SUNDAY NEWS Tanzania FICTION/SOCIETY 15 MARCH 8, 2015 By Jacqueline Kamau

SUNDAY NEWS Tanzania

FICTION/SOCIETY 15

MARCH 8, 2015

By Jacqueline Kamau SINCE I graduated, Ihave held on to this

dead bear despite

replacing the donor.

It was during my

first year at campus when

the ‘he’ gave me this dead

bear. Its departure will leave

a small space in between my

two pillows, where it used to

wait for me late in the night

when I used to come home

to hold and play with it.

I would tell it stories,

mostly about the men in

my life. The dead bear has

heard a lot; it has recorded

all my experiences since

I grabbed hold of my new

found freedom to mingle. It

has heard about every single

outing, the rape, the kisses,

the caresses, my love making

and more.

The light brown dead

bear has a black nose that

I have kissed on my happy

days. Its two black eyes that

seem to bubble with hidden

emotions and

information. Yes, it has

endured all my blows during

my numerous disappointments.

Whenever I learnt that

‘he’ is married or is in a

serious relationship’ down

he blows rained. On some

occasions I threw it away

when it dawned on me that

‘he’ just used me or ‘he’

was just after my thigh’;

then I tossed it in the air

and watched it land with

a thud and the grumbling

noise of the beads that filled

its stomach.