Must read: Death is a robber

“We have children, but a child shouldn’t be judged by his/her age but their intellect in helping his/her siblings,” said Mr. Warumbe, my long-time sickly friend. From here, he told me of the visitors that he anticipated to come, alerting me to honor his immediate invitation once called.

It was after a week when I received a call from him regarding the anticipated visit. I immediately made up for the visit where we kept telling stories as we waited for the visitors. On the arrival of visitors, he was notified, but he couldn’t leave his bedroom; prefer to talk while lying on his bed. He instructed the family members to serve the visitors with food which was done immediately. I dinned together with visitors while Warumbe remained in bed.

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After eating, he was told that visitors had come with some gifts. “Isn’t Hajji Badanga present?” he asked. “Let the gifts be given to him,” he instructed. Meanwhile, time kept on going, and around 5 pm visitors wished to leave for their home. He was approached by Mama who made him aware of their urge to leave. In response, he said I appreciate all that they have done and the gifts they have brought for me. For the fact that they are going far, allow them to go. Together with other family members we accompanied the visitors and walked slowly to the bus station.

After sending off the visitors, I also wanted to leave for home. I decided to leave the gifts with Hajji Igihe whom I thought commanded more authority than me, but sickly Warumbe rejected my plea, insisting on his previous decision, “I told you that the gifts should be received by Hajji Badanga” he emphasized. Igihe, Anthony, Hajjat Nanu and I went to his bedroom to ask him about the placement of the received gifts. Here, he narrated in guidance on what happens whenever he received visitors with gifts. “When I get a visitor with gifts, I share them with my wives,” he said. It was late in the evening and already dark. For safety and security, I accepted to keep the gifts with me.

It wasn’t long after our chat and bidding farewell to visitors that my friend Warumbe breathed his last! A sad moment that happened left everyone in grief. I cried in remorse, and many others kept wailing. All the happy moments I had with him plummeted through the Cimmerian darkness; I couldn’t help it any better but instead wished him for eternity.

Mourners came in huge numbers, and Warumbe was laid to rest in the morning in a family cemetery. May His Soul Rest Eternal.

Gifts that had been kept safely were brought forward the next day after the burial; we sat as a family with Hajji Igihe and distributed them as instructed by the late.

By Ananias Nsiimenta

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