How I finally deported Tocla’s children to their motherland

While I am a struggling teacher just trying to make ends meet from the peanuts that the Teachers Suffering Centre (TSC) gives us, there are people out there who see a very rich man, and one who should share his wealth. Of course, I am one of the most prominent people in Mwisho wa Lami.

My prominence cannot be questioned since I am the most travelled (other than Pius), the most exposed, and one of the few people, who together with the wife, have a stable income — however little.

But there are people who have decided to take my generosity for granted, and if you remember, one of my New Year resolutions was to get rid of such. The first one is my sister Yunia; while the second one is Fiolina’s eldest brother, Tocla.

These two have formed a habit of sending their children to stay with me every school holidays. Now, sending children to stay with their relatives is as old as Mwisho wa Lami itself, what I am complaining about is the manner these two do so. Frist of all, they send them without any clothes, and always expect me to buy them new ones. What pains me is that even when I buy them new mitumba clothes, whenever they comeback for the next vacation, just months apart, they always arrive only with the travelling clothes.

The third issue has to do with eating. I have visited my sister, Yunia. Beef and bread are only bought during very important functions. At Tocla’s, there is never even sugar, and everyone takes ndufia with sweet potatoes or nduma. But whenever Tocla and Yunia’s children are at my place, they behave like they live in a five-star hotel, demanding only the fine food — and wasting it.

I may have been lazy in seeing through most of my New Year resolutions, but I can’t compromise on cutting costs. It was an easy one to implement because I did not have the money in the first place. And the little I had was meant for more important things like visiting Hitler’s — not spending on other people’s children!

So as soon as schools closed I needed no calculator to know that both Tocla and Yunia would be sending over their entire clans to my place. Indeed, instead of waiting for her children to stay with her for even that weekend, Yunia’s children arrived the same day schools closed.   It was Branton my ‘adopted son’ who stays with Yunia, accompanied by Yunia’s sons: Bedford and Theophilas. “Habari ya uncle? Bedford greeted me eagerly. Bedford was wearing full school uniform, while the other two were wearing school shorts and old, torn t-shirts. I think they had left school and walked to my place straight. We walked to my parents’ place. My mother was quite happy to see her grandchildren, and quickly prepared lunch for them.

After lunch, I told her that the boys had come to visit her for April holidays. She was very happy.

“They always come to my place, but this time, nimeamua wakae na nyanya wao.” I could see the boys’ disapproval. They hated their grandmother’s place with a passion.  They would be being sent around from morning to evening, and the quality of food there was just the same as their mother’s, if not worse. And they would not be bought any new clothes. My mother went to the store and picked a sack which had my father’s old clothes, and gave the boys to take some from the heap. You should have seen the boys’ expressions — trying to get something to wear from their grandfather’s old clothes!

I left them at my parents’ and went back home. “Your boys arrived well,” I texted my sister Yunia, without mentioning that they were not at my place. “Thanks, pls help Bedford with maths as he is a candidate. Theophilas hana nguo so pls msaidie. Huyo Branton wako mambo yake ni ngumu. Sioni akirudi,” was her response. I long realised that her complaints about Branton were a scheme to make money from me.

Fiolina was quite happy when I told her that I had dispatched the boys to their grandmother’s.

“Very good,” she said. “When they were here last December, you could not leave change of even five shillings hanging around. They also never helped with any work but ate a lot.” I was happy that Fiolina approved of what I had done, for she did not know what I was headed at. It did not take long for me to implement my plan.

The next morning after breakfast, just as I was planning to leave, some guests arrived. You need no calculator to know who they were. It was Electina, Tocla’s eldest daughter. With her was her brother Honda, her young sister also called Fiolina and another boy that I had never met before. Fiolina was quite happy to see them and welcomed them. She introduced the boy as Tocla’s other son that had just been brought by the mother. She prepared lunch for them, helped by Electina.

After lunch they settled, even changed their clothes. Yunia wore Fiolina’s old dress while Honda and the other boys were given my old t-shirts. They seemed relaxed. I had other plans.

“Electina, mjue kuna mvua, so mfanye haraka sitaki mnyeshewe,” I told Electina. She was quite taken aback to hear from me that they needed to leave before the rains started. “Tumekuja kuishi,” she said, so casually like that was her home. “Tutarudi nyumbani shule zikifungua.”

Fiolina called me aside. “Why are you embarrassing me before my people?” She confronted me. “Must they know you don’t like them? How many times have your sister Yunia and Caro’s children been here? Ama hawa sio watu?”

“This April no one is staying here,” I said. “We have no money.” I reminded her that I had taken Yunia’s children to the grandmother. “You actually supported them not coming here, didn’t you?”

 “Yes but hao vijana unajua ni shida tupu,” she said. “These ones are good.” I reminded her the many bad things that Electina ad Honda had done last time. “They are even worse than Yunia’s boys,” I said.

“Kama I have not allowed my own son Branton to stay with us, sembuse hawa wa Tocla?” I asked.

“So Branton is your son?” she asked me. “I thought uliwekelewa?” Tears were now flowing down her cheeks. I called Nyayo and asked him to come with another boda boda. It was drizzling by the time they arrived. Reluctantly, Electina and the small Fiolina mounted one motorcycle while Honda and the other boy mounted the other one. Electina was crying. I instructed Nyayo to ensure that the children are taken to Tocla’s home and no other place. An hour later, Tocla called me incessantly. I did not pick.

Things have not been the same between me and Fiolina ever since but I had to do what had to be done.

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