Epiphany

An epiphany hit me...

So, I'm reading Ngatinku on my phone as we approach Kenol-Kabati in Murang'a county. I am aboard a staff van, at the left backseat. So, I'm tryna concentrate, minding my own Ps and Qs. But there is this luo guy on his phone he's loud in the relevantly quiet van playing Maina and King'ang'i in a soft tune. I can barely make out what Maina is saying. 

I only know one guy in this matt. I'm new to this workplace. So I find myself a backseat in case we have reserved seats and I unintentionally occupy someone's seat only to be told to make myself scarce. We don't want such embarrassment now, do we? 

In this place, people can be petty. It's like high school for adults. You queue for meals, what is this place? 

The kitchen staff have a grudge against you from the previous life and it's time for payback. They have a way to show you who's in charge around here. What's even sadder, is that in the evening there's no mummy to rant to. 

The security guards? They frisk you like a cavity search. They ruffle you up until you reveal your contraband. At the entrance, you knock politely and wait for them to decide whether to open. Upon entering, you have to go through the human metal detector with feet for palms, which is keen not to miss a spot, followed by a call to your head of department, to confirm whether you are still on the payroll as if you were secretly fired in the middle of the night. 

So, this Luo Jango is seated on the Co-drivers' seat. He's on his phone and doing that thing I like about luos. That thing they do interject English with Dholuo. It's amazing! 

He's like... 

"Gine mano puoro, mano kacha LPO, purchase order mano abi."

"Aty, pesa kato chase bank? Aduo pesa. Bwana! He's stupid."

Haha... Don't quote me on this. My apologies for eavesdropping but he made his call our affair in this mum van. 

And it hits me, a little bulb moment. This could be a story. 

The most Luo I speak is, 

"Iwacho nang'o", 

"Aonge owach!"

"Wathi maberr"

"Abiro goi"

"Abiro chwadi"

That is as far as my Dholuo goes. So I'm really trynna get on my story but this guy made this call our affair. He wants us to feel his frustration. I agreed with him that, the guy he's referring to is indeed stupid from his rage. 

We make several stops at Juja, and Jomoko to pick more people. The van is almost full at this point. Everyone is high-fiving as they board, I'm busy on my phone. I'm deep into this story. Biko has a way of writing that keeps you hooked. You got to be keen, you blink twice and you miss it. 

I'm reading the article offline and I get the part with an attachment photo, and I want to see it before I proceed but poor me, I don't have data. So I wait to get the free wifi zone to resume. 

I wish we had time.