A woman named Angelina, her son Ivan and her husband were on the road travelling in Kampala, Uganda. They had gotten a ride from a truck driver delivering sodas to shopkeepers. On their way to the village, they were involved in a horrific accident. Angelina’s husband died on the spot, while Angelina and Ivan were taken to a nearby hospital. The recovery was long and painful and at the end of it, Angelina and her son Ivan would bear scars that would always remind them of their loss and survival. Angelina moved to Nairobi in search of work and left Ivan with relatives. In Nairobi, Angelina found work as a housekeeper. She worked for a great family who treated her as family. Angelina was given her own room and bed. She would join the family as they sat down for dinner and they allowed her to bring Ivan for a visit during the holidays. Angelina had a great sense of humour; she would laugh for hours on end at a practical joke. One day, Angelina laughed so hard tears were falling from her eyes and she literally urinated on herself.Angelina had a heart of gold and everything she did, she did with a smile and a song to go with it. Angelina knew how to please everyone in the household where she worked. For the mzee of the house, she knew what kind of food upset his stomach and would stay away from cooking such meals. Angelina knew to have evening tea ready when the daughter of the house came home from work.When Angelina’s son Ivan came home to Nairobi for the holidays, he would play with Chris, Mzee’s grandson. Ivan was a good influence on Chris because whatever Ivan did, Chris would follow. Chris grew up not knowing the value of food until Ivan showed up. Ivan always finished his meals and never once wasted food. When Chris realized that Ivan was getting all the praises for eating all his food, he began to follow Ivan’s example and grew strong and healthy.Angelina would eventually leave the family after saving up enough money to go back to Uganda where she started her own small business. Angelina returned to visit the family in Nairobi many times and she would always come bearing gifts of matooke (Green Bananas) and maize which was Chris’ favourite snack. Angelina is now a successful business woman in Kampala, Uganda and Ivan is now a happily married man and has made Angelina a loving grandma of two.
