Brian Mugenyi fell in love with Chebet Chere’s beauty, respectful tone and calm demeanour. PHOTO/EDGAR R. BATTE
The regular walks in Nairobi City as they held hands and talked remain one of her favourite memories of their dating phase because, in those conversations, she discovered that he was an honest man. It is a mutually shared memory because, as Brian Mugenyi recalls, frequently roaming the streets with Chebet Cheres remains his most exciting dating experience.
He explains, “These walks and talking were quite sensual and warm. It was a great feeling and also opened a space for us to get to know each other better.”
Mugenyi’s words and actions spoke to her heart because with his openness, coupled with his generosity, Cheres felt confident that love had a face. He was handsome too.
How they met
Mugenyi is a musician with his claim to fame being his ability to play the saxophone, the very art that drew her to him. The two met on Facebook and later physically met at a show he was doing at the Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi, Kenya where he played with the Limericks Band.
She in-boxed him after watching his interview with Larry Madowo, a CNN correspondent, and consistently showed this beautiful, warm and endearing interest that he could not resist.
He decided to engage her in conversation, and their connection just kept getting more and more interesting. She was happy to attend gigs at which he performed, where it was his pleasure to passionately play musical notes right into her heart. Seeing her smile in appreciation warmed his heart and fuelled him to advance and declare his intentions to take it a notch higher by confessing he had fallen in love with her.
Attributes
What led you to fall in love with her? I ask. “For me, it was her beautiful smile that I saw the first time I laid eyes on her. Her respectful tone and demeanour were also admirable. From that very first glance and experience, I knew she was going to be a part of my life for a long time, either as a wife or just as one of those long-time friends. She ended up being the former because I was intentional about it from the get-go,” he narrates.
Memories of the first time they met are still fresh in her mind. “I remember his smile, how well he played the saxophone, our first conversation and how intriguing and funny it was. From that day on, we never stopped talking,” Cheres recollects.
Dating, marriage
The two started courting . They liked each other and soon decided that they would be intentional about getting into a committed relationship even as they dated. On the day he confessed his love for her, he was fasting and praying for two days.
So, the two went out for their second date. “I remember her being so upset that I took her out while I was in no state to go out. But she understood,” he recounts.
“As we got to know each other, I realised that he wanted to share everything with me; his life and experiences. His honesty is something that struck me. He made everything plain to me; how far he was in life, where he was and where he was going, and what his plans were. The clarity for me was such a big deal,” Cheres recounts.
He always kept in touch and would use every opportunity to take her out somewhere for them to talk and get to know each other better. When they eventually got married, they set out to have a matrimonial journey in which they would continue to give each other grace and not judge one another too quickly.
“We listen and make an effort to understand the decisions each one of us makes,” she says. Challenges are present in every relationship. Mugenyi believes that in the face of the challenges they face as lovers, they provide a safe and open space to talk about any challenges and together, find a solution.
She says it is important to walk in each other's shoes to understand and appreciate where they are or whatever struggle they might have or be dealing with.
“It might be a strength for you while it is another’s weakness, and that is where we need to pull efforts together and remind each other that it is us against the challenge and we can pull each other out of that season,” Cheres, a communication professional, shares.
Her relationship advice is that it is key to know and share about your goals as a couple and, “You have to be on the same page from day one. I think people play games a lot and are not honest because they think they will be dumped or the relationship will not work out. Make sure both of you want the same thing and are on the journey to achieve them together. When you are ready naturally.”
As such, sacrifices and compromises will be made on both sides. “Once you get into a committed relationship, it is not about you anymore but about the other person. If the other person wants the best for you, they will try to put you first. If you see that you are the one going out of your way and the other person is refusing to grow, then I think you have your answer right there,” Cheres tips.
Mugenyi says from the start, they agreed that there is nothing they cannot talk about.
“We determined early on in our relationship that we would not hide anything from each other unless itwas a professional requirement to maintain the privacy of corporate information and documentation. Anything outside of this is something we can openly have discussions about, regardless of how difficult it is,” the musician shares.
They also agreed that there is nothing they cannot forgive because forgiveness is the cornerstone of a strong and peaceful relationship. The couple is firm that there is nothing they cannot figure out. As such, they will always find a way to make things work, and if they do not, they improvise and still somehow make it work.
He adds, “It must work, whichever way. That is the attitude we embraced early on. We believe things are made to work and not just sit and wait for them to work themselves out, since faith without works is dead.”
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The regular walks in Nairobi City as they held hands and talked remain one of her favourite memories of their dating phase because, in those conversations, she discovered that he was an honest man. It is a mutually shared memory because, as Brian Mugenyi recalls, frequently roaming the streets with Chebet Cheres remains his most exciting dating experience.
He explains, “These walks and talking were quite sensual and warm. It was a great feeling and also opened a space for us to get to know each other better.”
Mugenyi’s words and actions spoke to her heart because with his openness, coupled with his generosity, Cheres felt confident that love had a face. He was handsome too.
How they met
Mugenyi is a musician with his claim to fame being his ability to play the saxophone, the very art that drew her to him. The two met on Facebook and later physically met at a show he was doing at the Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi, Kenya where he played with the Limericks Band.
She in-boxed him after watching his interview with Larry Madowo, a CNN correspondent, and consistently showed this beautiful, warm and endearing interest that he could not resist.
He decided to engage her in conversation, and their connection just kept getting more and more interesting. She was happy to attend gigs at which he performed, where it was his pleasure to passionately play musical notes right into her heart. Seeing her smile in appreciation warmed his heart and fuelled him to advance and declare his intentions to take it a notch higher by confessing he had fallen in love with her.
Attributes
What led you to fall in love with her? I ask. “For me, it was her beautiful smile that I saw the first time I laid eyes on her. Her respectful tone and demeanour were also admirable. From that very first glance and experience, I knew she was going to be a part of my life for a long time, either as a wife or just as one of those long-time friends. She ended up being the former because I was intentional about it from the get-go,” he narrates.
Memories of the first time they met are still fresh in her mind. “I remember his smile, how well he played the saxophone, our first conversation and how intriguing and funny it was. From that day on, we never stopped talking,” Cheres recollects.
Dating, marriage
The two started courting . They liked each other and soon decided that they would be intentional about getting into a committed relationship even as they dated. On the day he confessed his love for her, he was fasting and praying for two days.
So, the two went out for their second date. “I remember her being so upset that I took her out while I was in no state to go out. But she understood,” he recounts.
“As we got to know each other, I realised that he wanted to share everything with me; his life and experiences. His honesty is something that struck me. He made everything plain to me; how far he was in life, where he was and where he was going, and what his plans were. The clarity for me was such a big deal,” Cheres recounts.
He always kept in touch and would use every opportunity to take her out somewhere for them to talk and get to know each other better. When they eventually got married, they set out to have a matrimonial journey in which they would continue to give each other grace and not judge one another too quickly.
“We listen and make an effort to understand the decisions each one of us makes,” she says. Challenges are present in every relationship. Mugenyi believes that in the face of the challenges they face as lovers, they provide a safe and open space to talk about any challenges and together, find a solution.
She says it is important to walk in each other's shoes to understand and appreciate where they are or whatever struggle they might have or be dealing with.
“It might be a strength for you while it is another’s weakness, and that is where we need to pull efforts together and remind each other that it is us against the challenge and we can pull each other out of that season,” Cheres, a communication professional, shares.
Her relationship advice is that it is key to know and share about your goals as a couple and, “You have to be on the same page from day one. I think people play games a lot and are not honest because they think they will be dumped or the relationship will not work out. Make sure both of you want the same thing and are on the journey to achieve them together. When you are ready naturally.”
As such, sacrifices and compromises will be made on both sides. “Once you get into a committed relationship, it is not about you anymore but about the other person. If the other person wants the best for you, they will try to put you first. If you see that you are the one going out of your way and the other person is refusing to grow, then I think you have your answer right there,” Cheres tips.
Mugenyi says from the start, they agreed that there is nothing they cannot talk about.
“We determined early on in our relationship that we would not hide anything from each other unless itwas a professional requirement to maintain the privacy of corporate information and documentation. Anything outside of this is something we can openly have discussions about, regardless of how difficult it is,” the musician shares.
They also agreed that there is nothing they cannot forgive because forgiveness is the cornerstone of a strong and peaceful relationship. The couple is firm that there is nothing they cannot figure out. As such, they will always find a way to make things work, and if they do not, they improvise and still somehow make it work.
He adds, “It must work, whichever way. That is the attitude we embraced early on. We believe things are made to work and not just sit and wait for them to work themselves out, since faith without works is dead.”
