JAMES AND THE FAMILY
Birth of James PLOTI Chapter Two: The Boy Called FORD On the slopes of Mt Kenya, the mornings came cold and the evenings came early. Mist rolled down from the mountain and settled over the small farms like a heavy blanket. In those mornings James learned the first lesson of his life. Nobody had ever taught it to him in a classroom. He learned it from watching his parents dig, plant, pray and wait for rain that sometimes never came. The lesson was simple. Laziness, slow thinking and fear will lead you into a dark cave of poverty. Once you are in, the way out is long and steep, like the path up the mountain itself. The family had little. Supper was sometimes a plate of githeri shared among three children, and sometimes only strong tea without milk. Still, the homestead was full of life, and most of it came from the three children. Janet was the eldest. She was more of a young mother than a big sister. She woke before everyone else to light the fire, fetch water and make sure her two youn...
