Now Nadia’s demand is here and I was desperate to make it happen. The thought of finally meeting her was enough to make me ignore all the red flags; No money and sneaking out of school . It felt like I was drowning, caught between two impossible situations.
That’s when I came up with the idea of a fundraiser. I couldn’t ask my parents for money—they would never approve of me traveling home during the school term, let alone to Mombasa. So, I turned to my friends in school. Teddy, Olal, Dale, and Muss—they were my boys. We had been through everything together at Koelel, and I knew I could count on them on ANYTHING.
Teddy was a character, the kind of guy who never took life too seriously. He had an insatiable appetite, always thinking about food and never passing up the chance to eat. Whether it was a snack from the school canteen or leftovers from the dining hall, Teddy would devour anything in front of him. But it wasn’t just food—he loved his alcohol and cigarettes, always managing to sneak a drink or a smoke when no one was looking. What made Teddy so endearing, though, was his sense of humor. He had a way of turning any situation into a joke, even when things were tough. His carefree attitude was contagious, and no matter how bad things got, Teddy could always make me laugh. It was no surprise that he was all in for the fundraiser, especially when food was involved. Teddy Kariuki.
Olal, on the other hand, was a dreamer. He had big ambitions to make it in the world of hip hop and become a DJ. Music was his life, and he would often spend hours listening to tracks, creating beats in his head, and imagining himself on stage, performing in front of thousands. But his passion for music was a constant source of conflict with his mother. She was a strict high school teacher who believed in academics above all else. She wanted Olal to focus on his studies and saw his love for hip hop as a distraction. The tension between them was always simmering, but Olal never let it get to him. He was determined to chase his dreams, no matter what anyone said. To him, the fundraiser was an opportunity to show off his DJ skills, and he was excited to make it a night to remember. To his mother, Olal was the perfect student. To us, he was the next DJ Khaled in the making.
(FUN FACT: Olal is now a top DJ in Kenya and goes by the name Deejay Laughter. You can check out his mixes, great stuff out there buddy)