January has been tough. Money is tight, and as a hustler, I barely make enough to survive. My wife understands, or so I thought. Every evening, I come home exhausted, but somehow, she looks even more beautiful—fresh hair, new nails, even fancy meals on the table. When I ask her, she smiles and says, “Ni pesa ya chama.” But surely, how much money do these chamas give? On 24th, she surprised me with a pair of brand-new Nike shoes, even though my old ones are still good. But love is about trust, right?
On the 27th, I decide to surprise her. I leave work early, excited to spend some quality time with her. But as I reach our plot, something catches my eye—a Lexus V8, a big machine, parked right outside. Hakuna mtu hapa kwetu mwenye hiyo gari. But I brush it off and climb to the third floor, eager to see my wife. When I reach the door, it’s locked… from the inside. Strange. I knock. No one opens.
Then I hear it. “Oh God! Harder! Harder!” My wife’s voice. My stomach drops. My hands start shaking. Moyo wangu inagonga mbaya. I feel like someone just punched me in the chest. I stand there, frozen, unable to move, unable to breathe. My worst fear is happening behind that door. I don’t scream. I don’t knock again. I just turn around and walk away, my legs weak, my heart shattered into pieces.
Down at the parking lot, I try to catch my breath, to make sense of it all. and the man who was in my house gets into the car. He looks at me. I look at him. No words. No fight. Just silence. Maskini mimi. Wacha hata nisiongee mingi… 
#vincentkipkoech