And then she was born. Sweet 14.

💕I will kiss her even at 100 💕

It was December 2004, that time around Christmas. At my grandparents home where most of the extended family had gathered to make merry. And I vividly remember hanging out with some cousins and then one of them, Njeri whispered to me after seeing my stepmom tending to guests.

She innocently uttered , “aki Ciru mama yako aneshiba leo.” (Ciru your mum is so full today). If I answered her, it had to be something like,”eeeh amekula sana leo.” (Yes she has eaten a lot today) Njeri is younger than me. So I think she wasn’t trying to be silly, she just had no Idea. I don’t even remember if I/we laughed or I let it sink in. But we didn’t discuss further. By then I don’t remember if I knew what pregnancy even entailed.

Let me put it this way. My stepmom was very pregnant. But those days no one sat you down to tell you details. Sometimes you came home to a baby and voila, you were a bigger sister or brother to someone. Some of our mothers like my biological mum had those pregnancies that don’t show much. And If I did see them, then my mind didn’t register them.

I had just finished my Primary school education and was waiting on my results. Then came January 16 2005 I and my other siblings were blessed with the most light skinned black gorgeous sister. We all fell in love.

This baby was the cutest thing. Her skin. Her hair. Her tiny fingers. She was EVERYTHING. Dad told us she came exactly the way he had always dreamed. Yes, he used to dream with his unborn baby. This baby was the best thing that happened in our family.

Traditionally, in the Kikuyu Culture, we are named after our parents parents. So basically, if a couple gets their first baby boy it is named after the mans father and the first baby girl after the mans mother. The third child takes the name of the mothers mother or father depending on the sex of the child. If the couple goes on to have more kids they start naming them after their brothers or sisters. My grandma, dads mom had 14 children. She even started repeating names. Funny right.

Anyway, my grandparents had an agreement that if my stepmom gave birth to a child depending on their sex it would take their name. So my sister was named after my grandma. Which I am also named after. That is how we ended up being two girls with the same exact names in my family.

This bundle of joy came and changed our lives. Literally. We took care of her and especially me because I was big sissy. I did everything for her and still do. She is spoiled. But she has her own brains. She is responsible, mature and has the biggest heart. She is funny too. At 13 she already had an Ex. She told me the story. I was disturbed and didn’t sleep for days. Thank God it is an ex. I’m not prepared to go down that road.

If there is anything this little girl loves and has loved all her life other than life itself is handbags. It is funny that she has more handbags at fourteen than I ever had at 25. I used to buy her different types of purses now she buys her own. All types. It’s that crazy. And she will hold on to every one of them till they are worn out and ugly. I don’t get it. I took it up on myself to declutter her room recently when I was home.

(One of her first bags 😁)

Above all, I always prayed to have a sister since I was always surrounded by boys. My stepmom gave me two sisters that I love to pieces. I will do anything for them. I will pray for them. I will protect them. I will be your enemy if you hurt them.

We fight of course and that is the beauty of having a sister. We wear each others clothes. They steal my make up and shoes. We teach each other a lot. I am overprotective of them (given what I have seen and gone through) and that is where most of our fights are born. But in the end we hug our issues out. Because we all want the best for each other.

So I toast to my youngest sisters 14th birthday. Wishing her the best of this life. She just started her high school and is boarding. I pray she walks in protected paths and that no evil shall seek her. That she always stays strong no matter what. That she always knows how beautiful she is and no human will convince her otherwise. That she believes she has got it and that she can be whatever she wants.

I know she will one day read this. She must.

My baby. And much more. You are loved