Today was the first anniversary of Pendo’s departure. Nyakio got out of bed and looked in the mirror. She wondered what would have happened to her if she took Pendo's offer. She sighed gratefully that her instincts pushed her to say no to her childhood friend and went to the shower. Childhood memories came to her as the water ran down her back. She remembered how much ridicule she endured in her teens due to her slender frame. Although Pendo was physically the same, she had the advantage of having a fair complexion. Nyakio remembered how much they envied the heavier girls and the attention they got from boys. She remembered how they would overeat during the school holidays to try and compensate for their lackluster figures. ‘Have you eaten an avocado today? We need to add mashed potatoes into our diet regimen. What are your hip measurements today?’ This is what most of their conversations were about, outside of the boys that were most attractive in their class. Nyakio left th

e shower and proceeded to dress up. She looked at the black tee on her bed and sighed again as the tears welled up in her eyes. After finishing her hair and make-up, she took her car keys and proceeded to her friend's memorial. The event was brief. Only friends and family had been invited. There was barely any small talk as no one had anything comforting to say. Pendo's death was seen as a stain of embarrassment by her family. No one liked to discuss her. It was evident that this would be the first and last memorial that would be held for her. Nyakio wanted to hate them for being so dismissive about the issue. But she understood how they felt. Losing an only child was painful. But losing her due to a meaningless surgery was a shame. She remembered the phone call that sealed Pendo's fate. ‘Babes, can you believe that they are now doing BBL in Kenya? I found a place that will charge me half if I promote them on IG! Babes, we need to do this. Our time to shine is now!’ They had alw

ays talked about looking like the IG models they saw online when they were in university. When they discovered that their enviable figures were man-made rather than God-given, Pendo had already made up her mind to be a blow up Barbie doll. At that time Nyakio had already started to appreciate her body. She kept a strict workout routine that gave her a curvy athletic build. It may not have been In

Life is too short to spend it at war with yourself.

stagram worthy, but she loved her form. Many times she had tried to convince Pendo to work out with her, but her friend ridiculed her gains as insignificant. All she wanted was a wasp waist and a big behind. The male attention she received wasn't enough to make her feel beautiful. Pendo became obsessed with the unrealistic beauty standards of influencers. She took note of all the things she needed to get a BBL. She even started to eat fatty fast foods. ‘You know they need to get that fat from somewhere. I have to prepare myself,’ she said as she munched away on KFC. By the time they graduated, Pendo was overweight and had saved enough for her BBL. Only Nyakio knew what she had planned. She wanted to get her BBL, heal and get into the world of IG influencing. She always talked about the trips to Santorini and Bali that she was sure wealthy men would pay for once she got her new body. Nyakio admired her courage and resilience to get what she wanted. But as she drove back home, she wondered how far her friend would be if she had directed that energy into her career. After all, she graduated with a First Class in Computer Science. She was a straight A student. Sharp as a whip. And clearly very ambitious. But her energy was misdirected. ‘Is there any way I could have helped her?’ Nyakio thought. But as she looked back, she saw that nothing would have stopped Pendo from her mission other than death. **************** We print and embroider custom t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, polo shirts, baseball caps, etc in Kenya. Check out our catalogue and place an order