KIPKEMOI, I AM THE ONE

“That stupid woman! She thinks she can embarrass me in front of the whole village like this? Pleli fuckin! She will know who I am today! They don’t call me Wero Pelion for nothing!”

Kipkemoi  is furious.  His eyes have turned into a shade of red I have never seen before. I don’t know if it’s the Chang’aa we just had, anger or a mixture of the two.  Anyway, I have never seen him this mad before. His whole body is shaking with rage you’d think he was a suswet in the wind.   He grabs his walking stick and stomps out of the drinking den.  I dash after him. 

You see, all this would not have happened had it not been for that useless bastard Kipkor and his big mouth. Personally, I have never liked him. He is always picking up  and spreading rumours here and there about everyone in the village. You’d be astonished at just how many fights he has caused.  It is forgiveable when a woman is the one spreading rumours.. But this man here is an embarrassment to all circumcised men.  You’d think he never went to Kaptorus with the rest of the men. Someone ought to beat some sense into him.

Kipkemoi is walking so fast  I am  finding it hard to keep up with his pace.  I am half running. The alcohol is not exactly doing me any justice.  I feel a bit dizzy. I shake my head furiously hoping to clear the fuzziness. It doesn’t help much.  But the fear of what my friend could do to his dear wife sobers me up a little. The can now see a bit clearly. 

Where was I? Yes that idiot who  calls himself Kipkor. We were busy sipping our Chang’aa outside Tecla’s  house  with a couple of other men when he joined in.  That man can never keep quiet.  He found us talking about other things but suddenly makes the conversation all about him. How rude?

But being noble men, we just sat there and listened. The problem started  when he was halfway through the  kipsiling  of the potent drink.

“Some of you call yourselves men! Yet, a simple task like  making a woman pregnant defeats you. Ha! Such shame”

“What are you talking about?”

“All I am saying is that some of you are being called “father” by  other men’s children. I Kipkor, son of Kabelo, can never accept to be taken for a fool like that”

“Stop with all this nonsense. If you are not telling us the whole story, be on your way”

“ Well, if you insist. So this morning, my wife told me that  Philomena  confided in her that the father of all her three children is not actually her husband.  I always suspected something fishy about that woman. You see that first born, he has a pointed head that no one in the clan has.  I always knew there was something cooking there”

Philomena is Kipkemoi’s wife.  I bet you now understand where all this is coming from.

***

We are now entering the compound. Kipkiror heads straight to the pantry and comes back with a Panga. His wife is busy cooking in the kitchen unaware of what is happening.

“I will kill that chepkarta  before she kills me!”

“Don’t do it  kaborin, it’s not worth it!” I plead with him

“ She cannot do this to me  and get away with it. I will skin both her and her useless lover alive!”

He  bangs on the kitchen door

“Woman, come out!”

Philomena is confused.  She emerges from the kitchen holding a cooking stick.

“What is going on? What’s with all the noise?”

Her expression suddenly changes once she sees the panga  her husband is holding . His fiery eyes are enough to tell her that something is not right.

“Who is he? Tell me now! Who is he?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about?”

“So now you want to pretend, eeh?”
  He grabs her by the waist and lands a couple of blows on her face.

“Uwiiii! Don’t kill me Kipkemoi! Meketan! “

“Tell me! Who is he?”  He is ruthlessly beating her now. She’s fallen to the ground and her lower lip is bleeding. I cant take it anymore.

“Stop it Kipkemoi! You’re going to kill her” I hold his hand to restrain him but he’s too strong.

“Why should I stop, eeh? Why?” He’s trying to shake off my hand so that he can punch her some more.

“Woman, tell me who is he? Who is the bastard?”

“Uwiii! Uwiii! I am dying! Help me!”

“ Kipkemoi, I am the one….”

Suddenly,  everything goes quiet.