The Alpha;
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| Penny |
It's been seven years since we crossed paths for the first time (as I rinsed off something from the sink, you were off the last stair step), heading to your room, from an afternoon lecture.
Africana hostel was our home then, we were Kavule homegirls! Even though I never said hello to you, I knew, deep within, that sooner or later, we would be inseparable.
As luck would have it, you soon inquired about something to do with room shifting and ... there it was, our moment to talk and know each other. I have every detail of these happenings like it was only yesterday.
The first time I asked you "out for an evening stroll", I didn't know you would say yes. But you did, and it was a beautiful evening as we walked past La Grande, under the beautiful street lights with our popcorn (I don't recall whose treat it was) as we talked about stuff I kinda can't recall well.
You wore a black skirt, pleated at the round hem with a green sweater....I don't recall what I wore, for some reason, haha. I felt much more at ease because you were short like me, tiny like me, you weren't obsessed with speaking Luganda (I wasn't fluent in Luganda then and it bothered me when everyone seemed to assume that every human being in Kampala understood the language), so it was easier to have and sustain a conversation with you.
The first good-byes;
As time went on, we really became good friends, (I envied how well you knew how to make tasty meals..and thanks for sharing other recipes with me).
Unfortunately, I soon decided to leave the hostel and rent out, it was a bitter sweet moment when you hugged me, at the balcony shortly before I left for my new home. Hannah was there too, and you guys showed me I had successfully made a few friends!
I am glad that even when I left, you made it a point to check on me regularly, on those hot afternoons after lectures...oh, with Ezra, 'your then personal person'...cheers to memories!
Grown up women shenanigans
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| Us |
Fast forward, things fell a part, while other pieces fell perfectly into the right places and destiny got us back together as roommates! I swear I had never been happier, more fulfilled like each day we went for our weekend gigs, earned money, paid our rent and took care of ourselves. (Oh, I miss those days!)
Thank you for being a keeper, for looking out for me, for introducing me to my first marketing job, (you remember Surgipham?) ... Thank you for each day you left me lunch money when I didn't have gigs, and coming back with our favorite Wandegeya chips! (I' m crying writing this, you always found a way to make everything better for me, for us!)
I miss our Monday breakfasts(when we started working in the same company) at that Somali restaurant...how we enjoyed the extremely spiced tea... spending half of our entire week's facilitation, hahaha.
I miss all the crazy nights out that we enjoyed together, the house parties, the beach (remember the over crowded KK on Christmas???), Remember when I was bounced off at the Wink???? Our nights at Don's? How about partying all night, getting home at 5am?
Thank you for saying yes to my hobbies, I'm sorry about the evening when we got lost as we took a walk to nowhere.
I miss the evenings when we wrote your music, wrote short movie scripts, shopped for your music videos....the many rehearsals we did for film projects that never left our house...cheers to our ambitious selves!
Friendship appreciation note;
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| Us |
I could write to infinity, everything that we have been through together, the good, the bad and the ugly. Seven years is such a long time, isn't it? I hope that seven years from now, I will be able to remind you of the days of our lives that are yet to come.
I love you, more than the Sunday morning sleep, more than love itself, because what you have given me, is a lifetime sense of belonging, sisterhood and an unfathomable kind heart, where I can rest easy knowing that even if my world fell apart, you, darling, would aid me to break free from the shackles of despair.
You have seen me make the worst decisions, maybe I didn't listen, but even when I burned my own bridge, you still offered me a hand to get me off the ridge of my own destruction. Thank you for standing all my weirdness, imperfections, my silly ways, my unrealistic dreams and being a friend that knows me most.
On this your birthday, I would want to be with you, cut cake with you, enjoy your soft beef (cheers to us the meatatanians), tell you nice stories, listen to your advise on business(I'm still here, thinking about what you told me) and laugh the day away, with you.
But the pandemic is raging on, and I know we are safer where we are, and even if you went away for years, I would still be here, waiting and looking forward to seeing you again, and nothing would make me love you less. You make me complete, Ms Peninah Nakazzi.
Here is to our friendship, to laughter that knows no limits, to walks that know no destination, to wild imaginations and to a love worth fighting for. Thank you for being the love of my life, my soulmate!
I will be waiting for the day when we will sit at our coffee shop, old but jolly, watching our younger versions in our grandkids.
I know this is kinda long, but I would make 1000 more pieces of this, if you needed a reminder of each day we have spent together.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLING.
Love,
Patie.
