The Small Things In Life

“Paul, Paul?”

“Yes mama”

“Stealing sugar?”

“No mama”

“Telling lies”

“No mama”

“Open your mouth”

“aah, aah, aah”

The tradition was to always go through what I had learned at school at the end of every day as soon as mum came back from work. The rhymes were to make the session more enjoyable. Those I enjoyed given that I knew them.

However, I was used to "Jonny, Jonny" and not "Paul, Paul". Guess it was mum being creative. Needless to say, it felt nice using my name instead of Jonny. She had found me doing my homework, and after the exchange of pleasantries, the “Jonny rhyme”, now the “Paul rhyme”, she had gone to her room and I had resumed my numbers homework.

"Paul?” I heard her call minutes later.

I stopped what I was doing and dashed to her room, the retribution for being called more than once with no response was that I always ducked.

"Paul, will you kindly bring me a stick?” she asked politely.

I was sure one of my cousins was in trouble.   As it had always been, the person sent to bring the cane was the innocent one. I quickly ran to look for one knowing that if she was through with all she had to do, including disciplining one of my cousins, and I wasn’t through with my homework, I would get a fair share of the beating.

"Here you go mum", I said as I handed her the cane and headed to the living room to finish my work. I had no intentions of hanging around lest I follow the same path.

"Thank you very much", she responded.

Before I could get back to my homework, I heard her ask, “Paul, what did I tell you about telling lies?”

I quickly responded, “Liars go to hell and are burnt forever”

I had been told of stories about God and satan, Heaven and hell, and Heaven was the only place I intended to go to. I had no plans whatsoever to experience the endless flames that defined Hell. I had gotten burnt worse and I wouldn’t imagine going through that for eternity.

“So why did you tell me a lie?” she quickly fired

I was puzzled, confused, muddled, words cannot express the state I was in. What was she talking about, when had I told her a lie? I wanted to know what lie I had told, but at the same time I hoped that she had misunderstood me. I was ready to argue myself out of this; I was not ready to receive any canes on this fateful evening.

“What lie did I tell?” I confidently shot back.

“Kindly pass me that mirror”, she said pointing to a mirror at the furthest corner of the room.

What game was she up to? We were midway a supposed fight and she was asking for a mirror. I knew she always played out everything calmly, but this was not the time. I wanted this sorted and out of the way. I wanted to finish my homework and join my cousins who were now playing ‘dulu’ a game I always emerged a winner given the length of my fingers.

“What do you see in the mirror?” she asked as I reached for the mirror.

A quick scan of my face, revealed a few speckles of sugar above my upper lip. I was shocked by this revelation; I thought I had cleaned up well after taking a spoon or two of sugar earlier on, something we had been forbidden to do.

 At this point all the pieces to the puzzle fell in place, why she had started off with “Paul, Paul” instead of “Johnny, Johnny”. Why she had sent for a stick and why she had asked me why I had told her a lie. At this point in time I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I wished I could teleport or something of the sorts. The one thing my mum hated was telling lies, and here I was; as guilty as charged.

Spare the rod, and spoil the child goes a common saying. Needless to say what happened there after…….

Twenty years down the road and Mrs. Ruth Kavuma was emphasizing the four Way Test as she tagged the lapel 'pin onto my shirt. I was being inducted into the Rotaract Family. A group of people that were guided by principles; would I be able to uphold to these, or would I have a repetition of my childhood days. I knew that at this stage, it was too late to turn back, but to make the best of the moment and the times to come. I had crossed a line, and I had to live up to the expectations of those around me.

Viva la Rotary