Two years after his departure from Kenya, Musani inherited a few acres of land from his old father, who passed away. He was by ordinary standards living peacefully with his wife Agwa and his mistress, Angela, whom he had brought with him from Nairobi. He had now settled as a farmer.
The two women lived on separate compounds. Musani's father had advised him upon his arrival from Kenya never to have two women living on the same compound. It would be a recipe for endless quarrels, the old man observed.
Musani had followed his old father's advice and built a small semi-permanent house for his mistress in a compound opposite where he and Agwa lived.
Agwa was a tall, plump, and attractive woman. She was about twenty-eight years and had given birth to three boys and a girl. All her children had been born at Mubende.
Mukama, the eldest boy, had large protruding eyes with bushy eyebrows. At nine years, he was dark skinned. He was his father's favourite son because he was very obedient. Mukama loved telling his father whatever took place at their home, especially during his absence.
He was said to be his father's ear; his intelligence officer, so to say in official settings. It was probably this habit of reporting others that made him his father's favourite son.
His younger brother, Nsubuga, was aged seven years. He was a short and a dark-skinned boy who was quite troublesome. He had ringworms on his head, and his hair was brown and short. He liked quarrelling with children from the neighbourhood and so became one of the most hated boys in their village at the outskirts of Mubende.
His small eyes, which looked like those of Chinese, always made the village boys make fun of him when they touched the sides of their own eyes as they tried to pull and make them look small.
Bukirwa was the youngest boy aged five years. Small and light complexioned, he was quite a humble boy who always played peacefully with his brothers and even children in the neighbourhood.
It was for this reason that Agwa loved him. He was almost Jacob's size; he, too, was short and averagely built with sharp brown eyes. His black hair was short but always oiled.
Mire, their only sister, was aged three years. She was a little girl who was always crying for her mother's attention and never let Agwa take a rest. While her brothers were busy looking after cattle in the grazing fields next to their home, Mire could be seen playing outside near their mother's grass thatched kitchen.
A year after their arrival, Angela had given birth to a girl and named her Nabbu. It was her mother's name, and she felt duty bound to honour her mother. Although she was happy she had given birth to a girl, she knew Musani was expecting a boy.
She was also pleased Jacob now had a sister in place of his twin brother, who was hundreds of miles away from them.
When they arrived at Mubende and she observed the lifestyle in Musani's home, Angela realised she had to struggle hard to feed her own children. Musani could not even afford to buy his children good shoes, and they all had to settle for thongs.
At times, the children had to walk barefooted. Like Agwa, she also lived in a small semi-permanent house but on the opposite side of the compound where she kept her dog and pigeons. She was very far away from her relatives in Kenya, and there was no one she could confide in except God.
She believed the Lord had the solution to all her problems. She had dealt with her divorce from Alfredo. Now, she must deal with the problem of living with limited financial resources, a selfish husband, and a jealous rival; Agwa.
As a young girl, she used to go to church quite often, but over the years, the pressures of life had made her mind waver away from piety and religious life. When she recalled the days her parents would go to church with the entire family, Angela felt remorseful that she had deviated from the path her parents wanted her to follow.
Her good voice had made her a member of the church choir in her youth. But over the past few years, she had not gone to church, and this began to haunt her.
She still loved singing. It was then Angela decided to attend church every Sunday at the nearby St. Joseph Catholic Church and even joined the church choir. Going for mass every Sunday opened her eyes and made her experience a spiritual reawakening.
The gospel of repentance and forgiveness was always preached, and this touched her deeply. It hit her like a thunderbolt as she realised she had never led a good life. She would give Jacob, she decided, a good background in faith; the Catholic faith and teachings.
If she had failed the Lord, she imagined her son would not, and she was determined to make him lead a pious life. Little Jacob was now almost five years old.
Short and active with a fair complexion, Jacob was a boy who was very playful. He had found a friend in his stepbrother, Bukirwa. As time went on, Jacob and Bukirwa grew to like each other.
However, he knew the other step brothers neither liked him nor his friendship with Bukirwa. But this never bothered him much as he was always pleased with Bukirwa, whom he loved like a real brother.
Little as he was, Jacob was quite intelligent. He began wondering why the other two step brothers disliked him. His immediate guess was that there was something very wrong.
He always thought Musani was his real father but was quite surprised by the attitude of his brothers towards him, especially how they treated him.
Then, one day, Little Jacob began walking on the road, which would lead to his discovery of the truth about himself. It was Mukama and Nsubuga who led him to such discovery.
They had been playing when Nsubuga suddenly lept forward and struck Jacob on his face with his fist. Jacob was instantly shaken by his assailant's attack and attitude and asked, "Why have you hit me?"
"You're a bastard! You are always spoiling our game by playing badly."
But Jacob instantly knew his stepbrother was envious of his skills in various games as he had always beaten them. They hated him because of that, but as he stood facing his assailant, Jacob regarded Nsubuga's worn-out and dirty clothes coldly.
Jacob was now furious as he gazed at Nsubuga's brown eyes, and he retorted, "You're as jealous as your mother. Well, try it again, and you will see fire!"
Those words hurt Nsubuga, who swung himself at Jacob. But Jacob had seen him coming and was ready. As Nsubuga came forward with his clenched fist, Jacob closed in on him.
The two boys struck at each other several times before Jacob unleashed a hard fist, which whistled in the air and smashed against Nsubuga's jaw. He collapsed like an elephant and lay in a puddle of blood, and began to cry.
Mukama, who had been watching the fight with a lot of interest, suddenly joined in and went for Jacob when he saw his younger brother crying. Jacob knew he would be no match for Mukama, who was much older than him and was reputed to be the bravest and most aggressive among the brothers.
He decided to make a break for it. Mukama saw him running and decided to pursue his stepbrother. But Bukirwa, who had witnessed the injustice of his elder brothers against Jacob, also decided to join in the fight and act.
When he saw Mukama try to run after Jacob, he stretched out his leg, and Mukama became entangled and fell down on his face, sustaining injuries.
Mukama instantly knew Bukirwa had deliberately done that to stop him pursuing Jacob. Slowly, he rose to his feet swearing under his breath.
But Bukirwa quickly rose to his feet and broke into a run, following his friend Jacob. Mukama just stood there helplessly as he watched them run away and immediately realised Bukirwa had joined forces with Jacob against them.
"You're a son of a bitch!" He shouted at the top of his voice. "Don't think you'll get away with this. You'd better start thinking of going back to your father and leaving us alone. You're a bastard! Even your own mother doesn't know where your real father is."
"You greedy fool," Jacob hit back almost immediately. "You always come to my mother's house for more food even when you have already eaten at your mother's house."
But even as he hit back at his stepbrother, Jacob was really hurt. At that moment, it crossed his mind that Musani was not his real or biological father. Why, for instance, had the step brothers been hostile to him and showed open hatred? Jacob began wondering. And it was only Bukirwa and his own mother, Angela, who had shown him love and affection.
That same evening, he decided to report the matter to his mother. "Mama, Mukama, and Nsubuga really hate me. I know you hate gossip, but the truth is that they tried to beat me up this afternoon. But I overcame Nsubuga, and Mukama joined in. So I ran away."
"What happened? Tell me everything!" Angela demanded as she showed great concern at her son's complaints since she wanted to get to the root cause of the fight.
Jacob explained everything. He even recounted past incidents when his two step brothers were always hostile to him. "Were it not for Bukirwa, Mukama would also have hit me. They seem to be holding grudges against me."
Angela sighed. She knew her son as quite persevering and suddenly realised he must have been pushed against the wall. Then she spoke slowly, determinely but also wisely, "I'm not surprised they hate you. They're only your stepbrothers after all and are as jealous as their mother. Agwa has never liked my presence here ever since we arrived. But I am here to stay! Don't worry, my son, one day you will be great. Just trust in God."
"They said something else I didn't like, mama. Both Nsubuga and Mukama called me a bastard. Mukama even shouted that I didn't have a father around here. He even said you don't know where my real father is. Is that so, Mama? Is Musani not my dad?"
She was shocked by the little boy's report and the abuse. For a moment, Angela did not know what to tell her son, who was visibly hurt by his stepbrothers' hostility. Moreover, he now wanted to know his proper identity and background.
Suppose she told him? She began to reflect seriously. It would mean Jacob learning the truth about himself and then becoming disillusioned for the rest of his life. Still, he would one day have to be told, and the earlier it was done, the better.
Angela resumed talking, but this time, rather seriously; "Jacob, my little boy. It's true Musani isn't your real father. But you're not a bastard either. You had a father, too."
"Where is he?" The little boy's eyes suddenly lit, and he sounded very anxious to learn the truth. "Is he alive?"
But Angela decided against telling him the truth. The time was not yet right. It would only hurt him, she thought, and even disillusion him further or retard his growth into a fine young man. She decided she would only tell him the truth later and let him choose his own destiny.
"No. My son, your father died."
That did it. Jacob started crying when he saw he could never boast of having a father like his stepbrothers. Angela looked sadly at her crying little boy, not knowing what to do. Then she tried to comfort him.
"Don't worry, my son. One day, I will tell you everything and also the truth," she said, knowing she had erected a wall between the little boy and his own father; Alfredo Karahani.
* * *
That discovery about himself turned Jacob into an unhappy little boy. But his eyes were now opened. Worse still, he started keenly observing Musani's discriminative nature. He noticed this when his stepfather tried to inquire about his quarel with Mukama and Nsubuga.
Jacob explained everything to him, but Musani appeared dissatisfied and sided with his own sons. His prejudice was quite open.
"Leave Nsubuga alone. You're a naughty boy!" He snarled.
"But dad, he struck me first!"
"Shut up! And don't you ever call your father again. If you ever do it, I'll throw you out of my home. understand."?
"Yes," Jacob replied in a low voice.
But Musani's injustice shocked him, and he decided to keep quiet. Now, Jacob was convinced Musani was actually not his father. Had he not warned him against calling him him father?
As days passed, Jacob was to become even more disheartened by Musani's attitude. His stepbrothers did very little work in the maize and grazing fields and usually sat chatting the whole day. Jacob would watch Mukama's broad nose and unkempt hair and wonder why they were being unfair to him.
At times, their father would tell them to stop doing whatever they were doing and let Jacob finish the tasks, which included looking after cattle in the grazing fields, digging and planting as well as pruning the plants. The two brothers would sit chatting in their father's house while Jacob did the jobs on the farm. Or his stepbrothers would just go hunting for rabbits and guinea fowls in a nearby forest; a task they really enjoyed.
It was only little Bukirwa who was always by his side to help. But then Musani would occasionally intervene and warn his son, "Stop it! Why are you helping him? It's his job to do that. Jacob has to learn to live the hard way."
Then came the moment when Musani decided to take his children to school. Mukama, Nsubuga, and Bukirwa were all taken to a primary school in Mubende to begin their formal education despite their late entry.
Bukirwa, however, started crying when he learnt Jacob would not be accompanying him to school. From the distance of his mother's house, Jacob watched as Bukirwa and his brothers, who all wore blue khaki shorts,white shirts, white socks, and black shoes, were being led away.
Little Jacob decided to tell his mother that very evening when she returned from the market: "Mama, I also want to go to school! Bukirwa and his brothers have already gone."
Angela was shocked. Musani had not told her the day he planned the children would go to school. She listened keenly and decided to face him the following morning when he came to see her. But she knew she had to approach the subject quite tactfully.
"My dear," she began. "It's good you took the children to school yesterday."
"Is it?" He beamed happily and said, "Education has become quite important for children in today's world. I never had the opportunity, so let them have it. They'll get a place in life, or even good jobs when they complete school."
"What about Jacob? You never took him along with the others; yet you are his father. And I have been rising very early in the morning to do work on your farm with Jacob at my side," Angela challenged him.
Musani knew she was right. He had followed her daily schedule and saw her rise at five thirty in the morning, enter the fields with her son, work till ten in the morning, and then go to the market. But still, he did not want to give in easily to her demands and said, "He can't go! Who will take care of our cattle when Mukama and the others are at school? Jacob has to look after our the cattle."
Angela was immediately alarmed. Then it dawned on her that Musani had decided to enslave her son for the rest of his life. She had to free him. She tried to recall the occasions Jacob came complaining about Musani's bias, and this made her speak firmly, "He must go to school. He's a child like the rest. If you can't afford school fees for him, I'll have to do some kind of work or business to educate him."
That settled everything. Musani, who was poor but a proud man, never wanted his women to do jobs he thought were petty. He was also a sexist. Such working women, he thought recklessly, ended up becoming unfaithful.
He agreed to take little Jacob to school when he also remembered Bukirwa had been crying for his companion to accompany them. He was aware Angela usually kept herself busy in the village women groups, which elected her as the secretary, and it would be shameful to them not to have her children in school.
At school, Jacob emerged quite a brilliant boy. So clever was the little boy that he did better than Mukama and his brothers. Naturally, this displeased Musani, who began hating Jacob. He changed tactics and started discriminating against him by buying exercise books only for his children.
Jacob had no exercise books of his own, but their class teacher, who was impressed by his good performance at times, gave him a few books. Little Bukirwa also proved quite helpful on other occasions whenever he gave his friend some books.
Angela was happy and satisfied. Her son's performance at school was quite remarkable. But at times, she viewed everything sadly whenever she saw her son being sent to do the manual tasks on the farm while the other boys sat chatting on the compound.
"Never mind my son," Angela would often comfort her son. "One day God will raise you to be someone great, and even this jealous husband of mine will approach you for help. God bless you, my son!"
She introduced her son to church when the boy was in second grade; class two, so to speak. She wanted her son to grow into a pious man. Her belief was that God would make him successful in whatever he did; even his class work.
The seed of faith was planted in him at an early age. And surely, Jacob won several prizes as one among the best pupils in academics and extracurricular activities, much to the chagrin of Musani.
However, Musani knew there was nothing he could do since he had accepted to educate the boy. But he resorted to dirty tricks when he saw his children were dull at school.
The trick was simple: at the beginning of every term, he usually paid school fees promptly for his children. But he would often insist he did not have fees for Jacob and ask him to wait till he got money after selling some farm produce.
Jacob would go back to school almost a month after schools opened. In doing so, Musani hoped to retard Jacob's progress in class work. But to his disappointment, Jacob usually emerged among the top three pupils at school at the end of every term.
What he never knew was that Jacob always asked Bukirwa to give him the notes the students had copied each day whenever he returned from school. Jacob would spend most of his time at home copying, reading, and memorising the notes.
One day, Musani used a funny excuse to frustrate little Jacob. He started complaining about the poor performance of his children. "Why do you always come out among the last pupils in your class? Can't you be like Jacob? If anyone fails this term, he will have to reckon with me. And Jacob, you must make sure your brothers pass examinations like you do. Otherwise..."
Musani never bothered to finish his words. But Jacob had seen it. It was a veiled threat. He knew exactly what he was driving at. His stepfather was making an excuse so that he would avoid paying his school fees if the three brothers failed.
However, since Jacob was fond of Bukirwa, he started explaining to his friend the parts in the subjects he found difficult to understand. He also revealed his secret to good performance; regular evening studies as a sure way to remember facts before any examination.
Bukirwa usually thanked Jacob. He loved singing and would at times compose a song in praise of his friend who helped him solve difficult problems in mathematics and science. During such moments, he would ask Jacob to sing with him, but Jacob's voice could not match his.
But there was still bad blood between Jacob and the other stepbrothers; Mukama and Nsubuga. He never bothered to show them anything since he knew they were quite presumptuous boys who thought they could do well without his help. Yet they were quite dense and could not grasp whatever the teachers taught.
And so it was that at the end of the term, while Bukirwa's performance showed remarkable improvement, Mukama and Nsubuga, as usual, came among the last. Bukirwa had moved from position thirty to ten in their class.
That evening at their home, Musani was furious. "Why didn't you teach them, Jacob?"
"They never came for help. And they also don't like reading books. Reading seems hard work for them; so they dislike it."
"But you should be reading for them!" Musani shouted almost hysterically.
"How can I do that yet studying is what a person does for himself? They don't like studying. Nsubuga is just fond of boy scouts because of the uniforms he sees them wearing and their frequent trips outside school. Besides, Mukama and Nsubuga do not seem to have abandoned their old habits of hunting rabbits or gazelles; they often rise very early to go to the forest instead of reading their books."
"But I told you to teach them, didn't I? You're still a naughty boy. I shan't pay your school fees, and you shall not be given food in my homestead for a week."
Jacob saw the threat and remained silent.
Later that evening, Musani came to see his mother and began his accusations and complaints: "Your son is quite naughty. He has refused to teach my children. I won't pay his school fees next term."
Musani paused for a few seconds as Angela looked at him, surprised and then continued, "He must be taught a lesson never to disobey me. So, he must never eat here for a week. If I see or even hear that he has been given food in this house, I will throw the two of you out of my home."
"But when did Jacob become a teacher? Jacob is not the teacher; go to their teacher and ask him to teach them extra hard. What can Jacob do if your boys are not intelligent? Your boys should trust God and also work very hard. Jacob is only a pupil like them and...."
"Shut up!" Musani shouted.
He was fed up with her sharp tongue and preaching. He hated her frequent references to God, long prayers, going to church on Sundays, and her daily study or reading of the Bible. "If God can't help them, Jacob should do that."
"But Jacob can not take the place of God, my love. You know..."
"I will not listen to such nonsense. If he refuses to help my sons, he must be punished," he said but hoped her hot temper would not be triggered.
To ensure his threat was carried out, Musani camped at Angela's house for a whole week. Angela took the threat seriously when she realised her son stood to lose everything if she disobeyed him; so she complied with her husband's wishes, but inwardly was hurt and felt quite resentful.
But a man can neither expect a woman to mistreat her own son nor hope to destroy a woman's love for her child. Angela would occasionally wait when he fell asleep and quietly wake up Jacob to give him food.
But it was Bukirwa who proved quite helpful during that difficult time because he disliked discrimination or any form of oppression. He would take food from his mother's kitchen and leave the compound pretending to be heading for the shops.
Then he would beckon Jacob, who would follow him and find the food his friend had taken from his mother's kitchen. In this way, Jacob never starved when his friend and mother supplied him with food to counter Musani's inhumane behaviour.
He had a great ally in his stepbrother who was quite generous and sympathetic and always supplied him the needs others tried to deny him.
Despite expressing disappointment at the poor performance of his two sons and blaming it wholly on Jacob, Musani was pleased to see that Bukirwa's performance had remarkably improved. Suddenly, he realised he could never fully carry out his threat of eviction against Jacob since Bukirwa's performance would decline if the brilliant boy was not around.
Therefore, at the beginning of the new term, Jacob went back to school. Were Musani not hostile against him, Jacob would have tried to live in a comfort zone. But it was such hostility and prejudice against him that made Jacob start thinking seriously about his future.
Young as he was, he knew his mother would never be there always to protect him. With this in mind, Jacob worked even harder at school and always maintained his top position in class.
He had no doubt his fortune lay elsewhere in the distant future, but certainly not in Musani's home. Whenever he saw Musani coming to his mother's house, Jacob's heart became filled with hate for the man who despised him and treated him like an outcast or outlaw.
"Damn fucking old man," Jacob would murmur silently as he saw him approaching their home.