Mteja 2

-
Image
Let's rewind to 1:00 PM when she had texted:   “Souley,  go to this place in Ngara,  ask for a guy called Musyoka.  He has the samples.  Just call me when you get there,  I’ll guide you.” Simple, right?  Now it’s 2:44. I’m here. I’ve found Musyoka. He’s chewing miraa, eyeing me like I’m slowing down his evening high.   “Oyaa,  niko na samples.  Si useme venye madam alisema.  Ni hizi ama zile?” I freeze. I don’t know. I was told to wait for her instructions. I try to call her again. Mteja. I text. Double tick. No blue. I even WhatsApp call her, desperate moves, you know? Musyoka is now shifting his weight like a man about to disappear. I try calling her again, muttering under my breath,  “This woman will be the end of me.” Then the rain starts. Nairobi rain doesn’t fall, it attacks. Boda guys scatter, hawkers scramble to save their goods, and I’m there, hunched under a mabati shade, holding a phone that won't ring, wit...
1 comment

Kamagera

-

              In my existence, I have noticed some people are eating life with a big spoon, others like me, life is eating us with big spoons (read spade). 

Not so many moons ago I was in a very bad fix, big brain, alot of skills but no paper evidence to match the skill so the people with money think you are a con. Anyway, I had a friend who was a donda (read conductor), I know he makes over 1500 daily because one day he told me, I asked him to link me up to one of the manyangas and he told me,

“Si rahisi ni kulink 

mimi stakudanganya kama wale uncle wa nyumbani 

ati maliza shule nitakueka mahali.” 


So he told me about kamagera ( a person who just loads people in a Matatu, and remains.) and their rowdiness. That their survival in nairobi is to be likened to the silverback against 100 men. No mercy. Nikamuuliza, because I want a fishing rod, not the fish itself so as to fend for myself. 


So akaniambia you just go to any stage you know, wait for every Matatu that stops to pick up passengers and demand 20 to 50bob from every vehicle. Yes I know hakuna mahali I have convinced you to go to town, it was your choice, but kazi lazima iendelee. He told me the best stage to start off, because they are small small people I can tishia just incase things go south.


So after the interview, kesho yake nkaenda stage, alikua amenipeleka na rada so his vehicle was coming up, ikafika and I did as instructed akanipea 50. 


Very nais. 


The residents of stage noticed a new face but they did not know me so they chilled for a few. Kid you not, I slept with a sweet 800 in my pocket that day, plus alot of maize in my stomach juu hio ndio ilikuwa lunch.


“We taller, 

hii gari next ni yangu, 

siku ya kwanza tulikuachia mkate, 

leo utakula nduma"  


Day three manenos.


"Bana nairobi bidii, 

jikaze tu" 




I said jokingly. 


Kumbe the guy was serious I should back off. By the end of the week, I had been evicted from 6 stages. People somehow listened when I told them naweka gari next because I did not look unkempt and like a burglar, wana feel safe, and Makangas liked me juu I had customer mbio mbio, this I filled their matatus fast.

A knife was put on my throat in daylight, a few days after nikajua hapa nimekuja sana and quit the lucrative job, ju ni kama wangenituma sayuni. Minimum daily wage ni 500, good day has up to 2k.

Comments

Post a Comment

Is a pleasure to keep you as my reader entertained. Peace✌️

Popular posts from this blog

Death at a funeral, the interrogation.

-
Image
Continued from..   Death at a funeral I’m no wolverine who could heal quickly from a stab wound so I didn’t want to take my chances with the knife. As the rough and husky man directed me on where to go, I noticed it was like time had stood still, with chaos beautifully painted. I explored my choices on how to get out of this predicament, and boy! They didn’t look at all great, most of them all pointed to one end result, 6ft under. Except one, I was to act a fool. That is what I went with, to buy myself some time to figure how to get out of this ordeal and never have to look over my shoulder or be paranoid when I’m with someone’s daughter wondering, is she the means they have used to get to me?  Ever heard of the Samson and Delilah story? We reach at the car, at the very end of the field. A black Chevy, beautiful with a sleek paint job and design, and the door pops open. “Utleast you idiots have class,” is the last thing I say before I’m roughly shoved in, the rough and husky...
Continue...

Cloud 9 , what's next?

-
Image
Then she melted into the crowd. She took a while then nikacheki kuna dame yuko solo kwa corner nikasema nifike hivyo nimpee company. Huyo dame alinisho anaitwa Alicia.  Kuendelea kubonga nikarealize kumbe alikuwa anaogopa. Alikuwa ametag along na friend yake ndio asiboeke kwa hao akiwa pekee yake.  Nikamweka at ease na convo ingine fiti sana akanijenga no incase tupoteanwe tutafutana then we talked some more then Steph akatokea.  Akacheka then akaniita nimfuate. Madem na wivu bana  😂😂  Steph aliona ana compe.. Mimi huyo nikidhani Steph amepata plug wa sth sth iko na sweet aroma tufike cloud nine nayo.  Kufika to some secluded place anatoa some pills. Kumuuliza ni nini ananichapia ati molly. Akaextend mkono anipitishie nikakataa. “Shauri yako”   akasema then akameza.After a while niliona ameanza kuwa handsy.. “Huyu anataka ku unleash the beast”  Nilijiuliza kimoyomoyo.Kiasi kiasi nacheki mjamaa akikam ile corner tulikuwa. Nikajua baaas.. Huyu ni...
Continue...

Back to the basics.

-
Image
Nimeona picture kwa meme fulani, ikanipeleka tour down memory lane. Many moons ago, nikiwa primary. Nikitaja ilikuwa how many years ago, mtaniona ka mmoja wa wale wahenga mlikuwa mnaandika kwa kwa insha, ati, wahenga hawakupaka mafuta kwa mgongo wa chupa waliponena... 😅😅😅 Kulikuwa na hii stuff ilikuwa primary, ndio ukuwe unaongea kizungu, ulikuwa unakuwa punished psychologically ukiongea na mother tongue, kiswahili or the language of the streets, sheng. Except siku moja yenye mngekuwa exempted kuongea whichever language you fancy. Mental punishment depended on which time era you were in. For yours truly, ilikuwa kuvaa bling bling ya mfupa ingine kubwa. Yours truly, hajaanza kupiga story sahii, like B.I.G. nilikuwa notorious but upande wa kuongea. Hakuna siku nikiwahi kosa kwa list ya noisemakers, na siku sikuwa nimeongea labda nilikuwa mgonjwa. Most people walikuwa wana detest kuvaa hio bling bling, ju ya aibu ilikuwa associated with it, so msee alikuwa anakuwekea mtego, uongee tu l...
Continue...

Miss Anonymous 2

-
Image
  Continued from here-->>  Miss Anonymous Ju ya kuwa street smart kiasi tu, niliweza kutoka kuwa mgeni wa serikali bila kesi kuwa ngori. Vile natoka though, weeeh! Nanuka, niko mchafu, usingizi, kitu nataka ni kufika tu kejani nioge, nipite kwa mathe nikule, nilale. Nafika hivi ploti, watoto wa jirani wakinicheki wanahepa tu wakilia, kwani nakaa mnyama nini? Wamama wa ploti, najua wameshapata story mpya na mimi, but haidhuru, watabonga kisha watalala. Venye nimeshiba, napiga shower nitoe stench na misuli inyooke kidogo kisha nalala. Nastukia mlango inabishwa, kuangalia saa ni saa kumi na moja jioni. Weeh, nimelala kama maiti za pale Chiromo.😅 Kumbe ni arif yangu Timo, na venye nilikuwa nimejitayarisha na maneno nikidhani ni landlord. 😅😅 Namfungulia mlango aingie, but anaingia akiniuliza nimepotelea wapi, ati amekuwa akinitafuta siku kadhaa.  Nikienda kuona venye nitamjibu, ghafla bin vuu, simu inalia. Kuenda kucheki ni nani anapiga, nastukia ni ule Miss Anonymous...
Continue...