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If only I could turn back time 💕❤🎯
That's what I thought to myself as I sat at my beloved grandmother's funeral in Kyengera village in Wakiso District. Jaaja Kate was both my best friend and mother. Without her, I couldn't imagine my life. During her final battle with breast cancer, I stayed in Kyotera, teaching secondary students. To this day, I regretted not spending more time with her. I never found the right time to express my love for her.
I watched sadly as her dark casket was lowered into her final resting place on that fateful day. I experienced a surge of sadness and regret. I wished I could go back in time and alter the tragic events that had taken her life. I desired to spend more time with her.
I suddenly felt a strange, tingling sensation in my body and I blacked out. The world around whirred, and I felt myself falling into a deep slumber. As soon as I woke up, I was standing in my grandmother's spacious living room in Kyengera. The old furniture, the musky smell of old books, and freshly-baked bread in the air were exactly as I remembered them.
I felt like I was floating in the heavenly realm. It was beyond my belief. I had reversed time!
I ran into the small, cosy kitchen and saw my grandmother sitting at the table, reading her favourite recipe book. Her copper pans lay above her head. She looked up at me and smiled with joy.
"Hello, Michael," she said. "What are you doing at such an early hour?"
I felt a lump in my throat and couldn't speak. I hugged her tightly.
I said to her. "I love you, Grandmother".
"I love you too, dear," she said.
We spent the entire day together at home. My mother had died when I was six years old, and my father died two years later. They had succumbed to Aids. My grandmother took me under her wing. Jaaja Kate paid my fees up to university. I will always cherish her meals, especially dry, smoky fish cooked in groundnut sauce, fried pork ribs, sauted in onion rings and vegetables, mushroom sauce cooked with braised meat. Her banana juice and fresh fruit salad were legendary.
On this day, she had served buttered toasts, fried eggs, topped with scallions and orange juice. We conversed about my teaching profession. As the evening breeze blew, she poured two glasses of her favourite local potent gin. She gulped her drink and belched loudly. Then, she smiled and handed her glass for a refill. I will always treasure those moments.
At last, it was my turn to leave. After hugging my grandmother goodbye, I promised to visit her more frequently. I whispered softly into her ear.
'Grandmother, I will visit more,' I said. This I promise you.
Jaaja Kate's smile was rueful and she gently pulled my ear.
She cried out, 'Always be a good boy. ' 'Never be late for any assignment.'
When I opened my eyes again, I was back at my grandmother's funeral. I witnessed her casket being lowered into the ground by the funeral service caretakers. My sadness and regret was absent this time. I was certain that I had made the most of my time with her and that she will always be in my heart.
That day, I learned a valuable lesson: never take the people you love for granted. Make sure to cherish every moment because you never know when it might be your last.
© Mwebe Morgan
I watched sadly as her dark casket was lowered into her final resting place on that fateful day. I experienced a surge of sadness and regret. I wished I could go back in time and alter the tragic events that had taken her life. I desired to spend more time with her.
I suddenly felt a strange, tingling sensation in my body and I blacked out. The world around whirred, and I felt myself falling into a deep slumber. As soon as I woke up, I was standing in my grandmother's spacious living room in Kyengera. The old furniture, the musky smell of old books, and freshly-baked bread in the air were exactly as I remembered them.
I felt like I was floating in the heavenly realm. It was beyond my belief. I had reversed time!
I ran into the small, cosy kitchen and saw my grandmother sitting at the table, reading her favourite recipe book. Her copper pans lay above her head. She looked up at me and smiled with joy.
"Hello, Michael," she said. "What are you doing at such an early hour?"
I felt a lump in my throat and couldn't speak. I hugged her tightly.
I said to her. "I love you, Grandmother".
"I love you too, dear," she said.
We spent the entire day together at home. My mother had died when I was six years old, and my father died two years later. They had succumbed to Aids. My grandmother took me under her wing. Jaaja Kate paid my fees up to university. I will always cherish her meals, especially dry, smoky fish cooked in groundnut sauce, fried pork ribs, sauted in onion rings and vegetables, mushroom sauce cooked with braised meat. Her banana juice and fresh fruit salad were legendary.
On this day, she had served buttered toasts, fried eggs, topped with scallions and orange juice. We conversed about my teaching profession. As the evening breeze blew, she poured two glasses of her favourite local potent gin. She gulped her drink and belched loudly. Then, she smiled and handed her glass for a refill. I will always treasure those moments.
At last, it was my turn to leave. After hugging my grandmother goodbye, I promised to visit her more frequently. I whispered softly into her ear.
'Grandmother, I will visit more,' I said. This I promise you.
Jaaja Kate's smile was rueful and she gently pulled my ear.
She cried out, 'Always be a good boy. ' 'Never be late for any assignment.'
When I opened my eyes again, I was back at my grandmother's funeral. I witnessed her casket being lowered into the ground by the funeral service caretakers. My sadness and regret was absent this time. I was certain that I had made the most of my time with her and that she will always be in my heart.
That day, I learned a valuable lesson: never take the people you love for granted. Make sure to cherish every moment because you never know when it might be your last.
© Mwebe Morgan
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