Still Sings the Nightbird

Nairobi to stay

267 N Nairobi to stay s the bus sped down the Kitale-Eldoret road and Kabi saw the same wattle trees passing in quick succession, she could hardly believe she was on her way to Nairobi again; and this time for good. She knew the wattle trees or the green acacia were not indigenous. She thought about it. Instead of the Aborigines visiting Kenya, it was the trees that were brought all the way from Australia and planted here. The morning was fresh and dewy. The sun had risen but it was not fully visible. The two boys looked through the windows tried to count the trees. As the bus rolled on its wheels, the trees seemed to be moving. It was like playing hide and seek with the trees. They could hardly count the trees. Later they counted the donkeys they could see on the road. They loved doing that. ‘Yes, it’s for good for me,’ Kabi tried to convince herself. The only consolation was an occasional return to the farm in Kitale where Aris was coming to settle down with Jwak. Kabi was leaving for good. Kabi’s mind drifted back to the farewell party for her at school. All along that final week, the sadness of the students dampened her heart. Kabi was leaving. They loved her. Besides, she helped them in motherly ways. Their consolation was that they too would leave school in time. Some of them wondered who they would confide in and they worried about who would counsel them the way Kabi had done. Many students wished that it was Miss Nanjala who was leaving them. It was in vain. Nanjala is the one who bought many sodas for them to drink at Kabi’s farewell party. The students thought to plan a protest to the Education office in town, but they did not want Kabi to be arrested. She shed tears when she heard about the student’s plan. A 268 Everything had moved to their flat near the city center in Nairobi South B. Things had happened so fast that none had really had too much time to worry. Joe and Jugus were already accepted in Red Nandi Flame School, where their cousins and friends were. Atia was having a hard time. His son, Ani, was very sick in hospital. Adau survived a stroke and as if to make it worse, Atia’s own art and architecture company, in which his wife worked was failing. When Kabi received an acceptance to teach in a Harambee School in Nairobi she took the chance for the sake of Atia. She had no idea then, that many other people would need her in Nairobi. Amani would continue quite happily in Shinda School. Kabi was not surprised by student behavior in Nairobi. She remembered her own days. But now students spoke out more. Often they had discipline problems. It was not like in her days in Kaza. Here, it was different. There were many problems. Many students lived with their grandparents. ‘Aids had come to take all people, to harvest them,’ it was said. HIV-Aids. The people said it was a plague sent to finish black people. The origins of Aids remained a mystery. The President said that people who had it should be sent off to an island to live in isolation. Many parents were not interested in school affairs. Guardians were trying to help their children, but many failed and who was Kabi to appeal to for help? Discipline would never suffice. She tried her best to love all her students. She knew how much they needed love. She called it the basic cell of prosperity. She refused a frequent offer to work for a parastatal advanced to her by Eitshoooo, the man from ‘Washington’. He traced her every move. Kabi shuddered thinking of it. Eitshooo had two wives. Kabi spent her weekends with Atia. She knew the pain of death and understood her sister-in-law very much when the ‘sad’ moment came for all. Ani died well comforted. He was in the wonderful care of his parents and doctors. The Red Nandi Flame School Community gave 269 their support. All agreed that with so much suffering- he had leukemia- the boy would be playing in a better world. The Atias were piecing life together again. Adau was better after some treatment but the gap Ani left none could...