Hard time feeding these mouths!

When you marry a beautiful and educated woman like Fiolina, you must always be prepared to face a wife who can stand up to you, challenge you and even defy you.

Being well educated means that I am intelligent and brave, and sophisticated women do not intimidate me. I am not like Lutta or Kuya. Despite their strong physique, and some little schooling, they cannot cope with intelligent women. That is why they married women they can control. They actually married their students.

That is why Lutta rules like a king. I doubt his wife, Perepetua. She still sees a teacher whenever Lutta arrives home, that is why she calls Lutta daddy and only follows his orders.

But mine is the most democratic house. I must however add that this my letting my wife make her own decisions has landed me into some trouble with my family, and Mwisho Wa Lami community at large. Whenever my father asks me something sensitive, he gets upset when I tell him that I have to consult my wife. Like last week, when he came to ask that he wanted to take one of my cows in his herd to give his nephews.

“Your idea of gifting my cousins is good,” I said. “Allow me to talk to Fiolina then I will revert to you early next week.”

The old man hit the roof. “What kind of man are you?” he asked me. “Umekaliwa na bibi yako!” My explanation that we were partners and that my money is our money did not make sense to him.

“What do you mean that you salary belongs to you and your wife?” he wasn’t amused. “Na wanawake hawaongei mambo ya ng’ombe.”

My father had a point. For I had noted that increasingly, Fiolina has been taking advantage of the fact that I consult her and is now making decisions on her own, decisions that affect my pocket.

HUGE FAMILY

When we closed school for example, Fiolina went to her place, and returned a day later. She did not return alone, she came back with two girls and one boy.

“Do you remember Electina?” she asked me at supper time, pointing at one of the two girls. This is my brother Tocla’s daughter. She visited us once but she was still small. And this is her brother Honda,” she said, introducing me to the young brother.

The young man had apportioned himself so much food and was eating like there was no tomorrow.

“And the other girl?” I asked her. “That is Tocla’s daughter as well. She is called Fiolina like me.” I told her that I had never heard of her.

“I will explain to you later,” she said. I did not need further explanation.

“They will be with us over the holidays,” Fiolina said so casually that no-one would have thought that their stay around had implications on my pocket. The way Honda was eating, I would have to be buying food more frequently than I have even done.

The next day we were joined by Bedford, my sister Yunia’s son. With the large family around, I am feeling the pinch in my pocket.

Two weeks ago, using money I got from Kizito’s campaign, money that I should have distributed to people in Mwisho wa Lami, I bought a sack of maize, half of which was ground into flour. I also brought some sugar, tea leaves and ten gorogoros of beans. With such a big family, only mahenjera can help.

This is what we have been cooking every day, “empty” strong tea for breakfast and mahenjera for lunch – day in day out.

For supper, we have been surviving on ugali Sukuma Wiki and or other greens every day. With boys like Branton, Honda and Bedford, you have to prepare sizeable amounts of ugali every day.

But last Sunday, I noticed no one took breakfast. There was also some ugali that had remained from the previous’ days supper. I inquired why no one had taken breakfast and why most of the ugali of the previous day had remained.

“Sisi sio sungura kukula nyasi kila siku,” was the response from Fiolina.

GOOD PLACE

I reminded her that the family was too big and we could not afford anything better but she would hear none of it.

“According to these children, hapa ni kama Nairobi, usiniabishe, do something,” she pleaded with me.

She then reminded me that her sister would be visiting that day, and would I do some shopping for the guests?

I asked her how many people the sister would be coming with. “How would I know?” Fiolina asked rather rudely.

I was so lucky that the party nominations, which should have been last weekend on Saturday had been postponed. That meant more money for me as most candidates needed to use me to reach important networks. I therefore had some money. Branton and Bedford accompanied me to Mwisho wa Lami market where we did some shopping. Good Shopping. Five loaves of bread, a tray of scones, 2kg of beef, 1kg matumbo, two gorogoros of omena, cooking fat, rice, sugar and a packet of wheat flour.

I then went for a meeting as the boys took the shopping home. I came back at around 2pm. Fiolina’s sister had visited with her two children. They were taking lunch. Clearly Fiolina wanted to show off to her sister.

She had prepared ugali, rice, chapati and the beef. My house was full and there was no place to even sit.

Fiolina and her sister were trying hard to protect the boys, as the three boys were filling their plates at amazing frequencies! After lunch, tea and bread was served.

The effect of this, was that Fiolina’s sister’s children refused to go back,“Mlamwa watoto wamesema huku kwako ni kuzuri wacha wakae huku mpaka shule zifunguliwe,” she said. I could not say no, even as much as I wanted to.

Later that evening, my father complained that other people’s children were eating his son’s mali. He asked Caro to also bring her son, who arrived on Monday. It is such a rough time feeding all these mouths. When will the school open so that the children can go back to their homes!