- Doreen Chemutai travelled through impassable roads to surprise her grandmother for Christmas, carrying gifts and love
- The beautiful reunion she envisioned over Christmas took a sad turn when she overheard her grandmother talking ill about her presents
- The words shattered her heart, especially coming from a woman she had grown up with deep affection for
On Christmas eve, Doreen Chemutai set off from Nairobi to Bungoma on a journey fuelled by love and intention.
Source: Facebook
Her plan was simple but heartfelt: to surprise her grandmother in the remote interior of Mt Elgon with a new mattress, after the old woman once mentioned she had not slept on a new one in years.
How was Doreen received at home?
She told TUKO.co.ke that despite a busy schedule and treacherous roads where even motorbikes struggle to pass, she pushed on, arriving close to midnight, tired, but grateful to have made it home safely.
Christmas Day began with hope. Doreen rose early to check on her two-acre bean farm, which she had planted from afar by sending money home.
“I found the crops thriving under my mother’s care, a small victory that lifted my spirits. Back at home, preparations for Christmas were underway, though not as I had imagined,” she recalled.
Her grandmother had already prepared githeri, and Doreen brushed aside her disappointment, telling herself the family celebration could still come together later in the day.
How Doreen’s Christmas turned sour
That evening, however, brought a moment that would linger far longer than the festive season. While Doreen was busy elsewhere, her grandmother and an aunt, unaware that Doreen’s close friend was nearby, began speaking about her in hushed but cutting tones.
One remark, suggesting that whenever Doreen brought shopping it was only so people could eat and leave, cut deeply.
To Doreen, who had brought nearly everything for the holiday save for a goat the family was to provide, the words felt like a dismissal of her effort, her sacrifice, and her heart.
The pain was compounded by memory. As her grandmother’s first grandchild, and the daughter of her first-born, Doreen had grown up with deep affection for her.
Doreen regretted her generosity
She had always shared what little she had, sending money and support whenever she could, sometimes to the point where her own mother joked that Doreen and her grandmother were inseparable.
She never expected rewards, never questioned why she was treated differently from others. Until she heard those sentiments.
The heartbroken Doreen quietly left for Eldoret, arriving in the early hours overwhelmed by questions and unanswered thoughts.
Yet her reflection did not turn into bitterness. Instead, it became a lesson she chose to share, not out of hatred or regret, but out of a desire to help others recognise themselves in her story.
Painful lesson Doreen picked
From that painful Christmas, Doreen says she has drawn truths that many learn too late: that not every family need should come at the cost of one’s own wellbeing.
“I’ve also learned that generosity does not always earn gratitude; that hard work can be misunderstood as pride; and that sometimes, those outside our bloodline show more care than those within it,” she shared.
Above all, she has learned the importance of building herself first, and of self-love. She has since turned a quiet heartbreak into wisdom, one that resonates with many who give deeply while forgetting themselves.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
