What became of Christmas?

What became of Christmas?

It was either real, or I was dreaming.  I had tired my body to the max, to enable me have a completely restful sleep.  I had just done the 2hr 15min run on Thursday on the hot heat of Eldy to induce this tiredness.  Though I did not end up with a ‘long’ headache like what I encountered after the Monday run, I still had a headache nonetheless.  That was dehydration reminding me that water was essential.  The Thursday run did however have some short spells of cloud cover, hence the total run in the sun was reduced and so did the total headache after the run.

Anyway, the next day, a Friday, would be Christmas.  My plan was to take a good long night sleep and wake up late on Christmas day.  After all, wasn’t there a curfew on Christmas this time round?  Wasn’t Christmas even cancelled this year?  I thought I heard that bit of info on the news, where the powers-that-be dared anybody to dare get out at night in the name of Christmas?

It would be a matter of wait and see if Christmas-2020 would turn out to be a real thing.  For sure, there was no midnight shout to welcome Christmas, meaning that it was starting to appear like it would not.  I already know that there shall be no much shouting one week from today, when the New Year dawns.  We live in changed times, thanks to corona.  I will not even be surprised if the PTB shall cancel New Year altogether – just watch this space.

*PTB = powers-that-be

I was for sure in bed.  It was probably Friday… it was surely Friday!  I was getting back to reality after the good night sleep and was still unsure of what was reality or unreal.  I started regaining perception of reality and it seemed to be morning as the light seemed to fill the room from the large window just besides the bed.  I was however still kind-of-asleep and I had not yet had enough of my full intended eight-hours of sleep.  I still had probably another two hours to get to the expected dose.

So, who was daring me in this morning?  Why was I stirring in my sleep?  Why was Christmas waking me up by force?  By ‘2-10’ as my old folks would say!

“Una ni ita mlevi?,” I thought I heard or maybe I dreamt that up.

But it did not take long to confirm!

“We, Jose, unasema mimi mlevi.  Ulinipatia pombe mimi?”

This was reality.  The sound was surely coming from the next compound.  The sound was coming in loud and clear, into my second-floor apartment that overlooks ‘the den’.

I have known of this den since I started my stay here.  It is where local brew is made and consumed.  It is the only place where I hear of, “Nipe ya mbao” (serve me something worth twenty shillings).  I have heard noises and commotion from that joint before.  I can assume that noise and arguments is the expected daily routine.  Most of these arguments end up in some form of fight, based on my observations.  Was it not just last Tuesday that someone guy confessed to all and sundry that he had been hit by a glass bottle by Jebet?

Back to the present, reality was slowly sinking in that something was going on at the den.  The sound was loud and clear.  Soon the sounds would become many, mostly from the male side of sounds.  I would gather that someone had called another one a drunk.  That was the main contention at seven on this Friday morning.  Most voices were so slurred, loud and incoherent that I was convinced that they were under the influence, no doubt.  After all, normally speaking, how big a deal is it to be called ‘mlevi’?  To the extent of….

“Haki ya nani… Mungu moja… lazima… lazima tumalizane na… na Jose leo!”

I could hear sound like furniture moving around and a door being forced open.

“Ile changaa nilikunywa tangu asubuhi lazima itaishia hapa.  Jose atanijua!”

There would be sounds of items moving here and there, while in the whole mix I would also hear some voices like trying to separate some fighting motions.

The melee did not last for more than five minutes, since there after I could sense the end of the situation as the aggressor seemed to make amends….

“Mimi Mogaka siwezi itwa mlevi, hata nikunywe siku nzima!  Kwanza Madhe,” he paused, “We, Madhe… Madhe!...,” he seemed to be calling someone’s attention, “Hebu nipe ya mbao… Jose atalipa!”

The very Jose he had been fighting… they were still friends!

So, this is what was disturbing my sleep?  For crying out loud!  Can’t a drinker drink in peace and sleeper sleep in peace?  What has come to the world on Christmas day!  

I would soon drift back to sleep, that sweet morning sleep that is usually short but enjoyable.  However, as fate would have it, this sleep would not last for long….

“Haiya yaya yai – huyu nugu ana niita masikini!  Ati sina pesa!”

Oh, come on.  Are these people real?

“Mimi Oti!  Mimi!  Ati sina pesa – mimi!  Walayi huyu Njoro atanijua leo!”

There would follow another commotion with chairs being dragged on the floor followed by more shouting and more noises as the boys seem to come into the scene to separate the apparent duo.

It was hardly eight and I was now getting used to the den being active.  That must have been the last of the morning commotion, so I thought.  It was becoming quiet and I was about to make a third shot at sleep, when without notice…

“Merry Christmas kila mtu.  Leo ni Krisi!  Hebu tukunywe!  Madhela, hebu nipe ingine ya mbao…”

But that shout did not even end before a new development occurred.  I could hear a shrill voice of some seemingly agitated lady interrupt…

“We Mike uko tu hapa…. Umetuacha bila chakula… Una itisha tu za mbao!  Wuwi!!  Mike uneniua na watoyi!  Lazima turudi nyumbani utupatie Krismas!  Sitoki hapa bila Mike!”

More commotion and name-calling would follow as all and sundry got into the argument, some supporting the man, others supporting the lady.  It would get ugly!  U-g-l-y I tell you!  All gloves were off when they started abusing each other, as loudly as their voices could allow, on how the man was useless and could not provide for his family.  She even said his manhood has become useless.  U-g-l-y it turned, as Mike threated to show all and sundry the so called ‘useless’ manhood for all to see and judge…. Of course, with some supporting the move and others opposing it!

I was forced to jump out of bed after this episode.  My sleep had now been spoilt without any opportunity for getting it back on track.  Come off it already!  What has become of Christmas?  It is now a day for name-calling, abuses, fighting and a lesson in anatomy!  I am ashamed to say a Merry Christmas following everything that I have encountered so far… and the day is still young!

WWB, the Coach, Eldy, Kenya, Dec. 25, 2020