Legacy I
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- Category: English: Novels
- Date Submitted: 09/24/2010 06:53 AM
- Pages: 17
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MY LEGACY – OUR LEGACY – PART I
“I don’t know papa. Maybe one day I’ll get married or something. What if I get married to a man who would wish that I join him and his family. What you are to hand over to me as your first born daughter is quite good, I love this farm dad, plus our home too, only that you are telling it to the wrong person. Am just a baby girl and baby girls don’t inherit such properties from their fathers. Why don’t you and mum try once again? Who knows? This time it might be a boy. Maybe I will sell it, and give Natasha her share.”
“I do what? No! Shakira I will not. Do you understand what I am giving you here? What your ancestors gave you? This shamba belonged to your great, great grand father. Then to your great grandfather, then your grandfather, and now me … I and your mother only planned to have two children, it didn’t matter to us whether they were girls or not. After all, your great grandfather only took charge of the firm by virtue of getting married to your great grandmother. It is your grandma who actually inherited this firm. Someday, you will be smiling as you give it to your son, or daughter,” Dad said, as he looked directly at me.
“Don’t you ever forget that.”
As he said this, he blinked his eyes hard and took a deep breath, thinking about how he should say what he had to say next.
“Okay papa,”
Was all I could say. The sun was going down then, giving everything an orange and yellow haze. Like I see girls my age do on TV when having such talks with their fathers, I wanted to hug him tight but being the traditional man he was, instead I picked up his walking stick from the ground and gave it to him. We headed to the house, walking side by side. My mind was racing.
I grew up on this farm; I loved the freedom, the space, and the quiet. Our father had quit his job back in the city, long before I was born - to manage the farm. I treasured how he made everything in the farm look and smell. And with...
“I don’t know papa. Maybe one day I’ll get married or something. What if I get married to a man who would wish that I join him and his family. What you are to hand over to me as your first born daughter is quite good, I love this farm dad, plus our home too, only that you are telling it to the wrong person. Am just a baby girl and baby girls don’t inherit such properties from their fathers. Why don’t you and mum try once again? Who knows? This time it might be a boy. Maybe I will sell it, and give Natasha her share.”
“I do what? No! Shakira I will not. Do you understand what I am giving you here? What your ancestors gave you? This shamba belonged to your great, great grand father. Then to your great grandfather, then your grandfather, and now me … I and your mother only planned to have two children, it didn’t matter to us whether they were girls or not. After all, your great grandfather only took charge of the firm by virtue of getting married to your great grandmother. It is your grandma who actually inherited this firm. Someday, you will be smiling as you give it to your son, or daughter,” Dad said, as he looked directly at me.
“Don’t you ever forget that.”
As he said this, he blinked his eyes hard and took a deep breath, thinking about how he should say what he had to say next.
“Okay papa,”
Was all I could say. The sun was going down then, giving everything an orange and yellow haze. Like I see girls my age do on TV when having such talks with their fathers, I wanted to hug him tight but being the traditional man he was, instead I picked up his walking stick from the ground and gave it to him. We headed to the house, walking side by side. My mind was racing.
I grew up on this farm; I loved the freedom, the space, and the quiet. Our father had quit his job back in the city, long before I was born - to manage the farm. I treasured how he made everything in the farm look and smell. And with...