We were
three distinctly different brothers.
We all
slept on the same bed at night and each of us had our own space on the bed
staked out. For some unknown reason when
we awoke in the morning, however, we discovered that we had usurped each
other’s space and the pillows on which we slept somehow followed us during this
migration at night. There was always an
argument in the morning when this discovery was made and accusations were
examined on the speculation that this nightly mobility had to be the fault of
my brother Eustace since he was always up to mischief. There was a quick denial by Eustace.
A mock
fight (which psychologists might call an act of bonding) would then ensue to
establish dominance among the brothers but it was more of wrestling match which
continued until the smell of bacon and eggs and sometime “mandazis” came
sneaking into our bedroom from the dining room just next to our bedroom. It was like a referee calling an end to our
rumble, and off we went to the dining room only to be reminded by mother that
we were to be good boys and first go to the washroom to have our teeth brushed
and to look more civilized. When we
returned to the dining room, teeth brushed but looking less civilized, my
mother would examine our teeth to make sure that they were brushed well and
only after this test was passed were we allowed to sit down at our plates
displaying a fried egg (sunny-side up), two rashes of bacon and half a loaf of
“Mkate Kisu”. Next to the plate was a
piping hot cup of coffee. We were then
ready for School.
Of the
three brothers, my brother Maurice then fourteen, was perhaps the most
disciplined. He was a neat freak. In our
bedroom there was a chest of drawers with three drawers. They were small enough to accommodate our
very lean wardrobe which generally consisted of one blue pair of shorts (dyed
blue with Jiffy dye when they faded
because of constant use) which was part of our School uniform; another pair of
shorts which we used for all occasions; two short-sleeved shirts; a couple of
vests; and a pair of socks that were to be worn when we went to Sunday mass. Maurice would place his clothes in his drawer
in the best tradition of order. His
shirts were always ironed using the iron with hot coals in it, and his pants
had to have that one crease in front and behind to give the impression that
they always looked as though they were just off the rack of a clothing store.
My brother Maurice always warned us that his drawer was out of bounds to us,
and he checked it at least four times a day to make sure that nothing was
tempered with.
My brother
Eustace and I, on the other hand, were absolutely messy. The clothes in our drawers looked as though
they were in an Italian kitchen freshly turned into spaghetti. Somehow it did not matter whether Eustace and
I used each other’s clothes (we were about the same size) until it was discovered
that some strange odours began to emerge from the drawers. My mother was then summoned in by Maurice to
get her to reprimand us and instill into us about the value of cleanliness
which was a concept that we were never able to take seriously.
It came to
a head once when my brother Eustace, representing the St. Joseph’s Convent
School hockey team, was to play in the Nutmeg Cup Hockey finals. This coveted
cup (open to inter-school competition) was presented by a gentleman called
“Khalia” who owned a soap factory just behind our house. As it turned out, all
of Eutstace’s clothes were washed that day and put out to dry. He needed a white pair of shorts badly. He sneaked into Maurice’s drawer and
absconded with his shorts and rushed off to the match looking quite pretty with
the two prominent creases in front and behind.
When
Maurice got home, he discovered that his pants were missing. It did not take him long to determine that
Eustace was the culprit. He grabbed hold
of one of Eustace’s pants that were not quite dry, and ran to the hockey
field. The game was in full progress
with hundreds of spectators cheering up their favourite hockey side. This did not deter Maurice. He walked towards Eustace on the field while
the game was in progress (the referee confused as to whether he should blow his
whistle because of this obvious infraction) and ordered him to take off his
pants. Eustace immediately complied and
amidst some audible giggles from the crowd put on his own pants.
St.
Joseph’s Convent School won the Nutmeg Cup and Eustace put it down to the fact
that it was because he wore his own lucky pants.
