LULU'S POV
I felt like I was in a Disney movie when I woke up to the chirping of birds, a soft breeze swaying over the trees and the quiet only a serene environment could bring. There was light pouring into the room and on checking the time it was five minutes to six. Talk about an early sunrise. As my mind cleared up memories of the previous day and the handsome vet I'd met invaded my mind and I found myself smiling like a fool. It was too early to be having such thoughts about him so I set them aside to revisit later.
I sat up in bed rubbing the sleep from my eyes before I did my morning prayers. Marini had made sure we kept our faith since God had been faithful to us so I was remaining faithful to him.
I got out of bed walked into the bathroom, washed my face before putting on a pair of sweatpants, a cropped hoodie over my tank top and some running shoes. I grabbed my phone and air pods setting out for my morning work out.
Everyone was already up and I waved to a few people on the way way to the gym I had spotted the previous night on my way in. It wasn't the best equipped gym but at least they had a treadmill and weights. Going through my usual routine, I worked out for an hour before going back to my room for a shower. For such a humid place the mornings were quite chilly so I got dressed in a pair of black rugged jeans, a hoodie over a blue t-shirt and sneakers.
Since I didn't have much to do I ordered breakfast from the kitchen before I started unpacking my stuff. I started with the bathroom before moving on to the closet. I put my empty suitcase at the top of the wardrobe after I was done unpacking. Before I could get to the kitchen there was a knock on the door and I opened it to reveal Saldona with my breakfast.
"Good morning Lulu. Sleep well?"She asked politely.
"Yeah I did. You?"I asked just to be kind.
"I did too. Since your new to the area would you like me to get you a guide to show you around?"She inquired.
"No I'll find my own way around for today but I'll be expecting company tomorrow so I might take you up on your offer soon."I replied knowing my team would like to be shown around.
"Always at your service."She smiled grabbing the dirty dishes I had used the previous night and taking them away.
She hesitated at the door and before I could ask her what was wrong she turned to face me and voiced out her concerns.
"Miss if you don't mind me asking what is the purpose of your visit. I don't want to be rude but we've never had anyone book a cabin for more than a month at a time let alone a whole year."She asked and I smiled at her, deciding not to correct her after she referred to me as miss.
"You're not being rude at all. I'm happy to answer your question. Do you know who my sister is?"I asked her.
"I know she owns Zuri Safaris. We've hosted a few of her guests here over the years."She answered and I nodded.
"Yeah that's her. My sister is involved in a lot of humanitarian projects around the country. Helping the less fortunate and about a month ago this place came to her attention. Not here particularly but the surrounding villages especially Ndoto so she sent me here to help out."I explained and her face lit up in happiness.
"Oh my God miss that's so great. Everyone will be thrilled but what are you going to do all alone?"She asked.
"I'm not alone. My team will be arriving tomorrow. The plan is to turn this place around. Wells, a school and a few green houses."
Before I could comprehend what was happening, Saldona had put the tray down and pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back chuckling at her enthusiasm. When we pulled apart she was wiping tears away from her eyes and I felt sad that just the simple thought of what I was going to do was bringing on such great joy. I was just providing the basic necessities not building them a mall and it showed just how much we needed to do a lot more to help the needy.
"You have no idea how happy you'll make everyone. If you need anything and I mean anything at all don't hesitate to ask. You're giving us hope miss that God finally heard our prayers and sent you to help out. May God bless you and your sister."She proclaimed.
I smiled at her patting her hand"Amen."
She excused herself and left me to enjoy my breakfast of toast, bacon, scrambled eggs, a donut and a glass of warm milk. After I was done I went back to unpacking and the kitchen was the only place left. I unpacked all my bags realizing I'd brought too much food and even though I loved to eat and cook there wasn't enough space for everything I had brought. Before I could figure out where to take everything else my phone rang and I picked it up after seeing Marini's name flash on my screen.
"Morning Mar."I greeted cheerfully.
"Looks like someone slept well. You're never this chipper in the morning."
"I know but I had a good night and woke up to songbirds. It would be rude to be anything but happy."I countered.
"Whatever you say siz."She chuckled before continuing. "Before I forget I had a talk with the village elder of Ndoto last night and informed him of your arrival. It would be nice if you paid him a visit to introduce yourself personally. Make sure to have a sit down with him and discuss everything to detail with him."
"Is he nice or one of those grumpy old men who hate city people?"I inquired in order to prepare myself.
Marini laughed at my choice of words "He's actually really nice and can't wait to meet you and get everything underway. He says he will get a lot of volunteers because everyone wants to improve the community."
"Okay I'll pass by later. I hit a lion cub on the way here yesterday and I have to go check on it."I explained.
"Oh my God. Is it okay?"She asked concerned.
"Yeah I found a vet in a nearby Sanctuary and he said it was okay but I'm passing by just to be sure."
"Just be safe okay. No more hitting things."She scolded playfully.
"I promise you. I love you Mar, we'll talk later."
"I love you too."
We both hang up and I looked all the extra stuff sitting in the small counter and immediately an idea came to me. It was rude to visit someone empty handed so I'd take all the extra stuff with me when I went to visit the elder. By the time I was done tidying up the place it was already ten, good time to visit Tuba. I grabbed my car keys, locked the door behind me and walked to the parking lot. I found that they had washed my car even without me asking and it made me smile. I don't know why they bothered cleaning it anyway when it'd get dirty as soon as I got back on the road but it was a sweet gesture. I was running low on gas but thankfully the resort had a small gas station so I filled up my tank and drove to the sanctuary.
I got more and more excited as I got closer and the thoughts of James that I had been suppressing all morning resurfaced. I was looking forward to seeing him again and hopefully this time we'd get to have a heart to heart discussion.
When I got there I parked where I had the previous day and walked towards the first place I'd seen James. There was no one there so I walked further toward the sheds and instead of seeing James I found two teenagers feeding an injured lioness who I assumed was Tuba's mom, Kisha. I could see Tuba playing with three other cubs in the corner and it was nice to see that he was okay.
The two boys were so engrossed in their work that they didn't see me. I cleared my throat to get their attention and both their heads jerked towards me. I smiled at them and gave them a wave. They looked at me shocked, jaws on the ground and eyes wide. Seems like I was having that effect on a lot of people in that sanctuary.
The two boys looked similar, both tall about six feet, dark skin tone, marks on their bodies with short dark hair and a few colourful necklaces adorning their necks and a lot of bracelets. They were both dressed casually but each had a red shuka tied across their chests.
"Hi, I'm Lulu. I'm looking for James. Is he around?"I asked and that snapped them out of their daze.
"Umh-James?"One of them startled while the other one just stared on.
"Yes James. Where is he?"I asked holding in a laugh. Their faces were so comical.
"H-he hasn't a-arrived yet."The second one stuttered out.
I felt my heart sink that he wasn't there yet. I had been looking forward to seeing him.
"Do you know when he'll get here?"
This time the first one spoke without stuttering"He's usually here by now unless he gets a call so he's probably working so he might not be here for a while. You're welcome to wait though."He invited and I smiled at his kindness.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to wait or leave. I still wanted to see James but who knew how long he'd be.
"How do you know James?"Number two asked diverting my attention to them.
"I was the one who brought in Tuba yesterday after I hit him."
"But James said your name was Kawira."Number one argued.
I really needed to catch their names so I could stop referring to them as number one and two.
"It is my name, Lulu Kawira. You still haven't introduced yourselves."I pointed out and they looked at each other ashamed.
"I'm Jack and this is Jasper."He introduced.
"Nice to meet you. I'll not wait long for James but do you guys mind giving me a tour of the place. I didn't get to see much of it yesterday because as I was in a hurry."I requested and they both jumped at the request making me chuckle.
Looks like they were getting over their nervousness around me and that was good. I took off my hoodie and hang it over one of the posts and the boys led the way.
The place was big with two large sheds with separate feeding and water troughs. There was the clinic that James had checked up Kovu in, an office and a small cottage with half walls and thatched roof that was used as a hangout spot according to the boys. By the time the tour was over I was thinking about all the ways I could help them shape up the place. It was not in the budget but I'm sure we could make a few compromises.
Jack had informed me that the place used to cater for a lot more animals but they were low on funding and the buildings were falling apart so they only took in the cases they could actually help. The painful part was when he told me they had to put down some animals when they couldn't treat them due to lack of medicine as an act of mercy. I was getting more and more convicted to help out. I spent a few more hours with the boys before I realized that I had spent almost four hours there and there was still no sight of James. The boys were great company though and we had bonded enough that I knew a little bit more about them. It was nice to know that instead of doing drugs like their age mates they were saving up money to go to college and it was very admirable.
I needed to go freshen up for my meeting with the elders so the boys walked me back to grab my hoodie. It wasn't where I left it and on looking for it we found Kovu snuggled up on top of it sleeping peacefully.
"Looks like he really got attached to your scent."Jasper chuckled.
"Can he keep it? I don't want it being a health hazard or anything."I asked getting ready to give up my hoodie to the furry ball of cuteness.
"Yeah there's no harm. Are your sure you want him to keep it though? It looks expensive."Jack asked.
"Yeah like my way of saying sorry for hitting him."
"Lucky bastard."Jasper mumbled under his breath earning him a light slap on the arm.
"Don't curse at my friend. Anyway boys I really have to go. Bye Tuba, Kisha,Margo, Edith and Agnes. See you guys another time."I waved still finding it funny how they got their names.
Jack and Jasper walked to me to my car. I got in, opened my glove box and retrieved two one thousand shilling notes and handed one to each boy.
"What are these for?"Jack asked wide eyed.
"This is me investing in your education. It's also a thank you for the good company today. I'll see you boys next time."I smiled and drove away leaving them fling doing a happy dance. I might as well be santa spreading joy one person at a time.
I drove back to the resort, took a shower and changed into a white T-shirt,blue ankara shorts and black sneakers. I put the shopping bags in the car and went in search of Saldona. I needed directions to the elders house.
There was another beautiful Samburu lady at the reception who smiled once she saw me.
"Hello Miss Kiarie. How may I help you this evening?"She asked and I didn't even have to introduce myself.
"Is Saldona around?"I asked.
"No she just clocked out but I will be happy to help you out with whatever you need."She offered politely.
"I need to get to the elders house and I don't know where it is."I asked.
She smiled and explained to me how to get there. Just to be safe she even drew me the directions on a piece of paper. I thanked her and walked to my car my directions in hand.
It wasn't hard finding the elders compound considering it was the only structure in the middle of a very bare piece of land. It was surrounded by a fence of dried sticks and growing shrubs. There were at least about thirty manyattas in the enclosure arranged in a line along the wall with one of them standing out more than the others. In the middle of the compound there was enclosures separated by stick fences all filled with livestock. I parked in front of the gate and got out of the car. I grabbed the bags from the passengers side before locking the car behind me.
I noticed people giving me strange looks but I just smiled kindly at all of them seeing as I was a guest. There were children playing inside the compound and they all stopped there activities to stare at me. I walked to the door of the largest hut and stood outside.
"Hodi. Kuna mtu nyumbani? "I greeted from outside in Swahili and waited for the response.
Hello. Is anyone home?
"Karibu. Eeh tuko."A female voice replied from inside before I heard some shuffling.
Welcome, we're home.
An old woman about age of my grandma got out of the hut and smiled when saw me. She was still straight as a pole with a few wrinkles on her face.
"Karibu mtoto wangu. Nikisudiaje?"She asked.
Welcome my child, how my I help you?
"Naitwa Lulu. Nimekuja kusalimia mzee wa boma."I introduced stating my intention.
My name is Lulu, I'm here to see the man of the house.
Her smile got even wider and she surprised me by speaking in pure English.
"We have been expecting you dear. Welcome to my home. I am Naeku, wife to Koinet. Welcome to my home."She greeted and I smiled at her.
James last name was Koinet too but I'm sure it was just a coincidence. It would be almost fate speaking to me if he ended up being the son of the chief elder.
Naeku called the two eldest boys about ten years old in the local tongue and said a few words to them. One of them came back with seats so I assumed that's what he had been sent for. I offered her what I had brought her and she showered me with blessings before asking the boy to carry the bags inside. We sat down and a few minutes later the other boy emerged for the back of the house with an old man in tow who I assumed was Mr Koinet himself.
Both husband and wife were dressed in red shukas and a lot of necklaces and bracelets.
His face lit up when he saw me and I stood up bowing in respect to greet him. He patted my shoulder and pointed back at my seat so we all sat down. He spoke fluent English as well.
"I've been awaiting your arrival. You've made me a happy old man by coming to my humble home. Feel very welcome."
"Thank you sir. It's an honor to be here."
"How are you liking the place so far?" He asked.
"Everyone is so kind and hospitable, I'm happy to be here."I replied and he smiled.
"Dear ask Namelok we have a guest. We need to celebrate so slaughter a goat for supper."He requested and before I could protest she was already off leaving me and her husband behind.
"Now let's discuss the matters that brought you here."He invited and I nodded grateful to discuss something important.
Looks like I was staying for dinner.
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I don't know any Samburu so we'll stick to Swahili and English.
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Love @Lyssah.
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