THERE IS A TIME during the mid-90s when Aggrey and I tried to dodge our chain keepers but the mission was not very successful.

Our chain keepers knew that they had to keep the knots tight as we used to be caught vulnerable to the temptations of frothy drinks at Béa’s joint. So this meant that our girlfriends insisted on going with us everywhere we went.

In fact, even when we happened to be dancing away at the famous Black and White discotheque, our chain keepers always trailed us all the way to the toilets. Never mind whether the toilets were stinking or not! They always followed us. This habit became a bit nagging. That is why we started to dodge them in the name of ‘meetings’.Whenever Aggrey and I had an appointment somewhere, we told our chain keepers that we would be busy in a meeting at our offices. As you know, our offices were in a form of a huge tent somewhere in Gikondo where we worked for a foreign NGO.Anyways, the chicks were so stubborn that they insisted on waiting for us at the NGO compound. After the so called meetings, Aggrey and I would sneak back to Gikondo and pretend to emerge out of the tent. From there our chicks would demand that we take them to Zanzibar for a few rounds of red wine. Do not be mistaken when I mention the word Zanzibar! No way, it was not the original Zanzibar situated at the Indian Ocean. Instead Zanzibar was a popular drinking joint at the rich end of Kiyovu. At Zanzibar, we would proceed to squander all our cash until the pockets began to panic and shiver with shame.One day, Aggrey and I were invited to a party where students from Butare University would be in attendance. It was a bachelor’s party and guys were promising themselves to have a super great night of dancing and merry making. But knowing that our girlfriends were possessive, Aggrey and I made a big decision; we were not going to attend the party with them! IBAZE! All those chicks from Butare University! This was a chance to mingle with these very attractive students who were as free as birds. If we were to go along with our nagging girlfriends, we would be deprived of serious optical nutrition.So, Aggrey and I hatched up a plan. We decided that we would both fall sick and stay in bed. So we fell sick of malaria and the shivering began. When our chain keepers came to check on us, they were saddened to see us in such a sorry state. We told them to tuck us under the blankets. Afterwards, they bade us good bye and left us alone in the house. After 5 minutes, we jumped out of bed and fled off for the bachelors’ party!What we never knew was that our chicks were also going to attend this mega party where Butare University students had come together. While we were having real fun on the dance floor, our chicks walked into the dance hall! They approached the dance floor and were shocked to see their 2 sick guys doing a paka chini. Indeed, we had been caught red handed. Sanctions followed for the next 3 months…