A LETTER TO MY FUTURE WIFE

I have lived in this world, I have learnt to work hard, to work smart, to do my best and leave the rest to God. I concentrate on my life each day like a player in chess then beat up may chest that I am the best. I run the race knowing that I'm blessed.
The Lord has given me the key to unlock the unseen and the tips to understand the meaning of this life I'm living, this hill I'm climbing and this weight I'm lifting. The way is so rough and the path is so dusty, but I will nor give up.

Meanwhile leave that  aside. It is just another one of those days when I have to stand on the bridge of emotions and dive into the sea of solitude. I move close towards a table in my room, a specious and comfortable room, but it gets claustrophobic whenever I think of you. I pull a chair away, sit, then I stare at space thinking about you, the most beautiful and perfect gift for me.
Then I take my time to let my pen dance on paper and later on engage my mind in the task of memorizing each and every line hoping that somehow, someday, these words will reach your ears.
I know I'm writing to someone I have not met, but I'm sure I've met you several times in my dreams and all the times that I lay brick after brick building castles in the air.
I'm writing to you my love, my future wife, my missing rib that I'm in the maze running up and down trying to find the lady that my Daddy, my Creator has destined to be my partner.
Where are you? I've been up and down trying to find you. Can't you see my dusty feet? Can't you note the smell of my sweat?
I belief you must be hiding somewhere safe, I guess you are hidden in Christ.
I just want you to know and embrace the fact that I am out here keeping my self pure for you dear, working twice as hard as the ants to add value to my life so that you will always jerk your head up to stop your beautiful hair from blocking your sight and then brag to your friends of how great your husband is.
I also want you to know baby, that I am in safe hands, I've surrounded myself with a group of spiritual mentors that God uses to prepare me for you.
I don't know where you are, I don't know what you are doing, but I know that I want you to know that I'm praying for you. It's been a routine now, everyday I humble myself before God, asking him to bless you wherever you are.
I pray you be my Proverbs 31 woman and make the man in me rise above the stars. My Esther, to be the queen of my world and save my generation from forceful oppression. My Elizabeth, to carry the promise that will prepare the way for the success of my life. My Rehab, who risked her life to hide the spies sent to Jericho by Joshua, sweetheart, I know you will risk your life for me.
I love you, trust me I do even if I know you not. But I know that I love what God has prepared for me for He says He has good plans for me, plans to prosper me and never to destroy me.
So many challenges pop up on my way to meeting you, so many distractions by the devil who is trying to make me stop waiting for God to bring us together.
So many girls, half naked even when the weather is ice cold, how I pray that pneumonia should fall heavily on them. They aim to attract my eyes and then distract my mind and rob me of the beauty of having you princess.
I understand that I have to remain true to the word of God and I thank him coz so far so good I have been able to flash a red card to all their dirty schemes.
I will wait for you and I make a plea to you my lady, hold on and wait for me too.
I dream of how we will sing and then I will blink as you wink when we go shopping for rings.
You have even made me to go ahead and define the word love, letter 'L' stands for the Length of time I will think of you, it will stretch from the east to the west. Letter 'O' stands for the Oasis of love in the desert of apathy, an oasis that holds trust and care where my love for you will grow. Letter 'V' stands for the Velvet curtain that I will draw each morning to invite the rays of love into our home. And letter 'E' stands for the endless memories we will make out of lives starting from the time we walk down the isle as we say "I DO".
Every morning I stand in the shower in front of my bathroom mirror and use my index finger to write on the mirror the words, I Hope I will Meet You Soon....

Yours in Love
Ouko Jnr

REALTY CHECK

It is February, a month that is famously known for its color-red of course, euphoria about love and relationships and the hullabaloo of wallowing in the limbo of single-hood. I don't like this month for one reason, a reason a few of my friend know and can identify with. Anyway, I was not meant to talk about February, but instead who I am, where I am and what I'm doing in February. It is the 5th day of this lovely month, exactly two months after the academic board and the chancellor of the mighty university of Nairobi granted me the power to go and read. This day, reality has hit me so hard. I just realized I am no longer a comrade but a citizen, no longer a student but a scholar, no longer a learner but a professional. Sure, it is real. It is actually real that campus life ended and now I have to start acting like a man is suppose to. I realized this bitter truth when I received a mail, addressing me with the initial prefix-Dr., which in my mother tongue it is simply said as daktari/laktar.  And just as a reminder, the name 'daktari' was given to me when I was born, so briefly, it has nothing to do with my career, but alas, I am actually a 'daktari' by training, as the lay men would always refer to me when in actual sense I'm actually a 'muuguzi'. Sorry, I was talking about a mail, a mail that was inviting me to a funds drive/fund raising/harambee in aid of the school fees for the son to a friend of the neighbor to a  member of my father's home church. This mail reminded me that in actual truth, I am now a 'daktari'

Forget the mail. I take a flash back at my life as a comrade, an not just a comrade by a bone-fide' comrade of THE University of Nairobi (note the article 'THE'). Its the only university where a comrade is always right, and if he/she is wrong, then it can only be under the influence of some super natural power other than the Holy Spirit. During my life in the UoN, electricity, water and DSTV services were not privileges but demands. It is during this time that I realized that power faults or transformer break downs can actually be fixed in ten minutes instead of ten days as I see in the estates. Burst water pipes can actually be fixed in 10 minutes and opposed to 10 weeks as I seen in the estates. It was actually an abomination for the management to fail to pay for the DSTV subscription before the weekends set in because it was compulsory for comrades to watch the English premier league, in short, comrades must enjoy. What a pity for the custodian on duty over the weekend if the match cannot be watch from the TV room. Demonstrations and riots were no longer news to me, in fact I enjoyed them so much. I learned that Uhuru Highway was actually built on the lands of the comrades and the University Way is only meant for the comrades and cars are actually suppose to stop and wait for comrades to cross. It is funny to know that the University way actually has no zebra crossings because comrades are allowed to cross at any point. Life was awesome. We cooked with the coil, despite the bold rule that cooking is not allowed in the university hostels.We were taken to class with the school bus, a bus that must be there on time or else, the entire management will have to answer questions. We demanded quality food in the Mess, and we would not go for anything less. In short, everything was served on demand.

The campus life suddenly came to an end and now I have to suffer the withdrawal symptoms. I tried cooking with the coil in my new house, that is when I knew 'okoa stima' and 'okoa jahazi' are actually sisters. When I cross the road I actually have to look left and right and left again then cross. I'm actually suppose to pay for DSTV and I can not watch the Man United game when I feel like. Here there is no wifi, I have to buy bundles, haki wale watu wa Bundles Mwitu wako wapi? I can no longer shout or run around when there is a black out, Kenya power will bring back power when they want to. I am actually suppose to pay bus fare everyday when going to work and back. I finally realized that the "L" in HELB actually represents a Loan and I am suppose to pay it back. I realizes that I was an Investment of the society and now its time for me to start giving back to the same society, a society that I never saw paying my school fees, a society that I never saw when I was almost dying from hunger in campus, a society that never new that I actually depended on 10 shillings a day in campus, yes a society that now demands that I give back what it gave to me. But I have to give back in the the end. Yes, I am now in the society, REALITY FINALLY CHECKS IN.