Running short of words
This was the last day of my holiday. It has gone well and I had had a good holiday since last week. It has been the most relaxed week ever. I even got my research project that had been stuck due to lack of time and motivation back on track, and it was now working well. I do not wake up early during my holidays. It was therefore not my day to wake up early, but the morning had destined that I would have to be forced to wake up early on this Friday.
“Wowi! Wowi!,” I kind-a heard a shout. It was just about six thirty. This would normally be a time to prepare for the last three hours of sleep. But that was not to be.
“Hebu niue! Niueeeee! Niue, niue, niue,” a definite woman’s voice shouted. It came from the grounds of the next compound, with the noise permeating clearing onto the second floor where I was, window facing the open ground where the sound was coming from.
I ignored it, turned, tossed and tried to get back to sleep. But not for long!
“Wowi! Wowi! Leo lazima utaniua! Nimechoka natabia zako!,” she continued and continued some more. She kept talking, shouting, crying.
There was generally no answer. Just murmurs from apparently other people around. The woman would then finally give a “Umenichapa! Leo utanijua!.” That was the last I heard of that as she retreated sobbingly out of earshot. It was just about six-forty-five. The air become quiet once more. I even tried to sleep, but this was not my morning.
I started hearing some crying from afar, and some muffled sounds that gave me the impression that someone was talking amid cries. This lasted for some time, though the sound was just in the background without clarity of deciphering what was being said.
But at seven the muffled sounds come back to clarity as the distinct shouting of the same woman came into earshot.
“Sasa nimerudi!,” she declared, amidst crying, “Hebu sasa Senior atoke nje kama yeye ni mwanamme!”
Mmmhhh, this is it!
The lady then kept shouting and calling names. She said that she is not leaving until Senior came out and confronted her if he was a real man. She said that she is now ready to die, and even gave her death time as sometime in the next one week. She said that she is doing down since she fears that she is infected with HIV that she got from the promiscuity of his man, Senior. However, she had a death wish. She wanted to confirm to Senior’s face that he is responsible for her ailment. She lamented how her mother had warned her against marrying Senior. Now she was regretting and wishing that she had listened to her late mother. She cried some more.
Some men tried to cool her down, from her shouting position, out of view, but she could not hear nothing. She told all those talking to her to save themselves the trouble by just getting Senior out to face the music. That was the only way she was going to keep quiet.
“Atoke twende tupimwe saa hii,” she said at some point, amid sobs and many other lamentations.
Finally, after many minutes, the accused popped out of the iron sheet walled den. I could see his frame standing at the wooden frame iron sheet door. That is the furthest he stood.
“We mama wachana na mimi,” he slurred, “Hi kelele yako ndio sababu nilikuacha!”
“Hebu toka nje kama wewe mwanamme,” she responded from her concealed location. I could guess just on the covered walkway out of my view.
“Mimi nilikuacha,” the guy repeated, “Tuliachana tayari!”
“Nimefanya investigations,” she countered, “Umekuwa ukilala na Sandra hapa tu kwa hii nyumba!”
Oh my! What are we having this morning!
“Hebu twende test kwanza, kabla sijajiua!,” she added, amidst loud shouts. I think Senior had ignited a fighting spirit in her by his responses. She had now become completely mad!
“Kama una pesa, enda ununue hiyo test kit tujipime hapa!,” Senior in his don’t care attitude responded, by this time egg on his face by the morning embarrassment.
“Hapana, lazima twende hosi kufanya test na wewe!,” she sobbed back.
One of the drunks would throw spanners into the whole mainly monologue, “Kupimwa si ni free?,” he slurred, almost inaudibly.
“Thank you!,” the lady heard and responded animatedly amidst sobs.
I could still see the blue cap that marked the head of the accused firmly affixed to the door post. He did not have the courage to face that woman. That woman had energy! How can you shout for over two hours and remain strong and still shouting!. Senior kept bass-ing in the den, but now completely rained on. He was not the usually jolly noisy domineering male bass that I had come to associate with that figure. Today he had got his match, if that can be described as such.
And his match he did get! That woman was blessed with voice, shrill, noise and shout! She had it all in maximum measures. I did not get to see her, but could only make out her voice and imagine her form. I imagined some small lady, probably one-point-five metre tall, maybe fifty kilos in mass. And she was far from done…
“You are the devil himself,” she added, “I must go with you devil!”
“Siendi mahali popote na huyu malaya,” Senior responded, which just led to more shouts and cries from the lady. The lady was so loud that the whole three storey building facing the den could hear each and every word loud and clear, whether they like it or not!
“Tangu hi kelele ianze hakuna customers wamekuja hapa!,” another mature woman, whom I have associated with being the owner of the den, complained, “Hata wale wakamba hujuka saa moja leo hawajakuja”
Her complain got an immediate reaction…
“Aweke chupa chini kwanza ndio nikuja,” Senior attempted to leave the door post, but remained put. I now learnt that the lady was armed, and Senior was afraid! He waited for affirmation on this request, but none of the three gents or two ladies who were in the compound witnessing the confrontation responded.
The shouting lady continued shouting. She swore that she was going to die… but not alone. She was going the one way street with Senior.
It was now just over one and a half hours since I was woken up. The shouting lady has kept shouting, though the voice seems to be retreating. I can still see the group of five milling around the open space. A young lady in brown jeans is serving the three guys, pouring something from a plastic bottle onto their metallic tumblers. One of the guys gives her some money. I cannot see how much, but she give back some change. The other two gents just drink on. Th elderly lady, who seemed to be the mother of the girl, keeps sitting around. She must still be lamenting the loss of business due to the morning noise.
Senior and his shouting ex-wife, as he had claimed, must have somehow sneaked away amidst the chaos. The shouting lady on her part claims that senior is still his husband, but he does not like his ‘sleeping’ ways, to put it politely. She said the unprintable on the ‘sleeping’ issue, even mentioning names. One of the drunks has taken advantage of the absence of the shouting lady, to update his colleagues and the neighbouring block where I am.
He updates us that the shouting lady had earlier in the morning blocked the road in front of the den by lying across it. No vehicles could pass through. She kept shouting and crying while on the ground. Only some lengthy persuasion convinced her to bring back her wrath to the den. The same drunks let it slip that the owners of our apartment had met and sent a petition to the police due to the persistent noises that come from the den that disturbs their peace - this was a new one.
What a morning! I should have just gone for my morning run and missed all this earache. Now I have to get medication.
WWB, the coach, Eldoret, Kenya, April 14, 2023
