Letstoriesunfold ™

              Nilikuwa pahali, before this guy, Albert Ojwang, akujiwe kushikwa na apelekwe Sayun na the stupid pigs in uniform.  May Albert Ojwang's family get justice.  Letstoriesunfold  truly empathizes with his family.  Tulikuwa tumeketi place fulani, kwa kikao. You know those kawaida catch-up vibes? There was food, drinks, at a place where the ambience is just right. Grown-up talk. Everyone just dropping life stories, big plans, a couple of throwbacks being tossed around, mini politics tukiitana,  “Hi cousin.” Tukiwa tumeisha mbaya sana, after tumelimana banters back to back. Then out of nowhere, in the middle of a chill convo about life and adulting, this beautiful petite lady — calm voice, radiant smile — anasema,   “By the way,  2010 nilikuwa Class One.” Kila kitu ilisimama. Sips stopped mid-air. Laughter froze. Someone even coughed in shock.   CLASS ONE?  2010? Nikachora quick mental math...

               There was a rustle inside. The water had stopped. She opened the bathroom door slightly, peeking out.  “What do you mean?” I looked her in the eyes, and this time, my expression was different. The shadows under the bulb gave my face a subtle weight, like the memory I was about to share had never quite let me go. “The last time kuwa na water heater,    design ilinilima ka ghasia venye nilienda kuzima maji after nimemaliza ku shower nilijipanguza maji nikalala the whole day ju ya kuboeka.” Her hand gripped the doorframe tighter. I chuckled, but it was dry, not amused — grateful. The bathroom door opened fully now. She stood wrapped in a towel, her expression unreadable but softened. “Souley,” she said, voice quieter now,  “why didn’t you just tell me that from the start?” I smiled faintly, stepping to her.  “Some scars don’t talk, unless,  someone listens long enough.” She leaned against the doorframe, th...

                 I wasn't sure of how I was going to put this, but here goes. To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of cold showers, but there's a certain encounter that I experienced, changed my perception of it completely. I had almost forgotten about it, till a few weeks past, when someone's daughter mentioned something that made the memories come rushing like soldiers rushing out to battle.  I had been chilling with someone's daughter some weekend, doing some activities here and there, if you know you know, if you don't, forget about it. Hehe. Moments later, as I was scrolling through my phone, I heard her padding softly across the tiled floor — barefoot, towel wrapped carelessly around her, and she had this hint of mischief on her eyes. “Unajua,”  she said, voice mellow,  “showers feel better when shared.” I faced her slowly, not startled — just absorbing the weight of her invitation. She wasn’t smiling. That made it feel less ...

        The day before writing this, I had a bad day. Wacha ni rewind kidogo, before I had the bad day, nilikuwa najiwaza nikijiuliza ni wapi nitatoa pesa ya kufanya ma one two three. Kiasi kiasi, around 3 or 4 hapo, in the afternoon, naona simu ikilia. In case you didn't know, zile times uko in the pits of hell, in the dark, struggling to find the way out, ndio simu huwa hailii kabsaa.  I won't lie, simu venye ililia ilinistua kidogo, ju sikuwa na expect any call from anyone, moreso at that time. Ilikuwa a new number, sijawahi lenga kuchukua new number ju huwezi jua who might be trying to reach you with a strangers phone, inaweza kuwa opportunity, inaweza kuwa fahm or Boyz wako yuko kwa ngori, you never know.  Venye nilichukua, nilikuwa nadhani ni vijana wa mulot wamepiga kunijaribu Imani, but I held my tongue, and waited for the person on the other end to speak. “Hello,  naongea na fulani?” I was there wondering huyu ni nani ananijua na simjui, na hi...

  Something didn’t feel right. Her phone, her bag, her watch, everything was gone. Panic started to rise in her chest, but she fought it down. She needed to think. Her mind raced back to the night before. Selene.  The drinks.  That feeling of being watched.  The realization hit her hard, like a cold wave. She hadn’t just been out, she had been out with friends, or people she thought were her friends. She had been drugged, and the person who had put her in this situation was none other than Selene herself.  A sickening thought crept in.  Why,  why would Selene do this?  Alvina’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Her heart skipped. She wasn’t alone. Her first instinct was to hide, but there was nowhere to go. Her only option was to face whatever was coming.  The door creaked open slowly, and a man appeared in the doorway. He did not look bothered at all, it was as though it was just another ordinary day. His eyes scanned ...

        I always tell my Gs, time and time again, to be careful, hawanisiki kabsaa, wanaona ni kama mimi ni matako yao, nilipigwa heartbreak ya kimataifa, or worse, ni kama nachukia wanawake.  Otis, with his heart set on a future bright and unmarred by past shadows, was on the cusp of a new dawn. His wedding to Julia was mere days away, scheduled for a radiant Sunday where love was supposed to renew itself in the eyes of God and man.  Preparations were in full swing, or at least, they would have been.  Instead, Julia, the bride-to-be, had her heart, mind and soul  elsewhere.  She chose adventure over duty, opting for a road trip and camping escapade with her friends, leaving Otis to navigate the chaotic waters of wedding planning alone. The absence of his partner in these crucial moments was felt like a void, but Otis held onto the belief that love was about understanding and patience. However, patience was tested when, in a twist of modern-...

           Kuna hizi silhouettes za a popular figure zimekuwa zikinimaliza ajab, plus story ya Baltazar Engonga ikatokea, that legend, singlehandedly putting his country on the map. The last time I heard anything concerning that country was many years ago, when I was in primary. Kidogo nisahau kuwawekea story mfurahie.  Anyway, nilikuwa nimejipata nimepitia thread ya “in my prime” kwa social media, sikumbuki kama ni TikTok ama Twitter, a few days prior ndio nikakumbuka hii story, after kushangazwa na revelations za watu, particularly, what people's daughters did in their prime. I had an ordeal in the hands of my own mother twenty-five years ago that I have failed to forget. Back in the day kuna wale wazee walikua wakizunguka vitongoji duni wakinunua "chupa na debe" n old stainless steel sufurias. The pioneers of Mari kwa Mari, or old skull Mari kwa Mari.  (For context and for those who don't know,  Mari kwa Mari  are people who go aroun...