8-4-4 How it almost ruined our lives had we let it -What happens here remains here.

One Friday mid morning, we had a P.E lesson.

It was second term and out of the fog, mist and drizzle, the sun came out so our teacher sent us out to do summersaults, sing and run about. He leaned himself against a goal post, and when I looked his way he summoned me with a head nod.

‘What is this you are having with Vincent?’

-Huh?-

‘That thing you have with Vincent, don’t try to lie to me.  I will ask you to bring your grandmother with you on Monday.’

-What?-

I honestly didn’t understand him but already  my mind was at work. I didn’t have anything with any Vincent. The only Vincent I could remember was an old man Vinisenti.. I didn’t even know him personally. I just knew that there was a matatu stop called ha Vinsenti. Grandmother could not come to school for  a criminal case. That would be a death sentence.

Damage control.

Fast.

I could imagine what she would say

“Mwalimu ni wewe hutandiki, Tandika yeye kabisa.”

Or if  uncle came.

He would be annoyed for having been pulled out of the potato fields to come and be shamed in public. He would tell the teacher:

-Wait, I’m coming-

He would go out of the staffroom and come back with a branch, cane me senseless and tell them, -now deal with her-

So I started to apologise, for this thing I had with Vincent.

-I am very sorry teacher.-

‘Do you promise to end it right now?’

-Yes, today. Before I go home.-

‘Good. I don’t want to hear about it again, now run along, go and play.’

A girl asked me:

“Why did teacher call you?”

-He wanted to know about my grandmother.-

Later on, I asked one of the girls who  seemed to know everything.

-Do you know any Vincent?-

“Si that boy from class 8, the one who is friends with Maggie’s bro. I’ll show you, he comes here many times”

-What?-

She must have seen my strange confusion.

“Teacher thinks he’s your boyfriend.?”

-Imagine!-

We didn’t have LOL then, but we rolled our eyes, totally horrified.

The teacher never brought up the topic again. I never said anything to the Vincent boy,  I don’t remember us ever saying one word to each other.

But that was alright as long as grandmother never caught a whiff of it.