A long day is over, as I stride with a pace of grace, and stop at the long queue at the Supermetro, I can’t help but notice a couple in front of me. The twilight hours, the buzz of the city, and the night lights set the ambience for them. You can tell that their relationship is in the honeymoon stage. Their faces are radiant, their voices just low enough for them to understand each other and their fingers intertwined so tight it would take a stampede of elephants to break them apart.
I stop my thoughts mid-track when I hear the common words from love cynics it will end in tears. I made a vow to myself that I wouldn’t be one of them. I shift my thoughts and on a more positive note, I remember that I really can’t afford jealousy, it is too expensive for me.
As the queue keeps moving, a less abled child comes along and taps the guy with the “Uncle, ninunulie kakitu” which is a more polite way of saying I need your help, the streets are tough. The tall, light-skinned lover with a well-kept beard reaches his side pocket and feels its emptiness. He reaches for his backpack and removes a clean wallet. As the young boy’s eyes light up with hope, he chips out a fresh crisp hundred-shilling note and hands it over to him. Honestly, I am impressed. A kind man that extends grace. I know for sure that I am not the only one who has witnessed the ordeal before me. (Wakenya na udaku ati macho hayana pazia. Ask your best friend about the text they saw a man receive in church saying “Jemo it’s over.”)
The gorgeous, enticing, and most beautiful girl in the world next to “Mr. Man” subtly steals a cheeky kiss and the fingers intertwine even more tightly. I could have sworn that was a till-death do-as-part moment. I could hear my loud thoughts saying, “By the powers vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife, you may now kiss the bride”
I blushed on everyone’s behalf and a little aaawww escaped my lips. It’s amazing how new love can make you forget the heaviness of reality. I mean, our flower was holding a large-sized pizza box in her left hand but her right hand was glued to the love of her life. The kind man couldn’t hide his generosity and loving grace. He proved himself effortlessly in front of our eyes. If I met him 10 years from now and heard that he was Hush Puppi’s accomplice, I would not have stood down from vouching for him as a man of the people.
As we approach the bus entrance and rest our feet and backs from a long day but destroy our eardrums with explosive bongo music, the couple removes a brown bag from their generous bag. The bag that keeps on giving! I digress, I decide to position myself at the seat behind them because this is too good of a free Netflix rom-com to miss. Especially knowing that the password to the Netflix account I was given might have been changed. I mean six people is a Netflix crowd and I know that X-Tigi I see at 3 am will never give up.
Inside the brown bag is a bottle of Black and White. I guess this is where I say happiness is so long. I really can’t Keep up with the Kouple anymore between the bongo music and the brown liquor, my thoughts might get dark and honestly, I have done a good job so far. I let out a little sigh of resignation and slip my earphones in.
I really do wish them the best. May their hearts stay strong just like their fancy fingers.
Manenoz 