A coward….or not

Commuting to and fro work is just routine, something I do without thinking about. It’s just what my life is all about.
Then there are times things happen that make me take pause and really examine what is happening.

So yesterday in the evening I took a mat that would take me home. The last person to board came in with a mattress. This huge and thick mattress, that I couldn’t help thinking that someone was going to have themselves a really lovely sleep.

Off we go. Just outside the CBD, the condas decide to pick up some more guys and make some more money. Since all the seats are occupied the people coming in had to stand along the aisle and hold on to the rail on the roof of the bus.

The conductor had already gotten money from the rest of us. So now he had to figure a way to get it from the standing fellows and at the same time supervise the alighting of the others as well. Remember, the mattress is still next to the entrance.

So he asks, rather shouts, at the standing guys to pass him his due read fare money

“Mtoe pesa zenu na mzilete zote huku mbele, kuanzia wenye mnajificha jificha hapo nyuma.”

He is using a tough voice n no one can mistake his meaning-time to pay up! So the guys all pass along their monies, he receives it checks to make sure it’s alright then pockets it.

Drama begins when its time for passengers to start alighting-the mattress is causing problems. One has to really stretch in order to pass and the passenger seated just next to it is not amused since shez being stepped on.

Now, there are some women to cross, and then there are others that you would do well to just leave them alone. An alighting passenger decided to take offence, telling her “We mama, unataka tupitie wapi?”

I gasped. He had opened a pandora’s box. I knew it even before she opened her mouth to retort back. There are some women that you are advised to steer off of, especially when it comes to matters of a confrontational nature; unless you got a real smart mouth on you.

She stood up. “Unaita nani mama? Eeeeh? Unaita nani mama?

“Mimi ni mama yako?”

I thought the man would just shut up and get off at the next stop. But it seems he also needed to get some off his chest. “Usiniletee mama! Umeskia?”

“Na usiniite mama tena, haunijui na hauna right yoyote kunikanyaga  kanyaga hapa, unaskia?”

I was now greatly entertained. What had looked to be a boring trip home had turned out to be a comedy of sorts. I was smiling, feeling truly happy for the first time that day. Atleast it was someone else who was having a hard time!

The argument eventually ended when the man had to alight. The woman looked disappointed, I think she still had more stuff to get off her chest and wasn’t happy at being denied the chance.

I was almost home by then. When I started to alight too, someone stepped on my toe. Looking up, it was another man, rudely shoving his way out the vehicle. I opened my mouth to say something, closed it again and hurriedly walked off. I may not be so sure about many things about myself but one thing I know is that I am not a smart mouth.

I remind myself what my mama always said… sometimes the best fight you can come up with is walking away from one.