Communication Skills Audio Lessons

Lessons

Monday 29 May 2017

THE CUP OF BITTERNESS

EDWIN KIPTANUI CHIRCHIR edchirchir@yahoo.com edchirchir85@gmail.com


Mike was in a jovial mood on this particular night. The thoughts of the previous night were still fresh in his mind. It had been a night full of love, lust, infatuation and debauchery.

 He still could not believe how lucky he was. It had been only the previous night, when he had checked into a club in town. He had proceeded to nurse a bottle of vodka while trying to forget Lavender. Lavender was his workmate, a beautiful lass with curves at the right places, who had declined his request for a date. He was a wounded lion. He still could not understand why Lavender, who kept stealing glances at him in the office, could not just agree to his request. Even his male workmates were in agreement that Lavender had a crush on Mike. But, he was not going to spend the whole night crying. He was going to nurse a vodka bottle instead.

But, an unexpected miracle happened. While still deep in his thoughts, a young lady had approached Mike's table. She had requested to join Mike, in such a respectful manner that Mike had no choice but to oblige.

"Hi I am Grace, may I join you?" the lady asked.

"Yeah sure, I promise to be as harmless as is humanly possible." Mike responded and the lady laughed, revealing the most beautiful set of teeth and this could only mean that Mike had scored some redeemable points.

After exchanging some niceties, Mike discarded his earlier thoughts about Lavender, as he warmed up to Grace, a lady who was  a true prototype of the statement 'fearfully and wonderfully made'

To make sure he did not lose his new catch, Mike engaged all his mental faculties to make sure he was as funny as possible.

After great laughter, sharing of drinks and exchange of phone numbers, the lady made the night more exciting. Sitting across the table from Mike, she removed her right shoe and started caressing Mike on the inner thigh with her soft and smooth leg. Mike became hyper sensitive. His blood started boiling and migrating downwards from his brain to his lower abdomen and his mind went bonkers. He made up his mind that he had to devour Grace that same night and Grace played along very well.The rest of the night could only be described using two words. It was a night of 'great passion.' A night when the stars clapped while the angels shook their heads, as a young man went about the business of satisfying his loins, right there under the beautiful night sky.

His train of thoughts were interrupted by Grace's phone call.

"Hello darling?" Mike responded with fitful excitement, yearning for a repeat of the previous 'match.'

"It was nice meeting you Mike." Grace said over the phone. "But please, make sure you check into a hospital soon and get tested okey?"

"What?.......What do you mean?........Grace........hello?" Mike attempted to speak as Grace hung up and the stars stopped clapping while the angels covered their mouths in shock!

The statement from Grace paralysed Mike to the core. He had heard about these things before, but he had not imagined that it could happen to him.

Yes, stories had been told of women infected with H.I.V who slept with as many men as possible, to intentionally infect them. Stories of women who after infecting as many men as possible, went ahead to create a list of all her victims. But to Mike, such stories always seemed far fetched from reality. To him they were just misfortunes which happened to other people. It is funny how as human beings, we always think we are unique, when presented with certain realities of life.

Mike had not known that the lady who had shown him so much love, was actually a wolf in sheep skin, a wolf whose main intention was to devour as many men as possible. She was merciless and in pursuit of an evil mission. A mission to ensure that all men drank from her cup of bitterness.

And indeed, Grace was a bitter woman. She was the kind of woman who believed that all men are dogs. A woman who had swore by her breasts to punish all men, especially because one of them had infected her with H.I.V when she was still a naive University student, fresh from high school and from then on, the dark angel of bitterness and vengeance dwelt in her.

She recalled the time she joined Mfangano University. She was an excited little bird with no worldly limits. A whole future was before her. She had her freedom, away from her parents. That was when she fell into the trap of falling in love with a smooth talking man who was driving a fuel guzzling German machine. She spared nothing of herself as she went the full length to entertain the man in body, spirit and mind. She cared not about protection and was in fact more scared of pregnancy and disease. The man promised her an easy way out of poverty, but before she could say H,she was already H.I.V positive.

So, here was Mike a possible H.I.V victim, alone in his room, unable to think. He was feeling weak on the knees, thanks to the chilling message from Grace. Grace on the other hand was smiling. An evil smile full of sadism and vengeance. So far she had infected twenty five men and was still hunting for more victims. Her revenge mission spared no one, whether old or young, rich or poor. She had even succeeded in ensnaring some men of the cloth in her trap. Men of God who only got saved in their heads, but not below the belt.

Indeed, three months later, Mike tested H.I.V positive, but after much counselling and self reflection he decided to bear his burden alone. He was not going to embark on a revenge mission, with an aim of infecting as many ladies as possible. He chose the path of forgiveness, where he did not want to punish all women for the sins of one of their kind. Unfortunately, Grace on her part was still on the rampage.


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Wednesday 24 May 2017

THIS THING CALLED LOVE

EDWIN KIPTANUI CHIRCHIR edchirchir@yahoo.com edchirchir85@gmail.com


PICTURE CREDIT: PIXABAY



At what point in time does love mutates and becomes madness? (Insert a loooooooooong pause). I ask this question because on 23rd May 2017 on Radio Jambo I listened to a program called 'Patanisho' (reconciliation).

A woman was calling to reconcile with a former boy friend, who had apparently moved on with his life and even got himself a wife and for a guy to get a wife, it means he has really moved on, hence you (the lady) should also get a life. But the woman desperately begged the guy to take her back even if as a second wife. Can you imagine? She was ready to play the second fiddle in the relationship or she probably hoped that she could coax the guy around and regain her former first position in the guy's heart. Take note that the lady has no child with the guy, hence no strings attached.

The lady had claimed that she had even quit school because she was totally in love 'head over heels' with the guy. I am not jealous, but what on earth did this guy ever do, that the girl cannot forget? I know the brain of some evil minded reader some where is already working overtime on this matter.

The Radio host (Gidi I believe) then went ahead to ask the listeners, whether they have ever done anything crazy in their lives because of love. Ahem! Cough! The things ladies do ...cough!.... for love ...cough! cough! (Insert evil laughter here)  

One lady narrated how she once fought her boy friend who happened to be a boxer, in a club somewhere, when she got wind that he was entertaining some giggling girls and the most likely inebriated crowd cheered and even clapped! (standing ovation guys, this deserves the National Anthem and three gun salute). I mean, it is not every day that anyone can get the opportunity to knock down a guy who has tasted the boxing ring.

There was a lady who claimed that when she was a high school student sometime back, she would travel all the way from Nairobi to the Western   Region of Kenya, with her school fees, just to enjoy it (the money) with her boyfriend (a fellow high school kid who was probably still shedding his milk teeth). Here she was, engaging in adult adventures instead of cramming the periodic table or massaging the egos of some 'naughty' mathematical formulas.

Another lady said that there was a time she would be given around Ksh 5000 school fees, but instead of heading to school, to hug test tubes and bunsen burners, she would look for her boyfriend and donate Ksh 3000 shillings, in return for kisses, hugs and probably a 'God bless you honey' kind of statements. The funny thing? None of the above relationships led to marriage.

So my question is, was that love, infatuation or desperation? How far can one go just to sustain a relationship where one party takes all and the other party gives all? Should we treat such acts as a 'special kind of madness' which requires the attention of psychiatrists? Just thinking, and it is not a crime to think. 

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Tuesday 9 May 2017

MISSING CHILD

EDWIN KIPTANUI CHIRCHIR edchirchir@yahoo.com edchirchir85@gmail.com

PICTURE CREDIT: PIXABAY


Trust a missing child to drive the women crazy in the neighbourhood. Every woman and a number of men get extremely worried. Prayers are said in silence, rumours are peddled around. You will hear stories about a new church in the neighbourhood which sacrifices children. You will hear things about children being stolen and sold in Tanzania, to support the activities of those who trade in the area of witchcraft. You might even hear whispers of real names being peddled around as the main suspects of witchcraft and child trafficking.

So, last week in my Kitengela neighbourhood, where I spend most of my school holidays, a neighbour's child got lost mysteriously. One minute the boy was playing with other children and the next minute he was nowhere to be seen. 

You should have sees the mother at around 7 pm, running up and down the dusty roads, searching for the lost child. She searched under vehicles, in the bathrooms, on rooftops, under stones, inside most houses, on top of trees and under trees.

She (the mother) even summoned all the children in our compound and ordered them to produce her one year old son. She spoke in Kikuyu, Swahili and English languages simultaneously. She scratched her head several times. She was trembling uncontrollably. At some point she wanted to cry. She even accused a certain guy for always failing to close the gate whenever he comes into the compound.

Everyone within the compound was worried, some genuinely and some out of a sense of collective responsibility in the children's care and safety. After all, we are neighbours and we are expected to weep when our neighbour is weeping.

Now, listen here. There is this guy who happens to be a drunkard, who lives in our compound with his wife and children. Being a weekend, his wife was out at the market buying some household items, while his sons were out there having a good time around the neighbourhood.

Being a generous man, the children in the neighbourhood refer to this man, who loves the beer bottle as 'Uncle' because he always buys sweets for all the children within the compound.

When the search party, led by the lost boy's mother was almost giving up, uncle staggered out of the house with the 'lost' boy. Apparently, 'Uncle' had been entertaining the young boy (he likes playing with children) in his house. The boy had strayed into his house when 'Uncle' was drunk and alone and he had entertained him for some time, before he was overwhelmed by his drunkenness and he slept heavily. The boy stayed on, because he felt safe in the presence of 'Uncle' whether asleep or awake. The one year old boy stayed on, unaware that his mother was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, after looking for him everywhere and expecting the worst. I smiled, as the commotion died down. I smiled knowing that at least, the incident came to a happy and hilarious conclusion.

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