I have been looking forward to the day Kwezi begins to talk properly. What we have been doing are just a few clear words and other things that sounded like Chinese. I was curious about what kind of things she would be saying, the questions that she would be asking and her pronunciation of words. On the other hand, but on a very small scale, I was also tired of fielding questions about why she had delayed to talk unlike most children her age or even younger. The girl is four years old but some people have made me feel like she is 10. I was always taken aback by how people expected me to have an answer to that and I had learnt to brush it off. All she needed was time. Anyway, looks like the talking that we were all curious about is finally here. While I am thankful to God for this milestone, I am also surprised at the speed at which the words are falling out of her mouth. It is like a machine gun when someone orders ‘rapid fire’. I feel like I went to bed one day recently and woke up with a radio that was permanently turned on. I am seeing more and more of myself in Kwezi and I have been very happy that she has taken some of my traits. I won’t write them on this page because that would be weird but I was hoping that talking too much wouldn’t be one of them. On the other hand, I am glad that she is talkative. Talkative people are most times really vibrant and expressive and I am glad that she can say what she thinks. I feel like there are real opportunities for the generation after us to express themselves more openly and get results, something that our generation has struggled with due to cultural and political reasons. While we are finally talking, I am also getting headaches from so many questions and opinions. Everything I say has a comeback response. It’s as if she has been keeping all the words in a suitcase somewhere and she is now ready to open the case and get everything out. I sometimes wonder what my neighbours think of me because I feel like I am now in between talking and screaming every evening. I always wonder if they think that I am arguing with an adult and laugh at the thought of them thinking about how we must be a weird couple since I am laughing one minute and shouting another. Having said all that, I must admit that this is my best milestone so far and I am really having fun hearing my Kwezi order us around. editorial@newtimesrwanda.com
