prologue

Have you ever dived in the river between the reeds of cold murky water of the Kitaa?

James asked aloud as if he was questioning the river.

He was talking to us me and my other childhood friend Papa.

We had sneaked from school that day.

From the long hot days of January, school days from morning to lunch break dragged so much as if the heat was not enough, the teachers asked to do cleaning of the compound during the brazing Sun.

Why did you ask?

Simply they believe in corporal punishment. Handed down from their forefathers, grandfathers our fathers and now us.

Time to take up some punishment if you must.

That was when the idea to go out of the school via the school fence came about

We took turns as we looked out for any trouble from the watchmen and the Teachers on duty. We were running as we laughed ear to ear grinning and used the Murram road to the riverbank neighbouring us from every sector of the ghetto.

See we are all born in Huruma estate. Lucky us right??

Wrong since we are among the few neighbourhoods in Nairobi that have running water and electricity from the government we are posh and lucky thus the name Estate. But no we just had good leaders in the parliament who looked out for us.

Enough about me. Neighborhood Eastlands let's continue to the misadventures, shall we?

We all love swimming. It was part and parcel of our friendship from the start