Dear nephew Milambo
Greetings from this land where a stranger might be forgiven if he thought most residents of this confused city smoke illegal substances.
My dear nephew, l hope by the grace of Liwelelo you and your family are doing well, and all the people in my beloved Ukumbisiganga.
My dear son, we on our part thank Limatunda and all the Nyamwezi ancestors for protecting us and providing for our needs.
We are grateful too that for some days now the rains have stopped, because even now people are still reeling from the effects of the last rain which wreaked havoc in many parts of the country.
But even as we thank the gods from unleashing the terror of rain on us, we are still undergoing torture from the sun my dear boy.
My dear nephew, l don’t understand why these gods of the sun in this part of the country seem to be bent on making sure that we suffer accordingly.
As l am writing this, the sun outside is blazing like a ball of hot fire, and going out has become a risky affair, because chances of dehydration are high.
Just a few minutes ago I went to the car to get a document l had forgotten in the glove compartment and l screamed when my hand came into contact with the car.
Your cousin Yassin forgot to park the car in the garage and instead left it outside under direct sunlight, and you know that the car is black in colour and you know how black reacts to direct sunlight.
My dear nephew, when I touched the car, it felt as if l had placed it on a hot iron, because it was so hot l thought it had scathed my skin.
I am sure it was possible to fry an egg on top of the bonnet in a matter of minutes.
We also thank Limatunda because for the last three or four days we have not experienced power cuts, because it would have been a disaster my dear boy.
I don’t know whether the grace of Liwelelo has befallen on those fellows who usually disconnect power, but whatever it is we are really grateful, because it was also beggining to irritate my nerves.
My dear son, I don’t know whether people in my beloved Ukumbisiganga have been afflicted with the current disease called ‘Red Eyes’, because in this terrible city it is wreaking havoc.
This disease is strange my son, because it makes its victims look like drug addicts who are hooked on smoking illegal substance called the weed.
This disease, my dear boy, is characterised by red, watery eyes, and has been identified as a form of conjunctivitis, which is highly contagious but generally not severe in nature.
I was talking to that doctor friend of mine, who assured me that it is important to emphasise that this condition is usually self-limiting and rarely causes long-term complications to the eyes and therefore needs not to cause alarm.
He said that to be on the safe side, one is advised to frequently wash their hands and keep off touching their face, disinfect high-touch surfaces and not share personal items like towels.
That is why since the outbreak of this strange disease, your aunt has been very careful on the general hygiene in the house, insisting that I should wash my hands from time to time, which is why I believe it is the reason none of us has been infected.
The doctor friend of mine told me that those affected are advised to self-isolate to reduce spread, because he said it is highly contagious.
He told me that in case I feel like any of us has developed mild symptoms, he advised to use a wet face towel over the eyes, saying that persons with severe symptoms, which includes redness, discharge, swelling and bleeding should seek urgent medical attention.
Anyway, we believe that Limatunda and all the Nyamwezi ancestors will make sure that we are all safe, because l can’t imagine at my age people thinking that l am a weed smoker.
Your cousin Yassin will be leaving next week, but he will come back before August because there is a project l want to involve him.
I still thank Limatunda because my son has finally grown up, because you will remember how it pained me to see how he was wasting his life.
For the short time he has been here we have been trying to recover lost time by creating a father and son bond which was not there because of his character, that is why just the other day we slept very late as we talked on the balcony.
I am happy because l have also realised that the boy is very bright, which was overshadowed by his use of drugs.
He told me how fond he has become of you, which gives me great joy because you are both my sons, and it gives me great pleasure to see the two of you getting along after so many years, that is why l want to see the two of you working together before the ancestors summon me in their presence.
Anyway, let me stop here my dear boy, because we are supposed to take your little sister to the doctor for a follow up, although l want to convince your aunt to go with Yassin, because to be honest with this heat l just feel comfortable sitting under this tree.
Please say hi to your family and all the people of my beloved Ukumbisiganga, tell them l miss them so much.
May Limatunda and all the Nyamwezi ancestors watch over all of you my dear son.
