I completed my assignment in Kisumu and boarded an evening stagecoach bus to nairobi at the main bus park. After a lengthy delay the bus was on its way to nairobi.
Kufika Nakuru tukaingia kwa bus park na hapo nikajishikia mbachu nusu kilo to see me through the journey to the city of lights.
So am seated with this jamaa and he also happened to get his own half and knowing ile story handas hujenga we strike an upuus conversation.
Somewhere along the way, within the ongoing hekayas he complements my avunjas (and btw this was way before timberland zijulikane) na maswali kadhaa ati ulizibuy wapi, oh ziko sarama bla bla. Anyways veve ilitunyaka na tukaendelea na zile hekaya za gomba za ma.development na kujenga magorofa na sio kama ile dojo ya mr @wong . Honestly as time went by, I wasn’t sure what the main topic of discussion was but I went along all the same. Imagine everybody else is asleep kwa bus save for kigonyi and the two of us seated pale back bench tunashikisha veve na mastory.
Safari ilienda vipoa bila kisanga na tukafika jijini salama salimini. That time the terminus for stagecoach buses was at the bus station, hio moja tu iko ndani ya tao, so hapo ndo kigonyi aliingiza mbus na kupark waiting for daybreak. kumbe the best was yet to come. It was saved for the last.
Seeing that it was still dark and time was kitu 3am and being that singepata ndai ya kufika mtaani sahio, I decided to chill ndani ya basi till dawn. Nikakata taksin na kujiekelea atleast nitulize kichwa before morning light and anyways I had to report to the office before heading home so there was no need ya haraka. My seatmate pale nyuma offered kuniachia the entire backbench saying anaona nimechoka and need a good rest. Nikamshukuru nakujiekelea and being that kulikuwa kumenyesha nikavua avunja zangu nisichafue kiti ya bus, nikaziweka hapo chini ya seat. Mistake number one. What I didn’t know was that nilikuwa najibu prayers za huyu mujamaa bila kujua.
So while nikikaokota he had other ideas. Akachota avunja zangu and even had time to wipe the mud off the sole using his own handkerchief na kuirusha hapo chini. Kufika kitu 5.30 guys wakaanza kujitoa mimi kugutuka nakuta mujamaa amesimama na bag yake kwa mkono ready to leave sahizo ana shine macho. Sikujua hata watu wa lakeside pia wanajua ku.shine macho hivyo. Story kiasi akanisho yeye anainua, all this while I didnt suspect he was upto no good. Mujamaa mpaka akanipatia sharba ile alikuwa amebakisha ati niongeze na yangu nishikishe ma baadaye. Kumbe alikuwa ananiingiza box. Yeye kushuka tu hivi nikajishuku kwa nini alikuwa akiniongelesha na wasiwasi na sio ile ya handas.
Kucheki chini ya seat avunja zimeenda and all I find is kitambaa ikona matope. Waah! Mimi huyo nikadondoka kwa bus mbio nyuma yake, akanicheki na yeye akafungua. Kuanza kushout shika huyo mwizi na bado nakimbia sikuona mtaro mbele yangu. Mimi na uzito yangu huyo, chubwi ndani ya mtaro nikazama. Kuamka hivi kila mtu around amefurahi anapiga makofi. Wasn’t sure kama hio makofi ilikuwa ya vile nili dive kwa maji ya mtaro ama vile ule mboyz amenihepa. Kumbe mujamaa alinoki boots zangu ikabidi amevuka nazo. How did I not see that coming, yaani I literally traded my precious avunjas for sharba ya veve bila kujua. What made the whole situation painful was that, that was the first day I was wearing those boots.
Ilibidi nikubali nimecheswo nikarudi kwa basi nikachukua bag yangu na kudondoka. Nikaenda kando ya hizo choo za hapo na kufreshen up then nikachange cladi that I had in my bag. Now the difficult part was that I only had one pair of shoes with me which happened to be the avunja zile zilibebwa.
Nilikaa bus station mpaka 8 waiting angalau ma.hawkers wafungue I get something to cover my feet. The first one who spread zile njumu za wamama za soo ndo nilikuta na kumweleza masaibu yangu. Niliongea kisapere yangu kayote, finally he agreed kuniuzia pums which were somehow small for my feet for 30 bob, being the only money I had in my pocket. There was no way I was going to the office kama nimevaa hizo njuti za wamama.
I went straight to railways kupanda ndai. Ustake kuona vyenye majamaa kwa street walikuwa wananicheki sahio nime tuck in trao kwa socks zangu za red kama mluhya ndo isishike matope na walking style nime.change juu ya pums kufinya mguu. I was lucky hio day nilipata ride kwa ma.three ya mtaani on credit. Kushuka stage ile teke nilitoka nifike kejani before nionekane wafikirie mi ni mugoroki, wacha tu!
- Reproduced with permission from the copyright holder kush wa bajaj.
hekaya chonjo kabisa