Confession #605
About 20 years ago, I borrowed my uncle’s bicycle and cycled from my rural home -some remote village within county 039 in search of my high school crush about 70 kilometers away.
From all indications, I was so close to winning her heart especially after she had earlier on accepted my gift of Sandak shoes which I had bought for her from the proceeds of charcoal burning. All along, she had played hard to get throughout school. Now, I get to her home and after peeping through the fence for over an hour, I finally manage to signal her small brother to where I was. The lad comes and demands for something before letting me know where my Khalinjola was. I produce kona saba (five shilling coin) which I had spared for emergency on the road in case my bicycle got a puncture only for the boy to tell me ‘Nasimiyu kachile wa senge’! I inquire about the distance from there to Senge’s place and my estimation gives me about 20 kilometers away!
Determined, I set the ‘Raleigh’ machine in motion after carefully listening to the directions.
I get to my destination and the first person I inquire from on the whereabouts of one Nasimiyu from Namutokholo happens to be Mulamwa wa nasimiyu who confidently explains in swahili…”Yeye ni shemechi yangu ameoleka kwa prata yangu!”
I dislodge from the bicycle and sit down to hear properly!!
My informer asks if she should call her for me and I only nod. Nasimiyu comes and she’s evidently pregnant! On seeing me, she is full of herself and says, ‘karipu baye, ese nabeela eno. Enju yase niyo eyi…”
She’s wearing my Sandak that I bought for her!
Furious, exhausted and fatigued, I stand to leave. My bicycle’s rear tyre is flat! It’s 5.30pm and I have over 90 kilometres to do by way of cycling. I’m penniless.
No thought of killing anybody crosses my mind. Only defeat. I encourage myself that I will pursue Nasitanje instead.
Hii kuuana juu ya mapenzi imetoka wapi jameni??
