Someday - Chapter 1

The sun set splaying gold and red in the horizon. There was a hint of rain, just a hint. Jackie was a little impatient about that. But she was distracted by the kids as they jostled and frolicked around. She'd assigned them after-school chores in the house and the garden outside and they took care of them with good-natured competition.

Twenty -two months ago, Jackie Wangui Otieno was too scared to consider the future with hope.Her mother had just died, less than two years after her father had died.

The young woman, not quite considered an adult, and not a child enough to let things be had fought with her mother's relatives over the custody of the children. The relatives argued that she was too young to care for her siblings. Jackie had argued that she had already been doing that for months while nursing her ill mother. Jackie had pointed out that during that entire time, none of her relatives had come to help.

She was a tall girl, dark skinned, like her father, she thought. At one time, she had towered over an aunt and made it quite clear what she thought in the presence of the village elders. She had hoped then, that she was as smart as her father had been. Christopher was a doctor. But Jackie wanted to be a journalist. She wanted to join the ranks of international investigative journalist. She dreamed of a time when the stories she followed were showcased in top news channels. She dreamed... But more than anything, right now she was concerned for the well being of the kids.

Alex and Jessica the eldest twins struggled for superiority. She had told them that responsibility was heavily vested on the most superior person. So, now they were busy trying to prove who was most superior. Alex won out on size, he was tall for his fourteen years, and filling out with masculine strength. He was in charge of the outside chores, feeding the chicken and filling the water trough for the cows.

Jessica was a petite version of her brother, with both strength and brains to challenge him. She was in charge putting the farm tools away, and making sure the donkey was secure for the night.


William was the genius of the family. He was always inventing ways to make his work easier. Jackie was impressed most of the time. He had found a way to get the water from the outside tank into the house without carrying any of it.

Christine and Simon came after William. Christine was quite the homemaker. She went after everyone tidying up and keeping clean. She'd also make a great cook someday. Simon would be a great handy man someday.

Danielle was showing signs of being an artist. When she wasn't following Christine around, she was sitting quietly, making patterns wherever she could.

Brandon was a holy terror. He was still in the tearing-everything-down phase. Maybe he would grow into a constructor, Jackie mused.

The tribal elders had sided with Jackie, giving her a three-month probation period to prove that she could provide and care for her siblings.

Jackie had moved the kids to the land they had been living on since their father died. It was the only thing they had left after her father's relatives took everything her father owned and then disowned Jackie's mother.

The only reason, that piece of land had not been grabbed was because her father Christopher Otieno had bought it under his eldest daughter's name. He used to call it the first born right. Never mind that under traditional law, Jackie was not entitled to an inheritance from her father. But Christopher was one to break the rules, he had after all married a woman from the other land, and he loved his daughter.

On that land, stood a three-room shack previously occupied by the shamba's caretaker. It was here that Christopher's wife; Alice Njoki had been pushed to, after years of living in a beautiful five-bedroom mansion on the best side of town.

There had been no one to stand for Alice. And Alice, used to having her husband taken care of everything, was plunged into a life of misery.

Alice had contracted tuberculosis soon after. The doctors also found her to be HIV+. Things had gotten pretty bleak after that.

But Jackie had promised her mother, she would be strong and courageous, that she would take care of the kids and get through the situation to eventually pursue the career of her choice.

And so Jackie, on getting custody of the children, had used all the money her father had saved in a junior account for Jackie's college tuition, to set up a farm on her land.

Twenty-two months later the farm consisted of a vegetable garden with different crops, broiler chicken in different stages of growth, layer chicken, a couple of cows, some sheep and goats. She had even recently acquired a donkey for fetching water from the communal borehole and for ferrying farm produce to the village market.

Jackie was still amazed at what she had accomplished. She had started with just a little of everything. With backbreaking worked and a lot of fortune everything had doubled and even tripled.

If things continued working out this well, Jackie hoped that her farm would get established in a few years time. Alex and Jessie were already in their first year of high school. The others were still benefiting from the free primary school education program the new President of Kenya had set up. But they were close on Alex and Jessie's heels so Jackie knew she had to work hard to prepare for paying for a lot of high school education.

Jackie had promised her mother to do her very best for the kids. To Jackie, that meant ensuring that they all get a decent education. She hoped that she, too, would be able to complete her education.

But for now, the kids had a lot of reason to be excited. Their home was no longer a run down shack on the verge of falling apart. It wasn't much, but coral rocks were much better than wood. There was more room too. A living room. A bedroom for the girls. A bedroom for the boys. A room to cook in, too. Nothing fancy but much better.

It was a success so far and with more hard work and some fortune it could get better.

But with all the sweetness, Jackie was bothered about the bitter taste that lingered at the back of her throat.

She figured out why before dusk descended. Her best friend Robbie Kiraitu arrived as he usually did on most evenings. They were pretty close and the kids adored him. He had helped her a lot, with emotional support and some manual help around the farm on weekends when he wasn't working at the firm he worked for.

"You staying for dinner?" She asked as she passed by the living room on her way to the tiny little kitchen.

Robbie was working with Alex and Jessie on their homework. The rest of the kids were in the kitchen because they weren't allowed to disturb Alex and Jessie while they studied.

"Yeah, sure. There's something I'd like to talk to you about later." Something in his voice made Jackie uncomfortable. She'd sensed he was tense but she had assumed it had something to do with his day at work. His voice, however gave her the impression that it was about her, and she didn't think it was something nice.

Nodding with a frown, she went on into the kitchen. Two hours later the children had had their dinner and gone to bed. Robbie helped Jackie clean up after the kids, then they settled on a living room couch.

"What is it?" She asked, finally getting impatient.

Robbie sighed, "Jackie, I'm even scared to tell you."

"What?" She demanded with wide-eyed concern.

Robbie took her hand and held it tight in both of his, "Jackie, I saw a notice posted on an electric pole in the village market. It says your land is being auctioned."

"That's impossible. I-,"

"Jackie its all there. The land number, your name and the location. I saw it."

"It can't be true, Robbie. I don't have any debts. I don't owe anyone, not an individual, not a company, not any bank. Besides, I haven't received any notices. That's mandatory before an auction, right? This is crazy!"

Jackie struggled with it. She didn't want to believe it, but at the back of her mind she knew that it could be true. So with a cold knot in her stomach she went to the market place to confirm for herself. And there it was, her worst nightmare. Posted on an electric pole in the middle of the market in the sight of all to see.

AGRICULTURAL PROPERTY IN KIAMBU DISTRICT



SALE ON FRIDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER 2004 AT 10.30 AM AT OUR OFFICES IN CANNON HOUSE, MEZZANINE FLOOR, HAILE SELASSIE AVENUE.



All that property known as L.R NO xxxxx, Kinoo Township, Kiambu District measuring approximately 1.8 hectares registered in the name of Jackline Wangui Otieno of P.O.Box xxxxx, Nairobi, Kenya.

The property is situated south west of Kinoo Township, within Kikuyu Division, Kiambu District. It lies 350 meters to the south east of Kinoo Township Primary. The property consists of dark red loam soil suitable for farming. Erected on the plot is a four-room house and outbuildings. The property is freehold.





For a moment Jackie thought she would collapse. Robbie held her arm to steady her. He knew how much the land meant to her.



Robbie also knew that Jackie had not taken any loans with any bank, especially not the one involved with this auction.

'It's probably just a mistake', he comforted.

But Jackie had a deep feeling inside that the bank hadn't made a mistake at all. Her mother had warned her once before that there were people in this world who would do anything for financial gain. People who could take away a pauper's livelihood to get richer.

'I don't think it is a mistake. I think it's a crime and I have a good idea who is behind it' Jackie told Robbie.

'A crime? You mean like a fraud?' Robbie stared at her incredulously.

Jackie nodded. Now that the shock was wearing off, she wasn't really surprised.

A long time ago, Jackie's father had told her about a man who had taken out a loan using his mother's farm's title deeds. The man had even had an elderly lady impersonate his mother and sign the loan documents. After the grace period was over the bank demanded that the man's mother pay the loan or give up her land. So the old lady lost the land that she had lived on her entire marital life, because she couldn't pay back on a loan she didn't even know about.

The truth was she had no idea what to do. Robbie touched her arm in quiet solidarity. He best of all knew how much she had struggled these last few months. He knew it would destroy her to lose everything, when there had been so much hope.

She woke up early the next morning. Her heart was heavy with worry and she could tell that the children had noticed. She hurried them all off to school and finished the most pressing duties on the farm. Then, she was off to meet Robbie, who had promised to accompany her for moral support.

The Bank that had authorized the auction was one of the major ones in the city of Nairobi. It was a very busy workday and it was more than an hour before Jackie could finally see the loans officer.

Mr. Kariuki was a polite man, but Jackie could tell he was a bit skeptical when she told him her story. He told her the procedure when there was a suspected financial fraud. He assured her he would have the matter looked into.

All Jackie could think of at the moment was that there were only a few days left until the auction and that she would surely lose her tiny little farm and home.

She was walking along a busy street, vaguely aware that Robbie was still beside her, when it occurred to her that she could possibly get a lawyer who would be willing to help her at a reasonable fee. The lawyer might then help her to file the injunction she had been told would be important in saving her land.

Robbie touched her arm to draw her attention, "We should find a lawyer. I could loan you some money for the fees."

She shook her head already thinking ahead, "I can't take your money. You only just got your job and I am not sure that I will win the case anyway."

"You know that doesn't matter. I would never demand for the money." Of course she knew that. But she was very strict about taking handouts. At this time it could only be called stubbornness, seeing that if she delayed in filing that injunction she could lose the land she was depending on to take care of her siblings.

"I know a lawyer," he took her arm steering her towards another street. He could feel her tension almost as if it was his own. He was sensing fear and an emotion close to despair.

Sometimes the strength of the bond between him and Jackie terrified him. They had been close since he was ten and she was eight. Their relationship had been the topic of many a conversation between their parents, right up until Robbie graduated from high school and joined the armed services.

During those army years, his parents had hoped that the bond between Robbie and Jackie would weaken. But then Jackie's father had died, and her mother's health started deteriorating. To his parent's complete dismay, Robbie left the army so that he could be near Jackie during the difficult times.

Robbie now worked as a security consultant for a major security company in the city. But at times like this he couldn't be anywhere other than beside Jackie. A few days ago he had come to a conclusion that had very nearly overwhelmed him. Now, looking at Jackie from the corner of his eye, he confirmed his conclusion.

He did love this girl! This girl, who had grown into a beautiful young lady right in front of his eyes.

He knew Jackie loved him, would even lay down his life for him. But he wasn't so sure that her love had developed the way his had. He wasn't about to ask her either. She had too much to deal with right now.

He could feel a thread of resistance as he guided her to a building where he knew a lawyer's office was. The lawyer was an old friend of his parents'. While he knew it would get to his parents, he knew that this wasn't the time for any kind of pride on his part or Jackie's.

So in a few minutes, they were seated in front of a rather surprised lawyer. Robbie could almost swear that Mr. Steven Thuo was concerned that he'd gone off and gotten himself into some kind of trouble.

When Robbie explained why they were there, Mr. Thuo was as skeptical as the loans officer at the bank.

"I'm sure that we can file an injunction, but I can't assure you that we can stop the auction indefinitely. We will need to get evidence of the fraud in a very short time." Jackie knew he was right. Whoever had taken out that loan had to have been well connected to ensure that he wouldn't get caught. Whoever helped him/her had to have known the best way to cover their tracks. That meant they would have to work very hard to find the evidence to prove that she hadn't taken out that loan.

"Just do what you can right now, we can figure out the rest later." Robbie glanced at Jackie and noticed that she trusted him to help her now. He was sure she would have done the same for him had he been in her shoes.

Jackie was busy thinking about whom had committed this atrocity against her. She was sure it was someone who had once had access to her father or mother. Someone who could have taken out a loan with the confidence that no one would find out until it was too late.

Jackie told herself that no matter what she wouldn't be bitter. It had been painful before when her mother had been thrown out of her marital home after her husband's death. The relatives had claimed that Alice was not Christopher's recognized wife hence her children were outsiders. And so Alice and her children had lost everything. The thought of that happening again, just simply hurt Jackie too much for words.

© Juliet Maruru 2009 www.jmaruru.wordpress.com