WE MET IN THE ART CAMP

It was in the residential Art camp for 3 months. He used to join me at my usual lunch bench during the lunch break as we enjoyed engaging into unending discussions about life but full of metaphors. Little did I know that as this was becoming a routine, someone was picking interest, however, I had heard rumours that he liked another pretty dark skinned girl who had a typical African look “African girl” it is what I used to call her, she was fine but..

These lunch meetings developed into late night meetings of playing scrabble in the  girls' hostel's TV room after the must watch movie which our boss said would inspire us and improve our performance since it was meant to be for the international scene. This was always after the day’s rehearsals at 6pm we would freshen up, have dinner and head for the movie.

He suggested every game winner in scrabble was to be awarded a kiss by the loser which I owed him till further notice. He intentionally lost a game (brain teaser). I called him so he would be able to award me a kiss but I deliberately forgave him to avoid the kiss. As the days got closer to the “D day” main show was to be at Kampala  Serena Hotel I started noticing the signs as I was denying the fact, although I would hear rumours that he liked me but was convinced that he loved the “African girl” for he had never mentioned none to me.  

On our performers’ salon date getting prepared for the big show as I was dozing off waiting for my hairdo turn, he entered the girls’ end in the salon, he kissed me and then I just woke up to a small pack of grasshoppers “nsenene”, everyone’s craving at the time, it was the season, it was November. He had confessed to my roommate how he loved me, for they shared so much since they had been friends much longer than I had known.  

The night before showcasing our performance on the main stage, we spent the entire evening outside the girls hostel talking so much about nothing as stars came out of the dark sky without us noticing, we then realized it was really late and we were the only ones outside, all left by ourselves, saying goodbye to each other, we had our first  spontaneous kiss. 

He later sent me an mp3 player with 3 songs to listen to in this order; (Morning has broken by Cat Stevens, Insatiable by Darren Hayes and Baby don’t go by Close II You). The intimacy in them moved me and I played them over and over again so I can deeply digest their lyrical meanings, which made me start to feel so different toward him to-date.  

After the main show, the deepest kiss to me ever happened. It was the end of the camp and so we had to say goodbye. However it was the beginning of our relationship then a few years later this happiness ever after resulted into marriage.

EMBERS

Once, In a  town, nestled between rolling hills and meandering streams, lived two souls perfect for each other (a little too perfect if you asked me) named Tula and Nairal. Their love story, like few we encounter in a lifetime, was the epitome of passion and intensity, a flame that burned fast and hot and mesmerizingly.

Naira, with her innocent smile and a spirit untamed, met Tula, with eyes as dark as the night and charm that captivated everyone he encountered. Their connection was instantaneous, as if fate had scripted their encounter in the stars.

Their days were filled with stolen glances and whispered confessions in hidden corners of the town they called their home. However, the kind of love that burns hot and fast is usually destined for a tragic end.

As days changed, so did the dynamics of their relationship. The love they once basked in transformed to arguments that could be heard in the dead of the night. Sounds of laughter and love making that filled their home turned to screams and tears that painted a picture of a love that had lost its way.

One fateful night, under the silvery glow of the full moon, Tula and Naira found themselves sitted in their first car on the edge of the Lake, a place where they had once declared and consummated their eternal love. As they exchanged hurtful words Naira came to the heart wrenching realization “Tula we can’t keep living like this” she sobbed fighting to loosen her seatbelt that was making the tightness in her chest worse. Tula’s heavy breathing stopped Naira in her tracks. “Tula? She whispered. He had a look in his eyes that she had never seen before but knew would be the last look she would ever see.

As the storm clouds gathered overhead, a bolt of lightning illuminated the darkness, casting an eerie glow on the faces of the doomed lovers. Tula whispered slowly and painfully “You said we were forever ... .I cannot love anyone the way I have loved you.” “Forgive me Tula” Naira screamed but they both knew it was how this was supposed to end. Tula closed his eyes and stepped on the accelerator of the car that once brought them joy drove off the edge and into the lake.

The lake, once a symbol of spellbound love, would now stand as a haunting reminder of a passion that had met its tragic end.

Everyone that knew them mourned the loss of a love that burned too brightly, leaving behind a legacy of whispered rumors and aching regret.

DROWNING IN ASSIMILATION

After finding herself in a life-threatening condition, Kiwumulo gets a rude awakening that drives her to live up to her name. 

Being overworked was the order of the day for Kiwumulo, but a sudden situation brought her life to its knees; fighting for her life for two weeks in a coma. While in the emergency room, doctors explained that severe tiredness and insomnia caused her body to shut down. As she grappled with this reality, she reflected on various aspects of her life and regretted many things; depriving herself of rest was one of them. As she lay down trying to make sense of her reality while listening to birds chirping, in silence and regaining her composure, rest was her biggest desire: something she often thought was for "lazy" people. "Tiredness and insomnia," she wondered.

Her name was Kiwumulo but she had never known rest in her life until that fateful day when she woke up from a coma. In her village, being overworked was the norm, a rite of passage to womanhood; and rest was a foreign concept thus she found herself drowning in assimilation.

Later that night, she vowed to center rest as a lifestyle; to seek rest with conviction. She learnt there’s no honor in neglecting herself, that she owes herself rest, and that no is a complete answer so, she chose to live up to her name, Kiwumulo, and started vibrating on a frequency known as ye nfaaki n'ensi.

GROUNDHOG YEAR

In a quiet town, where days blurred into each other during the relentless grip of a prolonged lockdown, lived Raymond. Like many, he navigated the isolation through virtual interactions, finding solace in the glow of screens and the hum of online conversations.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, until the monotony of Raymond’s routine felt like an endless loop, akin to the infamous Groundhog Day. Virtual connections became his lifeline, a digital village where faces on screens replaced the familiar smiles of neighbors and friends.

Yet, in the midst of this repetitive existence, a realization dawned upon him. As the digital threads connecting him to the world started to fray, he yearned for something more tangible. The pixelated warmth of virtual hugs couldn't replace the comforting embrace of a friend, and the laughter through the screen echoed hollow compared to the shared joy of a physical gathering.

It was then that Raymond decided to break free from the confines of his digital cocoon. With eagerness, he reached out to his friends. Small, socially distanced gatherings became the beacon of hope, and each cautious step towards normalcy felt like a triumph over the relentless sameness of lockdown life.

As the town slowly reopened, Raymond realized the irreplaceable value of physical interactions. The warmth of a handshake, the shared silence of a coffee shop, and the simple pleasure of seeing unmasked smiles – these were the moments that wove the fabric of a community. Virtual connections, while essential, couldn't fully replicate the depth of human touch and shared physical spaces.

His town became a living testament to the resilience of communities, where the blend of virtual and physical interactions formed a new, harmonious rhythm. Raymond, once trapped in the repetition of his own Groundhog Day, emerged with a profound understanding: that one person, indeed, cannot thrive without their village – a blend of both digital and physical connections, each holding a unique place in the tapestry of human experience.