Only work separates us

Geraldine Paula Babirye

How would you describe Valentine?
Valentine is a perfectionist that makes sure everything she does is excellent. From her job to cooking skills. She is also quiet, people always believe she is the humble one. She is not good at pretending, she either likes you or not. She is strict and never settles for less. She loves herself and considers herself before anyone.

What is your earliest memory of her?
While in pre-primary, mother would pick us from school at midday. After eating lunch, we had to take an afternoon nap something we did not comply with. We would escape through the kitchen window to go play with the neighbours, one day she hit her head on a door glass and got a cut on her face.
When mummy came back, instead of punishing all of us it was our elder brother and I that were punished. I remember mother saying each time this girl sheds tears I beat you. Valentine took advantage of this. Every time I refused to help her with anything, she waited for mother to come back and would cry claiming the wound was painful.

What nickname did you have for her?
As children I did not have a nickname for her. Though the family members call her Naks yet our nephews call her aunt Kabogoza because she backs at them especially if they do not act as told.
What is she scared of the most?
Not being perfect. Every after doing something, say taking a reading in church, she expects you to comment on how she read and the same happens even when she cooks or dresses. Valentine thinks when you say she is good, that is not enough. She expects words like perfect, excellent, amazing.

What is the craziest thing she did as a child?
It was a habit for us to escape through the window. When mother took us to the village to spend holidays with our grandmother, instead of sleeping we escaped to the sugarcane plantation. Trying to cut for her the sugar cane, I cut her finger. When asked what had happened, she said she had been cut by a piece of firewood. I call it crazy because for the first time she told a lie on my behalf.

Did you ever team up to fight someone?
I should say as a child she was a coward and I would never lean on her for anything. However, today she fights for me and defends me from any injustices.

What is the craziest thing you did together?
We did a lot of crazy things together but the most recent one was in 2017 while in France. We kept jumping on to several trains without swapping our credit cards but each time I told Valentine we would get caught she kept insisting. One day, luck was not on our side but somehow we managed to go through.

How often do you meet these days?
We do not just meet but stay together. While I was in Japan, she felt the need of us putting funds together and build a house for ourselves. We stay in the same house and share the bed room as well. Not because the house is small but that is how she wants it.

What is her favourite outfit?
She loves wearing jump suits, jungle shoes with leather jackets. Every Sunday when you ask her what she will be wearing for church, all she says is a jumpsuit. She also likes short dresses.

Does she ever keep any secrets from you?
No, she is an open book. She tells me everything, even when she is annoyed she will still tell me. And when she is dating someone, she keeps me posted and tells everything good about this person.

Has anyone mistaken you for her?
Yes, especially during our school days. That time when speaking Luganda was a taboo, each time Valentine spoke Luganda instead of writing her name, she wrote mine. Wearing the bone or the sack on her behalf, no one listened to my explanations because teachers knew I was the stubborn one.

Valentine Nakato

How would you describe Paula?
Something I love but still hate about her is the fact that she is a yes person. Paula never says no, even when someone is just tricking her into doing something. She is also loving, caring and outgoing. In most cases she expects me to be on the same bandwagon with her but she is not realising that my interests are changing along the way.

What is your earliest memory of her?
On many occasions, she was the master planer for most of the crazy things we did.

What nickname did you have for her?
I do not have a nickname per se but being the only two girls among six siblings I call her child of my father. However our nephews and nieces call her aunt chocolate because she is good at spoiling them with chocolate.

What is she most scared of?
My death, she keeps saying she would have lost not only a sister but also a friend who understands her.

What is the craziest thing she did as a child?
Most of the time, we were together and did all the crazy things together though most of the time they were her ideas. Chewing small pieces of white paper we would put them in the eyes and pretend we had been sleeping.

Did you ever team up to fight someone?
Much as she was always punished for my mistakes. I do not remember us teaming up to fight someone, but as adults I have on many occasions fought on her behalf.

How often do you meet these days?
Everyday unless one of us has travelled though we keep communicating. In the morning we leave home together and in the evening she picks me up from work. She knows my day’s programme. That is how much she is into my life.

What is her favourite outfit?
Paula is more of a tomboy, she loves wearing jeans, T-shirts and snickers.

What is the craziest thing you did together?
While at campus there was a time we went out, by the time we returned home, it was late and the gate had been locked. I helped her climb the gate but while climbing, its sharp ends pierced her fingers.

Does Paula ever keep any secrets from you?
A lot, but the fact that I know her pass word when she is in bathroom I go through her phone and just land on staff I realise she did not tell me about.

Has anyone mistaken you for her?
When we were growing up our mother could not distinguish our voices. Each time she called me to help her with something I would keep quite. When she called Babirye I would answer immediately pretending I was her. Babirye would fight over it but she would still go to mother.