There are funny things that usually happen when you are in a rush. Picture yourself leaving home, you need to lock the door or pick up the car keys. They are nowhere to be seen.
You frantically search under the sofa, on the carpet, in the kitchen sinks, and even in the least of places you can ever keep them, inside the wallet.
Then you remember where you placed them and you laugh at yourself. Haaah! You left them on the door when you opened it in the morning to throw out garbage.
This morning was one of those days. I didn’t even see that my tie was not tied well until the woman sitting beside me in the nganya pointed it out.
I thought Nairobians never minded other people's business. Maybe this one was a rare breed.
“Looks like you are late for a meeting?” she stated after I pulled my tie-up.
“Yes, quite a day,” I can’t imagine.
Here’s where I’d hear my mum’s voice inside my head. “At 27 Joseph, you need to get married now. You have all you need.
“You declined to work in your father’s firm and chose a startup company but that should not make you more focused on your career than marriage,” she’d always insist.
But how would that have helped after my car broke down outside a matatu terminal that morning?
Let me take you back, before I decided to get into a matatu, I was near speeding to join the highway from the service lane on Thika road when the engine of my car knocked.
I stepped out of the car and pondered for a while, called my tow company who estimated it would take nearly an hour to come to my rescue.
This is the point where you are tempted to act as a mechanic, but you brush the thought aside for fear of staining your pricey tuxedo. In fact, I was wearing that particular one for the first time to make an impression during the presentation I was heading to.
“Okay, take a cab,”. That was the first instinct. I wish those voices in our heads had a name. Haa! There are times when a negative idea can cross your head and you look into the mirror and wonder if that’s really you.
I reached out for my phone and requested a cab, pulled out my Coca-Cola drink from the compartment on the driver's door and took a sip.
The cab was 10 minutes away. Another hustle. I posed pensively next to my car and then saw Rosa, the fashion shop retailer who was familiar with my tow company. I had parked my brother’s car one time at her shop as we waited for a mechanic.
I left her the keys and right away hopped into the matatu calling for passengers. It was my first time inside a Nairobi matatu. I know you’re probably asking yourself how.
My parents used to drive us around the city when we were young and we also had a driver who’d step in when they were away.
They bought me my first car at age 18 and I bought my own at 25 years. My father was more of a private person and we’d spend most of the days indoors, learning piano or swimming. It was a life I got accustomed to.
This was a new experience.
“Songea uyo jamaa wa mbwenya aketi hapo (Create space for this elegantly dressed chap),” the tout told the lady I sat next to and that was how she got to asking me to mend my tie.
We struck up a conversation and confided in her that it was my first time inside a matatu.
She burst out laughing.
“Take caution, someone may pluck your phone through the window,” she advised me when the bus slowed down approaching the city.
“They take advantage of the traffic jams a lot,” she warned.
She was quite charming.
“Can I have your Coca-Cola bottle? Kindly don’t toss it away,” she requested after I had quenched my thirst.
“This bottle?” I asked as I toyed with it in my hands.
“Yes, I would like to try to win some cash or airtime,” she answered.
“Cash? How?” I wondered.
“Yes. Don’t you know? Coca-Cola is offering five slots for individuals to go watch the FIFA World Cup matches in Qatar. By just sending the eight-digit code under the crown to 40111, I could win other things such as airtime and hard cash,” she explained as she sent the code under the bottle top.
A few minutes later she showed me her phone. A message congratulating her on winning some amount.
“You’d like us to split?” she asked, smiling.
“Haaa, no enjoy your win, I am going to try my luck next time,” I answered as we exchanged contacts.
Marcus, the company driver was picking me up in a few. I’d have hated myself for delaying the meeting. Am not that kind of a CEO. Keeping time is essential for me.
Oh, and by the way, I have a lunch date tomorrow, with the lady I met in the matatu. Her name is Rosina, sorry and she is a real estate agent, I didn’t mention it earlier.
She asked to video call me after my meeting. I bet my mother is going to be happy.
