It was my grandfather who liked to say “strangers in love never last once they get to know each other well.” This was a man of wisdom informed by years of experience. He had seen it all – a world war II veteran, who lived a humble life later in his evening years. He had survived the war. Apparently, it is easier to dodge bullets than thirst, he often said. “if you are truly thirst, you cannot settle in one place. You must move out of your hiding to search for something to drink. Better die of a bullet than of thirst.”
He educated me. “Man’s life rotates about food and sex. You need money to have these in plenty. The easiest way to get money is through authority or power. For that matter, politics is a big deal.”
The only time I came close to war, I was too young to understand. I remember towards the end of the NRA guerrilla war, we were asked to move from the Munteme, and walk on foot to Kagadi to escape the hotbed of the armed struggle. The soldiers had stationed themselves in our Munteme village, Nyamakeisa valley, which was their stronghold having dug hideout tunnels. I still hear the gun shelves drop noise in my head. The soldiers recruited us, small boys, as water fetchers. Now I know why –thirst was their biggest enemy.
To eke a living, grandpa operated a small drinking joint dealing in the local brew – waragi and tonto. I was his helper.
Local peers of his would come over for a drink as they reminisced about the good old days. These old men told fantastic stories.
Once in awhile a passerby would branch to my grandpa’s joint. It was always a He. They initially appeared to be decent. However, after a few glasses of waragi, all hell would break loose –Shouting. Speaking in tongues. Abusing everyone in their face. And pretending to have settled the bill already.
The same happens with couples.
If they don’t get time to know each other well, chances of losing focus as they understand each other is high.
To be continued…
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.
