Of buses and new friends.

WOW!!!

Ok…this feels amazingly weird.

I have never been this quiet and its good to be back after my looooong hiatus.

Anyhu, emotions aside (I swear I wasn’t sniffing…)

So…lets see, what’s been happening while I was away…well, aside from red-call scares, promulgation(is this term only meant to be used once in the Kenyan calendar or will it now move over to being a hit amongst new-born Luo babies??), nothing much seems to have occurred.

As for my ordinary life…well, I happened upon some one interesting on a recent trip from Kisumu. Suffice it to say that I actually struck an absorbing conversation with a hitherto kawa guy.

I almost always NEVER EVER talk to strangers in the bus; I always have my earphones plugged in snugly, or a book (Robert Ludlum or James Patterson novels are the best books to scare away any insistent pests on a long-distance trip. The size of the novel does the trick) or a fashion magazine. If none of this is handy, well a robotic stare in the offender’s direction does it. Or a stare that would shatter glass. Whichever comes first.

So I checked into my seat, strapped myself in – yeah, Kenyan roads aint the problem anymore, Kenyan drivers are! I wore my socks, pulled my polo-neck right around my neck and settled in for what was meant to be a long, snooze-filled journey back to Nairobi.

Until dude ambles into the bus and equally straps himself into the seat next to mine. I suppose he looked harmless enough but still – a cursory glance at him and I turned back towards the window. I didn’t expect the fellow to utter any words of greeting nor ask if I had a cold. Hmm…he probably thought I had the Swine Flu, or H1N1 whatever (is it still considered a pandemic?)

Anyhu, I said hello and closed my eyes. Exactly thirty winks later, he started again, “Eer...what brought you to Kisumu?”

Surely? Are you kidding me! It’s a cold night, I’m trying to get some shut-eye coz I’m working the following day and this guy wants to strike a conversation?

I almost tore my meagre hair out. But as mother always averred, always be kind but cautious with strangers. I looked at the guy – he didn’t seem strange to me. You know – like those Onyancha types. None of that. Infact, he was quite cute. Plus my big sister and her best buddy were only a couple of seats behind. Oh well, I was willing to break the rules for once.

So hence started what was to be a lengthy discussion…from his reason for coming to Kisumu(it was his girl’s birthday and he’d come over to spend some QT with her.Aaaw…aint that sweet?), to his work, my work, how annoying people can be, relationships(yeah, somehow that always features prominently in any conversation), why I’m in banking, his projects, my secret life, his secret life etc etc etc.

Before I knew it, we were in Nakuru and I was warning him not to take a smoke – yup, somehow I became the strict maternal figure that was going to squish my new-found accomplice to oblivion if he dared smoke (see, he’s trying to quit smoking – quite a noble decision if you ask me).

Eventually he had pity on me and allowed me to get some sleep, and even offered a shoulder (quite a cushy one too) to lie on. I must have snored in my sleep – I was so comfortable!

Nairobi came up faster than you could say Jack Daniels and I was soon unfolding myself from my seat, unable to comprehend how my day was gonna be. I definitely looked like a train wreck. We said our goodbyes – exchanged cards and hugs actually – and he was off.

I must say I got to learn something new that day:

1. Not everyone I sit next to on the bus is secretly harbouring thoughts of harvesting my liver or kidneys.

2. I can safely travel without my books and I’ll live.

3. There’s actually something like “other interesting people” out there. Try it.

I have a new pal! YAY!

It’s good to be back.

I’m loving: I’ll Be There – The Rembrandts.