Kesho

Kesho is my oldest daughter, her name meaning "tomorrow" in Swahili. Her middle name is Lynn, after my mother's middle name. When her sister came along, I wanted to name her Kesho Kutwa (the day after tomorrow) but the idea was vetoed. Tomorrow is a good name for her, as she is very energetic, and has as much promise as a new day.
For quite awhile, Kesho was a daddy's girl. We were very close, and she and her sister went with us everywhere, whenever I wasn't working. She was always tall and thin for her age, and very shy and demure as a little girl. I remember taking her to her first day in Kindergarten, and I was so proud. I knew she was nervous but she pressed ahead, and didn't look back when we left the room. For the most part that year, she was a perfect student, her teachers' favorite. The only bump in the road came when she was confused about the bathroom arrangements and inadvertently opened an occupied stall. We got a call saying she had been "peeping" but she explained what had happened. She was horrified by the ordeal, and it was a decade or so before we got any kind of call at all about her. I should mention that she and her sister were terrified of public toilets, particularly the automatic flushing types. They once went with me to Cincinnati where I did a presentation at a nice hotel. When their mother tried to take them into the bathroom, they took one look at the ominous contraptions and made the joint decision to withhold things for the four hour drive back!
Kesho was also very bright and had incredible artistic ability. In case you were wondering, that is not her above - it is one of her incredible sketches, the artist resides below. One summer, she had bit of difficulty with her reading, and I helped her with some exercises. I was very tired and overworked, and I did so lazily. I had her read and do the exercises then bring them into my room. I regret not sitting with her more, showing her I really did care. She passed the subsequent tests with flying colors, a testament to her intellect and resolve. She was also always forgiving, even when I was too short with her or when I taught her how to ride a bike, not very patiently.
Our relationship changed dramatically in 1999, when she was only seven. I took a job in Tanzania with the US Peace Corps, and my family was to join me a few months later. My wife developed medical issues and that plan fell by the wayside. I left in the middle of my two-year commitment, but the damage had been done. She would tell me years later this had really devastated her. When she told me, she was angry, and I probably didn't react well, I probably dismissed it. But I don't now, I can't imagine how hard it was for her and her sister, though I do know how hard it was for me. Although I did not plan for the events that transpired, I am responsible.
Kesho was never daddy's girl again, and ironically, she became much closer with her mother, while her sister grew closer to me. Kesho did well in her performing arts school, and we sent her to a private school, Lebron's Alma mater. She did well there too, particularly in the arts. She is a very talented artist and could make a good living at it if she choose to. Instead, I think she wants to be an engineer like her mother, wants to flex her intellectual brush. She has just finished her freshman year and college and did very well - I am so proud of her! She works hard like her parents, and is becoming more responsible and caring by the day (there was a time though.......reminds me of the old joke: What is the worst two years of a woman's life? When she was 15 and then when her daughter was). I am looking forward to watching her plow her way through life. I am sure she will be successful at anything she puts her mind to. I also hope she forgives me my sins, and one day allows me to take a bit of credit. I hope.