1 Hard news

Lee swung the hoe over and over again like a machine. He had to finish preparing the farm for the planting season. Since he would be in school for the planting season, he had been given the task of preparing the farm.

His determination was not because of his devotion to the family farm, just that he had to meet up with the guys later that evening for some drinks. He knew there was no way he could go out without having finished his family chores.

With that in mind, he grabbed some soil and rubbed it against his hands. The hoe was getting slippery on account of his sweaty palms, and even though he had a working man's hands, it did not prevent palm precipitation.

"LEE! LEE! LEE!"

Just when Lee had lifted his hoe and was about to bring it down once more, his younger sister burst into the where he had been working. She seemed panicky, a stark contrast to her cool calm collected nature.

"What is it, Maggie?" Lee managed to catch her when she collapsed. He could see that whatever news she had for him, it was not good.

"Some people are looking for you," She said amid sobs.

"What people? And why are you crying?"

"I don't know, go check it out yourself!" She replied, clearly not eager to talk about what was plaguing her.

Lee had no choice but to run back from the farm to the family home, only to find the village chief and a few administrative police officers in the house.

The first thing he did was panic, unsure why these people would be looking for him. As far as he knew, he had done nothing wrong, so what did they want.

Looking around, he saw his younger brother also seated on the couch, just as panicked. The little sister, who was the youngest, had followed closely behind.

Leonard Kamau Mwangi, or Lee, as he was referred to by his peers, was the firstborn son of Kenneth and Maria Mwangi. He was 20 years old and in his third year at the University of Nairobi, where he was taking a bachelor's degree in Computer Science.

His younger brother, David, was 16 years old and was still in his 4th year in high school, while his youngest sister, Margaret, was 13 and a freshman in high school.

Lee did not think his siblings would know anything about why the police officers had come to see him, so all he could do was wait.

"Son, I am sorry to tell you this but, your father and mother were found dead in a car accident this morning ..." After those words, the chief's voice seemed to fade in the background.

Lee was not sure he had heard that right. Dead? Car accident?

"Wait, My parents do not own a car, so how can they have been in a car accident?" Lee interrupted.

"As I was explaining," the chief begun, "your parents were in a bus headed to Embu town. The bus met with a lorry in a head-on collision. They died on the spot."

The chief knew the best way to help was to give as much information as possible. He felt for the children, no one deserved to lose their loved ones like that. However, since 4 others had died within his jurisdiction, he had to make it quick.

"Your parents ... Embu General hospital ... claim the bodies," that was all Lee could hear at the time. It took him a while to realize the chief was gone.

Looking at his other siblings, he realized that like him, his brother was in a daze. He could see tears flowing from his sister's eyes, which made his rise and go comfort her

Soon afterward, Uncle Nyaga came by to pick him up, and together they went to Embu to claim their parents' body and organize for the funeral.

All this was just too surreal for Lee, but he could not break down. As firstborn, he had to keep it together for the sake of his younger siblings. Just like that, a week passed by.

The funeral was just what you would expect of a Kikuyu household. A church ceremony which then led to people going to the burial grounds to lay them down.

Nothing exaggerated, but there were food and drinks for those gathered. Lee was glad to see his friends from high school and others from the University come to visit him, which others sent their contributions in one way or the other.

Not that he was complaining, but he could have used his father more than the money he was given. He also knew they were in for some hard days ahead.

All this while, Lee had not shed a single tear. After the shock came the realization that it was all on him. Losing both parents meant that he would be taking on their responsibilities. He had no time to grieve his loss.

***

Early that morning, Lee woke up with a start. Looking beside him, he was surprised to see Leana on his bed.

Leana was a local town girl he used to have a crush on way back when, but he had not seen her since high school, let's just say it had been a pleasant surprise to see her in his parents funeral.

That being said, his head was banging like a drum. After the funeral, he remembered staying for drinks until late with his friends.

His new friends got to meet his old friends, and somehow he got lucky with this shortie. All factors considered, perhaps lucky was not the term to use in this case.

Also, given that Leana was 5'6, this could not be considered a short lady by Kenyan standards, but against his 5'10 lean frame, she was just that.

Lee got off his bed, took a quick shower, and got away from his house. Most of his Nairobi friends had yet to rise after the drinking fest they had had the previous night. He would come to bid them good-bye in a few, but right now he needed some peace, and there was only one place he could get that.

His father's workshop.

Lee's father was a mechanic and a good one at that. Had he survived and got the funding, he could have pieced that bus that claimed his life together. Just thinking about it made Lee ache with pain. His father did not deserve to go out like that.

As a boy, he had spent his whole childhood in this workshop. Sometimes, he learning from his father, while most times, he was out causing mayhem and driving his father crazy.

He was quite destructive as a boy, while this was a good thing, try telling that to a father who has plenty to do and 2 boys running wild in his garage. It was his joy to see his sons so enthusiastic about what he did.

Lee smiled sadly at the picture frame containing the whole family. Looking at them now, he knew that it was up to him to keep his family going.

His younger siblings needed school fees, and he needed to figure out what they would eat and wear. He was the only adult in the family, which was a good thing since all his family's property would go to him.

As the lawyer had explained it, he would hold his family's property in trust until his siblings were old enough to inherit.

That being said, he was also a student who should have reported to school a few days ago. His concern was whether he would get to go back to school with all that had happened. Perhaps he should defer the semester.

Questions of how he would provide for his family whacked his brain to no end. He knew his relatives were not doing well enough to offer a helping hand in the matter.

Lee's dad was also the oldest in his family and had 5 siblings, 3 brothers, and 2 sisters, Neither had been willing to lend a hand, but Lee could not hold it against them. His dad was the envy of the family due to his success.

These others were barely making it, and his father had supported them plenty over the years, but they still hadn't amounted to much. Not that he looked down on them, just being real.

Lee felt that his life had been drastically changed on that fateful day. There was no going back to the life that he had known all his life. The promise of rosy white-collar jobs was no more. Could his life get any worse?

As though to answer him, a black SUV was parked outside his father's house and 3 men came out. From the looks of it, 2 of the 3 with the man were the muscle. The third, complete with a 3 piece-suit in this hot season weather was no stranger to Lee.