A true friend

Kabera Dickson was a high school celebrity. He was a charming, humorous, rich kid and his participation in school activities cut across.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012
True friends, stick closer than a brother. The New Times / File

Kabera Dickson was a high school celebrity. He was a charming, humorous, rich kid and his participation in school activities cut across. His performance was most outstanding in volleyball and his school was the area giant in that particular sport; he won many accolades and trophies for his school---his nickname on the pitch was "spiker” because of his razor-sharp spiking skills.The thing that came second to volleyball was academic performance and always emerged among the best, especially when it came to science subjects. Kids always rushed to him after classes for further tutoring and discussions.The most amazing thing was how he could perfectly balance academics and sports; two things that don’t usually mix. Talk about genius!  He was a great student and even the school enrolled him on bursary special as a reward.Since Kabera was respected by school administrators, he was allowed to participate in key administrative decisions and policies as a student representative. And most times the outcome of every sitting favored the plight of fellow students due to his influence. For that reason, he was a darling to many; the one everybody wanted to brush shoulders with. Even the haters had to relax, convinced that they could not measure–up. He walked, wined and dined with a crew; he was never alone and was always given red-carpet treatment by almost everyone on the school campus. However, on reaching A-level, disaster struck, the huge family business for some reason started crumbled and things fell apart. His financial allowances started to go down as fast as the number of friends he had. Due to stress, his class performance wasn’t spared either.As if that wasn’t enough, fate struck again and Kabera a nasty car accident that left his legs amputated. The most shocking thing is that not even the school authorities visited him in the hospital. They only sent some minor assistance. He really deserved more from the school especially at a time like that, going by the fact that he had contributed a lot to the school’s success. None of his friends visited him at the hospital or sent help of any kind, save for one called Jack Musoni. This guy stood by him during all these trials and tribulations. Musoni joined Kabera’s parents at his bedside ---he helped him drink, eat, led him to the toilets and bathrooms, cheered him up whenever he fell into depression. He didn’t leave the hospital until Kabera was discharged. Musoni was a true friend indeed.