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At My wifes wedding
A couple at their wedding, image by Istock
I’m telling this story because it happened before my own eyes.
This is the 2nd episode of my story about brother Asuman, his wife Zahara and Geofrey.
We stopped when we had arrived at Calendar restaurant. The bride and groom had just arrived at the reception. Only to see Zahara who Asuman left home as his wife, wedding Geoffrey with his kid Nabakiibi as the flower girl.
As we were waiting, there was this camera man who was taking pictures. Asuman had gone to ease himself. As he walked back to our Dudu the cameraman approached him to get his picture.
Haaaa, I was also taken unaware. Asuman delivered a thunderous slap on the chick of the cameraman that sent him to the ground. When he got up he never asked any question, but I saw him running very first out of the premises.
I got out of the car and escorted Asuman up to the rear seat. I sat near the door to prevent him from getting out anyhow. The way he slapped the cameraman made me fear that he will cause chaos when the bride and groom could arrive. With my name Ashraf Simwogerere I was afraid of that news item.
I was still plunged deep in a sea of thoughts when the bridal entourage arrived. My eyes were fixed more on Asuman than the contingent. Asuman held his head in his hands as his eyes were fixed at the entourage.
When the bride, groom and the flower girl got out, Asuman cried out “BANANGE ZAHARA YEYEEEE. LABA OMWANA WANGEEE”. ((Oh My Zahara, look at my daughter!) His chest was turning wet with tears. He started shivering, before suffering convulsions. I saw Asuman nearly dying.
I got scared. In a few minutes, Asuman’s health deteriorated. He started breathing heavily. I was alone in the car. I tried to resuscitate him, but in vain. The shock simply overwhelmed me, that I was left shaking.
Later the entourage cars cleared the way and I drove straight to Mulago. I was lucky Dr Matovu whom I knew was on duty. He prescribed very fast after hearing the story. Asuman was put on drip. He was later admitted and moved to 3B.
I drove to Lugala to get him a blancket he was seriously shivering. There was this student nurse Teddy a friend, whom I approached to help, while I bring the essentials.
At Lugala Zahara had left the key to their bed room with Jjaja Nzera. She’s the one who raised Asuman and loved him very much. She was staying just next to Asuman’s.
I gave her the bad news. But she mistook my call for a death announcement. She made a loud alarm that attracted the attention of many people from different wards.
The maid was there but she was as green as everybody. When I opened Asuman’s bed room to get the blanket, I found a note on the bed, with a message that;
“MUKWANO ONONSONYIWA SSIJA KUDDA NGENZEKO WA MAAMA MPULIRA NGA EYAFUNA OLUBUTO”.
(You will excuse Darling, I have gone to Mummy’s. I feel as if I am pregnant.”
Haaaaaa, what a lie. Zahara knew how to excite Asuman. (This is the kind of message that would have excited Asuman, hearing that his wife was pregnant. (Had he not seen her in the wedding). Scweeeeee.
It was passed 8.00pm, I went back to Mulago. Nurse Teddy had provided a blanket from her hostel. Asuman remained calm most of the night.
At around 5.00am he woke up. He was a bit confused why he was in hospital yet he had no problem. All over a sudden he started sobbing. Asking me questions, “Naye baaba wange kiki kyenakola Zahara okumbonereza atyo. Nze musonyiye kasita yanzaalira Nabakiibi. Tumuleke agendde”.
(My brother, even though Zahara has pushed me to this edge, I have forgiven her, because she gave me a beautiful daughter Nabakiibi.)
The nurse came and gave him an injection which sent him to sleep again.
He woke up at around 9’00am. He was stable this time. He had stopped hallucinating.
He was discharged that day. I requested him to stay at my place for sometime. That advise was from the late Professor Bosa. He told us that he (Asuman) suffered serious acute hysteria. That we should stay him away from anything that reminds him of Zahara.
While at home I received another shocking news. That Zahara had left for UK. When I tried to secure our daughter Nabakiibi to calm my Brother. Godfrey’s mother who was given the responsibility to look after her, YANGAMBA NTI “OMWANA WA GODFREY OLUBUTO ZAHARA YAJJA NALWO EWAMWE. NTI WALIWO OMWANA GWEBAZAALIRA KU MYEZI OMUSANVU NGA MUKULU”.
That statement broke me down too. I had no way to tell Asuman that Nabakiibi wasn’t his daughter. I confined that bad news into jjaja Nzera.
Asuman stayed at home for a full week. He wanted to go back to his job. I had advised him to meanwhile continue stay at mine as he went to work. He asured me that he was fine.
He left. That very evening I was called again that Asuman ‘affaaaa’. I rushed thru Lunguja Kosovo to Lugala, and indeed Asuman was dyeing. Jjaja Nzera had echoed the sad news about Nabakiibi. We rushed back to Mulago, this time with the maid.
At Mulago he was admitted again, in 3B. The following day he was transferred to 4C. Whenever Asuman woke up, he could just cry too emotionally. ‘Nga bwomuwuliriza byalombojja tosobola butakaaba naawe’. The loss of Nabakiibi was like a pinching pin onto his heart.
The late Taata Musa Kubo, his father a police officer was in Mubende when Asuman was born. His mother dropped him at Jjaja Wakayima and disappeared. She was never seen again. Jjaja Nzera was weak, so there was no immediate person to attend to him. I don’t know how Maama Zahara came to know about it.
OMUKAZI YAJANJABA ASUMAN NGA OYINZA OKULOWOOZA NTI YAAMUZAALA. Ebyobuko yabiteeka ku bali namulabirira nga omwana.
Many times she cursed Zahara as a mother. Asuman never recovered fully. He was in and out of hospital several times. People even started to insinuate that he was HIV positive. Moreover this was the pick of the pandemic.
He continued to suffer on and off for years shrinking slowly by slowly. He couldn’t feed well. He deteriorated until he passed on in Dec 2009. Hysteria can also kill you.
I reached our ancestral village Kabonge when his grave had been dug. It wasn’t next to his father as his wish. Earlier I had failed to secure the custody of Nabakiibi as well. INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILLAIHI RAJIOUN. Allah amusonyiwe ebyamusobako.
Just 2years ago as I passed, awo mu kajja ka park empya just opposite Blue room on Namirembe road, I saw Zahara. She was ‘Kutembeya’ obugoye bwa baana abato. She was taking water from e Kaveera, sweating profusely.
Nali ssisoose kukyikiriza. When I confirmed that she was the one, I made sure that she saw me. Zahara was too too desperate and miserable. Ssikirunji okwagaliza muno obubi naye nasanyuka. Oba what happened to London issues? Njakukinonyerezaako.
Huuuuuu, ANTI EBIKOLIMO BYA MAAMA WE
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