When ‘return’ does not mean ‘return’
I was having my last run before the Stanchart Nairobi International marathon scheduled for next Sunday, October 30, 2022. This last rehearsal of today would see me go the Mary Leakey route and attempt to conquer 17k in 5min per km speed. I failed in the speed test, just managing a 5min 04sec, but what is, is. The run of this distance usually takes me from Uthiru to Kabete Poly, then I cross the highway towards Ndumbo shopping centre to then run down Kapenguria road. At the end of Kapenguria is Lower Kabete road, where I turn left and run about a k, then turn left again to run through the dirt trails past Mary Leakey school and then across the University farm. I finally emerge at Kanyariri road for yet another left. This point at ‘the tank’ marks the return, a return that surely takes me back to where I started.
But hardly two days ago I had a different ‘return’ episode. One that has refused to leave my system. I booked my travel to a funeral of a sister-in-law, which I later learned was called ‘korera’. Of course, the twist-of-tongue would make this to be ‘cholera’ for quite some time before getting the correct pronunciation. That is a story for another day. The first thing I had to do was to book a night bus on Wednesday night, being October 19, then book another night bus on Thursday night. I was taking advantage of the Thursday holiday to attend this event. I was set to be back on duty on Friday morning.
I accessed the online booking platform on Buupass and searched for a bus to Rongo for Wednesday. I found four, two leaving in the morning and two leaving in the evening. I chose the night bus that left the latest, being 2145hrs. I had to make a selection between ‘one-way’ or ‘return’ on the same booking system. I knew that I had to get back to the city, and so I did select the return option. The next page on the system allowed me to select the seat for the travel on Wednesday, and another seat for the return trip on Thursday. I paid the two fares combined using MPESA and momentarily got an SMS message confirming the two tickets, with their unique numbers and dates of travel.
I was set and ready for the sojourn and I did not have any worries in the world. I picked my hardcopy ticket at Easy Coach station at Railways on Wednesday evening, but they could not give me a return ticket, stating that such can only be got at the departure station in Rongo the next day. Anyway, I had my SMS tickets and did not mind getting the return ticket as I came back. Of course, in the era of saving the environment, I still wonder why we have to get a printed ticket when we already have an e-ticket, but rules are rules.
The night travel to Rongo was uneventful. The bus left Nairobi at 2200hrs and was at Narok at 1am for a 30-minute stopover break. We passed by Bomet at three, passed through Kisii town at five and landed at Rongo at 5.40am. I attended the event and later at six got back to Rongo town ready for the night travel back to the city.
I presented myself to pick a ticket at 7.30pm, ready for the bus scheduled for 8.45pm. I showed the attendant the SMS message and he proceeded to do something on the computer behind the counter.
“Hi ticket hakuna,” he responded after 5-minutes of doing-whatever-he-was-doing, “Uli book kweli?”
“Si ndio hiyo SMS, ina onyesha nili lipa twenty-five hundred, ya kuja na kurudi Nairobi”
He reconfirmed the amount, then consulted his system once more. He returned the same verdict, “Ulibook kweli, hakuna kitu kwa system”
We were about to start a singing game of ‘I booked’, ‘You did not’, when another person emerged from behind the counter. He seemed to be the supervisor.
“Nini mbaya?,” he asked.
“Nili book lakini na ambiwa siku book,” I beat the operator to the response.
“Lete message,” he said, even as I gave out my phone to him to read the SMS.
“Lakini mbona inasema Narobi-Rongo route at 9.45pm?”
“Mimi nilibook return, na unaweza ona both tickets hapo kwa message, moja ya kuja, na nyingine ya kurudi,” I reminded him, though he was still holding the phone and the SMS message was gazing straight at him.
He instructed the operator to do some things as I listened. He asked him to search for some numbers, then to check some other numbers, then finally, to check the bus from Nairobi to Rongo for this Thursday night.
That is when the eureka moment came.
“Ndio hiyo,” he said loudly, looking at the computer screen behind the counter. I was opposite them and barricaded from seeing what they were seeing by some imposing metallic grills.
“Wewe uli book basi ya Nairobi hadi Rongo ya leo usiku”
Are you the hech serious! How can I book a bus from Nairobi when I am in Rongo!
“Yani, ‘return’ ina maana gani?,” I asked, almost agitated but keeping my cool, since I really wanted some resolution to get me back to the city.
“Eh, hiyo, eh… wacha niangalie,” he responded and started to instruct the operator again.
“System inasema uli book Nairobi hadi Rongo tena,” he said, evidently also stuck.
“Lakini app ya Buu pass ilisema ni return, kwani ‘return’ si ‘return’?”
I then witnessed as they first issued and printed a ticket for me reading Nairobi to Rongo, then cancelled the same ticket with two lines drawn across its front face, then rebooked me on a Rongo-Nairobi bus. I was soon holding a ticket reading Rongo to Nairobi for a bus scheduled for 8.45pm. That time came and for sure the bus was there. I was on another night travel hardly 24-hours later, reaching Nairobi Railway bus station at 4am on Friday. I managed to be on duty on Friday at 7.45am, tired to the core, but glad that the weekend would soon be coming for me to get a proper rest.
So, when you do a return-booking, just be aware that return could mean ‘do the same trip twice’.
WWB, Nairobi, Kenya, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022
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