The 7 Rooms Guesthouse

A young woman from a small village southeast of Nairobi has come to Utawala to make her way in the world. She has few possessions and very little money, but expects she will be able to find work, if not in Utawala, then in Nairobi. She has a mattress on the floor and a mosquito net that her mother gave her, along with some pots, pans, plates and utensils. On the floor, she makes a small meal of rice and tomatoes, with a beef cube for flavour. Afterwards, she looks around the room and says, ''Right Nancy, time to get started.'' She takes the watermelon she purchased the night before, cuts it into thin slices, puts the slices in a clear plastic bucket with a handle and a lid, and heads out to the field.

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This book is 4,051 words long.