TASTELESS

CHAPTER ONE

"I will miss you people", Kayla says. She is having a last chat with her two best friends, Naomi and Cindy just outside their gate. Last chat because she finally landed a job in Nairobi and she is set to travel the following day, early in the morning.

"We will miss you too girl, hoping to visit you soon in the city" Cindy responds. Cindy and Kayla are childhood friends. They grew up in the same village and attended the same primary school. But when the time to join high school came, the two friends separated and joined different schools. They would reunite again after their college education and become close even more.

"Always welcome, you are my family," Kayla says as she hugs Naomi.

"Which part of Nairobi will you be staying in?" Naomi asks.

"Kahawa West, once I settle down I will invite you over to my place," Kayla responds. Naomi and Kayla are churchmates. Their friendship, however, intensified when they found out that they were dating the same guy.

"Tutakuja (we will come)" Cindy responds while hugging Kayla.

"Safe journey, we'll talk," Naomi says as they walk away with Cindy.

"Thank you," Kayla replies, gets back to her home, and closes the gate behind. This is going to be her first time leaving home since November last year when she graduated from the university.

"Be patient daughter, very soon you are going to get a good job and leave us here." Her mom kept encouraging her all the time. Kayla is the impatient kind of person. She has been worried about why everyone else seemed to be getting jobs, while she stayed at home waiting.

"Don't compare yourself with people. Everyone has their own lives to live." Her father always said. He knew her daughter is fragile.

"But dad, for how long am I going to be here? I'm tired of this life." Kayla would respond.

"Tired of life? At 22 years you are tired of life? Shame on you!" Her father would always reply angrily. He did not like her daughter's altitude. He wanted her to have hope that everything would work out perfectly.

"I have packed for you some maize and yams. Don't forget them as you leave tomorrow." Kayla's mom told her later that night.

"Mom, yams?" She replied.

"Yeah, you need them. Nairobi sio mchezo.(Nairobi is not a joke)" Her mom responded.

"I'm sure Mercy will not like them," Kayla replies.

Mercy, Kayla's cousin, offered to host her during the first week as she settles down in Nairobi. Mercy and her family have stayed in Nairobi the whole of their lives. They rarely visit the village, not even in December. Mercy is married to a city lawyer and they live in Jacaranda gardens, Kahawa west.

"Na usikae kwa wenyewe sana. Enda utafute nyumba yako.(don't stay in their home for long. Find your own house)" Kayla's mom responded. She knows the constraints of living with relatives in Nairobi.

By 10 pm, Kayla had packed everything and was ready to leave Sangalo for Nairobi the following day.

****

Kayla wake up while everyone else was asleep, took a cold shower, and prepared to travel. Later after the others were up, her mom said a short prayer then her Dad escorted her to Lwanda junction, where she would be picked by the bus. Within a few minutes, the bus arrived.

"Take care of yourself." Her Dad said as he waved goodbye to Kayla, who in turn waved back and got into the bus. She sat close to the window and looked outside into the dark. It was still early in the morning.

'I will miss the village.' she told herself. Starting a new life in Nairobi is not a small thing, especially if you are used to the ways of the village. Mostly, she was going to miss the company of her good friends, Naomi and Cindy. She remembered with nostalgia all the moments she had with them. No day ended without meeting them. They would always spend every evening together talking and laughing.

'I will miss Cindy's jokes.' she said to herself. Cindy is the comedian amongst the three. She always has this unique sense of humor that keeps Kayla giggling or laughing every time they are together.

The bus is cruising through Kakamenga-Bugoma road when it slows down in Butsotso then stops to pick more passengers, amongst them is a youthful lady who walks directly to Kayla's seat.

"Can I seat here?" She requests.

"Yes, you can," Kayla responds absent minded. The bus starts and swiftly catches momentum as it pulls into the main road. Darkness is slowly fading out to usher in a new day. However, all of sudden, the bus is filled with a weird odor. Kayla opens the window to allow fresh air.

"Close the window, please. It is very cold." Her seatmate interrupts.

"Do you smell that?" Kayla asks

"What?" Her seatmate replies.

"The smell," Kayla responds while looking straight into her eyes. Then she discovers that her seatmate's face is not what she expected. Her seatmate is a street person.

"Nikifika Kisumu nitaoga(I will take a shower when I get to Kisumu)" she replies, looking away from Kayla. Other passengers have noticed the developing commotion and are all looking in Kayla's direction. The bad odor is so strong, Kayla could not hold it anymore.

"Let me go to another seat." She excuses herself. Her seatmate, instead of giving her way, stands up and walks to the front seats, at least leaving behind a relieved Kayla, who quickly opens the window and catches fresh air.

****

"Msichana, amka tumefika (wake up girl, we've arrived)." The conductor says as he uncovers Kayla who has been asleep. She rubs her eyes, looks outside, and sees the magnificent City, Nairobi. She quickly reaches for her phone, calls Mercy to confirm where they would meet, then goes for her bags at the bus carrier and walks out into the noisy streets of the City. Mercy had told her to go and wait somewhere near archives. True to her words, she showed up with a new Mazda CX-5, 10 mins later.

"Welcome to Nairobi," Mercy says after putting Kayla's bags in the car trunk.

"Thank you so much. You bought another car?" Kayla responds.

"Yeah. Pia Baba Vin ako na ingine mpya." Mercy replies boastfully.

"I see, pesa inasumbua." Kayla says.

"He won a case for a Germany Billionaire and was paid good money. But I wish he never won that case." Mercy replies.

"Why?" Kayla asks.

"I will tell you when we get to the house. Kayla, I need you to stay with us a little longer, more than a week"...(to be continued)