Chapter 1 The beginning
Furaha was born in a mountainous city in the Eastern part of Africa called Arusha in Tanzania. Locals refer to the city as "Jiji ya Arusha" in the local language called Swahili. Her mother, a Maasai woman who instantly attracted the eyes of an Irish tourist, gave birth to Furaha when she was only 19 years old. She is an only child, for Soipan, her mom, never got to find her Irish throb again and she was too hard broken to try at love again. Hence, all the resentment that came with not being able to find Furaha's father and being a single mom, went towards Furaha. She was a constant reminder of her failures 0.
When Furaha was three years old, it became very clear to Soipan that Furaha's father was not going to return to her. She decided to go to him instead. She was tired of crying every night, not being able to understand why and she couldn't live with unknowns anymore. Her family was fairly well off. What also helped her was that her family was very traditional. A home comprised of a father, a mother and children. So when Soipan finally decided that she needed to find her missing rib, her family supported her completely.
They got her and her daughter plane tickets and off they went to Ireland, foreign land, to find a man she barely knew. Soipan struggled, as expected. She worked odd jobs to support her and her daughter as she searched for the man of her dreams. All this left her distraught and overwhelmed. But still she worked so hard. She even managed to get Furaha into school because regardless of that she only managed to get her high school diploma before she got Furaha, she had so much faith in education. So of course she would make sure her daughter gets an education. Sometimes, Furaha couldn't help but feel like her mother was living some of her dreams through her. She was her second chance and Furaha didn't mind. Honestly she understood the importance of education and she also had her own dreams. One being she would become so successful, her mother wouldn't have to work so much. If she didn't work so much, she wouldn't have to constantly punish and reprimand her for "mistakes" she could not understand.
On Furaha's thirteenth birthday, Soipan became very ill. However, her being a traditional woman she was not keen on doctors. More so, she saw it as a waste of money. Why go to science when nature can heal just fine. There came a night when they went to bed like they usually did but Soipan never woke up. It was this day, Furaha felt that her world had ended.
They say when tragedy strikes, that's when family secrets are set free. For instance Furaha was not aware that she had an uncle in Ireland that financially helped her mother when she was alive. The same uncle has been paying for Furaha's education. Why they never met, one may ask. According to Soipan, Furaha was her shame. Born out of wedlock, absentee father, rejected family, all this happened after Furaha was conceived. Now it turns out the uncle that she never knew, was the only family she got in Ireland. And they took her in...
Furaha couldn't complain, her uncle's family treated her well and her aunt, Zara, was such a beautiful woman. Zara was so good to Furaha, she was everything her mother has never been to her. And if she had to be honest, it frightened a little. What if she replaces her mother? Will her mother not be happy that she's happy? Her uncle also had his own kids (four) with Zara so really, Furaha had no room for loneliness. But loneliness was always her companion.
She continued with school after her mother's funeral and life seemed to finally be going back to normal. At least as far as she was concerned. But one can only hope for the best.
