How To Love

chapter thirty - six

Dedicated to Monivah_M

Please play the song above on repeat while reading this chapter. 🫶🏾

TW: vague mentions of cancer and its effect on victims. Proceed with caution. ❤️

Our first activity that I booked for us was going to an art gallery. There was a famous one here called the Mujilizi Art Gallery and it was the first one to be recommended on the list of what to do in Musomi, that I found on the internet.

According to Google, The Mujulizi Art Gallery was founded by Joseph Mujulizi in the early 2000s.He had full ownership of the gallery but didn't take on any managerial responsibilities, leaving those to his brothers, John and Jacob.

The gallery curated art pieces from different African artists and exhibited them on contract for a few months at a time, so every three months, new exhibitions would go up.

In 2023, Joseph died and handed the gallery down to his daughters, they now had full ownership and managerial roles. They still alternated the artwork every three months, but the Joseph Mujulizi Memorial Exhibition was there forever.

The thing that attracted me the most about it was that they had painting sessions with one of the packages they offered at the gallery, so I got us that particular package, which entailed an in depth tour of the gallery led  by a tour guide, of course the painting session, and lastly, lunch and bubbles throughout our entire time at the gallery.

To keep up with the very African atmosphere of Musomi, I wore my Ankara material corset bodysuit which I bought online from an Instagram boutique. The fit on me was amazing, and paired with orange linen pants that matched with one of the multiple colours of my top had me happy with my choice of clothing. I opted for green block heels, which matched the bag I picked for the occasion perfectly. With my braids up in ponytail and minimal make up, I was ready to go.

Thuso wore a collared polo shirt, with the same Ankara material on his sleeves, collar, buttons and pockets, but the main colour being dark green. He wore it with a pair of black slacks and open toe sandals made of leather to match his slacks, accesorising with a black watch, and his wedding band of course. I had half a mind to cancel the entire thing because of how gorgeous he looked, but after a million kisses from him, I was too stupefied to even remember why I didn't want us to go in the first place.

We arrived at the gallery right on time. The tour was intimate, with one other couple on our group led by a beautiful dark skinned girl who looked no older than 25. She introduced herself as Imani before starting the show.

Thuso held my hand in his the entire time, squeezing it every time he saw something he really liked. Between him and I, he had a much profound appreciation for art than I did, so his response to the art pieces didn't surprise me.

Finally, it was time for our painting session, now this part I was excited for. The studio we would be painting in was big, enough to fit at least 15 people comfortably. There was a stage, on it a lady stood, waiting for us all to settle before addressing everyone.

After introducing herself , she told us what the theme of today's session was. It was a heavy one, titled: Think of a time when you felt the most, it could be any emotion, and then paint/draw what comes to mind when you do.

I thought of the day I realised I was in love with Thuso. I wasn't the greatest of painters, but I'll admit that I tried my best. The music in the background, a classical set that had no words, had my hand flowing on the canvas freely. When the 2 hours was up, I realised only after what I actually drew. It was two figures, one certainly male, dark in complexion, his strength very visible even in the image. His arms were around a figure, unquestionably female, patches, as though pieces were broken before, but are now getting back in place across her body.