Embarrassing moment:Breaking bread gone bad

After joining Form One, I encountered bad bullies and life was rough. I lived in constant fear. The big boys would pick my clean shirts and shoes and force me to wash their dirty ones and every time we went to the dining hall, they used to eat all the meat and the best part of the meal only leaving the cabbage and ugali for me. Because of this, I used to buy a half a loaf of bread that I would eat after the night preps while everyone else was asleep, else the big boys would demand for it.

On this night, after the nights went off, I crept under the sheets and started eating my dry ‘kanusu’. I was cutting big pieces so as to do away with it fast. But then, because it was real dry, I started choking. I jumped out of the bed screaming ‘help!’. The entire dormitory woke up, everyone thinking a thief had come in only to find out that it was this ‘Form One’ having bread issues. I was punished staying awake all night with my legs in a basin of cold water.

-Kyalo, former Machakos School student.