Graduation Ceremony

Becky’s youngest brother had undergone initiation rite in Tirita with the sons of his maternal uncle. In two days they would be graduating from childhood to adulthood. Becky was expecting to host a few visitors. Her whole family would attend the graduation ceremony. She was sure their first stop would be at her house. So she had a lot of cleanings to do.

She left her house going to the village canteen to buy soap.

When she came back, she heard the girl – the maid she had been staying with – talking to someone. She listened carefully. It was a familiar voice. Her husband was home. She walked faster, her soul rejoicing. She could not wait to meet him.

As she entered the compound, there he was holding their son. She felt like running up to him. But she exercised a lot of restraint and just kept walking.

Tesot, sensing footsteps approach turned around. His eyes widened and a smile came upon his face. He handed his son back to the maid and moved towards his wife. He stretched out his arms to collect her wrapping one around her waist and the other behind her shoulders. Becky in the same way wrapped both her hands around Tesot’s waist pressing her left cheek so tightly against his chest. She savored the perfume he was wearing, inhaling the smell of his sweet fragrance. She could stay holding him like that forever.

“Welcome home sweetheart,” he said with a bright smile looking at him with love and kindness as she unwillingly disengaged herself from him.

“Thank you.”

“I have missed you so much.”

“I have missed you too.”

“Next time give a warning when you are coming,” Becky teased.

“I wasn’t sure I would come. things happened so fast. I just sought leave from my boss yesterday and I was not certain he would grant me. The day after tomorrow is your brother’s graduation day, remember? And I didn’t want to miss.”

“Okay. Let’s get in,” she invited picking his luggage and leading the way into the house.

Tesot followed her and sat down on the sofa.

Becky proceeded to the inner room taking her husband’s luggage with her. She placed it on the bed and opened. She saw a plastic bag inside and was soon curious of its contents. She picked the bag up and examined what was in it – a black sleeveless dress. She quickly fished it out and held it up against her body. It was short. Shorter than most of the dresses she owned. She tossed it on the bed and checked what else was contained in the bag. There were a few children’s clothes. Rummaging through them her hand touched a small cartoon. She pulled it out and opened. It contained a pair of high heeled shoes that matched the color of the dress. She picked the dress from the bed and tried it on. She then slipped her feet into the shoes. She looked into the mirror hanged against one of the walls of her bedroom. Did Tesot really know how these kinds of clothes were causing her a lot of trouble with her father-in-law?

She came out to the living room where her husband was pouring tea that had been brought by the maid into a cup.

“Whoa!” Tesot exclaimed. “I didn’t know that the dress will look that elegant on you.” He complemented gazing admirably at her. He always had a present for his wife every time he came home.

"Thanks. I love them.”

“Now tell me, how has it been here?”

She was tempted to tell him about her problem with Paponya unwilling to ruin his cheery mood she decided that would have to come after graduation.

“Everything is fine. We finished planting maize in our land last week. In two weeks it will need some weeding.”

“Okay!”

“How was your journey from Nairobi?”

“It was fine,”

Becky returned to the bedroom and changed the dress.

“You enjoy your tea as I make you lunch,” she said a moment later leaving to the kitchen.

She instructed her maid to catch a cock while she boiled some water. Her husband's favorite food was chicken with Ugali. And she wanted to please him.

Within a couple of hours the meal was ready. She served the girl and took the rest to the other house.

They shared the meal together.

“You have no idea how much I have been missing your cooking,” Tesot claimed.

“That makes me glad.”

Once he was done, Becky took him on a tour of their maize plantation. Tesot was so impressed at how his wife had been managing the farm all by herself. The maize was beginning to germinate.

When they came back from the farm, Becky and her maid did the laundry and cleaned the houses. Their son spent the rest of the day with his father playing with the toys the father had brought along.

When they had gone to bed that night Becky fell over him like a hungry lioness upon prey. And it was great.

Tesot woke up in the middle of the night sweating profusely and breathing heavily.

“What is it?” Becky inquired.

“A nightmare! The most terrifying I ever had,” Tesot said

“Tell me about it.”

“I was with my uncle Pabonya. We had gone to see an Orgoiyot seeking a solution to a problem in our clan. The Orgoiyot had said that only I could save it from the danger.”

“And then,”

“I told him that I would do everything in my power to save my clan.”

“And then,”

“He said all I could to do, was to drink something from a bottle he was holding.”

“What was in the bottle?”

“It was a new sealed bottle of pesticide. The kind we used to control ticks.”

“Did you drink from it?”

“I was afraid and told him that there could be some other way to save the clan but he tried to convince me that there was none.”

“And what did you do?”

“I took the bottle from him and woke up.”

“Oh! But it is just a bad nightmare my dear. Go back to sleep.” She had told him.

***

Sigilai arrived at Kures early in the morning of his son's graduation day. In his company were his wife and three of his children. They were all eager to witness a culmination of the initiation rite of passage for a new group of young men in the community. According to the dictates of the Kipsigis' traditions, upon attaining the age of fourteen years, a male child must go through his second rite of passage. This was the season for the boys of the requisite age to present themselves for the cut. There after they would make a camp away from the rest of the community.

It is in that camp where they would be imparted with knowledge and skills: basic ingredient to make any man in the land complete in the ways of the tribe. They would be trained on how to defend the community in case it found itself at war with another community. Here they would learn how to use bows and arrows, ethics and morals that for thousands of years have been passed from one generation to another.

At the end of one and a half months they would graduate in a colorful ceremony that would mark a crucial milestone in every boy’s life. At this stage a boy would be officially bestowed the status of Muren - a fully established warrior. He would be accorded all the respect due to a man of that status. He would be given a new name by the father; a name derived from the father's name. If the father’s first name be Kiplang’at, the first three letters of that name would be dropped and the young man would acquire the name Lang’at. And people would refer to him as Arab Lang'at which denotes, the son of Kiplangat.

The ceremony would be a big one. Friends and relatives of all the initiates would attend as a sign of togetherness.

“Your family is here!” Tesot said to his wife seeing his father-in-law’s car entering the compound.

“Oh! They are so early. Go and meet them as I wind up.”

Tesot moved out to meet them.

“Sandanin?” Sigilai said as he saw him approach.

“Woi, botoiten.”

“What a surprise. I didn’t know you were around.”

“I couldn’t miss the graduation.”

“That is nice. How are you?”

“We are fine. Welcome home.” He said taking his time to shake hands with the other guest.

He then led them in and watched as Becky took turns hugging her mother and the rest of the members of her family.

"Look there is something I forgot," Sigilai said once they had settled on their chairs. "I forgot to buy a pair of shoes for Jephta." His eyes swept across those with whom he had come with. "I intended to purchase them on my way. How could I forget? I am surprised that none of you reminded me.”

“Don't worry about that botoiten," said Tesot. I can rush to town and to get them for you.”

“That will be so good of you,” He reached into his pocket. Groping in it for a few seconds he fished out a thousand-shilling note and handed it to Tesot. He also gave him the car keys “Here, take my car. Size eight is fit for him.”

“Okay. I will be back soon.”

Tesot got into his father-in-law’s car and drove to Chebunyo centre. He bought the shoes and came back.

As he approached the gate that led to her mother’s house he saw many elders of his clan entering his mother’s compound. While still wondering what they were up to, he noticed from the rear view mirror that Pabonya was behind him. He lowered the window and pushed his head out turning behind to look at him.

“Hey son! You are here?” Pabonya asked surprised.

“Yes. I have been around for the last two days."

“How comes we haven’t met? I was here the whole of yesterday with your mother but I didn’t know you were around.”

“I stayed indoors the whole of yesterday.”

“I see you now own a car.”

“Oh! This one, it is not mine. It belongs to my father-in-law. He is around. His son – my brother-in-law – would be graduating today.”

“I see.” He seemed to be deep in thought. “We have a meeting at your mother’s house with the clan elders. You probably would like to join us.”

“I am afraid I wouldn't, I suppose the meeting is for the elders only.”

“With you we can make an exception, it is important that you be there.”

“Okay! I was to attend the graduation ceremony. I hope your meeting wouldn’t keep me long.”

“We will try to be brief.”

They agreed.

Tesot drove to his house and parked the car in his compound. Becky was busy clothing his son Kiplimo. She was ready to go. She did not want to be late for his brother’s graduation ceremony.

“Take a quick bath. I already took your water to the bathroom. It is warm.” Becky said. She desired to walk by his side on the way to the ceremony.

“I am sorry; I would delay a little. I have just been made aware of a meeting at my mother's house which I must attend. But I promise to join you later.”

“What meeting?"

"The elders are meeting at my mother's and Pabonya wants me in attendance. I don't know what the agenda is. Take these shoes with you. The boys will be out any moment. I know they are now waiting for these.”

“Okay. Bye”

“Bye!”