Chapter 1:Put Together
Chapter One: Put Together
The campus in Eldoret always smelled like dust and rain.
She walked across the green field in her green tracksuit, books under her arm. The red-roofed buildings behind her, the blue umbrellas scattered like patches of sky on the ground.
"Hey! Smile!" her classmate called, phone up.
She did. Automatic. Teeth, eyes, everything in place.
That night, the photo went up with the caption: "Blessed and focused."
Comments flooded in. "Proud of you!" "Future doctor!" "Keep going, sis!"
She wore the yellow sweater that evening, too. Cold air, empty road, streetlight behind her. Another photo. Another smile.
From the outside, she was put together.
Inside was different.
At 2 am, she lay staring at the ceiling. The room was quiet except for the fan.
"Is this it?" she whispered to no one. "Class, exams, post, repeat?"
There was no crisis. No breakdown. Just a quiet emptiness, like a cup that looked full but was hollow.
She didn’t tell anyone. "Put together" girls don’t say they feel empty.
