Stephen, also affectionately known as "Katani" was my brother. Not sure how my
sister Gertie came up with the alias but it stuck and in the end everyone called
him Katani including myself. Stephen was a genius. He was so smart both
academically and worldly I would stop and wonder how someone so small would have
such huge brains. I remember Stephen being so young and tiny among the giants in
STD 8. In those years there would be lots of young women and men repeating the
class for the 5th or 8th time as it was hard to get selected to a national
secondary school. But not our Stephen. He cruised past his schooling passing
every class. He was the only one among the Jijide grand children who never got
chastised for failing in school. Stephen was so streetwise and sadly that would
become his weakness that led to his making wrong choices and downfall
eventually. Today I'd like to dedicate this blog to Stephen and his fourty six
years of gracious life. Short, but purposeful life. Today I want to remember
Stephen as the eversmiling, kind, softspoken teenage boy I last saw in the late 80s. Today I chose to forget all Stephen's weaknesses and focus on the good he
did in his short life on earth. Stephen was a pure soul. He had so much love...
Children were his greatest weakness. He loved children so much he would spend
his last cent getting them treats. Whatelse would characterise purity in a human
being than love? Stephen also loved his family. He would make sure he went
around visiting aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, cousins and would always carry
gifts. The last time I saw him was in the late 80s. I was about 7 or 8 years
old. He came to our grandmother's house and spoiled all of us with sweets snd
chocolates. He also gave us money for more sweets before he left. That is my
last proper memory I have of him. Now thanks to WhatsApp we were reconnected in
2019. Thirty something years later... I would speak to him every so often when
he visited Verily. One day I asked him to send me a picture of himself as I
wanted to remember how he looked like. He told me he would take the picture the
following day as he wanted to groom himself first. I laughed. That is how the
photo in suit came about. I'm glad I asked him for it. For that would be the
last time I'd ever speak to him again. Fare thee well my genius eversmiling
brother... You left us with so many valuable life lessons especially that of
unconditional love. Sleep soundly Stephen, till we see each other again...
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