Diary,
I read an article the other day, and although it was supposed to illustrate the plus side of marriage, it did the complete opposite for me. You see, according to the writer, once people get married, they grow fat. Supposedly, it is a sign of comfort and reduced stress. But most importantly, it means marriage is a leading cause of obesity in Kenya.
Bottom line is, married couples let themselves go. I see them around all the time: heart attacks, high blood pressures and coronaries waiting to happen. If that’s not enough argument against shackling up, I wonder what is.
Case in point, Wanyonyi, a long-time patient of mine. As a bachelor, all he used to visit me for were regular checkups mandated by his job. Not a thing awry with his health.
Since his wedding, he has been growing horizontally, adding inch after inch on his girth. A man who once had Usain Bolt’s physique now resembles a beer keg suffering from gallbladder disease and early-onset osteoarthritis.
“I’m always in a Catch-22,” he told me. “I was taught never to refuse food offered by my host. But now that I’m married, I hate having to explain where I ate before coming home. So, even after stuffing myself elsewhere, I still have to eat my wife’s cooking.”
“You could reduce the portions,” I offered.
“Are you kidding me? I’m a Luhya. The word ‘portion’ is nowhere in our vocabulary. You kill the food or the food kills you.”
“You’re right, and unfortunately, the food seems to be winning.”
