Everything About You And I

1. Love

“Juma, my grandson, you’re back,” my grandmother welcomed me.

“Yes grandma. How was your day?” I asked bending over to receive her blessing.

“My day was okay, Mr. Riziki’s grandchildren came and kept me company before Moraa came to keep me company,”

“Good evening, grandma,” Barrington greeted.

“Who’s your grandmother?” she retorted.
My grandma and Barry’s father didn’t get along. However, it wasn’t always the case. Her resentment towards Mr Tausi and his family started after one of my uncles illegally sold a piece of my grandmother’s farm to him. She tried to get him to sell it back to her but he refused.

“Grandma, Barry and I will go to my room now. I’ll come over and make supper before it gets dark,”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Moraa already made supper and she even milked the cow,”

“I’ll remember to thank her when I see her,” As Barry and I walked towards the shed in silence, it was clear he was upset by my grandmother’s reception. He always took her actions towards him personally.

As tradition had it, it was taboo for circumcised boys to live under the same roof with any female that wasn’t their wife or spawn. It was also not acceptable for the said women to be found near the shed unless bringing food.

As soon as they were circumcised, very young man of age had to have his own quarters built several metres away from the main house. That was depending on the size of land the family owned.

Although she was a Christian, my grandma followed tradition keenly and would not be found anywhere near my quarters. If she needed me, she called out my name until I responded which I found bothersome on her behalf.

It was also wrong for men (that included any male that was circumcised) to be found in the kitchen. However, it wouldn’t be right if I let my elderly grandmother cook or perform any household chores just to uphold tradition.

Despite her constant complaints, I would wake up at the crack of dawn, tidy up the household before making breakfast then go about the duties delegated to me. Grandma always made a fuss about it claiming that I was performing duties meant for a woman but that never stopped me.

**

Grandmother liked Moraa a lot. She always sang of her praises whenever she could. How Moraa was a disciplined girl, hard working and caring and how she (Moraa) was head over heels in love with me.

It wasn’t a secret that Moraa was in love with me. It’s not that I’m cocky but she had made it clear since we were in high school. Everyone in our small village knew we would end up together. However, I didn’t feel the same way about her. My heart was already taken by someone else.

“Is it me or does your grandmother hate me?” Barrington asked as he sat on the bed in my one-roomed shed made from timber and aluminium sheets. I wanted to save up and build a better house but it wasn’t possible with grandma’s medication.

I wanted the new house to have stone walls and three rooms, i.e. two bedrooms and a sitting room. It was ambitious but I wanted Barry to be as comfortable as possible.

“It’s not you she doesn’t like. It’s your father. You just happened to be the one close enough to receive her wrath,”

“What do you think I can do to get in her good graces?”

“Ask your father to give her back her land,”

“You know how my father is. He’s the most stubborn creature in the face of the planet,”

“Then I guess there’s nothing you can do,”

“What if I came over often and cleaned and cooked for her? I’m her grandson-in-law after all,” Barrington asked pulling me towards him.

“I guess you could try that. Hoping she doesn’t chase you off,”

“No, hoping your wife hasn’t done it all already,”

“My wife?” I asked raising a brow in confusion.

“Yes, the girl who made it clear that you’ll be the man to marry her or else she’ll never get married,”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. My wife is right here with me,” I said giving Barrington a kiss.

“I’ll always be jealous of Moraa. Your grandmother adores her and she’s looking forward to you marrying her. I, on the other hand, have to sneak around to be with you,”

“Do you want me to go tell her that you are the love of my life right now, so we can do it openly?” Barrington lightly slapped me on the shoulder.

“Do you want us dead? You know that’s not possible. And the only reason your grandma tolerates my presence is because we’ve been friends since we were kids. I don’t want to give her more reasons to hate me,”

“Can we stop talking about what we don’t have? I’m grateful to be able to get to hold you like this whenever I can. You own my heart and my body and I want to keep it that way for as long as I can,”

“You and your sweet tongue,”

“Is my tongue the only thing that is sweet?”

“Is sex the only thing you think about?”

“No, you are the only thing I think about. Every day when I’m away from you, I can’t wait for the day to end so I can hold you like this even for a few minutes,” I leaned in for another kiss but he quickly pulled away as if he’d just remembered something very important.

“Before I forget, I managed to convince my father to send me to the technical college in town. I don’t have to go study in the city anymore,”

“Are you serious?” he nodded. I hugged him tightly “This is great news, why didn’t you start with that?” I had been saddened by the fact that Barry and I would be separated by his studies.

“Your grandmother had to mention Moraa and Mr Riziki’s grandchildren and I forgot about it,”

“My love, what do I have to do to reassure that you have nothing to worry about?”

“Kiss me,”