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| CT Ndurubu a.k.a. Guka |
I read a true story of a woman who was asked, 'what is the best thing about being 104 years old?' She replied, 'No peer-pressure'. The same could be said of my grandfather who at the time of his death last month was 95 years. To reach 95 years is a bonus these days and I will say that CT Ndurubu was a blessed man.
Death is never a good thing. It stings whether you see it coming or it creeps on you suddenly. My grandfather was ill for a while and while this was a bit normal for his age, he seemed to give up on life this time round. He lost the will to live. He said he was tired of being alive! What a thing to say...That is to say, death had nothing on him. He outlived death! He had no peers. Some of his children died and left him. As a parent, your wish is your child to bury you and not the other way round. The death of my grandfather hit me pretty hard. It felt and still feels as though I lost my identity. He was the remaining piece representing my father and having him alive and around was a subtle assurance that dad was still here. With granddad gone now, it feels like the last straw just went up in flames and there is nothing to show from whence I come. It feels as though I am an alien and I have no family to go back to. Though this is not true, (I appreciate my uncles, aunties and parents-in-law and the role they have played and continue to do) death has a way of reopening closed wounds and bringing it all back. I am grateful though that Guka lived a long and peaceful life. Not many get the opportunity. I choose to celebrate his life and legacy today on this blog post.
My grandfather (Dad's dad) was the full intellectual. He was a brilliant mind and among the few in his generation to get an education. He was a firm believer of education as the answer to all African problems. He attended Alliance High School and he seemed to revel in this fact a tad bit too much. He would often tell me repeatedly that he was taught mathematics by Carey Francis. Instead of telling me of the 'Mau Mau' stories, he would tell me how he did his 'arithmetic' as that generation would call mathematics. He would be excited every time whenever I told him that I had passed my exams especially mathematics. He would say that I took after my dad who was also known for his excellent academic results.
He loved to read. One time when his eyes started to fail him, he requested to undergo laser surgery to make him read. He was quite soft spoken and whenever we would visit him, he would talk to us for 15 minutes and go back to his room. He would then come back with Kshs 200 bob and give my brother and I to share. Later on, we would always go to Kariobangi South to 'see' him and get some cash. Speaking of K-South, this was my grandfather's residence. He never lived in 'shagz'. He was a postmaster and was working in Nairobi. Besides, he often said the cold in Murang'a was too much for him as he had asthma. I grew up in BuruBuru and K-south was just the estate next door. Looking back now, this was such a privilege. 'Shagz' was just a stone throw away. That was kinda cool in those days.
Guka had a VW Beetle registration plate KMT 341. He would tell us that he bought the car in 1969 and my uncle later told me that he had bought it from the CMC showroom. VW Beetle was the car of the 70s. It was the car for the middle class. Though I don't remember much about it, my cousins do have a story about it. I never got to meet 'cucu'. I was told that she died in 1977 and guka never remarried till his death. That is a long time to stay alone. I think he must have really loved her that there was no room for another.
As we prepared his burial, I came across his photo album. That is what I would call a collectible. His melancholic character made sure that it was perfectly labelled, each picture with the right caption handwritten. He even had his leaving certificate from Alliance High School in 1941 stuck together with the envelope that the cert came with. Looking at that album, I was so inspired and amazed at who he was. At that moment, I really wished that I had more time with him.
I must confess that I did not spend as much time as I would have loved with Guka. For that, his loss feels more profound but I am glad I got to see him 2 weeks before his demise albeit in hospital. This was the second time in as many weeks that I had seen him. He would call me, 'professor Njaaga' perhaps as his feeble attempt to remember who I was now that his memory had started to fail him. In fact he said he felt irrelevant in life as all his faculties had started to fail him. He would rather die than bother anyone with taking care of him. As long as he could read his newspaper and books, he was okay. When he no longer could do that, coupled with hearing challenges and a fading memory, he was ready to go. On Saturday 21st March, 2015 at around 4 p.m. he breathed his last at Mater Hospital. A chapter was closed.
As we buried him on 2nd April, 2015, he was eulogized as a great man. An honest man from the golden generation. He was feted like the patriarch he was. I will miss you guka and perhaps I will actualize that 'professor' dream you had of me as a tribute to your great legacy.
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| My all-time favourite photo-Guka with my dad at his graduation, 1978 |
