Chapter Seven

Ogola didn't have the strength to get herself off the bed. Not that she was sleepy, no. She was just too exhausted from all that the world was offering her. She was drinking from the sour cup of bitterness and she felt as though she had had enough. It was as if she had wronged a supernatural being and then curses were flowing down on her a thousand fold and running over. She had promised Mr. Wadiaga that she would go to school on the opening day but she lacked the strength to do so. She had shared her troubles with Marsella and she, in turn, had given her time to weep, to release all the bitterness from her concealment. She understood that if the contrary was done then it could lead to one's own consumption.

The weekend was too short to her even though time itself was moving so slow. The previous day Marsella had received an order for Napier grass from Ochola, so she got early that Monday morning to ensure the product was ready before the customer arrived to collect them. She didn't want to wake Ogola for school. She had wanted her to heal first before going out to mix with the Akoth struggled and finally managed to get out of bed. She felt that she was not being fair to the old lady. She had been doing all the house chores since Ogola got the heartbreaking news. Everything was a mess about her life but she would not let the old lady be a victim of her actions. First off, she understood that she had got herself in the mess all by herself, without even telling her grandmother. "I'm not being fair to her," she whispered in her mind. Hurting her grandmother was one thing she wished she never did. She would not forgive herself.

She washed the utensils and left them out on the rack to dry. She then headed to cleaning the house. As she was lifting the chair, one of the chairs in the seating room, she came across a bracelet Arnold had given her on their second date at the riverbank, a place whe then hated from the bottom of her heart. She remembered how she had blushed when it was offered to her." So stupid,God!" she thought to herself. It was the first gift she had ever received from a man. She stopped, confused. She felt mixed reactions from within her. She so much hated him but would not throw the bracelet away, something stopped her from doing so, so she kept it.

"At least it will remind me of the stupid me," she thought out loud. "Stupid stupidity, haha." She smiled. That phrase reminded her of her English teacher. Soon her thoughts were all over the teacher. She remembered how the teacher had insulted Onyodha, her classmate for collecting an assignment that had been copied for marking. She was raining canes on the whole class that day. "What stupid stupidity are you stupidly showing me," She had yelled out on him. The whole class could hardly conceal their exhilaration and everyone burst out laughing. Onyodha's name changed to Stupid stupidity, a name no one dared call him with except his best friend Abibo.

Within no time she was through with the cleaning and breakfast was almost ready as well. Her grandmother came from the back of the house with her panga and a sickle, and walked in on her dancing to an imaginary rhythm. She smiled. Finally she had come to her senses and accepted the reality. "Were (God) has His own ways of dealing with issues. Thank you my father's father," she commented almost in a whisper.

"Oh grandma, you are here. Please sit, let me bring you some porridge. I know you must be tired," she said in a caring but a rather cheerful tone. Mama Marsella didn't even know what to say, she just obliged and sat on a bench under the tree that was next to the kitchen, a place that had been her granddaughter's favorite spot ever since she got there. She was served porridge to arrowroots. She always loved her granddaughter's cooking, inexperienced but rather of good quality. They sat together and Ogola broke out,

"Grandma, I am truly sorry about how things have been for the past weeks. I know I am the root source of all these and I also know that I've caused you a lot of heart issues with all these. I'm grateful though grandma for you have always been by my side no matter what. You have always ensured that I lacked nothing. I wish I could repay all these but I guess the only way to do so is not causing you any more pain and worries. Grandma, after crying for so long I have discovered that it's all in vain. That I need to be strong, grandma, I need to prove to him that I can do this even without his help. I thought his leaving would finish me off completely but I guess it has just opened my eyes. Grandma I can now see properly. About school, I'll report tomorrow." Mama Marsella was speechless. I mean, she had hoped Ogola would come to terms with the reality but she didn't expect it to be that soon. She was delighted to hear the words from her mouth that she kept on smiling throughout the entire conversation.

After the meal, Ogola cleared the dishes then headed to wash her school uniform. She had not even sorted her books out. She had been consumed with rage and bitterness that she didn't even remember to do her assignments. "Silly me."

"Ogola,please finish doing that so that I can send you."

Ogola was in a happy mood, her spirit had been rejuvenated. That evening she was heard singing hymns and humming as she prepared for the next day. Marsella had never seen her like that in a long time. A growing tree may be cut down until it seems to be lifeless but when a little rain falls, it comes back to life. All it needs is time.