Although I only first heard of Valentine’s Day this year, I decided that I would give Cate a treat. To make the day a success, when I went for my salary, I took time to buy some gifts for Cate. I had done some research, and settled on gifts that I knew she would really like.
I actually had consulted Madam Ruth, whom I am now close to. As you know, the political arithmetic in our school is changing quickly and I am now more aligned to the Deputy’s side, to which Madam Ruth firmly belongs.
I first asked her if she knew about Valentine. “She was good in Maths,” Ruth answered. “She is in Form two at St Teresa Girls.”
I clarified that I was talking about Valentine’s Day, not Valentine our head girl of 2008. “Oh, that, I know it but you know Juma will be with his Main Sim Card so I will not feature.”
I asked her what her ideal Valentine gift would be. “A nice dress, necklace - something that would make me look pretty,” she said before adding. “But Juma ni mkono-birika. He won’t buy me anything.”
So I settled on three gifts: Ngoma rubber shoes from Bata, Kitenge material, and Piece for her hair. I could not get Kitenge material. I therefore went for “Piece”, and quickly bought two of them. Next I went to Bata. Finding Bata too expensive, I got the same pair of Ngoma rubber shoes at much lower prices at the open air market.
Valentine’s Day. I was ready by noon. I had my latest new green Kaunda suit, white Reebok sports shoes and since it was Valentine – red socks.
I wrapped the gifts in fresh newspapers, and carried them in a yellow polythene bag. We met at the market posho mill, where Cate had brought maize for grinding. We left the maize with the mill attendant. Since it was Valentine’s, I was not going to take her to a hotel at our local market centre so I carried her on the bicycle and off we left for the next market centre – some kilometers away. We went straight to Kasuku Hotel, which mostly sells chai and mandazi.
“Kuna madondo Chapo, lakini maharagwe haijaiva,” the waiter answered when I asked if lunch was ready. I could not ask for beef since Cate does not eat ‘animals’. We were assured that lunch would be ready within half an hour.
We decided to take a soda as we waited for the lunch. We each took Madiaba (Soda Kubwa) and half bread. As I parked the bicycle, Cate placed her lesso under the tree behind the shop and we sat down to enjoy our drinks.
I took out the margarine which I always carry and Cate applied it on the bread. We didn’t have much to talk as we took the soda. I sought to break the silence.
“Do you think the Naivasha constitution will pass?”
“I thought it was passed?” she asked. She had no idea what I was talking about. I finished my Stoney, helped her finish her Fanta then gave her the gifts; but told her to only open them once back home. “Let’s check if lunch is ready,” I said as we stood up.
It was not, but one waiter brought us water to wash our hands while another left the hotel in a hurry. After some wait, they brought us beans which had been fried before they cooked well. The waiter who had left came back but left immediately again. The other waiter gave one chapati to Cate and asked me to wait for mine. The waiter who had left earlier rushed in back. She then brought me two mandazi – cut into pieces.
“The chapatis are over, please take mandazi," she explained.
Cate didn’t eat much so I cleared her plate once I was done with my mine. All the while she was quiet. I was keen to end the silence.
“Do you see Ongeri resigning?” I asked her.
"Kwani what did he do?” she asked and I knew I had to look for another conversation. Just then, I received an SMS from my brother Pius: “Raila has dissolved the cabinet.” This made me very unsettled and although I shared the news with Cate, she wasn’t moved.
Just then, Nyayo, who sold food by the road side, rushed into the hotel. “Bado mnataka Chapati?” he asked the waiters. We realized then that we had just taken chapati and mandazi from his dirty roadside shed.
As we were mounting the bicycle ready to leave, I saw Madam Ruth, together with Mboya, a high school teacher, come out of the lodgings behind Pumzika Bar. Ruth hugged Mboya, and then boarded a Bodaboda motorcycle while Mboya waved at me, then swaggered back to the bar.
Late that night, I got an SMS from Madam Ruth: “I know u enjoyed ua Vals like me... lol. U know what not to tell Juma. Sweet dreams dear.”
I hadn’t finished reading this when Cate’s double SMS arrived: “Thanks dear 4the treat n gifts. The shoes were hwvr small n I gve my small siz. I usually use 4 sets of hair piece – not 2. Did u check them? 1 was brown n de other black. But I love them. Xoxo.”
Although I did not understand what lol and xoxo meant, I was happy to have received good SMSs from two pretty ladies at the same time. What a memorable Valentine’s.
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