The morning of 21st June, 2024.
I pride myself on rarely regretting my decisions. This is because I carefully analyze every situation, make a decision on the most appropriate cause of action. And make peace beforehand with any likely outcome as a result of this decision.
And that is exactly what I did early this morning. I have realized that most people have a morning routine. And if not the cliché hear the alarm, snooze for ten minutes. Hear the alarm again, snooze for another five minutes and then finally drag yourself out of bed. Curse being an adult, wash the sorrow away with a quick shower. Barely have time for breakfast as you struggle through the appropriate attire for the day. And then rush to the parking or bus stop depending on your social class. I have realized at least for most people, whether they like it or not. They tend to leave the house at the same time everyday, something that mostly comes automatically.
Today is the second day of my ‘Do not be late’ campaign. And on my way to the bus stop (I guess you now know the social class I belong to) I notice the same vehicles I did yesterday. This means that I have matched yesterday’s timings. And I am on track to proving to myself I can be early consistently.
So here comes the decision-making part. When I get to the bus stop, there are two matatus to choose from. And logic has it the most advanced one would be the first to get full and leave. So, I ignore the calls from the other conductor, I completely avoid eye contact. That way it’s easier to ignore him without any guilt. But at the back of my mind, I am like I hope there are people inside coz I cant afford to break my streak of being early. The windows are somewhat tinted and so this is going to be a gamble.
So, take a wild guess. Do you think I am disappointed or glad?
You are right! I am massively disappointed. The Matatu is as empty as a church on Monday morning. And the few guys around aren’t fooling anyone by their seriousness and calmness. We all know they are passengers for hire. So I take my seat next to the window so that if someone is able to squint through the tint they would get the impression that the bus is full. If I am going down, I am not going down alone. However, for the first five minutes. I am still contemplating alighting and moving to the other bus. But as I said, I tend not to regret my decisions. So I decide to stick to my choice painfully. To add insult to injury the other bus leaves shortly after. I am gutted.
The bus goes ahead to take another 20 minutes or so to get full. What to me feels like an eternity. The whole time the driver is revving the engine as if we are about to leave. But all of us on the inside can see the empty seats and we all know he isn’t going anywhere until all are occupied. I guess the revving is more for the people on the outside than the ones on the inside. And finally, the final rev leads to movement and as the last seat is occupied. I am relieved but I am looking at my clock and all I can say is…
“You better fly”
My seat must have been bugged because I have reasons to believe the driver heard me. Coz boy does he fly. Deep down I am excited like a little kid riding a bike for the first time. But still, I am like I hope we don’t regret this. The way he overtakes feels like a scene right out of a fast-and-furious movie. The only difference is there are no cameras around and the driver isn’t Vin Diesel. But at this rate, and having not laid my eyes on him, I am not sure.
A distance that normally takes 40 minutes to 1 hour only takes us 20 minutes. He somehow beats the morning traffic, evades all other motorists on the road (I don’t believe we stopped once) and goes ahead to drop us further away from the designated bus stop and closer to my workplace.
My mind is blown at this point! Could the universe conspire any better to ensure I get to work early? As I alight, a big smile on my face I look at the inside roof of the matatu. And there it is, the explanation. In capital letters, written in red with a fire-like font “FRAKAS” And now it all makes sense.
