Girls

Girls sitting in the sun on the stoop like a family, braiding and plating and adding extensions to each other’s hair, playing the rock game, contemplating in silence. But the silence never lasts long. The day ebbs and flows with work, rest, food, and laughter. Games played, stories spoken, new girls embraced, babies passed around. Life comes and goes here on the stoop.
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The sound of scrubbing. Leaned over, scrub brush in hand, bucket of creek water hauled up from below. Every girl scrubs every inch of the compound, including the concrete walkways. Discipline, pride in place, something to do, every Saturday.
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I am nudged awake by the sounds of talking, giggling, and shuffling. The light is filling the sky on Kenyan time, and the girls begin to gather, clean, cook, and prepare for the day. At the well I hear soft conversations and laughter. The kitchen pots bang and a heavy door closes with a clanking thud. Chickens crow in the distance and an occasional dog barks. The constant ticking of the pump reminds me where I am as I turn from sleep and join the household.