SANDS OF TIME

THE FORGOTTEN WARRIOR

Amos was filling large gunny bags with saw dust.

“Do it quickly, bend, I want to see that hill growing higher and higher, higher than your mother’s breasts.”

Amos stopped working to have a look at the supervisor. The youth was angry.

“Bend boy bend, you refused to go to school. If you did, you would be sitting in an office, a pen in hand.

Amos was twenty two years old. Following the love of money he had dropped out of school and had ran away from home to search for a job. His first port of call was a local tea factory and he got a job as a lorry driver’s helping hand. He worked at the tea factory for two years before joining the transport industry as a bus conductor for another two years. His bus was grounded with Engine problems. Amos spent all his savings as he waited for the bus to be repaired. In the end he had no choice but to take any job which came along. That is how he landed at this saw mill situated at the edge of Kamae forest in Kiambu county Kenya.

The supervisor came along again shouting as usual. “This is the place for young men like you who drop out of school. Work like a man.”

This shouting from the supervisor had gone on for nearly a year. One day Amos made up his mind. He had dropped out of school six years earlier. That day he reported to work and went straight to the cashier’s office.

“I have come for my wages.” he told the cashier. The later looked up from a ledger book,

“I didn’t hear you well you said?’

“My wages,” Amos repeated. “That is what I’ve said.”

“You know very well that we hand out money after a fortnight. It’s eight days since you received your last coin, why don’t you wait till Saturday?’

“I can’t wait till Saturday. I am leaving now.”

“You won’t work again?’

“I am leaving right away.”

After a long argument Amos was handed a wage bill equal to eight days. He went to his rental house, packed up and headed home.

After the usual welcoming words to a prodigal son, Amos spoke out his heart.

“Father, I want to go back to school,”

“Young man, are you out of your mind?’

“I mean every word, I have said.”

“Yes I agree, you will join the village polytechnic where you can study an art such as carpentry, pottery or masonry.” His father said after much thought.

“I am not for that” Amos said. “I am going back to primary school where I stopped.”

“Standard six? will you remember to hold a pen the way you were taught?’

“You have said it” Amos said.

The father looked at his son for a long time, was the youngster abusing hard drugs. He shook his head negatively. Maybe someone else could help him.

“We are going to that school you left six years ago this afternoon.”

“I have brought my son to you.” The father told the school’s master. “May he tell you what he told me a few hours ago.” He kept quiet so that the son could speak.

“I wish to go on from where I stopped.” Amos said

“Where did you stop and when?’

“Six years ago in class six”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty two.”

“You said twenty? You will be the oldest student in the whole school. Will you respect teachers who are your age mates?”

“Let’s try.” Amos answered.

“Do you have books? Both text and exercise?”

“I have some money to buy a few books,” the youth replied.

“If you are ready to learn, go and buy books and come back on Monday.

The head master released Amos and asked his father to be patient for a few minutes.

“Buy him the school uniform and a pair of black shoes. Let us see whether he is serious.”

“I shall do that tomorrow. I shall take one of my goats to the market, that will cater for everything.” The father replied and rose to leave.

“Do not buy shoes for me, I have two pairs. Buy a table lamp instead.” Amos told his father when he escorted him to the market the following day.

He joined standard six in third term. He studied hard, He wrote one composition and a Kiswahili essay each school day and asked different teachers to analyze his command of Languages. In addition he solved ten mathematical problems daily. He wrote the end of the year examination and when the results were out he was ranked sixteenth in a class of forty eight.

Schools close for December holidays, but Amos decided to read a lot during that holiday. He covered most of the class six syllabus, sleeping at eleven and working up at three o’clock! His parents saw his determination and made sure he had enough kerosene for his lamp and a quiet room to study in. On some days he worked as a hired laborer in the village in order to earn some pocket money.

By the time he was leaving standard Seven, Amos was one of the best five students in the class. When he joined class eight he concentrated on education and started topping the class.

He wrote the national examination in the year 1992 and passed well. He had garnered good marks to join a provincial school.

He worked hard from the first day he joined high school. He would sleep well and wake up at four O’clock to go through the pages of his books till eleven O’ clock.

Amos wrote the 1996 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination at the age of twenty eight. He passed well and joined a private university which sponsored him. He studied arts and later joined a public university to study education; he holds a diploma in the same.

Today Amos is a principal of a high ranked high school in Muranga county.

He takes home a good salary and is the proud father of three daughters.

You can become whatever you want in life.