Memories

my mom is the kind of person who sits with you all night if you're too sick to lay down and go to sleep. my earliest memory of her is holding a brownie splattered beater out the window and cooing my name until I came riding around the corner on my tricycle to collect the indisputable treat. she's not only generous but noble and strong. I remember her playing tennis at Parklands sports club the way she so controlled and commanded the ball where to go. It scared me a little the first time I realized she had such force within her. I had never seen this less diminutive side of her unleashed so gracefully. Or maybe it was the fear that I sensed in her opponents! She would allow me and my brothers to be ball boys sprinting across the bright red dirt court or give us a few Kenya shillings to run and get sodas from the bar. I have a lot of memories where I know she was around but wasn't very clear what she was up to. I knew for certain that she was never far away, always ready to come running and rescue me if I broke my wrist or got stung by a bee. Or she'd be busy making sure there was a good meal waiting for us at the end of the day. One time after summiting mt kenya and driving all the way home with my dad and brothers, she was there with a thick chicken noodle soup to greet our wearied bodies. I'll never forget that meal or many of the others that we ate together as family. Home was a warm place for me, as it should be thanks to her. Only now do I realize how rare and special that was. One time while I was being homeschooled we had our morning chai around 10am sitting out on the green grass in the backyard. She was telling me how she would miss living in that house because we needed to move across town. It was a vulnerable moment that I appreciated. I know she was also thinking of me. Like the time we gave our dog away and I cried so my parents went to take it back from the new owner! I always felt that my parents would take care of me even if were driving through a riot or didn't have water and electricity. I never felt nervous. Somehow they would find a way to make everything better. One of the funnest memories I have was a time when my dad took my two older brothers to climb mt kenya and we bought treats from the store and watched movies together. It was great.