FREDRICK BEINOMUGISHA: The first ‘kwetega’ experience of 2022. The lady of 1995 realises she’s just getting old for marriage

There’s a lady who recently contacted me for a casual meeting. Probably to discuss about why both of us aren’t yet married. But, (hopefully ‘someone’ doesn’t find out this story.)

She called me in the afternoon and I hadn’t eaten anything but working and this is the situation most fellow young men are going through and with such responsibilities like this I am about to narrate.

I last saw Helen in our last Primary Leaving Examination paper and while I was coaching myself on how I would see her very clearly, my guardian was just waiting for me outside and that was the end of the deal.

So Helen called me on a recent hungry afternoon. An unknown number rings and a desperate sweet voice comes in, “hello Fred, this is Helen.” And because I don’t want to discourage a sweet voice that I don’t know her, I start stammering, “yesss Hel e e een, how are you?” “How are you? Do you know me? I am Helen Karugire..” Oh! My God, I just got satisfied. That lunch was enough for two days.

We talked and concluded with an appointment date for a causal outing and which she proposed herself. Yes, this year is for kwetega – I had this in my mind and I was not perplexed why a beautiful girl like the Helen of my P7 fourteen years ago would be doing this today. Call a man for a date.

I had sent Facebook messages to Helen in our s4 vacation, s5, s6 and s6 vacation but she read them but never answered. At campus I wrote her a handsome poem but she treated it the same way. So I confirmed that I was indeed forgotten as MC. Africa of Twende Tupaate.

Helen still remembers my birthday and I just realised that she had proposed the outing on this same day. But what is most interesting, today she replied all the Facebook messages I sent 9 years ago.

I hear that she sold like hot cake in her late teens and early twenties. Her only aim was to look good and enjoy life and indeed she did. And this is the exact situation my female age mates, old classmates, childhood village mates are going through. They are waking up to the realisation that they are in their late twenties and have remembered they should have got married some years ago.

Back to the real story.. On 11th February I have an appointment with my forgotten friend and probably a romantic one or at least with intention to drive me to that direction but remember on 14th I promised the person who’s been there when my Facebook messages were answered and then today I got a job appointment on 11th February. So that’s how busy I am.