My two aunts, Wanja and Njoki, were the queens of Mùraru bananas. Muraru bananas were a popular type of banana that doesn't change color even when it ripens. These bananas have a lovely sweet, floral taste, with a hint of cinnamon.
My two auts have were a centrifugal force that kept me a float. Looked another way, It was as if I was the equator and aunt Wanja was the "North Pole", while aunt Njoki was the “South Pole". Life revolved around a central axis with these women on the outer edges. Interesingly, Aunt Wanja lived 30 minutes east of us while aunt Njoki lived 30 minutes west.
Technically, Njoki was my grandmother as she was a sister to my grandmother. Whatever we called her didn't matter. What mattered was the unconditional love I felt around Njoki. She didn't only love but she was a master of demonstrating that love. I didn't have to guess and she didn't need to verbally tell me how she loved me. Love was like a soundtrack of her existence.
Wanja was the middle of my father’s three sisters and was more like my second mother to me. I felt right at home anytime I went to her home
As fate would have it, aunt Njoki would eventually lose her sight and move into our home. Consequently, my mother was dealing with mental illness at the same time. On one hand, one can imagine two sick ladies in our home and the challenges that represents. And yet nothing could be further from reality. Having my aunt at our home greatly enriched our home and brought so much joy that it overshadowed the pain of their illness. Since aunt Njoki had all her faculties besides her sight, she filled her home with interesting stories and wisdom. In many ways, she filled the void left by my ill mother.
One thing bound those two women together was their mastery and cultivation of Mùraru bananas. I can't remember one time that I went to either the "North Pole" or the "'South Pole" and did not eat Mùraru bananas.
Aunt Njoki passed on in the late 80s while Aunt Wanja passed away in the late 90s. I attended both of their last rights. Ever since, I have never tasted a Mùraru banana that didn't remind me of the two luminaries. The Mùraru flavor is a flag of our imaginary planet that forever resides in my head. This flag is hoisted every time I taste a Mùraru banana. In Mùraru, I unite with my wonderful ancestors really never left us as they are neatly nestled in my taste buds.