’s wrong; Honey, please run. Oh, and he will change. You LOVE him. You believe in him. You can’t really leave him. You wouldn’t move on without him you know…

I’ll tell you that I don’t know a thing. I just think you are asleep and you need to wake up. If you don’t wake up now, you might wake up too late to blame love for your mistakes.

Love is not everything. Everything is not love. Life is not all about marriage. There is life before and after marriage. Love is not all there is in life, so don’t live life out of your mind because you think you are in love.

In the name of love,

Ndindafah

PS: The book, “Mistakes people make in the name of love” by Kiogora Magambo is available at Beacon of Books. Call/SMS 0738535974 to get your copy.