Olikwi was a lovely village. The villagers were friendly as they welcomed me as their guest. I felt like the best person ever since I arrived. Many beautiful girls often checked me out, especially when I rode my sports bike. I had a small radio cassette player that I borrowed from Tabu, and with my headset on, I pretended to be untouchable. These gestures caused Ojjaba and other village girls to kneel every time they came to greet us.
As
the days passed, Ojjaba grew more intimate with me, yet I remained oblivious to
her devoted gestures of affection. To be honest, I had lacked much experience
in relationships between boys and girls, so I felt shy even though Tombe
stirred my instincts to pursue her. I remembered she would bring some local
dishes of Potatoes and peanuts covered with her locally made dish covers.
After
a week, I felt homesick and decided to return to our home, then in Agojo. However,
I had something to lie about, meeting a girl of my love. When I arrived home,
Ojjaba was my chief headline topic, yet something I did not express openly. Luckily,
she wrote a letter to me after two weeks later and below is a copy of the
letter Jonny brought to me. I have never edited the
letter below. I think my girlfriend was among the best at writing letters grammatically.
P.O. Box 99% Love
Date: 3/1/2004
Dear
My Pillow, Bosco,
In
first place I like to greet you in the name of my love and joy, amen. How are
you over there? Backwise I am not find. My heart keep pumping because of you. You
know last time when I see you I did not slept, my breasts keep move looking
from your kisses. I am write this to tell you that I will come to see you.I do
not have more to say but I love you with all my heart. My love for you will
never dry like Lake Victoria.
Your lovely sweetheart,
Ojjaba Bosco.
When
I received the letter, I found two enclosed photos. On the back of each photo,
an inscription reads, “To my lovely husband”. It took several days to believe
myself receiving a letter from a girl I had only seen briefly in the village. I
read the letter with enthusiasm. I kept reading it every evening, and I could feel
emotionally engulfed. Throughout then, I had blessed nights with many wet
dreams.
Ayella John Bosco, Writer, Critic, and Teacher
