I’m not the best at starting relationships, or ending them. Beginning is usually easier of the two though, you just get talking, become friends then boom, ‘Hey Dear’ turns to ‘Hey hun’. Kidogo kidogo you are chatting every second of your lives, ignoring all those other whatsapp texts, especially from all those random groups you were added on(even though I think these should just be ignored even when you are not doing anything). The ending part on the other hand, I’d rather endure a ride in one of those Nguso Sacco matatus.
So I happened to sit next to this girl, scratch that, this beautiful lass with meat in all the right places in the mathree from my estate the other day. A lady of medium height, chocolate complexion and a smile, oh the smile…nyoka pangoni was excited. On a typical day, I would have said ‘hello’ and got on with reading one of those sad Khaled Hosseini’s books I’m now addicted to, or not even looked up to see who had gotten in. What made me look up was the perfume that engulfed the whole of the matatu as she stepped in. Bruh! I know you are used to those that take a year to wear off your body, those from that famous estate after Buruburu Phase 1. No, this was the proper …(mention any designer brand you know)… perfume, imported straight from France or Italy.
I look up and she flashes me a smile. There is a saying among members of a well known sacco that goes like ‘kuna siku hata fisi hupata nyama fresh’. Not sure of its meaning, but I was in luck that day. The ancestors from Khwisero had decided to bless me. Not talking to her would be an insult to the entire community, let alone my family. I say a quick salutation and get back to my reading, let the rejection not a find a face to laugh at. But alas, she’s one talkative lady. She says ‘hi’ back and goes on to ask what I’m reading. The joy mahn, utamu ndani ya loho!
We chat the whole way, I get to know she’s an air hostess with Qatar Airways. Her car had issues as she was leaving the house, so she decided to take a matatu instead of waiting for Johny(her cab guy) to get from the airport to go pick her. We talked about the state of Kidero’s grass, and how he’s destroying that gain by cutting all the trees. She mentioned how she loves to read but never gets the time, she only gets two to three days off when back from trips, and she spends that time sleeping or having friends over at her place. She mentioned her love for books by Joan Didion, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Louise Erdrich and some other people I’ve never heard. Every male who boarded that mathree was jealous.
We get to town and she has to alight at Hajip, while I was to alight at Bus station because I’m headed to downtown for shopping. She says her goodbyes and alights. I’m left there smiling to myself. I know, I should have asked for her number but when you watch your football idols play against the world’s best, do you see them ask for the shirt mid-match? At the end you say. Well, she was substituted before the game ended. Hahaha!
Anyway, if anyone knows any Yvonne working for Qatar Airways and lives on the Nyayo stadium side of Uhuru Highway, kindly share this post with her. Tell her it’s that dude she met in a #14 matatu wearing a disco watch & a Poed tee back in January. I talk a lot more right now than I did then. Oh, and I did read Americanah!
WatuWaMalooks 