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SET BACK

          Auntie Nekesa was cool. Mom was at ease now that she had help. But life was not any different, they still depended on the mean in-laws for food. Grandpa was a carpenter. The little he earned from this was quite little that almost none was left after food was bought. He was an Evangelist too in one of the local churches.

          At one particular Sunday, merely a month after our birth, Grandpa had to attend to a particular party organized by three white Evangelists. Grandpa was to be given a title deed for some piece of land as an appreciation for his warm attitude towards the American visitors. What he never knew was that his colleagues were not happy. To them , Grandpa had enough land for his family and for farming and that the offer should have been given to the "poor".

          The party ended at about four,Granny had not yet been given the deed. Grandpa was a man of few words, mama explains. He came back home immediately the feasting was over. On arrival, grandpa complained of a stomachache. He decided to take a nap. None bothered to ask, stray food caused this they thought. At around 6 PM in the evening the situation worsened. Grandpa couldn't talk, he only made signals to be interpreted, painkillers helped him not. The head of the homestead was very sick.

         Being on weekend, dad was around. He was the only one with a job at that time. Grandpa had to be taken to  hospital. In a village like the one they lived in, only a few fortunate owned cars. Dad had to find one immediately. He tried a few homesteads and one finally accepted but with a condition that some cash be give to him, he wanted 150 Kenyan Shillings (about 1.4 USD). Due to the urgency of the matter, grandpa provided 100 Shillings he only had. After this granny never talked again, He coughed about three times on the way to the hospital. Dad and the convoy taking him to hospital never noticed him dying.

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