MWALIMU ANDREW: Sos turns one in a party to remember

Those of you who are good in math will remember that our acting last born, Sospeter, turned one year last Sunday.

Being a full-blooded Mwisho wa Lami person, this day did not mean a lot to me, but being the most modern man in Mwisho wa Lami and its environs, I have never shied away from organising modern things.

Since Fiolina and I have been very busy looking for a sibling for Sospeter, preferably a sister, we had even forgotten about his important milestone until Rumona, my brother Ford’s wife, came to see us last Saturday evening. Ford had arrived that Saturday afternoon.

“What a lovely son you have,” said Rumona when he saw Sos. Ford was not moved, he just only remarked that it was clearly our blood. “Can we get going,” he said. I needed no calculator to know that he wanted us to be at Cosmos fast before they diluted the drinks.

Although Cosmos sells beer, experienced drinkers know that if you don’t get to a drinking place early, you will be served diluted drinks.

Rumona was all over Sospeter, playing with him. “Tomorrow are you ready for a birthday party?” she asked him. Sos answered her with the only word he knows. “Moto.”

“Yes, kumbe umejua bash itakuwa moto sana!” exclaimed Rumona.

Ford and I left. He was wearing a pair of prison uniform trousers, boots and a heavy, green prison sweater.

Ford was loaded, as he bought several people drinks at Cosmos, including Juma, his former teacher that had said that Ford would never amount to anything in life!

BIRTHDAY PARTY

“Helo deer, we need to prepair for Sos’s bathday 2moro,” she SMSed me when she realised that I had no plans of picking her calls.

“Sospeter has always bathed daily, kwani maji imeisha?” I replied her.

“I mean birthday, e.g. he will be one year since he was birthed.”

I replied and said those were women affairs that did not need my involvement.

“It is OK, we’ll do it lonely with Mlamwa Rumona, jast do us shopping,” she texted back, then sent me a list of things to shop. It was clearly Rumona helping her, for she asked for things that she did not know of.

Early Sunday morning, Ford and I went to Maina’s shop and did some shopping. Ford graciously paid, saying it was his contribution to the birthday party. “I know how children love birthdays,” he said.

I did not understand what he was talking about. I had never seen children liking birthday parties in Mwisho wa Lami.

At the insistence of our wives, Ford and I went to church — Apostle Reverend Elkana’s The Holiest of All Ghosts (THOAG) Tabernacle Assembly. The plan was to ambush him after the service so that I come with him alone.

“The Lord had showed me all this and that is why I had no plan after church,” he said when I told him. “Let’s go.”

We arrived home to find many children around, playing and singing. As an ECD teacher, Fiolina had a way with children, and they were all happily singing different songs.

A 20-litre pail of water had been used to dilute the one-litre juice I had brought; and together with ground nuts, mandazi and other foods, these were nicely placed at the corner of the house. Electina was guarding this.

After lunch, the programme began. It started with loud singing by the happy children.

FIRE

Apostle Elkana then prayed, and preached from a Bible verse that implored children to obey their parents. But the noise became too much as more children came and it was impossible to continue with his sermon, so he handed over the programme to Rumona.

“Children, do you want to celebrate Sos’s birthday?” she asked. “Yes!” they answered in unison. “We will start by blowing a candle.

“Let’s clap for Sos and he blows it,” Rumona said and the children clapped. She showed Sospeter how to blow but it was not easy. In an attempt to help him, one of the children pushed it and the koroboi fell down, spilling paraffin. There was fire and everyone scampered for safety but Ford quickly jumped and put out the fire.

Fiolina had bought several mandazis and cut them into small pieces. These were put on a basin and they were distributed around, together with the juice. The children were quite happy, even as it was an uphill task maintaining order.

As children enjoyed the juice and mandazi, Rumona asked anyone who had gifts to bring them. My parents and other neighbours and relatives who had come brought their gifts.

Ford gave a toy, my mother gave a hen, my father a bunch of bananas while some gave tins of groundnuts, beans; while yet others gave money — maximum being Sh20. Four people gave cards.

That evening, once everybody had dispersed, Fiolina and I opened the cards. While all were old, reused cards, none of them was a Birthday Card.

That did not dampen what was a very successful day — Sos’s first birthday and the first birthday bash in Mwisho wa Lami! I can’t wait for Sos’s second birthday next year. It will be lit!