When Nina and Nabimanya returned to the camp their romantic relationship continue to grow, however Nina started feeling increasingly uncomfortable staying in the camp and as a result, Nina started escaping from camp to go to the town Rakai, while getting used to people in the area.
Nina meets a woman dealing in saloon business called Namatovu. Nina asks Namsatovu to teach her how to do hair dressing so she can earn some income since in the camp, these opportunities are not available.
Namatovu tells her but you to pay me for teaching you hair dressing, Nina volunteers to be cleaning for Namatovu her business area and also to be entertaining clients as they patiently wait for there to be worked on.
Nina asks Namatovu, what is her reaction to that, Namatovu gladly accepts Nina to be working for her. The problem Nina is facing is that, she does not have money to rent her own apartment so she has to be staying in the camp with her fellow refugees; however, the strict rules at the camp does not allow refugees to easily mix with refugees. So Nina has to find a way of escaping from refugee camp. Romantic relationship at the refugee camp is not accepted due to a new disease that is becoming increasingly popular around the world, this disease is called AIDS, caused by HIV. Nina due to her extremely beautiful face and nice voice is quite known among the many refugees in the camp.
Nina boyfriend for a long time Nabimanya always wants to be near Nina however, the refugee camp being away of HID/AIDS do not accept any romantic relationship in the camp.
During the time for porridge in the long line as the refugees were lining up one of the UN officials spots Nina’s beauty and greets Nina attracting all the refugees to work back at them. Since Nina was below 18 years the UN official is conscious of not being seen as having a romantic interest towards Nina.
Nina’s interest in joining Namatovu’s business grows and she is not willing to stop. Nina in an attempt to go and join Namatovu’s saloon job, she had to get to the UN officials office that she is not feeling fine and since the official is interested in her, quickly wrote letter for her to be allowed to move out of the camp in any time she wants since she has personal challenges, this gave Nina an opportunity to be able and start her work at Namatovu’s saloon. However, after a period of one week’s training on hair dressing at Namatovu’s saloon Nina had learnt and now she needed to be able to open her own business like Namatovu, but the challenge here is that, Nina does not have any income of her own.
As Nina sat quietly wondering where to get money to start her own saloon she remembered how her father abused her that her mother was a prostitute and as such left her when she was just born and never returned again and to that reason her father decided to take Nina to her grandparents who took care of her ever since then.
In the camp Nina’s romantic relationship has grown though Nina is not yet 18 years she has been having affair with Nabimanya to that Nina started moving out of the camp looking for an accommodation and a job in the host country Uganda.
CHAPTER FIVE
An African man must eat and be strong to defend himself and those he loves, Ruhakana telling Nabimanya whom the tears are rolling down his eyes and has refused to eat dinner, we sleep in the same mattress but you have not told me what is making you sad, is it your girlfriend Nina, asked Ruhakana. I am generally wishing God to take my life so as I can rest from the troubles of the world.
Nabimanya talking with a face full of tears.
I will always miss my little cousin sister Kawamirembe, she was bright full of life and always the best in class.
What happened to your little cousin Kawamiremiule, was she also killed by those muderers, asked Ruhakana.
No, she got lost, my mother does not know what happened to her because as the conflict was on and people were running my mother failed to trace where she is. She had lost her parent due to the new disease and she was my auntie’s only child, each time I remember how beautiful and intelligent she was I just cry that is why I have failed to eat dinner.
Nabimanya you must separate things that are beyond your control and those are within. By understanding this that whatever happens outside your control should not make you very sad for long because there is totally nothing you can do about it. Even if you become sad for the next 50 years nothing can be done about it.
Personally I am with you here, they raped my mother when I was seeing. I could not do anything but those killers I will certainly revenge one day on them.
They also cut off both of my father’s ears when I was seeing then after they killer him because he is a tutsi, so my brother you see me always smiling it is because I cannot reverse what happened to me, those are by-gones where you working or you were still at school.
Nabimanya answers, I had just started working as a primary school teacher.
As Nabimanya and his roommates Ruhakana were still talking Nina immediately entered their room and informed Nabimanya of the registration process on going at the operation leaders office
Nabimanya asks Nina what registration is going on, they are registering teachers who are capable they take them to France and give them job, wow that is great opportunity for me. As Nabimanya starts preparing himself by looking for his trouser that was given to him at the camp, he had people mourning it was one of his neighbours Kulthum Mutesi who has died at the camp. Nabimanya and Nina first went straight to the body of Kulthum Mutesi whom people were mourning she was like a mother to me in this camp, Nina says.
Nabimanya and Nina after viewing the body they both went to the registration centre and they were both informed that registration had been postponed for next week due to the burial and also there is a new skin disease called scabies there is going to be general spraying of the whole camp to prevent the disease from spreading.
Nabimanya goes to his room holds his rosary and pray to the Almighty God to enable him go to France. Nabimanya after prayers tells Nina, I don’t know what is happening to me, each time I am about to get something good in my life, a bad occurrence happens even the genocide in Rwanda started when I had just got my job and I was just one week away from getting my first salary then all over the sudden my whole gets to the worst.
