Of traffic jams and strangers in buses

I moved house and true to Shae’s style, it was further away and towards Mombasa….. Syo Kimau.

The traffic on Mombasa road is usually horrible so I leave home mid- morning so I can avoid it and on this day I was feeling really good about the day; the sun was just so and my mood was good as I walked to the highway to catch a bus into town. In I go and take a seat next to the window and settle in with my ever present book and I think I saw someone I might know so I turned my head and smiled and got back to reading. From the corner of my eye I see movement and this guy comes and seats himself next to me. I smile again and pointedly stare at my book.

I try to think where I know him from but for the life of me, I cant remember!
This guy nudges me and I look at him, remove one of my earphones and not completely set it down to signal that I would hear him out and get back to what I was doing; but as luck would have it, it wasn’t to be.
He told me his name was George and [it still dint come to me where I knew him from] that it had been a minute which I took to mean, since I saw him across the aisle and waved; it wasn’t.
I told him I was Anne and he said, “I know”. I don’t know how he knew me but he did and he went on to tell me how his sister was married to a “stupid” man and how his mom would love to see me again [did I mention that I do not remember who the hell he was?]

I looked out the window and, what do you know?! There is a nasty snarl up and I have to endure the company of George. I ask him what he does for a living and I hope he would say that he doesn’t have any work so that our “conversation” would be deemed useless and he would keep quiet so I could go back to my book but he says something that I dint get because I was already mentally back to reading. I went like, “huh?”
But George wouldn’t let up and he said,
“Its complicated”
I did a jig in my head thinking that even if he were a hair dresser and he used chemistry and physics to make some poor lady’s hair, I couldn’t care less. He dint let me be happy for long because he went into a litany of big words about his work, which, let me mention, I never did get to know.
Have you ever met one of those people who say that something is too complicated to explain and then still go ahead and do so using big words? Well that is what George was doing and at this point, it was like yelling to a deaf person.

I wanted to yell,
“I don’t know you! I swear I don’t!”
“I ate garlic bread and I can’t hold my breath any longer!”
“I am mad and I may just start beating you!”

I had already dismissed all semblance of nicety and I wasn’t nodding and grunting at the right places. I stared pointedly at George and I knew all the zits on his face but this guy just dint get it!
I looked out the window and I was fast considering either running out of the bus screaming or getting off before my stop and footing it to town.

Bull by the horns and I said,
“hey, I need to make a phone call”
What the hell was that?! I wanted to say,
“shut up! I don’t know you and I hear it ain’t smart to talk to strangers!”
And then I say I want to make a phone call?! Ok, I was losing myself.
I had to call someone….
”hello Sandra….Ok, call me back”
She was in a meeting!
I left my ear phones in my ears and started bobbing my head and pretending that he wasn’t there.

We finally got to town and I got off and walked fast not looking behind me and it was a shame that someone has pushed me to running from them but it was scary!
CURSE traffic jams!! I need a car!