Ode to Wren

I met her in Ugunja on a sunny day, May 18th, sitting at a desk
We had only met once, but I knew her already
I mean I really believed I knew her
She showed me things, and told me to drop any expectations right away
It was the best advice I have received so far

We slept under mosquito nets and dipped our feet in basins when it was hot
For one week the moon shone so bright it illuminated everything, and it was amazing to look at. A few times we ate dinner outside - Wren & I loved it
At night after dinner we would brush our teeth outside and look up at the stars, which were burning so bright you could almost see the gas around them

Walking to town we would say the same things,
“I’m fine, how are you?” , “Look how gross my feet are today” , “I wonder if the internet is working today”, “I can’t walk, there is too much mud on my shoes”
We talked of making inter-continental shoes, which will happen one day
At night I would sing to her, and sometimes, she would grace me with a song as well
We would laugh about funny things, mainly having to do with people stereotyping us
“You people, buy tomatoes!”
“I would like to marry a white woman one day”

When I was sick she took care of me,
And she bought me chocolate when I was feeling sad one day
Sometimes we would talk in Southern accents, and it brought us much laughter
When it rained on our tin roof it was so loud you couldn’t hear anything
So we just lay on our beds looking up at the roof

We washed our hair in the rain, with the children staring at us in amazement from the opposite hut
We awoke to the same noises – either blasting reggae music, that crazy rooster, a lot of banging, or the children singing
We would dream about food, and when we weren’t dreaming, we were thinking about it, and when we weren’t thinking about it, we were talking about it
Days to Camunya were grand – real washrooms!
And our trips to Kisumu always brought forth challenges (gawkers, mud splashed on her skirt, crazy matatu people) and rewards (burgers, fries and scones!)

To everyone else she was known as Rain, or Ronnie (haha)
But to me she was little buddy and Wren Naomi Laing
She was a great friend
But more importantly she was my hut-mate, the only one I will ever have
And that is something I do, and will cherish forever
Oriti Wren, till next time…