Time is one of the most precious commodities. A finite resource whose every minute is irreplaceable. In a relationship, especially at the beginning, typical feelings are experienced: the feelings are raw, butterflies camp in one’s tummy, the map of Africa is drawn with one’s feet. 

For Philip and Liz, spending time together, even before they started dating, blossomed into a 13th year marriage.

While Liz had been working at Strathmore University for quite some time, Philip was recruited as a choir master at the Chapel in 2007, a part time job that later transitioned into him being a full time staff.  During this time, Liz and Philip interacted quite often, from singing together at mass, to consultations, to assignments becoming joint tasks…little did they know that kismet story was about to begin.

Come 2008, when Strathmore University was being granted a Charter by the former President of Kenya, the Late Mwai Kibaki, Liz had access to a few special invites and thought to herself, why not invite him to be part of this auspicious occasion? Honouring the invitation meant he had to call his tailor and get a suit fitted for the occasion. “He looked pretty good, I must say,” Liz says, glancing at Philip who grins at her.

“He always made it a point to see me everyday.  When he used to work at a company located in town. After work, we would meet in a restaurant in town and have countless cups of coffee with a samosa and a slice of cake. We became frequent customers at some of the restaurants that security guards and waiters, and probably the chairs and tables, had our names engraved in their minds. If they were to have a marketing campaign, we would be brand ambassadors, or now, the so called influencers.  We showed up, side by side, already chatty and giggling, securing our usual spot. If either of us arrived earlier than usual, without the other, they would wonder kama tumeachana. I remember this one time (in the age of no mobile phones) when I was 4 hours late to our date. Oh boy wasn’t he worried about what could have possibly happened! I had left work late and the Nairobi traffic ate up the time.

We talked about life, career aspirations, politics, visions, personal growth and development… the list was, still is, endless. Entranced by our conversations and not cognisant of the time, we would often be interrupted by the servers… “Excuse me, we are closing in the next 20 minutes, here is your bill...” while slowly slipping the booklet with the receipt, probably scared that we would attack them for ruining our special moments. Closing of one restaurant did not stop us from hopping onto the next restaurant just to finish our interrupted conversations.

Back in the day, Arboretum and Uhuru park were the ideal date spots. Thronging with couples and kids patiently queuing to ride the boats, we, too, waited in line to enjoy peddling the boat. We sat under a small shade to shield ourselves from the scorching Nairobi sun and continued to add to the number of words we human beings have to say in a day. I bet we surpassed those figures.

Oh! Not to mention the late night calls. Safaricom and Airtel probably have our names marked somewhere in their log books because we utilized the storo bonus offers between 11pm and 12am. We never lacked something to talk about. We had endless stories.

Marriage and Family life 

29th January 2010. A Friday afternoon. We tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony at Don Bosco Church alongside our family members and the church. 13 years down the line, we still spend time together. At least thrice a week, at 11.15am, we have lunch together at the Cafeteria. 

In 2010, we were blessed with bundles of; our first born child, Gabriella. Then came Raphael in 2011 and Mikaella in 2013 and Mariella in 2019.

“CBC parents.” They laugh, probably reminiscing on the numerous assignments the kids bring home for them to help. “We have been taking up family and marriage enrichment programs that push us to be better versions of ourselves and intentional about parenthood and marriage.

 

Grateful for the amazing 13 years! Here’s to growing old and wrinkled together.”

 

This article was written by Jemmy Kamau.

 

 

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