Running with Valentine
Night
It is nine in the night. I am glad the day has ended. I still see reminders of the day that should end in a hurry. Someone is still selling something on the roadside, illuminated by the tall post of the street light that he stands underneath. I see what he is selling – I hear what he is selling…
“Maua, maua, za mwisho! Soo soo, kila moja,” he beckons.
Two passersby stop by the piece of sack that is holding the merchandise…
“Kadi, kadi, za mwisho! Finje, finje!,” he continues, encouraged.
I pass by to notice the spread. A few cards, predominantly red. A few flowers – obviously artificial, red. It is night for crying out loud! Shouldn’t the red day have ended by now!
Later on, I ponder over this red day and wonder what it is all about.
Sunday
My day started late, when I woke up at nine. Being a Sunday, there was nothing much to do – just some cleaning, some black tea (that cannot be breakfast) and some Nigerian movie on AMC. I watch especially being a Sunday, since most of the over one hundred channels on the digital tend to have one theme only – forgetting that some folks have their church day on any other day.
I left for the workplace to do some reading. Passing by the roundabout I noted the vast display of red that jolted me back to reality. What is this obsession with red?
At the workplace I found a paper that I remember leaving on my desk on Friday, for later reading. The employer had set out some red day questions for its staff. These were asked during the usually weekly Friday staff meeting, where announcements are made as staff partake a cup of tea. The winners of the different gender categories won meal vouchers at some city joints. I missed the session, as I was seeing red, but I got to see the questions list.
Discrimination
For the gents:
Q1 - Which month is Valentine’s Day? (Surely! I know that menfolk have bad memories but that question is hitting below there.)
Ok, Q2 - What date is it? (Aiaya yaya yaya yai!)
Q3 - How to you spell 14th. (No comment on this)
Q4 - What colour is popular? (This is at least the first real question, knowing that menfolk are colourblind and all).
Let me not be so hard on the sons of Adam and leave the other six questions on the list. Turning to the daughters of Eve:
Q1 – In which play did Shakespeare mention St. Valentine? (You see the difference between Gents and Ladies questions? Discrimination! I shout to myself in the office – Thank heavens it is a Sunday and no one is around to check out the shout)
Q2 – Who is Valentine’s Day names after? (Discrimination!!)
Q3 – Where was the first Valentine’s Day card sent from? (Discrimination! I told you!!)
I leave the other two, since I cannot allow this to continue!
I retired for bed around mid-night on Sunday, after keeping my work stuff on the red athletes bag ready for next day (that colour is crimson, not red). Putting a side my red sweat shirt (that is surely scarlet, not red), and confirming that my red stripped ID is set on the table ready for next morning (that I know for sure, the stripe is burgundy, not red)
Just another year, another February 14th and another Valentine’s day – gone.
Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Nairobi, Kenya, February 15, 2016
Night
It is nine in the night. I am glad the day has ended. I still see reminders of the day that should end in a hurry. Someone is still selling something on the roadside, illuminated by the tall post of the street light that he stands underneath. I see what he is selling – I hear what he is selling…
“Maua, maua, za mwisho! Soo soo, kila moja,” he beckons.
Two passersby stop by the piece of sack that is holding the merchandise…
“Kadi, kadi, za mwisho! Finje, finje!,” he continues, encouraged.
I pass by to notice the spread. A few cards, predominantly red. A few flowers – obviously artificial, red. It is night for crying out loud! Shouldn’t the red day have ended by now!
Later on, I ponder over this red day and wonder what it is all about.
Sunday
My day started late, when I woke up at nine. Being a Sunday, there was nothing much to do – just some cleaning, some black tea (that cannot be breakfast) and some Nigerian movie on AMC. I watch especially being a Sunday, since most of the over one hundred channels on the digital tend to have one theme only – forgetting that some folks have their church day on any other day.
I left for the workplace to do some reading. Passing by the roundabout I noted the vast display of red that jolted me back to reality. What is this obsession with red?
At the workplace I found a paper that I remember leaving on my desk on Friday, for later reading. The employer had set out some red day questions for its staff. These were asked during the usually weekly Friday staff meeting, where announcements are made as staff partake a cup of tea. The winners of the different gender categories won meal vouchers at some city joints. I missed the session, as I was seeing red, but I got to see the questions list.
Discrimination
For the gents:
Q1 - Which month is Valentine’s Day? (Surely! I know that menfolk have bad memories but that question is hitting below there.)
Ok, Q2 - What date is it? (Aiaya yaya yaya yai!)
Q3 - How to you spell 14th. (No comment on this)
Q4 - What colour is popular? (This is at least the first real question, knowing that menfolk are colourblind and all).
Let me not be so hard on the sons of Adam and leave the other six questions on the list. Turning to the daughters of Eve:
Q1 – In which play did Shakespeare mention St. Valentine? (You see the difference between Gents and Ladies questions? Discrimination! I shout to myself in the office – Thank heavens it is a Sunday and no one is around to check out the shout)
Q2 – Who is Valentine’s Day names after? (Discrimination!!)
Q3 – Where was the first Valentine’s Day card sent from? (Discrimination! I told you!!)
I leave the other two, since I cannot allow this to continue!
I retired for bed around mid-night on Sunday, after keeping my work stuff on the red athletes bag ready for next day (that colour is crimson, not red). Putting a side my red sweat shirt (that is surely scarlet, not red), and confirming that my red stripped ID is set on the table ready for next morning (that I know for sure, the stripe is burgundy, not red)
Just another year, another February 14th and another Valentine’s day – gone.
Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Nairobi, Kenya, February 15, 2016
