Tension kwa Uber.

 It had been a long day, I was scrolling through social media, and I happened to see someone share a screenshot of their Uber driver, who had texted them like this, and I quote 

“niko kwa nguruwe 

(a place where pork is cooked and eaten), 

a few minutes please, I finish eating.”

Ilinikumbusha time fulani nilikuwa nimetoka shoot, late in the wee hours of the night with some other people and we had requested an Uber. There were four of us, all tired, but chatting away as we piled into the Uber. We’d wrapped up the shoot, and everyone was just ready to go home. 

After we had gone some distance, he casually asked as he pulled up to a petrol station that was just up ahead, 

“Kuna mtu yuko na mia saba, 

niweke mafuta, 

tutasort na price ya trip?”

As the rest of us paused for a second, and then he added while an attended came over to the driver's side of the window to inquire, 

“Ikiwa mingi nitakutumia balance.”

At first, no one said anything. Two people in the back seat, however, didn’t find the situation as straightforward. One of them, a little more vocal than the rest, leaned forward. 

“Kwani hauwezi kuja ka umejipanga?” 

They asked, raising an eyebrow. The last thing we needed after a long day was drama, and it was clear this was headed that way. The thought of cancelling the ride and ordering another Uber was already being floated around by the others in the back. I could sense the situation teetering. 

The driver didn't look like he was bothered, but it was obvious that the mood had shifted. Nobody wanted the drama, least of all me. So, to avoid the situation turning ugly real quick, I cleared my throat and said, 

“Sawa, 

let me pay for the fuel.”

Off we went after I had paid for the fuel. At that moment, it seemed like the best way to smooth things over, plus, I was tired of hearing the back-and-forth, and I really didn’t want to deal with the whole ‘cancelling the ride’ drama. The rest of the group, visibly relieved, agreed to let it slide. 

As I was the last one being dropped off, they sent me their share of the fare as they were being dropped off, one by one. Venye nilifika, I deducted the amount I had paid for fuel earlier, from the amount I was supposed to pay, and sent the driver the rest.